THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto : Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 1926. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 4922, 6 January 1926, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto : Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 1926. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

"Business as usual” was the sign in Paeroa yesterday. All the shopkeepers reopened their premises after the New' Year holidays, and once again ,the town has assumed a busy appearance and settled down for another year 'of work. The familiar sound of the sash and. door factory's whistle reverberated through the land yesterday morning after having been silent since a couple of days before Christmas.

As a result of .the recent athletic gathering ( at Paeroa the local Boy Scouts’ fund has, benefited to the extent of over £3O. This money is to be spent in providing a summer camp for the troop towards the end of this month. It is expected that between 4(0 and 50 scouts, with Scoutmaster 'D. A. Vincent, and Mr J. D. Crawford, will spend seven days under canvas at Tarariki Creek near Mrs Treanor’s property.

The five-year-old son of Mr and Mrs Tombs, of Hamilton, was knocked over by a cyclist near the Pliru store on the Thames coast road on 'Monday. After examination by Dr. A. S. Gray the boy was removed to the hospital, where a cut over his left eye was dressed and he was admitted for observation. Tlie road where tha accident occurred has a narrow view, interfered with by a hedge. The cyclist s’owed down on approaching the store, but was unable to avoid the boy, who ran out from the hedge without warning, the rider of the machine having difficulty in controlling it on account of the loose- sand and metal.

The manager of the Government Hostel, at Waitomo Caves tells many interesting stories about American visitors to 'the caves. In one case a young lady who met a party of Americans continually twitted one of them over the way he lauded his home country. The American had very little to say for a long’ time. Finally she told him that there were no glowworm caves hi America like there were in New Zealand. The American musingly replied, "No, but I gues.s if we had our glow-worms would be twice the size of yours.”

An advertisement in .the “Belfast Telegraph’,’ offering a number of houses for sale by auction, gives the following particulars concerning rent landers: “One house Jet at 5s lid per which will be of interest to New Zeawcek, six let at 5s 6d per Week, eight nt ss, 2d per week. The above are situated in a first-class letting district, have been well maintained, ami should prove safe and reliable investments.” With the present price of building materials in this -country there are not . many who would consider the safe and reliable investment on thesie rentals. s.

On Monday night the seventh .week of she Dunedin Exhibition concluded with a magnificent attendance record to date of 794,985.

A large scow named the- Herald 'reached the Puke from Auckland early yesterday morning. After loading 80 yards of sand the vessel departed on the return .trip to Auckland on this morning’s tide.

Realising that misery loves company, the authorities at Sing Sing Prison have altered tneir arrangements fcrearrying out the death sentence. lui future prisoners will be executed in pairs instead of s-iiujlv.

The growing popularity ’’ of the Waihi Beach was evidenced on New Year’s Day by the following taken by one of the traffic inspectcis. appointed by the Waihi Borough Council : 400' motor-ears, 4'5 buses (trips), 45 motor cycles, 3'5 gigs, and 120 cyder, horsemen, and pedestrians. It is estimated that there were 4000 persons, on the beach.

With the continued spell, of dry weather the Waihou River from Paeroa •to Te Arolia is becoming increasingly difficult to navigate. As .the water in the river has lowered, several sandbanks have appeared. The benefit of the work of the electric dredge near Waimarie Bend has been apparent lately, and the Taniwha has. been able to negotiate the river from Turua to Paeroa without difficulty. >

The traffic through Frankton on Mond.ay was exceptionally heavy—a regular home going day for holidaymakers —no • less than 26 passenger trains, containing 160 cars, going through the junction. From 12.30 to 2 p.m. 2500 passengers i were dealt with. This caused heavy inroads on the refreshment rooms, but they 'rose splendidly to the occasion.

