50 years ago
■ Discussions were to begin between the Ministry of Transport and the New Plymouth City Council on the reorganisation of the railway system in the heart of New Plymouth. Minister of Transport Mr Peter Gordon said the current location of the railway complex in the centre city had been troubling the ministry and the Railways Department for some time. The council’s newly released transportation plan involved Molesworth St being linked with St Aubyn St which means the goods shed and loading spurs would have to be moved. The reorganisation could involve moving the whole railway complex out to Bell Block or moving the goods shed to an area next to Kawaroa Park and the engine sheds into the centre city.
■ A drive by the Fitzroy Rotary Club to get lemons and grapefruit had so far yielded only one thing – lemons. The club was asking for lemons and grapefruit from New Plymouth residents so they could be sent to old folks homes in Oamaru, Invercargill and Dunedin where there is an extreme shortage. A spokesman for the club said a good sized lemon on the Dunedin market sells for as much as 10c. The organisers of the drive were hoping for more grapefruit to arrive over the next few days.
■ Progress on the reclamation of land for the new coal-fired power station at the base of Paritutu was well under way. The eastern lake had been largely filled while the western lake was being pumped out. The workers camp was also under construction.
■ The Eltham community was reassured that the Te Roti-Kapuni branch railway line was safe from closure for many years and that the Kapuni-Opunake section would remain in operation at least until offshore oil developments and dairy factory amalgamation possibilities were known. Minister of Railways Mr Gordon told a civic reception in Eltham that there had been an increase of use of the Te Roti-Kapuni section in the last year and that this would only increase when the Kapuni industrial complex was completed securing the line’s future, ‘‘unless road transportation finds a way to compete more favourable with rail haulage,’’ Mr Gordon said. ■ Patrols by traffic officers have been extended to East Egmont despite members of the Stratford Mountain Club making claims otherwise. Traffic Officer R. J Waters told a Stratford County Council meeting that he had spent 15 weekends totally 60 hours in attendance on the mountain and patrols by himself and other officers would continue where necessary.
■ Movies: The Secret Life of An American Wife starring Walter Matthau, Anne Jackson and Patrick O’Neal (Opunake Everybody’s), King Pirate (Stratford Plaza), Hombre starring Paul Newman and Richard Boone (Ha¯wera Regent). 35 Years Ago: History was made in Taranaki when the province’s first underwater birth was recorded. Appropriately for a dairying province though the feat was performed by a Fresian cow rather than human residents. It occurred on the Inglewood farm of Mr Colin Johnstone when an in-calf cow got wedged in a creek while giving birth. The calf was only partially born but was able to survive underwater due to the umbilical cord. The birth process was completed when the cow was pulled from the drain with a tractor. The calf and cow are now doing well.
■ Fifteen maintenance engineers and fitters at the Waitara Valley methanol plant went on strike over their wage agreement negotiations. The agreement for wages and conditions of maintenance engineers has been under negotiation by Petralgas Chemicals Ltd and the Engineer’s Union since a wage freeze exemption was granted a year ago. The plant was commissioned 11 months ago.
25 Years Ago: New Plymouth’s northern outlet will be widened this summer, Transit New Zealand regional highways engineer Mike Hayward has announced. He said $230,000 has been set aside to fund the widening of State Highway 3 between Constance St and Smart Rd.