THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY. WEDNESDAY. & FRIDAY. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1925. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 489, 23 October 1925, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY. WEDNESDAY. & FRIDAY. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1925. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Special, train excursions in connection with the Waikato Hunt Club’s races at Te Rapa on Monday (Labour Day) are advertised in theise columns.

“To the pure all things are embarrassing.”—Professor Mlaxwell-Wal-ker ta, the Paeroa Orphans’ Club last night.

A meeting of those interested in the formation of a branch of the Oddfellows Lodge in Ngatea will be held to-morrow evening.

The N.Z. Roads Coi., Ltd., has recommenced laying down the TuruaOrongo road as a bitumen road. Seal-, ing \vork was commenced on Tuesday.

Much improvement has been effected to the footpaths in Turua township during the past few weeks. Concrete kerbs and channels have been laid and the paths are now being given a liberal coating of gravel.

The Turua Brass Band has not yet made a public appearance, blit members are practicing regularly, and according to the conductor are improving rapidly. l A public appearance will be made a;s soon as the band becomes really proficient.

On Monday next (Labour Day) the local Post and Telegrapn Office will be closed, but the telephone exchange will, be open from 9 to 10 a.m. and from 7 to 8 p.m. All mails usually despatched on Monday will be closed at 8 a.m.

The September payment of the Morrinsville Co-operative Dairy Company was Is 7d per lb butter-fat for direct delivery. This is considered exceptionally good, especially on account of the uncertainty Of shipping. The company has many new suppliers this year.

Although in a no-license area "spots” are fairly common in Paeroa at present. A mild epidemic’. of measles has made its appearance during the past week. Young children appear to be”* the chief victims,, although one case of an adult contracting the malady has been reported.

The roads on the Plains are now well supplied with signboards. In addition to the Lands Department’s boards pointing to the next township there are two sets supplied by the Auckland Automobile Association. At some cross-roads there are a dozen isigns.

The latest London market information quotes Anchor butter at 2225, unsalted 2225, all nominal. The market is dead quiet. Danish is 2205, f.b.b. It is anticipated that renewed .activity wil 1, shortly be shown. White and coloured cheese its quiet at 118 s, the position being forward and sound.

A proposition concerning Christmas presents .to folks at Home is set put in the N.Z. Co-operative Dairy Co.’s advei tisement on the first page of this issue.

There appears to be little connection between the shipping strike and the proposed town hall fbr Turua, but it is understood that the latter is unlikely to proceed far until, the strike situation improves. The connecting link is the bank, which is unlikely to favourably consider .any application for a. loan at the present time. The ramifications of .the finance system are very complex, and the hall scheme committee has considered it wise not to rush mattens.

“Owing to the great activity in the building trade in the United States plasterers are able to earn as high as £4 a day,” said Mr' C. H. Poole in the course of an address at Gisborne recently. The aim of the designers of homes in the States was, he continued, to make them as . self-contained as possible, and /most of ,the houses were fitted out with adequately equipped furnaces for heating in the winter, laundries, and all other modern conveniences, giving employment to over 100 allied trades.

The gross payment made for September butter-fat by the Paeroa office Of the N.Z. Co-operative Dairy Co. amounted to £55,000. . The advance rate was Is 6d for superfine, for both butter and cheese; The total butteifat received during the month was 738,9061 b, which gives an increase of 21,8221 b over the total for the same month last year. Of this total the cheese suppliers contributed 97,96Ub, which shows a marked increase over the butter-fat for cheese-making last September. Notwithstanding the adverse weather conditions, there has been a slight increase in the total output of butter at the three factories in this district. The quantity of butter manufactured for the month • was 3'50 tons.

The Piako County Council at its meeting on Monday passed a resolution in recognition of the assistance it had received from time to time from Mr L. May, of the Public Works Office, Paeroa, who has recently been transferred and promoted. The chairman said that the help Mr May had given the council had always been the best that could be given. Resolutions were also passed by acclamation thanking Messrs Poland, M.P., and Macmillan, M.P., for the assistance they had given the council in the matter of obtaining Government grants.

Several residents of Feilding aver (says the local “Star”) that during a hea.vy shower last week .the raindrops were intermixed with an oil substance which smelt like kerosene. 'At first it was thought that sleet was falling, but when the drops rested on the roadway they were white-looking spots of the size of a shilling. These gradually, swelled, and intermingled with other spots, and then presented rainbow colours,, which oil and water when mixed are known to show. Immediately following the atmosphere was charged with a distinct smell of kerosene. This extraordinary occurrence was also observed by children attending the Manchester Street School who were astonished by the unusual substance which struck the windows like rain.