' It w.as 56 years ago on December 16 since the first cycle race in New Zealand was ridden in Christchurch. This race was recalled by Mr T. Hyde, a visitor to Christchurch from Napier, who .built one of the cycles used in tlie race. The machine was tlie first high-wheeled cycle in Christchurch, and its rivals in tlie race were a tricycle and some old-style cycles with pedals on the front hubs. Mr Hyde’s new model was ridden by his brother, Mr George Hyde, but the old order prevailed, for the 'Hyde machine collapsed near the winning post. The race was ridden on December 16, 1869, anti a: start was made at Latimer Square, the course being round several; city blocks-

“New Zealanders often do not undertsand that .the eight dollar- head tax levied by the United States on foreigners can easily be obtained back by observing the correct formalities,” said Mr Gordon Fraser (president of the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce) to a Taranaki Daily News reporter. "It w.as essential to declare to the immigration officer on arrival your intention to, leave again within 60 days. He then gave a certificate to this effect. When leaving the country this certificate musb be endorsed and the eight dollars were then refunded.”

Captain Bain, an English visitor al present staying at Feilding, tells, a story illustrating the bad side of the English dole system. He had an experience in the engagement of a labourer. The latter hat( been offered work on a farm, and on his inquiring he was told his wage would be 30s a week. “That would mean,” he replied, “that I would be working fbtr is a week. I get 29s a week dole now without working, so - why s,hould I work for Is a week ?” He turned down the i job.

A Christchurch fishmonger was charged with having sold whitebait in a vessel which was deficient in capacity, such vessel being represented as, containing half a pint. Defendant pleaded guilty. Mr S. E. McGregor, inspector of the Department of Weights and Measures, said that he had visited defendant’s shop and had requested to be supplied with half a pint of whitebait. The half-pint of whitebait, on being put into a standard measure, was found to be considerably short. The actual shortage of the container was two- fluid ounces, a deficiency of 20' per cent.; but as the container was not completely filled with whitebait, the- actual; deficiency was greater than this. Defendant was lined £2 and costs.

“The Americans are a scientific race, and they live scientifically,” said Mr Gordon Fraser when recounting some of his. impressions' of California to the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce (states the Wanganui Herald). In California they had to depend entirely upon the wells or irrigation for moisture for crops, as the rivers were only shingle beds for practically every day - in the year. Sb they, determined to tackle the problem of providing moisture scientifically, and the idea was to plant the potatoes double the distance apart with rows, of onions in between. Potatoes have eyes—but it took some members of the! chamber a little while before they realised the effect of the onions..

A story of how a young man had a very expensive ride on the scenic railway at the Dominion Exhibition recently was related to a. Timaru Herald representative by bne who had just returned from the southern city. The young man in question was standing near the starting place of the railw'ay, and noticing -two young ladies nearby, invited them to accompany him on the trip. The young ladies expressed themselves as delighted with the offer, which they readily accepted. The trip was not altogether a smooth one, and at times the passengers were subject to some severe jolts. On one of these occasions, one of the young ladies clutched the gentleman beside her for safety. The young, man did not mind this at the time, but on alighting and after having said good-bye to his fair companions he found that he was minus his wallet, which contained £l7, though of course re does not suggest that his. companion (a visitor from Australia) had anything to do with it. .

The Hobart News has ceased publication. The working loss on. the paper for 13 months amounted to £15,900.

During the seven days of the Auckland summer racing and trotting carnival, which closed on Saturday, £624,892 was put .through the totalisator, the amount being £8172 10s l,ess than a year ago.

A .total, of 254 men are employed on the Stratford-Main Trunk railway, according to the latest official returnsOn the Opunake railway 184 men are working.

Carpenters throughout New Zealand are enjoying a Christmas gift. It is lUd Un hour increase, given to them under a new Dominion ■ award, which came into force last week. Journeymen now receive a minimum of 2s 3%d an hour (18s 6d a day) for outside work, and 2s 3'l (16 s a Hax) I ol ' inside work.

The Auckland railway station was seething with bustling humanity on Sunday. Four expresses,- of which three ran to Wellington and the fourth to Frankton, left the station during the two hours from 7 o'clock to 9, and nearly 1700 people travelled on them. Most of tlie travellers were visitors returning home after the holidays, and a. good proportion were racegoers.

