LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4372, 1 February 1922, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At a meeting of Chautauqua guarantors held pn Tuesday jnight a resolution was passed agreeing to honourably abide by the cpntract, and each of the guarantors to pay an equal amount of the debit, the total of which is £l4B.

In the report of the Dickson y. Hewitt case in pur last issue, it was stated, as on a certain document, that Mr Dickson was a sharemilker. It transpires that they document referred to was in error, Mr Dickson having leased the property from Mrs Hewitt at a rental, so that there was no sort of sharemilking arrangement between the parties.

A letter to the editor on Chautauqua has been crowded out of this isl- - but will appear, on Friday.

A local angler, Mr L. E. Martin (Public Works Department), made an unusually good catch recently in the Waihou River, about a mile below the Mangaiti bridge, landing an 81b rainbow trout. Frojh the time the flsb was hooked until it was gaffed was just seventeen minutes, a companion of Mr Martin’s taking the time. In order to make sure that there was no mistake about the weight, the trout was weighed upon two pairs 'ofi scales, and each registered eight pounds.

Attention is drawn to the advertisement off the Farmers’ Union Trading Co. on our first page. Some special bargains are advertised for February.

During an informal discussion at the Ngatea Farmers’ Union meeting, on Saturday members were complaining about the bad state of the unmetalled portion of the Turua-Netli)-erton road. “Why didn’t you vote for the loan,” said a voice, Mr McDuff, speaking later on the machinery loan, said that the folk who had voted, against the loan had pushed Ngatea back 10 years. /

A new dredge has arrived at Kerepehi. It is one of the American steel dipper type, with l%yd bucket. It is steam driven, arid is to be mounted on a wooden punt 80ft by 20ft and 6ft deep. The punt is not supplied wit/i the dredge, ,and will have to bb made by the Departinent. . It will be able to dig ditejies from 21ft to 49ft wide. Two others of this design, only oil driven and with steel punts provided, have been sent to the Waihi swamp. These dredges are the first of their kind in New Zealand.

Though the rains on the Hauraki Plains have been considerable (nearly two inches of rain having fallen in a single night) the flooding imthePlako River has' been very small in coml-i parison. The flood waters so far are those in very small areas and for only a short period. At Ngarua last week the- river rose to the level of the roadside.

A resident of Hikutaia, Mr W. J. Norton (manager of the Hikutaia factory), had an experience on Mondav illustrative of the Biblical dictum, “In the mjdst of life we are in death ” Mr Norton, as secretary of .the Hikutaia Sports Club, was busily engaged in supervising fhe annual sports meeting, held on Monday, when at 11 a.m. he received word that his sister, Mrs H, Town, 'of Ohakune, had passed away on Sunday. Being” 7 too late to find a substitute secretary, Mr Norton was obliged, to carry on for the day, under painfully depressing circumstances,. He caught /the 5 o'clock Paeroa train that evening, and started on his way to Ojhakune. Mrs Town leaves a widower and two little sons, aged three years, and sixteen month’s, respectively.. The sympathy of a wide circle olf riends in the Hikutaia district and elsewhere is felt for the bereaved local resident who carried out his duties under such trying conditions.

The Whafeppa ferry was prevented from running on Sunday for a few hours A huge log came ’down the river and broke the wire cables, which took a couple of hours to mend.

Of two recent additions to the mod-, ern dredging plant on the Hauraki Plains a Bucyrus dredge at Ngarua has been completed and commenced work this week. The rood machine is nearly completed, and should be in commission shortly.

This lias been a very wet January for the Hauraki Plains, 4.88 inches of rain having been recorded at Kerepeehi up till 8 a.m. yesterday. More heavy rain, fell last night, so that the month’s total should be well over five inches.