LOCAL AND GENERAL

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 417, 29 December 1932, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Many Visitors Camping Over 300 cars are at present parked on the Rotorua Municipal Camping ' site in Ranolf Street. Included in this total are approximately 150 cars j from the southern portion of the North Island, including ,a large proportion of Wellington visitors. Visitor Scalded While walking in the Government grounds yesterday afternoon, a visitor, Mr. Frederiek Davis. received. slight scalds to his foot as a result of accidentally slipping into a hot pool. He was admitted to the King.George V. Hospital and last night was reported to be progressing satdsfaetorily. Chimney Ablaze The prolonged blast of the fire siren shortly after 11 o'clock last evening caused considerable excitement in Rotorua and many rushed into the streets in an endeavour to locate the fire. Those who were successful, however were given no thrills as the blaze was confined to a chimney in a house in Pukuatua Street occupied by Mrs. D. Sherriff. In a few minutes the brigade had quelled the flames and the crowd quickly dwindled. Stick Together. Referring in humorous vein to the co-operation existing between Austr.a.lians and New Zealanders at the civic welcome to the Young Australia League Boys' Band yesterday, Mr. J. McGowan, tour manager of the band said they were like the banana, allright as long as they were clustered together, but as soon as they were separated each was skinned.

Filming the Bands The Fox Movietone van at present in Rotorua was brought into operation at the corner of Arawa and Tutanekai Street yesterday morning for the purpose of filming the march past of the combined Rotorua and Auckland Watersiders' Band, followed by the Young Australia League Boys' Band which arrived by the midday express. During the afternoon other "shots" were taken of the boys' band and Maori displays at the model pah at Whakarewarewa. New Track to Doubtful Sound It is understood that Mr. L. Murrell, of Manapouri, has opened up a new track for tourists this Season. It commences from the north arm of Lake Manapouri and euts across through new country to Gear Arm of Bradshaw Sound. The scheme is to initiate a round trip from Manapouri to Gear Arm, up the latter by launch and through Bradshaw and Smith Sounds to Deep Cove at the head of Doubtful; thence over to the west arm of Manapouri by the well-lcnown track. It is a round trip that will attract many trampers, occupying a week and allowing for two days at the Sounds. Fifty miles will be covered by launch, all in sheltered waters. The track is reported to be a good one, and provides a new trip for those who frequent the Sounds district. An Ignominous Fate "It's handy to sixty years ago since the world's first submarine was built and launched in Dunedin" a Port Chal mers man remarked to a Dunedin Star reporter. Designed on general lines of Jules Verne's famous Platypus, the vessel was designed to salvage gold from the bottom of the Molyneux River. Paddles on the outside of the hull were intended to work the Internal machinery, the paddles being driven by the racing river current as the vessel lay on the bottom of the river the crew meanwhile opening her false bottom and scooping up the gold. When fully loaded the compressedair machine was geared to the revolving paddle wheels and the gold-laden ship rose to the surface and was warped to the river bank to discharge. Eventually she was launched at Mussel Bay, and with a select company of experts on board was successfully submerged in the harbour. Everything worked well until the time came to rise to the surface again. Then there was a liitch. The ferry steamer Golden Age was requisitioned to drag the submarine along the bottom to the shore, and her hull was altered to do service as a factory soap vat. She never reached her intended destination on the Molyneux.