THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY. WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 1924. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXV, Issue 4743, 27 August 1924, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY. WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 1924. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wm. J. Mains. Paeroa. Sept. 7-21. Lands Department workmen are now engaged in constructing a big flood-gate about 10 chains above the Puhanga wharf on the Island block. Another big Blip occurred on the Puhanga Canal on Tuesday and almost blocked navigation. The slip is about 3% chains long and extends back to the edge of the new road.

Advice was received on Monday from the Department of Internal Affairs by Mr W. E. G. Willy, secretary of the committee appointed to deal with the constitution of the Horahia Drainage District that no objections had been lodged against the proposal.

The latest issue of the New Zealand Gazette contains a notice prescribing six per centum per annum as the rate of interest that may be paid by the Turua Town Board in respect of a loan of £3500 authorised to be raised for the purpose of erecting a public hall.

Flaxcutters commenced this week removing the wild flax from the stopbank south of Ngatea bridge. The leaf is being punted to Firth’s mill, on the Awaiti canal. Milling operations commenced on Tuesday. The cutters are earning 50s a day, and the Government is collecting 5s a ton royalty.

A new use for the bagpipes has been found. A Highlander who owns a sheep farm in a mountainous district of California has a habit of playing his pipes all over his property in order to frighten away eagles. These birds of prey had formerly done much damage by carrying off lambis, and sometimes full-grbwn sheep,, but the. pipes have proved too much for them.

A meeting of creditors in the estate of Charles E. Dahl, now a sharemilker at Ngarua, Waitoa, is being held at the Courthouse to-day.

' Master-at-Arms C. Hutchings, naval recruiter for the New Zealand Navy, who is again touring the North Island and visiting all the districts and subdefence areas for the purpose of stimulating recruiting and interest in the Navy, was in Paeroa on Monday. In the evening Mr Hutchings delivered a lecture to the n.c.o’s. class at the drillhall.

Another instance of the value of stands of wild flax was recently brought to light. A settler who paid £315 for his 105 acres of land mentioned to a miller that lie intended to have a clump of about fourteen acres of wild flax rooted out and the area sown in grass. The miller persuaded him to sell the cutting rights at the usual rate of 10s a ton, and a short time after presented the astonished landowner with a cheque for £214.

The following roads in the Hauraki Plains County have been declared to be county roads under the Public Works Act, 1908 : The road known as Opani Read, commencing at its junction with Orongo Ferry Road and proceed i.ig in a ’north-westerly direction and terminating at the northernmost corner of section Is, being a distance of two miles 18 chains; the road known as Heenan’s Road, commencing at the south-eastern corner of section 435,- terminating at a point one chain north-east of the westernmost corner of section 375, being a distance of 71 chains ; Ryan’s Road, being a distance of 67 chains. These roads are all situated in the Orongo Settlement block.

At the Waihi Police Station on Saturday last representatives of the force from Paeroa, Te Arolia, and Waihi assembled to farewell Senior-Siergeant O’Graoy, prior to his departure for Whangarei. Senior-Constable McClinchy (Paeroa) referred to the pleasant relations that had always existed between the local members of the force and their chief, and, on behalf of his fellow constables, asked him to accept a handsomely mounted fountain pen to commemorate his seven years’ local residence in charge of the Ohinemuri district. Replying, Sergeant O’Grady sincerely thanked those present for the way he had been honoured, and trusted it would not be long before he heard of their advancement’in the service.—Telegraph.

It cannot now be said that the Lands Draitnage Department is not providing sufficient drainage for the areas in which expenditure from capital is being incurred. An area which is considered by the department to be completely drained is that on the western side of the Puhanga canal near the mouth. About a fortnight ago, when the land on the other side of the river was inundated, farmere on this area were ploughing, harrowing, and’ discing. The new flood-gate near the canal bridge was opened for the ill st time on Tuesday, and it discharged the water so quickly that the drain to the two-barrel flood-gate a little lower down was dry. The three flood-gates are of four feet diameter, and are fitted with sluice-gates to facilitate the washing away of silt from the channel outside the floodgate'. ' . The newly-formed Paeroa Methodist Church Tennis Club held its formal opening at the Domain on Saturday afternoon. Ideal weather prevailed, and there was a large attendance of members and their friends. In a few well-chosen remarks the club president (Mr W.'Marshall) congratulated the members on the initiation shown in forming a church club, and trusted that they would spend many happy hours on the court. Mr Marshall, in the unavoidable absence of Mrs Mar shall, drove the first ball over the net amidst hearty applause 'and .declared the court open for the 1924-25 season. During the afternoon a delicious tea was served from small tables placed under the treeis. The secretary (Mr A. L. Mitchell) announced that the club had opened with a membership of about thirty players. A novelty has appeareef on the market in the shape of a toasted tobacco, which has caused quite a sensation in smokers’ circles. The process of toasting seems to have a most beneficial effect upon tobacco, similar to what cooking, broiling, or roasting has on food. It develops the flavour and makes generally-more savory and appetising, and, last but not least, also more digestible. Small wonder that the local product has greatly gained in popularity through this latest improvement, and smokers arc advised to give it a trial ; they are in for quite a new flavour. There are three grades obtainable now: Riverhead Gold, a ■ very mild and aromatic smoke ; Toasted Navy Cut (Bulldog), of medium strength ; and, if you prefer a full body, try Cut Plug No. 10, the Bullhead label. All are made of a new type of leaf famous for its small percentage of nicotine. Doctors and experts proclaim them to be healthier than most of the foreign tobaccos, and another consideration is their lower cost—they will reduce your tobacco bill by 30 per cent.*