THE Hauraki Plains Gazette. With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto : Public Service. MONDAY. WEDNESDAY. & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1922. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4478, 11 October 1922, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette. With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto : Public Service. MONDAY. WEDNESDAY. & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1922. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

We were ■shown yesterday a buncn of New Zealand tree orchids, or “orchis/’ as the pluiial should be. Unfortunately we did not see them at their best, as they had been carried some distance and were a little with ered. In colour the flowers were of the palest green, with golden brown centres, and they grow ia graceful sprays each containing from about a dozen to fifty dainty little blossoms, which give off a faint and delicate perfume. These orchids are not uncommon, but, are certainly not very well known, owing to their unassuming habits and the distance that they grow from the bustle and hum of town life, but at this time of the year they can be found almost anywhere in the native bush, flowering sometimes in great profusion.

“ The Hon. Coates told met.” said Cr, McLoughlin at Monday’s Hauraki Plains County Council meeting, "the two essentials for a County Council were a good clerk (I told him we had that), and a good engineer.” He said every “ cockic ” was an engineer and every councillor a born engineer. Cr. McLoughlin continued that the Minister’s motto was “get your engineer and back him up.”

A curious point in workmen’s compensation has just been settled by the English Court of Appeal. A collier .who did not. drink or smoke was in the habit of carrying a nut in his mouth, apparently for much the same reason that some people carry chewing gum. One day while at work be slipped and fell, aiid the nut was jerked down his windpipe,, suffocating him. The court held that the accident was "in the course of his employment/’ and entitled his widow to recover.

The tennis clubs on the Hauraki Plains arc all making preparations for the opening of their seasons. The Waitakaruru club was to have opened last Saturday, but owing tp the uhpropitious weather a postponement was made until next Saturday, when the Turua club will also officially commence its season. The Ngatea club's opening has been fixed for the 28th of this month, while it is understood that the Kerepeehi club will open oil the first Saturday in November. Nothing, however has yet been ,heard of activities in connection with the Hbpai club.

The Rev. Father Zurcher, one of those who came into projninence ni the' Prohibition campaign l in New York, will lecture ip the Central Theatre, Paeroa, on Thursday, October 26.*

On Monday Constable McClinchy arrested a Maori boy, whose conduct was not considered good, especially for one out on probation. It appears that the parents of the boy had sent him in to Paeroa with some money to procure medicine. He failed to return home, and after visiting the pictures he went into the country. The parents, on being seen, said they would not have the youth home again, and he was taken before the Magistrate at Thames on Tuesday and comr mitted to an industrial school.

Messrs Holes Bros, announce that they have tomato and onion plants now ready for planting out.

A motor-cycling tour of the Hauraki Plains, Te Arpha, etc., is being ar r ranged for Labour Day week-end, states the N.Z. Herald. Are the Auckland motor'cyclists aware of the condition of the roads on l the Plains ?

Mr T. Venables, teacher of singing, voice production, and elocution, is how making arrangements to visit Paeroa in order to give tuition in the above.

At Monday’s meeting of the Hauraki Plains County Council Cr. Parfitt said the council should endeavour Jo obtain Mr Metcalf’s report before they consider the most recent communication of the Department in connetcion with a fresh water- supply for the Hauraki Plains. It was decided ‘0 ask for Mr Metcalf’s report and also for the revised report on Waitawlieta.

Mr Leslie Bear, who on seven previous occasions had broken both his legs, slipped on a banana skin at Carlton, and fell, again breaking both limbs. He was walking with two sticks at the time (says the Gisborne Times).

It is recommended that the Ngatea people get busy and put. their centre on the map. The people of the South evidently do not know where it is, for in quoting an extract from the “Gazette’’ a Southern paper says: “ ‘I am aiming for an expert trade of 2,000,000 pigs a year, and I’ll get it before I’m finished.’ said Mr W, K. Gorringe, instructor of swipe husbandry, at Ngatea (near Gisborne) the other day.”

Mr J. R. Hamilton, MJ?., remarked at the banquet to Mr W. H. Field, MP, states the Levin “ Chronicle,” that some speakers were like a cartwheel—the longer the spoke the greater the tire (laughter)—and that he would make that an excuse for curtailing his rem arks as much as possible.

Visitors to New Zealand have not infrequently been heard to remark on the extraordinary stillness and apparent absence of life in our native bush. One of our, subscribers who was engaged at work on the edge of a bush clearing up at the back of Rotokohu recently, heard in the space of only a few minutes, the notes of a tui, hawk, coek pheasant, Californian quail, and the shining cuckoo (Pipiwairaurua).

On Cr; G. Death tendering his resignation at Mnoday’s meeting of tne Hauraki Planis County Council each member in turn expressed regret at Cr. Death’s retirement from the Council and each had eulogistic remarks to make of their fellow-councillor’s qualities.

A summary of work completed by the Thames Valley Electric Power Board up to September 30, 1922, was submitted to the board meeting at Te Aroha yesterday. Power circuits erected totalled 426 miles, made up of 195 miles of 11,000-volt,. 66 miles of 3300-volt, and 165 miles of 415'.v01t circuits. In addition 90 miles of consumers’ circuit and 34 miles of hightension telephone circuit were completed, making a total of ail circuits of 550 miles. Pole lines erected covered approximately. 397 miles, and 85 transformer stations erected have a total capacity of 2090 1 k.v.a., or h.p. The number of consumers was given as 1784-, 700 of whom were' on flat rate and 1084 on meter rate. Included in the flat rate are 238 milking maheine motors, whilst a further, 60 motois are installed, awaiting connection.

Many stories ot the bad treatment of nominated immigrants have been told from time to time, but the following, overheard by a representative of the "Waipa Post” in a second-hand shop in Hamilton takes some beating. The immigrant in question was accompanied by his wife, who‘ was ca”rying a young baby in her arms, and they were endeavouring tp get an advance on a sewing machine. He was servant to an officer in Mesopotamia during the war. The officer, a New Zealand farmer, told him that if at the end of the war he came out to New Zealand he would give him employment, on his farm, offering £2 10s if single aiid £3 a week and house if married, the latter preferred. The man and his wife arrived in New Zealand last Anzac Day as nominated immigrants, and were duly installed on the farm the man doing general farm work and the woman housework. After a few months’ employment the immigrant asked his employer for a cheque, but was politely told he had nothing coining to him as he could not draw wages until he was a qualified farm hand. His employer, evidently appreciating his good service, magnanimously handed him a cheque For £6 as a present. After making another unsuccessful request for the wages due to him .the man and his wife packed up their few belongings and went to Hamilton, where he has been unable to secure employmentThey had sold most of their belongings, and all they had left were u machine and double bed, and they were eating their meals on the box?* they brought their clothing in. Now he was hard pushed and wapted ‘o sell the machine. At the request of a by-stander the man furnished the name of the farmer, and he was advised as to what course .he should take to seek redress.