THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1926. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4812, 18 February 1925, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1926. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The formation of an Orpnans’ Club in Paeroa is well under way, and a meeting of those interested is to be called shortly to inaugurate the club, which it is anticipated will start off with over one hundred member.

As a result of the harvest festival and sale of produce at Kerepeehi recently the sum of £26 10s was raised towards the Church of England building fund. The timber for the building should arrive during the next few 7 days.

On Monday evening Mr Hunter, o f thc’N.Z. Co-op. Dairy Co.’s local office, was successful in picking up two English amateur wireless operators. One was G. Marcuse, of Surrey, call sign G 2 WM., and the other E. J. Simmonds, call sign G 2 OD. It is interesting to know’ that a local amateur lias been so successful.

A meeting of the Pipiroa Sports Club was held on Monday evening, Mr E. C. Marshall presiding over a small attendance. The secretary, Mr W. Knox, presented a statement of receipts and expenditure in connection with the New' Year’s Day.sports whlcn showed a credit balance of £9 10s lid. It was decided to hand this amount over to the trustees of. the Public Hall for imprevemente to the building.

A boy in Eketahuna showed very alarming symptoms identical with those of infantile paralysis in its earliest stages. Searching inquiries revealed the fact that he and hfe brother had embarked upon a plum-eat-ing competition and one boy had eaten 100 and the other 105. Evidently anything over the century was too much even for their huge capacity.— Express.

Motorists of Paeroa and district are reminded of the meeting this evening to discuss the question of forming a branch of the Auckland Automobile Association. The meeting will commence at 8 o’clock in the County Chambers.

Tne third of next month will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Ohinemuri Goldfields by the late Mr James Mackay. Few indeed of tiiose who were in the original party of prospectors are alive to-day, but we have been given .the names of. foui', namely, Messrs John Phillips, Frater, J. McCombie, all of Auckland, and Mr James Barrett, of Paeroa, who were present at the opening. There is, of course, a possibility of others still being alive, and it will be a pleasin’!! to record their names if forwiirded to us.

Five rinks of bowlens from the Hikutaia club paid a visit to Paeroa last night to play the local team, but, unfortunately, shortly .after the, game had commenced heavy rain fell, and play had to be abandoned. If weather conditions arc favourable several rinks from the Thames club will play on the local green to-night.

A heavy gale passed over Morrinsville district on Monday. Numbers of trees were uprooted, and considerable damage was done to telephone lines. Large trees fell across the main telephone line between Tatuanui and Waitoa, and carried twelve poles coniout of the ground. More trees were blown across the line on the main road between Piako and Tatuanui. and broke a new main line just erected.

The question of the amalgamation of the Waihi and Thames hospital districts, with headquarters at Thames, was again raised nt the Waihi Borough Council meeting on Thursday evening last, by Cr. Hoveli. He urged that steps be taken to arrange for the conference between representatives of the two boards at the earliest possible moment. The fusion o.f the two districts vats a matter of public / moment and interest, and it was desirable that the meeting to discuss the proposal should be held well before the municipal elections in April, as circumstances' might arise necessitating a referendum of the people on the subject. It was hoped to arrange a conference some time during the first week in March.

A lad 13 years of age has been arrested at Te Aroha in connection with the destruction of a house on Saturday which w r as owned by Mr John Frear in Te Aroha West. It is alleged that the boy wilfully set fire to the building, which, together with the contents, was totally destroyed.’ The house was insured for £3OO, and the furniture and effects for £4OO.

The clerk ' of the Piako County Council reported that the total unimproved value of the county (made in 1917) is about £2,500,000.

So as to make Hauraki Road, Turua, of an even height when the bitu-men-sealing work is completed the small bridge at the back of the boardinghouse w'as, during the week-end, lowered about a foot. The work was carried out under the supervision of tiie works committee of the Town Board.

Six steamers from overseas with over 2000 passengers will reach New Zealand this week. The Royal Mail steamer Makura arrived in Auckland from Sydney on Monday morning with 14f passengers for that port. The Royal Mail steamer Maunganui is due in Wellington the same day from Sail Francisco with over 200 1 passengers for New’ Zealand. The Ulimaroa Is due in Auckland from Sydney with 282 passengers, and the Marama is due in Wellington from Sydney with another 300. Late on Tuesday night the lonic arrived in Wellington from Southampton with about 500 passengers, and the Hororiita is due in Auckland to-morrow from Liverpool with 701 immigrants.

An excellent plan has been put into operation by three residents of Te Aroha for improving the appearance of the street in front of their residences. By regularly mowing the long grass they have made the side of the street like a well-kept lawn. One of the worst features of Te Aroha at present is the untidy state of the street flanks. This will probably be remedied when the stres s have been bitunr’insed, but meanwhile icsidents could Jo much to remove unsightliness with very little efi’ort. —News.

At the last meeting of the >Vaihi Borough Council Cr. Busch asked the Mayor (Mr W. M. Wallnutt) for some enlightenment concerning the talked of light railway to the Waihi Beach. The Mayor, in reply, said he was not prepared to make any statement at the present juncture, but wou(d say that he had the matter under consideration. In the meantime he purposed having an interview with the Hon. the Minister for Railways (Hon. J. G. Coates), or with his business agent (Mr Welsh). After that he hoped to be able to make the position plain, and if deemed advisable the question of a light railway to the Waihi Beach would be submitted to a referendum of the people.

The influence of the proposed ferry at Pipiroa is already noticeable. The trustees of the public -hall have been approached by a well-known man with the idea of extending his motion picture business to include Pipiroa when, the ferry is established.

A mathematician, visiting the races for the first time, heard a bookmaker shouting the odds: “20 to 1 Wild Rosie.” After investing £1 and tne horse winning, the man with tne satchel handed the incestor £2l. “No, my friend, I will not take an unfair advantage of you,” he said, handing back £4 ; “there were only 16 runners in the race. You might know” something about racing, but you know nothing whatever about figures I”

The engineer for the N.Z. Roads Co., Ltd., signed' a contract with the Hauraki Plains County Council on Monday to lay down Piako Road, Hor-ahia Riding, as a bitumen-bound road.