A Maori lad’s peculiar sense *or humour in placing a board studded with nails on the main roadway near the hostel, and carefully covering it over with clay, wrought havoc amongst the tyres of five Hamilton cars proceeding one behind the otfim to the Waitomo caves. With eight burst tyres amongst them an indignant party of motorists went out searching for the culprit, who- was found a little, later preparing another similar trap for passing cars- —Times.

First-hand/information of the gigantic Cunard steamer Carinthia, which is conveying the American tourists on a world cruise, has been supplied by Mr J. M. Fox, of Paeroa, who has a brothdr an officer on the steamer. Mr Fox, who had not seen his brother fot 15. years, met him on the arrival of the Carinthia at Auckland.

A large number of motor vehicles continue to pass through Paeroa. The majority of the cars are well laden, and the various packages., tents, etc., indicate that the passengers have been on a lengthy tour. The road from Paeroa to Auckland, via Hauruki Plains, is in good order at present, and motorists arc experiencing little difficulty in getting through with big loads. /

“When I left England two of the greatest men of the kingdom were serving terms of imprisonment,” remarked the ■ Rev. Dalby at the Pitt Street Methodist Churieh at Auckland. “Both occupied great positions in the Old Country during the war. One of them was a financier, and the other a journalist, who, might have been in the first rank in the wtorld. The'other day a party fronMhe Home Office visited the gaoli’ and saw one of them, Horatio Bottomley. He was making boots, doing hard labour. One of the party' remarked, ’Wh'at, sewing, Mr Bottbmley?’ „‘No,. reaping,’ was the reply he received.”

The N.Z. Co-operative Dairy Co.’s London manager .cabled under date January 2 as follows : Anchor butter unsalted 1765, Danish 1725. Market quietly firm. Consumption exceptionally good, also trade fairly clear stocks. Certain market elements for various reasons bearing vigorously. Retail prices, Argentine Is 6d, New Zealand Is Bd, Danish Is 9d. White and coloured cheese 98s, quiet. ’Some forcing sales 965. Anticipate recovery shortly; market position sound.

"Gentle Annie,” the steep hill in the Taihape-Napier road, is becoming notorious with motorists, on account of the numerous narrow escapes from accidents. Only recently a fine big car went over and was lost in the gorge below, and a few days later another motorist was compelled to run into; a bank to prevent his car from going over the side. Other motorists complain of the difficulty of ascending the 1 hi 15 grade from the Hawke’s Bay side.

The tot,al, number of overseas passengers who. arrived at Auckland in 1925 was 19,305, practically the same number as that for 1924, when the total was .19,358. The 1925 figure actually shows a decrease of 53. Compared with the year’s departures, numbering 11,879, the arrivals show an excess of 7426. The number of. departures show a decrease when compared with those for 1924,. when the figure was 12,059. The December arrivals numbered 1992, compared with departures numbering 1003, an excess of 989.,

“We’re having rather a bad .time just now,” remarked a youug farmer to an old resident in Wanganui. “A bad time I” retorted tlie latter. " Why, you don’t know what bad times are. Ask your father, and he will recall the time, about 30 years ago, when I bought a line of 240 sheep at Is a head at the saleyards, ,and 50 of them averaged 501 b apiece. The farmers then had bad times, and no mistake.” The young man did not reply to the old resident, who w,as. formerly in the bute he ring business.

Writing from Sydney to her father, a Waihi girl tells, a good story and vouches for .the facts. A young lady residing in the New South Wales capital; called to see an old maiden friend whom she found very ill, and who hiid been unable to move for several days. In the meantime her cat had died in the house, and the lady visitor undertook to get rid of it. She wrapped it up in paper and placed it in a shabby suitcase, informing the invalid owner that she would drop it overboard when crossing on the ferry, but found no opportunity of consigning it to the deep. While proceeding up the wharf a .well-dressed man accosted her and offered to carry the suitcase. Taking possession of it, the man suddenly disappeared in the. crowd, and she saw no more of |fim or the suitcase.