THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. MONDAY, APRIL 30, 1923. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4557, 30 April 1923, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. MONDAY, APRIL 30, 1923. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Goldfields Clergy Association (Anglican) is holding its quarterly meeting at St. Paul’s Parish Hall totay. The visitors include clergymen from Waihi, Te Aroha, and the Hav raki Plains. Mails which left Wellington on March 9, via Panama, arrived in London on April 19. The mails which left Wellington on March 20, via San Francisco, arrived in London on April 23. On Saturday an examination was held by the. South Auckland Jersey Breeders’ Association for the purpose of selecting men qualified to judge Jersey stock at shows. Of those who presented themselves Mr E. J. Walters was successful. The secretary of the local Returned Soldiers’ Association, Mr' R. Hodson, advises that £24 has been collected by the sale of poppies on Anzac Day, and there are still ,a few small amounts to come in. The sale of poppies was not quite so heavy as last year. The number allotted to Paeroa this year was 566 (500 small and 66 large), of a total value of £3l 6s. After the poppies have been paid for, and a proportion of the proceeds has been remitted to the association's headquarters in Auckland, a sum of approximately £2O will remain for the relief of unemployed retunned soldiers in this district. Although a great deal of flood water is still coming down the Piako River the level has fallen slightly, but is not yet. down to high spring tide level. Above the Ngarua landing the land is still inundated for miles, and launchmen are finding it difficult to tell just where the river bed it. The shed at the Mangawhero landing is above water level, but dry land appears to be miles away. At the invitation of the Thames Valley Jersey Club a public demonstration on the Jersey was given in the saleyards on Saturday afternoon by Mr Missen. His address was listened to very attentively by a large number of interested Jersey breeders. The speaker dealt exhaustively with all the various points of an ideal Jersey beast, both male and female, and on several animals yarded for the purpose illustrated his points. At the end of the lecture both he and Mr Moreland answered a number of questions, and a hearty vote of thanks was recorded. To wind up the tenuis season the Kerepeehi Club on Friday last held a ball, which proved to be a very great success, there being a big attendance, including many from other places. The hall was very prettily decorated with flowers. Excellent music was supplied by Frecklington s orchestra, Murdock’s orchestra, Mi's Hudson, Mrs Taylor, and Miss Thompson. Mr J, Jenkin acted as M.C. During the evening Mr W. Thompson, on behalf of the outside workers of the Lands: Drainage Department, presented Mr and Mrs J. Kidd with a handsome cruet as a wedding present.

Inspector Wohlmann, of the Police headquarters, Hamilton, was in Paeroa to-day on departmental business. The monthly sitting of the Magistrate’s and Warden’s Courts will be held to-morrow. There are several defended cases to be heard. During last, week the borough workmen were engaged on cleaning out the water-tables along Arney Street and Thames Road, effecting a much-needed improvement as regards sufficient drainage from the sidewalks. The householders’ annual meeting and election of school committee will be held in the Soldiers’ Club at 7.30 o’clock this evening. The outgoing committee will meet, at the school at 7 o’clock, and afterwards adjourn to the Soldiers’ Club. Ducks seem to be fairjy plentiful in the upper reaches of the Piako Rivei, but in all probability big bags Will not be secured, as practically the whole country is under water. Many parties of sportsmen went up the liver during the week-end to have all in readiness for May 1. The half-holiday question was fought out in a good many towns on Thursday last, when the following voted for or continuance’'of the Saturday half-holiday: Blenheim, Otaki, Waikupurau, Feilding, New Plymouth, Carterton, Featherston, and Greytown. The voting at Marton, Invercargill, Te Aroha, and Te Awamutu was in favour of Wednesday. That the Hauraki Plains Referees’ Association is becoming an efficient, body is evident from the satisfaction expressed at the conclusion of last Saturday’s matches. Their practice of meeting weekly and discussing rules, etc., is to be commended. The shooting season commences tomorrow. It is understood that quite a number of licenses have been applied for this year. A subscriber has asked if it is legal to commence shooting at midnight to-night. The Act clearly specifies that shooting cannot legally be commenced Until 6 a.m. on May 1. This applies to all native and imported feathered game. The Egmont County Council has resolved to discontinue xthe system of day labour, previously in operation, in favour of the contract system. One councillor described day labour as an ‘utter scandal and fraud,” and mentioned a case of county workmen crushing 30yds to 3'syds of stone in a day, while settlers crushed as much as 75yds a day. New Zealand does not enjoy the cheapest, postage in the worjd. A local resident has just received a letter, from the eastern seaboard of UIS.A. which had been carried 9000’ miles to New Zealand for two centc, equal to one penny. Tlie returning officer (Mr J. J. Ritchie) informed the Waihi Telegraph that a striking feature in connection with the poll for the Hospital Board on Thursday was the large number of informal voting papers, there being no fewer than 46. It was quite apparent that some of the vocers did not take the hospital election as seriously as that for the Council. In many cases the voting papers were returned, to the ballot, box without being marked, while in other cases the whole of the names on the paper, were struck cut. Another peculiarity was that some of the ballot papers showed votes for ten instead of nine candidates. Members of the staff of the Lands Drainage Department, Kerepeehi, met at t,he home of Mr J. Kidd one evening recently, when Mr J. Murdock,, on their behalf, presented Mr and Mrs Kidd with a cheque as a wedding present. A pleasant evening was spent, and speeches were made by Messrs I. D. Jones, C. Hudson, McMillan, and R. Carr, to which Mr Kidd suitably responded.