THE Hauraki Plains Gazette. With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY. WEDNESDAY. & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 1924. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXV, Issue 4673, 12 March 1924, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette. With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY. WEDNESDAY. & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 1924. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

it is understood that a raid was made on certain business premises in Paeroa by the police last evening, and as a consequence it is likely that a prosecution will follow,

A petition in bankruptcy has, been filed with the official assignee ay Bertie Cooke, farmer, of Awaiti, Paeroa. The first meeting of creditors will be held at Auckland on March 14.

Local people experienced consider - able difficulty in getting their horses along some of the streets in Paeroa yesterday and this moijning owing io the fact that Wirth's Circus elephants were about. Horses have a natural antipathy to elephants, and although no accidents have been reported, the drivers of vehicles .experienced several anxious moments.

It may not be generally known that there is a butter factory in the. Waikato that produces enough butter in one year to feed all the people of New Zealand for three years, and all the other factories from the North Cape to the Bluff export the surplus. The same applies to cheese. One factory in Taianaki makes more cheese than all the people in New Zealand consume in two years.

The men concerned in the Hutt Road work put up a record on Tuesday of last week (.says the Dominion) by laying out 606 batches or 180 tons of hot mix in a day of 8% hours. This is the greatest amount of asphalt!? concrete the Cummer plant has turned out in any one day. A recent publication of interest to local bodies shows illustrations of the inaijn street of the town of Visalia, in California, which, in 1894, was given a six-inch surface of a similar mix to that being laid on the Hutt Road. Sections of the road were recently taken up for examination, and, it was stated, wore found to be very little worn, an-1 as solid as the day they were laid down, and, in verification <-f that, illustrations. are given of the sections examined.

Arrangements are well in hand to provide comfort, and pleasure for race patrons at the Paeroa course on Saturday and Monday next. The acceptances for Saturday may l>e considered very satisfactory. The Ohinemuri Cup has brought forth eight l horses, three less than last year, and fourteen arc eiigag l d iu the Handicap hurdles, an increase of eight on last years race. For the Karangahake Handicap seventeen horses have been paid up for, also an in-rease of eight. An increase of Iwo i-’ shown in the Paeroa Steeplechase with eleven acceptances, but the Nrlhcrton Welter drops three, with twelve horses. The Waihi Handicap has eleven, as against thirteen last year. As was to be expected, a large number "ill be saddled up in (Ik- Maiden Handicap, no less than twenty-,six having accepted. The Paeroa meeting is: looked on as one of the best of the country meetings in the Auckland district, and this year every effort is being made to maintain that reputation. Given fine weather enjoyable sport should be avai’ able both days.

The Thames Valley Power Board is holding its poll to-day for the proposal to raise the sum of £150.000 for furl her reticulation work in the district. The local polling booth is the County Council chambers, and up to mid-iday about a dozen ratepayers had exercised their privilege.

During the last three weeks the staff engaged at the Talisman battery, under the superivision of Mr A. Aitken, has been occupied in removing one of the large air compressors formerly used by the company. Th 3 weight of the machine may be gauged from the fact that Messrs Brenan and Co’s eight-horse teams were brought into strenuous action in transporting certain parts to the railway yards. The compressor is to be assembled a‘. the Huntly coal mines.

The new nurses’ home at the Auckland Hospital is to have a tennis court on the roof and a swimming pool, heated in winter, in the base-, ment. Swimming pools arc the latest luxuries in American anil Canadian houses.

The'' proprietors of the Auckland Star are endeavouring to extend t he motor service and paper delivery from Paeroa to the Hauraki Plains, and a trial run was made by Mr J. Couper on Monday morning. The proposal is to leave Paeroa daily at about 3.30 a.m., on arrival of the Star car from Frankton, and proceed to Kercpeelii and Ngatea, via Wilson’s Road ; leave Ngatea immediately, returning to Paeroa, via Wharepoa road, deliver • ing papers enroute, and arriving in Paeroa in time to connect with ths 6.40 a.m. Paeroa-Auckland train. The Pacroa-Waihi delivery, which has been maintained by Mr Couper, is to be taken over by Mr J. Stone, of Waihi.

During the last twelve months satisfactory progress has been made with the construction works on the WaibiAthemee and' Katikati .sections of the East Coast main trunk railway line, and there is how tangible evidence of the comparatively early completion of the Alhenree section, commencing at the Waihi railway station and ending just beyond the Athenree station, a dictan-.e of about eight and a-half miles. The line on this section, it is estimated, will be ready for ballasting in six or .seven months, and should be ready by Christmas for public works service, and possibly available for a limited passenger traffic.

The Lands Department has com menced the erection of a bridge across the top end of the Puhanga canal, so as to permit of the road oti the eastern si-le being used during the winter This is considered necessary to keep the route open, as the' stop-.banic being formed on the western .side will not have consolidated sufficiently for wheeled traffic.

An animated scene presented itself at the Paeroa railway .station yesterday morning, the cause of all the commotion being the arrival of Wirth’s Circus and Menagerie. The usual concourse of juveniles, and many older people, too, for that matter. congregated at the station and er. route to witness the unusual spectacle of huge elephants carrying out the duties of transport under their solemn-faced mahouts. A special train, consisting of a I.umber of trucks ‘ waggons, and carriages, was occupied by the circus people, and was shunted on to a siding. From this point the paraphernalia was untrucked and conveyed to the P teroa Domain in -many gaily-painted wiaggom; drawn by elephants. A mild sensation was caused when two zebras were led alcng, one animal in particular being a perfect spcciman, and evoked a lot of interest.

There was a fair attendance at the Parawai Racecourse, Thames, on Sat-ur-lay afternoon last, the occasion being the Thames Trotting Ulub’s fifth -annual meeting. The weather was fine, and the heat was tempered by a mild westerly breeze, making conditions very enjoyaWe for the patrons of the light harness sport. The. principal event, the Thames Trotting Cup, was wc-n by Mr J. P. Donahoe’s Gold Sound. The exhibition of trotting given by Mr G. McMillan, of Auckland, c.'ith Man-o-War, winner of the Auckland Trotting Cup, created great interest, and Mr McMillan was enthusiastically received on his return to the birdcage. Man-o-War was paced by the racehorse Stammer, and an endeavour was made to lower the present record for a mile trot. Althougn the time was not beaten, the mile was covered in 2min. 11 l-.ssec, which was considered very creditable in view l of the state of the track.

A super-sunflower has been grown by Mr J. T. Burrell, of Bourke Street, Palmerston North, and it is now on view in the window of a florist in the Square (states the Manawatu Times) The giant bloom is five feet in circumfeience, and twenty inches in diameter, while its leaves are 22 inches wide and 21 inches long, the stalk being at least five inches- :n diameter. The seed from which this remarkable growth was obtained was juct picked haphazard out of some parrot’s food, and was planted in ordinary soil,