PERSONAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 March 1939, Page 4

PERSONAL

The Hon H. T. Armstrong, Minister of Housing, left Wellington for Auckland by the Limited Express last night. 1 The Hon F. Langstone, Minister of Lands, will leave Wellington tomorrow by motor-car. for Napier. Before returning to Wellington at the end of next week he will visit Wairoa, Waikaremoana and Rotorua. The Bishop of Wellington, the Rt Rev H. St Barbe Holland, expects shortly to undergo an operation, which is not serious, but which will prevent him from fulfilling engagements 'till Easter. During that period all official correspondence will be attended to by the Vicar-General, Archdeacon Bullock. Mr R. B .Tansley, who has been relieving manager of the Regent and Cosy Theatres, has been appointed manager, and will remain in Masterton. Mr Tansley has had a wide experience in theatre management, and has for some time past been on the head office staff of J. C. Williamson Picture Corporation, Ltd., Wellington. Mr McCallum has now assumed duties at the Majestic Theatre, Nelson.

Plenty of Eels. With the object of clearing debris brought down by the last flood in the. Wanganui River round one of the piers of the Victory Bridge, Taurharunui, Mr P. J. Alley, the Taumarunui borough engineer, had a charge of gelignite placed under the obstruction and a good clearance was effected. The discharge of gelignite, however, did more than shift the rubbish. It seemed to fill the river with eels. Maori boys secured no fewer than 43 young eels 2ft to 3ft in length. Carriage of Sheep. The annual exodus of breeding ewes from the East Coast to the Waikato and Auckland resulted in a total of 51,690 sheep being carried by the Richardson Line motor-vessel Pakura from the East Coast bays and Gisborne to Orakei and Tauranga between January 14 and February 26, a period of six weeks. Among the livestock carried by the vessel in her 21 voyages only 12 deaths were recorded. A record was established by the Pakura at Tauranga when a total of 2600 sheep was landed in 55 minutes. The Pakura is at present undergoing refit at Auckland.

Tar Sealing Near Rotorua. Improvement of the grades and the widening of corners is still being carried out by the Public Works Department on the Te Wairoa Road between the main highway turn-off and the Okareka turn-off, preparatory to sealing, slates a message from Rotorua. Several new culverts have been laid to replace those which were in need of repair while the final coating of pumice is being spread and is being consolidated by traffic and the use of watercarts. Unfortunately the sealing this year will not extend as far as the avenue of native bush fringing the Blue and Green Lakes which is rapidly being damaged owing to the fine pumice dust which traffic spreads when passing along the road. In the interests of tne preserve-| lion of this fine stretch of bush it is ‘ hoped that now a start has been made I with the sealing of the road it will be I continued to beyond lhe Green Lake; early next season.