LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4362, 6 January 1922, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

According to an exchange, it is expected that Parliament will conclude its business in from two to three weeks after resuming on January 11.

The Railway Department draws attention in the advertising columns of this issue to a special advertisement in connection with train arrangements for the Rotorua Races at Claudelands.

The wirei-woven baskets that the Borough Council and the Beautifying Society decided to provide for the main street in Paeroa are still conspicuous'by their absence. ’

Tenders .uncalled for the ments and afternoon, tea booth for the Hikutaia Sports, to be held on January 30.

Commencing next Sunday, the Rev A. Blakemore, Methodist minister for the Hauraki Plains, who has already, taken up his residence at Ngatea, will conduct services next Sunday, as announced in our advertising columns.

During the playing ofl an especially delicate piece of music by the Waikiki Hawaiians last evening at Paeroa a youth at the back of the hall 'started" 11 the annoyance of the audience in his vicinity?' The incident illustrated the truth of the contention now being put forward by so'claLreformers that there is need for a "half-way house” for the detention of persons—like the youth al lude'd to herein—who are riot dangerous lunatics, but are Just “a shingle short.”

A native case of attempted suicide occurred in Paeroa on Wednesday afternoon. The victim, a young man of 24 years of age, named Huki Royal, late of Thames, came from Thames to Paeroa to see his sister, and during conversation with, her he said he was going to do away with himself, at the same time producing a bottle of poison and a razor. He opened the bottle and put some of the poison upon a slice of bread, which his sister promptly knocked out of his hand. Constable McClinchy was notified, but in the meantime the young fellow had disappeared. Th?, officer found out that the native had crossed the Criterion bridge, and on going in that direction he espied the man, who, as the constable was about to approach, slashed a razor across his throat. As there was no doctor in the town at the time Mrs Little (wife of Dr. Little) and. Constable MeClinchy rendered first-aid, and when the bleeding was stopped the patient was taken to the Waihi Hospital.

Expressions of satisfaction are heard from the settlers at Netherton, Kerepeehi, and Ngatea, now that they have secured a direct, daily mail service from Auckland via Paeroa. The mails will now arrive regularly, and though in s’ome cases it entails a lit; tie extra work for the postmistress, the new method is generally hailed as a vast improvement on the antiquated service by launch to Thames.

During the holidays the people on the Hauraki Plains have availed themselves of the daily motor-car services, and each day has seen not one but several car loads en route to Paeroa. There are now two motorcar services on the daily run.

In discussing show ground matters at the general meeting of the Hauraki Plains Agricultural and Pastoral Association’s meeting on Wednesday a speaker, urging that provision should be made for the future, mentioned the possibility of the association holdr ing a spring show at some future date. ' \

Though there is not a great deal of cropping done on the Hauraki Plains, there are numerous hay paddocks and quite a number of hay stacks are now noticeable. One farmer with seven acres of mown hay averaged four tons of hay to the acre.

Scores of people desirous of visiting the Waihi Beach during the New Year were doomed to disappointment. The local taxi owners showed a disinclination to convey passengers >.o this popular resort, and many applicants on Monday were unable to arrange passages, notwithstanding the fact that cars were on hand. It would appear that only those . cases in which arrangements had previously been made was the journey to the beach undertaken. Owing to the weather having taken up, the road has shown indications of irri-. provement, but it is still in a very bad state (states the “Telegraph” of last Wednesday), and as late as yesterday morning more than one taxi driver described the road as dangerous for motor traffic. As showing the wretched condition of the road last week, a cyclist informed us that it took him two and a half hours to come in on Saturday. For the greater part of the journey he either trundled or carried his machine, the mud in places being so thick and sticky that the wheels of his machine refused to go round, even when trundling it.

A special picture, “The Betrayer,” is advertised to be screened at Kerepeehi to-morrow night.