THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 1926. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 4925, 13 January 1926, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 1926. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

In conversation with Mr G. U. Burmester, architect, Te Aroha, who was in Paeroa yesterday afternoon, it was learned that a start is expected to be made with the erection of the new theatre in Nornianby Road opposite the post office towards the end ofi the present month. . The contract has actually been signed, and it is understood that the price agreed upon is in the vicinity of £12,000.

The Nobel E'xplosjves Company’s auxiliary scow Miro made a successful voyage to. the Ngahinn wharf on Saturday. After discharging 1500 cases of explosives for Paeroa and Waihi the vessel left on the return trip to Auckland on Monday afternoon.

The latest London market, notification received by the N.Z. Dairy Co. states tliat Anchor butter is bringing 1745, unsalted 1765, and Danish 164 s after touching 161 s. The market is active, with upward tendency, despite Danish weakness. The New Zealand, Australia, and Argentine butter afloa,t is? 300,000 less than last year. The trade is bare of stock. White cheese is quoted a.t 100 s, coloured 102 s, market finn.

The total estimated private wealth in the Dominion in December, 1924, the date up to which the computations are ma.de, w ; as estimated at £794,289, 092, bi'H'ed on a population of 1,316,180. The estimated wealth per head of the whole pppulaiotn was shown to be £576, and per head of persons of twenty years of age and upwards (prtietfcally the adult population), £952) These calculations do not take Maoris, into consideration, but their inclusioii would not affect the per capita 'rates to any extent.

Bishop Collins Denny, of San Francisco, advises every man to wear a moustache as the latent distinctive sign of masculinity that) women have left him. “Wear one,”' he told 300 delegates assembled for the North Carolina Methodist Conference last month. “That's all women have le r t us. They cut their hair and wear men’s clothes—but they can’t wear a moustache. It is your badge of masculinity.” The Bislwp wears one himself.

The sum of £1260 for missions was given in less than one hour at the Seventh Day Adventist camp ground at Dannevirke, the largest amount being £l5O and the smallest pennies, thrown by the children into a missionary map; £lBl was also given on Sunday afternoon tor educational work at the New Zealand Missinoary School at Longburii.

The first meeting this ye,ar of the Paeroa Borough Council, is to be heid to-morrow evening, included in the business of the meeting will be the matter of deciding the statutory halfholiday question.

Mr IV. Scott, of Hamilton, is the s.uceessfu 1 ! contractor for the erection of the new theatre and shops in Normanby Road, Paeroa.

On Monday last was celebrated the seventy-fifth birthday of the “Lyttelton Times,” published in Christchurch. This journal, is the Oldest newspaper in New Zealand.

The bicycle which w : '-s found in the possession of a Maori youth who was arrested at Waihi on Friday for the alleged thefts of goods at Paeroa has since been claimed by Mr G. Pringle, Paeroa, who left the ma'chinc outside Means' WalHace Supplies, Ltd., lastFriday morning.

According to the Latest statistics Palmerston North ranks as seventh tq,wn in the Dominion in the matter of size of 'population, the figures being 19,240. Auckland heads the list with 180',790, fallowed by Wellington 118,480, Christchurch 118,270, Dunedin 77,480, Wanganui 24,940, and Invercargill 20.990.

The vicarage at Turua, which was. •to have been completed by the new year, is still in the hands of the builders, and may not be finished for another fortnight. On account of this the newly appointed vicar has not yet taken up his permanent residence on the Plains and several services have been cancelled.

Mr W. A. Low, advance manager for the Philip Lytton, Ltd., Enterprise, was in Paeroa on Monday arranging for the presentation of the play “Gappy Ricks” ajt an early date. Mr Low has been through this district in years gone by with the Pollard Opera Co. and Ji C. Williamson’s, Ltd. