An effort is being made to have these auxiliary pipes laid before the winter sets in. All eyes are being focused on this Maori Point venture, as upon the success of this dredge will depend much on the enterprise that is being contemplated in connection with the working of claims in the Kawarau and others in the Shotover.
Wapiti on the rise
Although several stalking parties in quest of wapiti have returned from the Sounds district of Western Otago and Southland unsuccessful, the experience of one party which shot over blocks in George Sound neighbourhood goes to show that in that locality the wapiti are increasing in numbers.
In George Sound there was ample evidence of the presence of wapiti in increasing numbers. The trip covered about three weeks in all, and during the time spent stalking the party saw well over half a hundred beasts, all in excellent condition.
Although some of the bulls were rather young, and were consequently passed by, three satisfactory heads were secured, one 11-pointer and two 13-pointers.
These were the first heads obtained this season.
Feeding the masses
To feed upwards of 700 persons in less than an hour and a-half is in itself no light task, but to serve them quickly and without congestion in a dining room with a total seating capacity of 250 is an achievement that calls for no little organising ability, and reflects great credit on those responsible for the task. The world over, the question of meals for train travellers presents a problem, and where a dining car is not attached to the train severe criticism is frequently passed on the system of railway refreshment and dining rooms, the chief complaint being that meals taken in such places have to be eaten hurriedly, with a corresponding amount of inconvenience, before the appetite is satisfied. Again, it is argued that should a rush occur, the size of the average railway dining room is altogether inadequate to cope with the excess over the usual number of passengers. One also hears complaints regarding the quality of the food, the service, and the haphazard methods employed, so that the sum total of complaints recalls a badly-managed army canteen where the rules are ‘‘Rafferty’s’’. Such a state of affairs may, and probably does, exist on some systems, but certainly not on the southern portion of the New Zealand railways. With a view to ascertaining exactly how an influx of hungry travellers is coped with a Daily Times reporter yesterday watched the arrival of four express trains at Oamaru, and after seeing some 600 meals served expeditiously and cleanly in a little over an hour he came to the conclusion that the New Zealand Government at all events is doing its best to attend to the wants of the inner man so far as the travelling public is concerned. — ODT 22.4.26