Otago farmers, in common with farmers all over New Zealand, are facing trying conditions owing to the lateness of the spring (states the “Southland News”). Losses in lambs are reported from everywhere. Ten per cent, seems ,to be but an average. The sufferers are s of course, those sheep men who breed early lambs, and have no shelter such as is provided by plantations and gorse hedges. The lambing in the open has been deadly. The pasturage is poor, and as a result the ewes have an inadequate supply of milk, sb in many cases they walk away from the lambs, and those that are born in *he night are often unable to rise to their feet. That is'the is.ad side of the picture. The hopeful view is that the general lambing on the hills is only just beginning, and if warm ..jveather sets in there is no reason why it should not be satisfactory.

The Rev. Lionel B. Fletcher, who is described as one Of the seven greatest speakers of the time, is visiting Paeroa on Thursday, October 29„ and will address a. public meeting in the Gaiety Theatre at 8 p.m. on behalf of the N.Z. Alliance for the abolition of the. liquor traffic, Mr Fletcher, has had a varied experience of life, having been sailor, miner, farmer, and minister of the Gospel. Before coming to New* Zealand he was minister of .the Cardiff Congregational Church, with a. congregation of over 3000. His work in Auckland is well known. No one should miss the opportunity of hearing this great orator on the most vital question before the pebple at the present time. A feature of the evening will be a procession by the. Band of Hope children, led by the Salvation Army Band, through the main street of Paeroa at 6.30 p.m., followed by a children’s concert from 7 to 8,15 p.m., after which Mr Fletcher will speak.

The unusual sight of a man, formerly one of the leading criminal lawyers of New Zealand, but who has since been struck off the rolls, appearing, not in the capacity of a solicitor but as the employee of a mercantile firm which was concerned in a small judicial matter, Was witnessed at the Magistrate’s Court in Hamilton recently. Although he appeared (simply in the capacity of a private individual, like the old warhorse, he scented battle from afar, and made the most of his opportunity for cross-examination. People sitting in the court, unaware of his identity, sagely informed one another that he was “a bit of a lawyer”—little dreaming that this employee of the business firm had previously handled some of the most complex lawsuits in the Dominion. It may be remembered that this same person presided over a meeting of creditors at Paeroa in a bankruptcy case not many months ago.

The secretary of the Paeroa Chamber of Commerce has received notification through the local, postmaster (Mr W. E, Ward) that in response .to the chamber’s request the hours of the Paeroa telephone exchange have been extended, the hours to be from 6 a.m.. to midnight, commencing on Tuesday, October 27.

A Wanganui lady had air embarrassing if . not unenviable experience whilst on a visit to Wellington last week .(states the ‘‘Herald”). The night was dark and stormy—the sort of night that murderers and thieves choose for their evil deeds, and policemen pace their beats with firmer tread and ears and eyes alert. One guardian of the law who was patrolr ling an important business thoroughfare saw a, young lady drinking from a bottle which was being held for her by her male companion. The policeman tapped the young fellow on the shoulder and informed him that "that sort of thing wasn’t done here.” He grasped the bottle, sniffed, t l>u.t. was doomed to disappointment. The bottle contained a popular brand of cough mixture I The bottle was handed back . without a word, and the yOung man resumed, his administration of the medicine to.his fair companion. The young lady states that never again will, she relieve her cough in the streets of Wellington, especially in the dark.

Does tobacco-growing in New Zealand pay ? The answer to that question is: Look at the rapidly increasing number of men on the land who are now turning thieir attention to tobacco culture in this country. The early attempts to put New Zealandgrown tobacco on the market (about 30 years ago) were, it must be confessed, disappointing. The sample? produced were very crude. But modern methods of culture and treatment of the leaf have) completely altered all that, and as an average crop of New Zealand tobacco is now worth £SG an acre (sometimes more) there can be no question about tobacco culture paying the farmer.. As to the “weed” in its manufactured form, it is excellent. Unlike most of the imported brands, it contains very little nicotine, and may be indulged in ad lib without harmful results, while th-, toasting of the leaf (quite a new .idea) develops flavour and aroma surprisingly. Undoubtedly this industry, already flourishing, is destined to become of national importance. Leading’ lines are: Riverhead Gold, mild; Navy Cut (Bulldog), medium; and Cut Plug No. 10 (Bullhead), full.*