THE Hauraki Plains Gazette. With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY. WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1922. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4475, 4 October 1922, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette. With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY. WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1922. LOCA L AND GENERAL.

It is notified in the Gazette that the Government offices throughput the Dom’nion will be closed on Monday, October 23 (Labour Day).

The Ngaitea branch of the N.ZFarmers’ Union is attending to the ground on which the next Hauraki Plains Show is to be held. Recently members pf the branch inspected Mr Clare’s ground on whicih the show will be held, and decided to have it re-sowed. The ploughing was left with Mr R. Buckley.

What is claimed .to be the smallest co.w in the world with a semi-official record is grazing on Mr E. Linnell's farm at Midhirst (states an exchange). “Mascot” is a diminutive Jersey cow standing about three feet high. Last, year this cow gained a certificate with a record of! over 2681 b of buftter-fat, and but for an accident would have yielded considerably tipre.

A Wanganui girl on a. recent occasion was given a parcel of rose cuttings tp take to some friends at Raetihi. A railway official (relates an exchange) spotted the parcel, and, in accordance with the recent “makthe railways pay” policy, it was intimated to t’he girl that she would have to pay about 4s excess. Of course she did nothing of the kind, but had the parcel posted at. a cost pf Bd, and the Railway Department had tp carry the roses all the same and got practically nothing ou|t of tlhe deal,.

Several of the Hauraki Plains county councillors were discussing a paragraph which appeared recently in the “Gazette” and in which one of their number .was reported to have told the Piako County chairman at a meeting at Tahuna that there were county chambers at Ngatea. “What made me hesitate.” explained the councillor responsible for the remark, “was because we ihad two county offices.” “J got on to him (the Piako County chairman) after and told him we would have better chambers than the Piako County,” said ariother councillor who was at the Tahuna meeting.

The funeral of the late Miss Dorothy Lyes tpok place on Friday last, leaving her parents’ residence at 3 o'clock. An impressive service was conducted at the house by tlhe Rev. F. B. Dobson, after which the coffin, was conveyed to St. Paul's Church, where a further ceremony was held. The church was well filled by friends of the deceased, who was so well known and moved ajnongs: them day by day, and also out of respect for the family, of which she was the youngest member. The remains then left for the cemetery and were followed by a large concourse of townspeople, including quite a gathering of school children who had been associated with the deceased in her scholastic days. The Rev. Dobson conducted the last rites at the graveside. Captain Colbeck, a director of the Farmers’ Union Trading Company, Ltd., and Mr D. Robertson, assistant general manager, arrived in Paeroa yesterday. This atfernoon they-will address a meeting of shareholders and customers at Netherton on the new policies the company intend to put into operation, and a further meeting will be held in the Druids’ Hall, Paeroa, this evening at 7.45 o’clock. Shareholders and customers are particularly invited to be present. The principal object of these meetings is to form local committees, full details of which will be given at the meetings. Under the will of the late James Bennie, pf Wellington Terrace, who died on September 15, the following legacies have been bequeathed: To the Wanganui Hospital, the sum of £4OO ; to the Jubilee Institute for the Blind, £300; tp the Protestant Home for Destitute Children in Wanganui, £3OO ; Also the sum of £lOOO in trust to be applied by the trustee for the benefit and relief of members pf the New Zealand Expeditionary’ Force who have lost the use of their eyesight as a result of active service in the recent Great War against Germany. The Public Trustee has been appointed executor of the will.

Ngatea has had very little to say in public regarding the Hauraki Plains County Council’s bridge policy, but this matter is soon to be opened up in the form of a debate. The Local Mutual Improvement Society is promoting a debate, the subject of which is “Should the County Council be allowed to build bridges under section 119 of the Public Works Act ? If so, is the Kirikiri bridge an essential to the Hauraki Plains ?” This subject appears to be a popular one in other parts of the Hauraki Plains, and should attract a great deal of interest among the members of the debating society.

Ope U. B. Chase, jun.,. of New Orleans, has been declared the world’s champion crawfish eater. Tne gentleman consumed five bucketfqls, of sixty. pounds, of crawfish at a single sitting. It has been suggested that it would be an interesting psychological study tp discover what a champion crawfish eater thinks about. The answer would seem tp be, crawfish. When replying tp a Taranaki deputation last week the Prime Minister said that the Government had over 7000 men on public, wonks at the present time. The pay of these men and the materials required fpr the works they were undertaking inquired a huge sum of money every month. There seemed to be people all over New Zealand who wished the Government to proceed with public works and the development of the country, but said at the same time that the Government should not increase the public debt. He could npt do the impossible. He realised very well that the Dominion could not. continue borrowing at the present rate for very long. But works .that had been comr menced would have to be comple|ted. The difficulty was that the works did not pay interest on the loan money. They were indirectly reproductive, but that was another story, Wihat appears to be either official curiosity or “red tape” was a Letter received by the Ngatea School Committee at its meeting last evening, In reply tp ,a request by the committee for a subsidy on a donation of £l4 Is 4d the Education Board wrote stating that the Education Department considered the amount an unusual one, and asked that the circumstances connected therewith be fully stated. The secretary explained that the amount w,as made up of several sums and paid in the form of a cheque.

4 paragraph narrating how a Foxton lady found a jewel in a package of Epsom salts brings tp recollection (says the Dunedin “Star”) the stpry of how a Dunedin chemist once found something much more valuable — peace of mind, perhaps a life—iin a similar package. This is how he used to tell the tale: “A wild-eyed and unhatted man, his clothes smeared with mud, tore into my shop at a gallop, and hustled me into a corner and said in a hoarse whisper, ‘Got any strych;nipe ?” Luckily I kept my wits, and. affecting a fear of being overheard, I told him that I had two sorts, and asked which sort he wanted. He replied that !he wanted the sort that worked quickly. I remarked-that it all depended on whethen it was a cat or a dog that it was to be given to. Then 1 trembled at my foolish answer, and became afraid he would see I.was making fun of him ; but he was too excited, and said h.c didn’t care which sort he took. I observed, with as grave an air as I could call up, that I would show him the two sorts, and since he woudl not tell me what !he needed the strychnine for he would have to choose for himself. I thereupon went into the back room opened out a package of salts, and poured a spoonful on a paper; then poured a some white sugar crystals on another paper, and I took them out and told him to make 'his choice. I forget which he selected, but I know what I sold him—about half a packet of the best Epsom, and I explained that lie must not tell anyone, but administer the lot in a little warm water, and I had to smother my conscience and charge him 7s 6d, so as to satisfy him that he had got the real thing. I have often wondered whether .ie blessed me or cursed me when he •sobered up.”