THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. MONDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1922. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4505, 18 December 1922, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. MONDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1922. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

• The Police report very favourably on the behaviour of the crowd in Paeroa during the showi days. A meeting of tihe Paeroa Chamber of Commerce is to be held on Tuesday evening next. During the month of November the estate of William Bailey Goodwin, late of Paeroa, was/accepted for administration by the Public Trustee. The holidays to be observed by the Paeroa business people during Christmas' and New Year appear in this issue. - i A. meeting of the Paeroa Borough Council is to be held totmorrow evening at 7.30 o’clock. Hay-making was in full swing on the Hauraki Plains last week until operations were interrupted by tihe heavy rain on' Saturday. By the appearances of the hay paddocks some particularly heavy crops are being gathered.

Judging by the experiences of the Paeroa Bowling Club’s team on the on Saturday, all the bad roads journey to and from Matamata are apparently not on the Hauraki Plains’- The team left Paeroa ,at 12.15 p.m. on Saturday and did not reach Matamata until 4.15 p.m. Trouble commenced soon after leaving Te Arolia when the first blow-out occurred. The particularly rough state of the road between Gordon and Waharpa was the cause of no less than foul’ punctures on the outward journey and five on the (return home. Some idea of the experiences of the Paeroa team may be gained when it is stated that they left Matamata at 7.45 p.m. anl did not reach Paeroa until 2 o’clock on Sunday meaning ;. but they had the “Stars” with them.

Asked by the Magistrate at the Wanganui Court what his opiriipn was Ojf a prisoner who was under sentence for failing to maintain his wife and family, the gaoler replied that in his opinion the man was “a twister,” and he was the sort of fellow very hard to fathom (relates the “Herald”). Tlie prisoner had a £5O note in his stocking, and wihen he knew he was to be searched he handed over the money to be given to his wife as a Christmas box. The Magistrate said it was like the case of a train robbery in America, when one person handed over the ten dollars to another traveller in the presence of the robbers, and said : “Here is the ten dollars I owe you."

The Magistrate isaid the deception of prisoner had left him without a remedy,, and he went to gaol. He assured the Com t at tihe time that he had no money. Had he told the Court that he had the money it would have been possible then to have admitted him to probation. The Magistrate then decided to release prisoner, with a stipular tion that he report every two weeks to the police for three months.

The ceremony pf switching on the “juice” at the Nethertoh Hall last week was performed by the dldest resident of the district, namely, Mrs Smith. It is some 43 years since this lady came with her la;te husband and, settled at Netheiton, which was 1 then a dense bush. Sih,e has lived at Netherton continuousjly ever since, and is now in her 90th year. This old lady is still active and enjoys excellent health, and has no less than 241 descendants. She thanked the people for considering her, and was pleased and proud to see the progress that has taken place at Nethertpn.

In this issue it will be seen that Mr Norman Burke, buyer for the N Z. Bacon and Meat. Packing Co., Ltd., will be receiving pigs at Ngatea, Waitakaruru, and Pipiroa. during this week.

The next meeting of the Ohinemuri County Council, is to take place W Wednesday, the 20th irist.

The ladies of Matamat'a are great bowling enthusiasts, and are unstinted in their praise when a particularly fine shot is played. During a very tense moment in the Stars game on Saturday a lady’s voice was heard to say, “PulU, pull, he’s got it." And then the spectators cl apped hands heartily.

A little hay-making incident which might easily have been tragic, but which was not entirely. devoid of humour, occurred on the Hauraki Plains on Friday. The individual most directly concerned was evidently a military man. He said "halt” to his horse, which refused to halt, but went careering round the paddock till it came to a suitable drain. The man with the reins said “halt” again, but the hqrse was heedless of any command and emptied the cart. and its driver into the drain. Fortunately nobody was hurt and little damage was done. This incident reminds! one of a farmer who said “whoa” to his motor car, which refused to “whoa” and went into the Waihpu.

All accounts against the estate of the late Mr A. E. Fielder are to be rendered to Mr E. W. Pdrritt, solicitor for the executors, before January 8 next.

On entering Matamata on Saturday one of the /Paeroa. bowlers asked the question : “Is .that a concrete r.oad along there ?” The apparent concrete road turned out to be a terrific downpour of rain, which soon caused the bowlers to put their heads down, the rain driving in under the hood of the car.

( This- is a story told by “Quex.” A temperance orator was in -the habit pf holding forth in a workmen’s hail, and was constantly being interrupted, so he engaged a prizefighter to sit in the gallery and keep order. He was contrasting the clean content of home life with the squalor of drunkenness. “Whiat do we want when,, we return home ifrom buir daily toil ?” he asked. “What do we. desire to ease our burdens', to gladden our hearts, tp bring smiles to our lips and joy to our eyes?” As the/orator paused for breath the prizefighter shook his fist at the unruly members of> the gallery and whispered in a loud undertone, “Mind, the first bloke what says 'beer' I’ll thrbw outside.”

A young man who refused to take off his hat during the singing of the National Anthem ,at a public meeting at Foxton had it removed by another person. This led to an argument and a challenge to fight. A secluded spot was’ sought, and ’neath the moon’s rays the encounter took place. ’Tis ghid, says the “Herald,” that the remover of the hat also succeeded in removing the wind from his opponent, who cried enough.

- A family residing near the railroad allowed their little girl, aged Ave years, to play about the yard of their residence on pleasant days with a Newfoundland dog, says the Taranaki Herald. One day the child ran away —all children do so—and in her . wanderings about was accompanied by the dog, who apparently felt in duty bound to see that no harm befell her. When the two came to a railroad a train was coming, and it looked a little dangerous. The dog saw the danger and quickly seized the little iniss by the skirt of her, dress, arid, being the stronger of tihe two, pulled her back upon the sidewalk and stood over her until the train had passed. The little miss scolded and kicked his shins, but ihe did did not let her up until the danger had passed. Then he trudged on behind her as though nothing had happened.

An accident which providentially was npt attended with serious consequences occurred one day last week to the 4.27 p.m. train from Wanganui as the train was approaching the Whenuakura bridge (states an , exchange), Tlie enginedriver, as the train came round the bend on to the bridge, noticed a truck about six trucks from the engine being dragged along on i.ts side. He immediately applied the Westinghouse brake, and succeeded in pulling up the train when the truck which was being dragged along was about 30’ yards from the bridge. The engine and the first, six trucks were by this time already pn the bridge. A.n examination showed that the truck, which bore a fairly heavy load, had the rear axle broken and had been dragged along for just on half a mile, though little damage was done to the permanent way.