Mr Ross Andrews, a well-known member of the firm of St Clair and Leicht, wondered if he was seeing things one day last week.

When he opened the bonnet of a car he found a seven-foot carpet snake curled around the battery of a car where he was about to install a radio aerial.

As the snake was in the way of the job Ross was about to do, he had to be removed and dispatched, even though he might have been a tourist attraction in Horton Street.

Rex Davis had driven down from Rollands Plains earlier in the day, and there is little doubt that is where the wriggler made himself at home in the car.

Before going to the radio shop, the car had been at the Central Garage for a while where Mr C. Bailey did some work on it with his head in the engine, not realising that he had company under the bonnet.

Some thought the snake to be the diamond variety, but his markings were definitely those of the carpet snake.

The carpet snake is not a distinct species, and is little more than a colour variety of the diamond snake. Both are non venomous.

Never too young to learn

The eight-year-old second class pupils at Port Macquarie's Public School "invaded" the Port News office on Thursday last, and took in most of what was going on around them.

They showed particular interest in the electronic block making machine.

Advertising runs into hundreds

At its regular meeting last week the Port Macquarie Chamber of Progress authorised expenditure on advertising for the town to the extent of hundreds of pounds.

Major items in the expenditure included an "impact" advertisement in the Sydney Morning Herald's travel supplement to be published in May; radio advertising over 2CH with the well-known Dick Fair at the microphone; the cost of 8,000 Carnival of the Pines programs (£39.76).

The Chamber decided to seek the cooperation of the council and Motels Association with a view to sharing in a large combined advertisement for Port Macquarie at a cost of £136.

The Chamber decided to authorise the Camera Club to take three sets of 60 shots of the town for publicity purposes.

After the slides have been inspected a commentary will be prepared and put on tape; the sets will be available on loan for distribution throughout the state.

A special committee was set up to deal with the question of a new landscaped map of the town, and Messrs Mason, McGuckin, Walsh and Uptin were elected.

The Chamber decided to write the Municipal Council asking could some attention be given to the road to Miners Beach, and a signpost for Miners Beach.

Mr K. Mason had a motion carried that the Chamber of Progress write to the Shire Council asking what developments had taken place in regard to the Hanington-Port Macquarie Tourist Road within the Shire following the recent deputation to the Commissioner for Main Roads.

The Municipal Council is to be asked to repeat the street lighting system at the northern turn-off of the highway, as has been done at the southern intersection.