THE Hauraki Plains Gazette. With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1923. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4603, 19 September 1923, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette. With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1923. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

e A new concrete hospital, costing £27,812, was opened at Whakatane on Thursday afternoon by Sir Maui Pomare, Minister of Health, in the presence of a large gathering of residents and visitors. * !S On page 4 of this issue Messrs J. Pomeroy and Co., Ltd., have an interesting photograph of a beautiful sulky admirably suited for use on the roads of this district. Unique terms are offered,, as a glance at the advertisement will show.* The following letter has been received by Mr G. H. Taylor, headmaster of the Paeroa District High School, from a small pupil attending the school: “Some time ago I got up a bazaar in our back paddock in aid of swimming baths for Paeroa. As the Borough Council are too sleepy ’o take advantage of this donation I have decided to subscribe it towards .the school library. Ten shillings is enclosed.” Procrastination has evidently cost our City Fathers 10s in this particular instance. The little donor is to be congratulated on his enterprise. The daily paper will soon become a part of the life of the intercolonial steamers on their voyages between Sydney and New Zealand ports. It is expected that the Manuka will start publishing on her next voyage from Sydney to Auckland, and the steamers Marama and Ulimaroa, as well as the Moei’a.ki, Tofua and the Suva will all have their own editions, containing a brief survey of the world’s happenings transmitted from the Australian wireless station aJt, Pennany HillsAlready papers are being regularly published on the mail steamers Niagara, Makura, Tahiti, and Ma,unganui. The unusual sight of a church building divided in the centre presents itself in Paeroa just how. Extensive alterations are being effected to the Roman Catholic Church. During last week the whole building was moved over bodily some 10ft. an.l while this operation was in progress the structure was raised 9 inches from the ground at the lowest place. On Monday morning the church was divided In the centre and the front half was moved forward, leaving an empty space in the middle. A start has now been made to lengthen the building by an additional 20ft., with a confessional box built in on the south-.western side of ithe building. The present shingle roof Is to be replaced with one of iron, and the whole builidng is to be re-lined and painted. It is estimated that the cost of the alterations will reach over £5OO, Mr R. I, Roberts is the contractor.

A five-year-old light horse, sound but in poor condition, was sold in the Matamata pound for sixpence. Nine of the 15 cans of trout fry consigned to Te Awamutu by the Auckland Acclimatisation Society perished on the journey. The purchasing power of the sovereign of July, 1914, when applied .o fo.‘d in New Zealand, is to-day worth 14s o%d. The bi-monthly meeting of the Paeroa Chamber of Commerce will be held this evening in the Coronation Chambers. Mr Baker, District Engineer and Mr L. May, Resident, Engineer of the Public Works Department, will be in attendance* and will speak on matters affecting the suggested cut at Waimarie bend and stop-bank-' ing. Eight months’ bankruptcy figures for New Zealand to August 21 show a total of 444 (compared with 490 in the corresponding period of 1922 and 200 in 1921. Of this year’s failures the fololiwng trades or professions were the principal contributors : Farmers, 110 ; labourers,, 36 ; motor trade 23 ; builders, 18; commercial agents, 14 • hotelkeepers, 13. Bankruptcies in August numbered 52, compared with 83 in August of last year. Dominion Day will be held on Monday next, September 24. The banks, solicitors, and Magistrate’s and Warden’s Courts are observing the holiday. Monday marks the fifteenth anniversary of the Proclamation whereby His Majesty the King, by Order-in-Council dated September 9, 1907, was graciously pleased to change the style and designation of the Colony of New Zealand to the Dominion of New Zealand, the change taking effect from Thursday, September 26, 1907. Inspector George Fear, with his stopwatch tuned tp split fractions of seconds, took with him one of the borough employees to St. John’s Hill (says the Wanganui Herald)* there to trap a host of speeding motorists who would be on their way to the Marton races. George waited long and anxiously, and although cars passed in scores, their rate of progress indicated a funeral procession rather than sports who were anxious to get a “bit” on the first race. He could not understand this careful observance of the by-laws until a friend on a motor bike came along and imparted the interesting intelligence that a notice board had been posted up in a conspicuous position at Westmere to warn motorists that the inspector was on the alert.