LOCAL AND GENERAL

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 400, 8 December 1932, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

C'leaning Up Streets Rotorua is heginning to wear a holiday appearance for th'e borougli staff is actively engaged in trimming xlp the streets and getting the various ! jobs done which add to the attraetiveness of the town. Need For Rain In many parts of the district rain is very badly neeued by farmers. The speetacle of the sledge and water barrel so common in former times is again to be iseen on country roads where many farmers are being forced to cart water for household and milking supplies. Unlighted Cycles There are still many cyclists who are prepared to take the rislc of being run into on the Whaka Road at night since they are riding in the middle bf the bitumen without lights and in three cases last evening without even red reflectors attached to their cycles. The Holiday Exodus Whilst Rotorua will he filled with visitors from other parts during the holiday period many of the residents who spend the rest of the year h'erc are making arrangements to visit other parts. Parties are booked for The Mount (Tauranga), Ohope Beach (Whakatane), and Opotiki, whilst at l'east three parties" are chae to spend fishing holidays in the Taupo district. Things Are Looking Up Interviewed hy a "Morning Post" representative yesterday morning several Rotorua business men commented favourahly upon the general improvement which they had experienced in business during the past week. In the majority of cases the returns were equal to and in several cases greater than the returns for1 the corresponding week of last year. Coming after a rather trying month they consider that things are looking up and augur well for a good holiday season. In practically every case the holiday accommodation is -already booked up fully until the second week in January. Garden P.ests Rampant Many of the pea and hean erops of the amatsur gardeners in Rotorua have been subjected this year to a visitatioii of a small hlack fly which' has absolutely ruined them. According to one gardener who devotes most of his spare time to his plot this is a new pest and he confesses that he has not seen it before in the district. The common white butterfly is also very mueh' in 'evidence and cabbage erops are suffering very severely. The dry season is hlamed largely for this.. Co-operation Wanted For the amateur athletie sports j meeting to he held at Rotorua on Box- l ing Day the Rotorua Amateur Athletie and Cycling Cluh has been fortunate in arranging for the appearance of S. A. Blaelc (New Plymouth) Olympic representative, present New Zealand quarter mile ehampion and record holder and J. W. Shirley, of Hamilton, New Zealand 120 yards hurdles ehampion. The local cluh has also received advice that four other athletes from New Plymouth and six from Hawera will also compete if accommodation can he provided for them. They will he put to tba expense of travelling from Taranaki and it is thought that their entliusiasm should he met at least by acceding to their request for accommodation. Those_ nominated to travel from Taranaki are splendid types of amateurs. The Rotorua Cluh's hon. secretary (Mr. G. H. Weir) would ue pleased to hear immediately from persons who are ahle to billet one or more of the visitors for a period of approximately three days, from Sunday (Xmas Day) afternoon till the foilowing Tuesday, December 27, 1932. Sydney Wool Saies Although wool is less than a third of the value it made in the 1924-25 season, when a hale averaged £34 19s 8d, the sura realised in Sydney for the opening montlis of. this season has been £3,874,213 (says the Sun). Sydney's saies are the greatest in the world and last year 1,208,499 bales were sokl for £13,000,040. Scarecl by Shark While swimming at the Batlis yesterday (says Monday's Bay of Plenty Times) Mr. J. Spratley dived over the side into open water with the intention of swimming to the Rowing Club's shed. He immediately called out "sharlc" several times

but those hearing him did not take the matter seriously. However, the caretaker, Mr. W. McGuire, states that Mr. Spratley reported to him in a distressed eondition and stated that the shark had aetually attacked him. This is the third oecasion on which a shark has recently been ohserved in the vicinity of the baths.

Slones for Hangi At a meeting of the eommittee arranging the Christmas Carnival on Tuesday, considerable discussion centred on the question of suitable oven stones for the hang'is to he conducted at the town square and Ohinemutu. To the akeha, stones -are hut stones hut the Maori elosely examines his oven stones for shape, size and other qualities. In a pumice country such as the Rotorua district, stones of the required quality are difficult to ohtain -and of the entire meeting of Maoris, only one, an old wahine, knew where they could he seeured. As a result the organiser, Major R. Dansey, accompanied the wahine to the baek of Ngongotaha yesterday, hut the searchers were handicapped hy the fact that during the past few years the country had suffered many changes. The wahine's first attempt to locate the stones was unsuccessful hut at the second, she found a plentiful supply 100 yards away.