Local and General

Huntly Press and District Gazette, Volume 3, 18 December 1914, Page 2

Local and General

O Ha-sequent upon the resignation of Mr James Fletcher a.s General Mining Manager of the Taupiri Coal Mines, at Huntly, (he following app fintmexits have been made by the Company, viz.:—Mr James Bishop as general mining manager, and Mr Alexander Penman as certified::! mine manager of Ralph’s Colliery. A great crowd of people gathered round tho Kings Hall on Election night, eager to hear the results of the polling, quite a number remaining about until well after midnight. It was a goodhumoured crowd, and the results, whether pleasing to the crowd or not, were taken in a sportsmanlike manner. The results from different parts of the Dominion began to arrive about ten o’clock, but, as report succeeded report and one set of figures contradicted another set already received, people became confused and at last went home, certain of nothing except that the issue was in doubt. A miner named Jonathan Hodgson, whilst at work in Ralph’s mine on Wednesday last received a painful injury to his left eye, the sight of which may be destroyed permanently. He was standing close behind a miner working in the adjoining bord having gone in there until a shot had bee.i fired in his own place—when a piece of coal flew and struck him in the eye, inflicting a very deep and severe wound. The wounded man was attended to by Dr J. C. Macdiarm id, who ordered his immediate removal to the Hospital, where it was found necessary to remove the eye. A message from Hamilton states that Hodgson stool the operation well and that he is progressing favourably, One of the objects for which the Victoria League exists, is to ■ bring the people of tho Empire more into touch with one another by encouraging correspondence between the school children in widely separated countries. That the object is a good one, will be admitted by all who know bow appallingly ignorant the rank and file in one part of the King’s Dominions often are of their brethren in remote parts of the Empire. A short time ago, a school girl not a hundred miles from Huntly asked for a correspondent, and was allotted one in Canada. In due course she wrote and received an answer, in the course of which her correspondent said that she had heard oi Hew Zealand, but had always been under the impression that it was one of the islands of the West Indies. What think ye of this, ye who believe that New Zealand is the hub of the Universe? When this appears in print, the schools will have broken up for their summer vacation, and teachers and children will he taking their well-earned rest. Which leads one to reflect on our ways of taking rest. All the children, and most of the teachers will take it by pitting in a fur more strenuous six weeks that ever they do while school is op mi, but with all except those unfortunate ones who have to sil for examination, it will be a change from mental to physical work. It cannot be disputed that under our modern system of education, the mind is developed very often at the expense of the body, and a periodical holiday for all who are engaged in educational pursuits is highly necessary, and even if the children do get into mischief and get on mother’s nerves during the six weeks we have the consolution of knowing that b >th teachers and children will be all the better for their holiday, and will come back invigorated and keener for their work than ever. The kaleidoscopic changes which are being rung on the position of the political parties as a result of the recounts in the various electorates, is rather bewildering, The excitement of the election has been kept up longer thi time than ever before, partly by the fact that the par tie are so near to one another in strength, and partly because of errors which have been discovered in the returns sent in by the deputies, and which have in some cases quite upset tho result originally pubI diod. The latest is a complete reversal of the Hawke’s Bay result, the majority cf 191 for Mr Gampbell announced earlier in the week having now been changed into a majority for Dr McNab of 9 votes. Such a turn over as this, has led people to be on the lookout lor other possible reversals, and where close polling was announced in the first place electors are wondering whether the discovery of counting, errors may not yet alter the state of the poll, and the friend:’ of the | caudkGEjMgßM^ch case are

Attention is drawn to the notice in, our advertising columns setting forth the special train arrangements for the Christmas and New Year Holidays. Huntly will be well represented at the front. Quite a number have already gone, some to Samoa and others to Egypt, while a few are in camp at Trentham, the last batch of five, all employees of the Taupiri Coal Mines, having left this week. Few men who have arrived at the age of four score years can have health and strength to ride on horseback more that a hundred miles in two days, and that without manifesting cr feeling fatigue. Yet this feat has just been accomplished by T. B. Hill, of Raglan, who is within a few weeks of his eightyfirst birthday, and who was “ fresh as a lark ” after the journey. Having ridden to Huntly for combined business and pleasure, on his way back Mr Hill visited the Pukemiro district, and from the hill summit viewed the railway from Huntly now in tile course of construction, and which, he feels sure, is bound to be extended to Raglan in the near future —an opinion that is shared by many Huntly people and in which Mr L. B. Harris, one of that district's earliest residents (himself an octogenarian, and with whom Mr Hill renewed a long-standiag acquaintance) is very emphatic. It is stated that there are absolutely no engineering difficulties whatever between the present railhead and the Raglan harbour, and no less an authority than Mr Percy Smith, an exchief of the Government Survey Department, is credited with having stated that there is a natural course for a railway line to Raglan. ,