LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4374, 6 February 1922, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A meeting of residents of Paeroa and district will be held in the Coronation Chambers to-morrow, at 1.30 p.m., to discuss ways and means of raising further funds for the Auckland Orphans’ Home £25,000 Fund Campaign.

On Saturday last Mr Geo. Buchanan received a wire from Messrs H. Poland and T. W. Rhodes, M’s. P.-, that a suin of £3OO had been authorised to the Hauraki Plains County for ( the re-erection of the Wakumete Stream bridge near Patetonga. > Recently this bridge was washed away, and has been causing a dislocation of the cream carting and other traffic in that district. It is to be hoped that urgent, steps will pow be taken to have the bridge deinstated.

The specifications for clearing and cleaning Elliott’s Road drain al Omaha may be seen at the “Gazette” Office. Tenders for the work will be received by the Thames County up to the Bth instant.

From inquiries made in Turua it appears that there will be no difficulty about accommodating the proposed Parliamentary party in that centre for one night during the tour of the Plains.

As notified by advertisement in our other columns subscription towards the 1 wedding gift to .be presented to H.R.H. Princess Mary from the won men af New Zealand will be received by the County treasurer, Mr R.> W. Evans, at the Council offices up to Saturday next, the 11th inst. This fund is quite apart from rhe gifts to be presented from, the “Maries” of the Empire, and frpm the V.A.D.’s under the auspices of the Red Cross Societies. but similar in respect to the amount of individual subscriptions, which is limited to one-shilling.

From imformatiop received it now appears likely that the proposed Visit of Parliamentarians tp the Thames Valley and Hauraki Plains will not take place until early in April. Mr Hugh Poland, M.P. for Ohinemuri, was asked by the organiser (Mr Edwin Edwards) to ascertain what date would best suit Ministers and members, and Mr Poland,'after making full inquiries, telegraphed a reply that very few could attend if the visit took place before April, as most members wanted to go straight home to their farms and businesses for a term immediately after the conclusion of the session,, and the Ministers would not be able tp leave their headquarters in Wellington for some con-, siderable time after Parliament prorogues.

The Rev. F. R. Jeffreys, who has been in charge of the social work of the Presbyterian Church in Auckland for a good many years, is visiting the East Coast in connection with the United Protestant Orphanages’ paign. and will be in Paeroa to-i morrow, w-hen His Worship the Mayor will preside at a meeting of citizens in the Coronation Chambers at 1,30 p.m. to meet him. Last year in re-, sponse to the appeal of the Rev.. W. E Gillan, Paeroa contributed some £9O for the Papatoetoe Orphan Home, and already this year the “Hauraki Plains Gazette ” list of subscribers has amounted to £lO 12s. The Chamber of Commerce has collected more than £3, besides which, the Sunday School has contributed smaller amounts. We trust there will be a goodly number to meet the Rev. F. R. Jeffreys, and that his appeal will meet with the success it deserves.

Revelations regarding the tea trade were made at the Christchurch Magistrate’s Court when a storekeeper proceeded against a firm of merchants for having sold him tea warranted "tlie best obtainable,” when it was of inferior quality (states the “Press”). A witness fpr defendants admitted that any brand the customer wanted was put on the tea. If "Fin* est Broken Orange Pekoe” was the brand asked for, this was put on the case, although the tea might be only Broken Pekoe. Counsel for plaintiff pointed out that this was directly contrary to the Food and Drugs Act. The Magistrate, Mr Wyvern Wilson, said it made him almost afraid to buy tea. “It shows how people may be gulled,” he went on. “Your Worship is too charitable,” said counsel, “I should say how people are gulled.”

Dr. Herbert’s statement that cancc:’ was probably the most frequent cause of death in New Zealand to-.’day is borne out by the mortality statistics for the year 1921, published in the Gazette. Out ofi a total of 5445 deaths recorded, with causes, in urban areas last year, no fewer than 562 were attribut'd to cancer in various parts of the body—or more than 10 per cent, of the total deaths. To tuberculosis in its various forms 'were assigned 419 cases of death., pneumonia accounted for 324 (including broncho-pneumonia), and Thight’fylisoase 190 Organic diseases of sthe. heart were responsible for 752 deaths