COUNTRY NEWS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 165, 7 April 1919, Page 10

COUNTRY NEWS

NOTES FROM VARIOUS CENTRES

MANAWATU

The long spell of dry weather experienced lat«l.V is showing its eftccts on tho feed generally, and scarcity in this direction'is a.general complaint, lhe daily factories generally report a tolling oil in tho milk supply, and consider that the outlook for the winter is not too good. Naturally the store stock markets have been affected, and both shesp and cattlo have been neglected at the local markets, with the exception of lambs, for which thero is still a fair demand. With the uncertainty of getting frozen meat away, owing to the shortage of insulated space buyers for export .are disinclined to opi-rate until they are assured of gett.n,K the meat away. On Saturday morning a fairly heavy rain set in, but it did not last long enough to do much "ocd. °i\(iws has been received that Lieutenant J. Murray, who, before proccedini? to the frimt, was assistant master at the.Talmerston. North Boys" High School, is returning to the Dominion by the Willochra, due about tho middle of the month. During his absence Lieutenant Murray has been appointed , vector of the selieoi'.iii succession to the late Mr, VerThe work of reconstructing the Mangahao Bridge, which is nearly completed, is , 'regarded as a' decided improvement. I'vesh piles have ken driven where required, and the construction work has been generally strengthened. The Publio Works Department niade a substantial contribution towwds the work. Haiiifall for March in the Pajnatna district was only 1.13 inches. Bain fell on Heven days, the heaviest fall for one day being 0.55 inches. In March of the'previous year 'the total fall was 3.70 -inches, ami rain fell on ten days, the heaviest fall on one day being 2.18 inches. . .

'J'lie present dry weather is beginning to tell throughout the Pongaroa district. The grass is very brown, and settlers have Imd to adopt the expedient of changing stock i'i-oni paddock to paddock. The shortage of water i'or household purpose* is ulao keenly felt. Many settlers; have empty tanks, and have had to adopt all sorts oi expedients to obtain the'precious fluid, ineludinur Borrowing from more ■fortunate neighbours, or carting long distances from eveeks. Although rain has threatened several times, the 'clouds 'havo failed in their promises, and for the nonce I'ongaroa is a' "dry" urea. An echo of the Dannevirko Arcadia ITlu-utre case, which occupied a good deal ol thb time at the last sessions of the Supreme Court at I'almerston North, engaged tlie .Magistrate's Court for the best part of a day, when Magistrate l'age reserved his decision'' in tho case V. A. Jorgensen versus the Arcadia Picture Company. Tho decision was given on Saturday, and was in favour of defendants, with XI Bs. Gd. costs. The- claim whs'lor .tSB I).-;.,, in .connection with architectural work done and supervision in connection with the erection of the Arcadia Theatre at IJannevirke. Tlie evidence went to.show that plaintiff was engaged us an architect for tho building. Later on iiis services were dispensed witn by the directors, and another- architect engaged. Plaintiff, himself a large shareliolder in the company, then discovered that the specifications were not being carrie'd out, and suggested that he Be allowed to give-his services merely as supervising architect without .onniiuratien. His request was granted, But upon his reinstatement he really acted in the dual capacity of architect and overseer, ;v position wliich he had 'not expected to fill when he .offered . his services. The defence relied upon letter Offering his sorvices, and claimed that this proved that he w-iis not expecting, nor was he .entitled to, anj;_ remuneration. In giving judgment Mis Worship said that although plaintiff had apparently more work to do than .ho intended .when he. made the- offer, the evidence clearly showed that he had agreed to give his assistance, and was debarred from making nn'y ciaim, the, offer Being accepted on thoss conditions. In a case in which thb Kairanga County Council brought an action in tlie Magistrate's Court against'-P. O'Eegan for keeping pigs within three chains of Cauiqron'e Line upon whicji his property abutted, Mr. Ongley,. for the defence, contended that tho By-Jaw was invalid, as the preamble did iiot set out the reason for its making, and further that it was unreasonable, considering the nature of the district. After Mr. limes had repied, Mr. Page, S.M., held that the Bylaw was reasonable, and quite valid, and lined the defendant J!2, with cttits.'

A juvenile demonstration by the Prohibitionists was held in Palmerston on •Saturday'afternoon. The procession comprised between five and six hundred juveniles of both sexes, carrying flags and banners, bearing various devices and mottoes, The' younger children were accommodated in about a dozen riotorcars, and the rest niarohed in procession round the town.

A subject of considerable important: to the Manawatu was. discussed at i conference of local bodies held at Pal merston this week in connection with th proposed 'construction of a bridge ove the Manawatu Eivor at Lomjburn. Be fore the conference rose, however, it hai virtually committed itself to the erectioi of a bridge at. an . alternative site a Rangitane, thus opening up many tliou sands of rich swamp lands in that dis trict. Mr. J. A. Nash, M.P., who pre sided over the conference, said that ther was no question as to the very great ad vantage that would accrue If they ha< a Hat, level, road from Palmerston to l'aekakariki.. The hydro-electric, schem was going to play a bis part in connec tion with the erection of this bridge because the . Government would have t carry the power across the Manawati River. This provided an opportunity fo approaching the Government for i\ bij subsidy. Hitherto the local bodies hai confined their efforts to securing a bridg with Lbngburn as its venue, but an al tentative proposal had been made by Mi K. Akers. In a letter to the conferenc which llr. Nasli read, Mr.' Akere sue gested that before committing them selves to a bridge at Longburn the loco bodies should inquire into the merits o fin attractive route between Shannon am Palmerston North. The route he sue jested was via the Soxton Line to th' lew private bridge at Eangitane, thenci icross.the swamp to either Makerua o: Shannon. This was, lie added, praetic illy the route laid down by Mr. Parr; ;n the' Mangahao power scheme. Tin ulvantages of this' route were as fol ow:—(1) A level road rlprlit to Shannon 2) about three miles shorter than tin )ther route j (3) bus .road to be formed .4) easier formation; (5) the river wai ipproximately only M feet betweci miiUs, as against 90fl feet or over a [/ongburn. Continuing, Mr. Nash com nended 51 r. Akers'.s proposal. If tlu >ridgo was constructed at Eangitano anc i level road provided, the whole of the ■forth Island would he served, and il fould help to link up the main arteral roads and materially shorten <lisance. He moved tliat a deputation rC' )resentative of Manawatu lie set up tc vait upon the Minister of Public Works rith a view to obtaining a subsidy, tofards a bridge across the Manawatu, so is to provide a level road from Shannon o Longburn; also that a commission be et up by the Government in connection nth the same. The motion was secondid by Mr. AVingate! Mr. Sam Jickel, fflffineer, io the Palmerston North 13ornigh, said that under the alternative nlieine suggested by Mr. Akers, some if the finest land in Neiv Zealand would >e opened up. The scheme for putting he road through at liangitano was quite oasibln. Taonui would have to do the lamn tiling to open up their swamps. Tim and at I'angitane was as'good as the 'iuko swamp land. According to Mr. A. ieifert the spot proposed by Mr, Akers vas in the best position that could bo iiiggosted for securing a direct nnd level •oad to Wellington. A bridge would inve to be Imilt there in any case. The iwners at Eangitaue would not, however, igreo to be 'included in the rating area for a bridge at Longburn. In outlining iis proposal Mr. Alters said that the section of a bridge and the formation if the road sit Rangitano would open up vt least 10,000 nere.s of rich swamp land, ind they had a scheme for draining this and keeping the river from encroaching in the,land. Other <le!egnte3 followed in n liko strain and the conference uuanirajiusly adopted the resolution proposed by vlr. Nash.