LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4531, 23 February 1923, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Two seams of coal, said to be or great commercial value, have been located at Birchwood', Invercargill.

Dairying land at Christchurch was recently sold at £lBO per acre.

An official estimate of the population of Australia at September 30 last is- 5.599,716.

Harvest, thanksgiving services are to be held at St. Paul’s Church on Sunday. The Sunday School will resume duties in the afternoon.

In the Magistrate’s Court at Ohakune yesterday Wendell and Co., of Auckland, were charged by the police with having taken an order- for wine in a prohibited area. Mr Leary, of Auckland, defended. A Chiriam.an Ah Duck stated that he had given an order to Wendells’ traveller. The magistrate, Mr Watson, after a short hearing, dismissed the information.

The year ,1840 was a remarkable one in the history of New Zealand. The Treaty of Waitangi was signed ; the first N.Z. newspaper was- published ; the French attempted to colonise New Zealand at Akaroa; and New Zealand was separated as a colony from New South Wales.

A youth named Alex. Brewster, 15 years of age, was found dead on Wednesday with a shotgun beside him on the farm of his employer, Mr W. Sutcliffe, at Tepapa, near Tirau- He was sent out for cows, and took the gun with him without anyone’s knowledge. He was found later with the top of his head blown off.

Despite the wet weather about fifteen members of the Nethertpn congregation of the Presbyterian Church met in the hall last Tuesday evening to discuss the question of a site for a church. The Rev. R. Morgan occupied the chair. Mr Wilson reported having Interviewed several farmers in regard to a site. After some discussion as to whether an acre or a half-acre section would be most suitable it was decided to purchase for £125 an acre section at the corner opposite the school. Messrs R. Adam, R. W. Locke, and J. S. Crosbie were appointed to represent the Nethertpn district on the Paeroa church committee.

Apparently there is not much brotherly love between the two Wanganui newspapers. In reporting a picnic held by the staff of a contemporary journal the Herald remarked sarcastically : “The Chronicle staff turned out in full force for their annual picnic to-day. A conspicuous object in one of' the lorries as it passed along the Avenue was a demijohn. This, no doubt, contained the milk for the ' afternoon tea.” 1

“As an illustration of how business on a strictly cash basis will pay best in the end,” said a member of the Te Awamutu Chamber of Commerce recently, “I might mention the experience of a man I know in a certain town. He decided to make his. business strictly cash, and on the very next day the local bank manager’s little girl came in for sonie small purchases. Adhering to his resolution ho refused to supply without cash, ab though lie knew perfectly well that the money was safe. His trade fell right away and his shop was nearly empty. He stuck to the decision, however, and by being able to sell cheaper his trade gradually came back, and he is now one of the soundest men in the place, despite the fact that he has very keen competition to cope with.”

During the Christmas and New Year holidays, and since, sharks have from time to time been seen by Wai’ii Bench visitors cruising round the rocks in the neighbourhood of the rollers, and also further along the beach, where visitors and campers disport themselves in the breakers. Only last week (saysi the Telegraph) a shark, larger than usual, w,as observed in amongst the rollers, and three or four bathers were actually on the seaward side of the monster. It cruised slowly along between the men and the shore, and, in attempting to gain the shore, one of the bathers passed it within 10' or I's feet. However, he got ashore without barm, but considerably frightened. Efforts’ in the past to' capture sharks have failed through lack of proper tackle. Yesterday, however, Mr Joy Thomas, an Auckland visitor, equipped with proper shark tackle, and in company with the Heath brothers (Waihi), caught a shark off the rocks. Aftei it had been hooked a boat had to be launched in the surf in order to complete its capture. When landed through the surf it was measured, and its length was 9ft 6in. Scores of people from the cliff overlooking the sen watched the exciting scene, and by the time the fishermen had got it landed over a hundred people had gathered on the water’s edge. Comparatively few of the large crowd had seen a shark of such size. It is quite common to see sharks close inshore during the moth of February, .and in this particular period they are regarded as being more savage than at any other time of the year. -

The Dairy Farmers’ Union is urging the Government to take up six or eight acres' and establish an experimental plot on the Plains.

Considerable interest was shown recently in a pile of timber on the Kerepeehi wharf addressed to a settler on the Awaiti. On inspection it proved to be an American style standardised bungalow, and every piece of timber was cut and marked ready to be nailed in position. The job was a very complete one, locks and hinges being on the doors and a cupboard, bookease, plate-rack, a stove, and plumbing fixtures and pipes included.

John Fletcher Smithson, farmer, of Hikutaia, who has been .adjudicated 2 bankrupt, has filed a schedule with the official assignee showing the following particulars : Liabilities to unsecured creditors, £1389 8s ; to secured creditors, £3429 ; assets, nil. In a statement furnished to the official assignee bankrupt states<that he purchased a farm of 65 acres in June, 1919,, at a cost of £56 an acre, paying a deposit of £10'25 in the form of a house valued at, £625, and £4OO cash. Bankrupt took over two mortgages, totalling £2704', and bought a quantity of stock. He attributed his failure to purchases not coming up to what he was led to anticipate.

The Dairy Farmers’ Uhion has arranged with Mr Patterson, of .the Government Agricultural Department and Mi- Lyons, the Government veiterinarian, to give a series of lectures and demonstrations on the Plains'. At the demonstration in the afternoon a beast will be slaughtered and cut up, so that farmers'may be shown where to look for disease, etc. That part of the evening lectures on soils' a-nd manuring should be very interesting to farmers, as it has been apparent for a long time that certain deficiencies in the soil cause illness among Stock on the Plains. The places and dates of the lectures are advertised.

Harvest Festival services in the Methodist Church on Sunday will be characterised by special music.- Special anthems will be. sung, including “Ye shall dwell 'in the land" (Stainer)’ "Behold the day is come ’ (IT. 11. Woodward), and "Praise the Lord; O Jerusalem” (Maunder). The Soloist, will be Mr G. Foster, who will take part -for the last time before taking up his permanent residence in Matamata.

in the report of the Hauraki Plains Show, held at. Ngatea last week, the name of Mrs James Newman, of Turua, was omitted as the winner in the following three classes: Best pound cake, embroidered table-centre, and three cake d’oyleys (crochet).

During the year 2300 patients were admitted to the'. Hamilton Hospital and 1150 operations performed. There are 260 beds available, the average number occupied per deim being 190. The staff at present consists of 130The Waikato Hospital district is in point of area the largest in the Dominion, extending from Port Waikato to the Mpk.au River, thence to the Hawke’s Bay boundary. There are 27 contributing bodies, representing a capita. l value of £34,000,000 and a population of 87,000, according to the last return.

Judgment, for £s4o' w.as given (by consent) by His Honour Mr Justice Herdman at Auckland on Wednesday to George Jones against Henry Grundy, farmer, of Turua. Plaintiff’s claim was for the proceeds of a sale of land in which he had a share, and which defendant had not paid over <o ■him.

A lady of Palmerston North, whose husband looked upon red wine and too frequently indulged in little jaunts from home showed a woman’s ready resource last Saturday evening, when her lord and master got the car out for another little tip (relates the “Manawatu Daily Times”). She jumped on the footboard and rode to the front gate. When he got out to open the gate she switched' off, having meantime flung the starting handle into a bushy tree beside the drive. For that day, at. least, his escapade ■was off.

The Inglewood County Council has received legal advice that when the 10 per cent, penalty on unpaid rates is imposed by the council it becomes part of the rate, and, consequently, if a ratepayer fails to pay the 10 per cent, penalty it must be considered that part of his rates are unpaid. This means that a defaulting ratepayer will not be eligible to vote at any poll taken by the County Council.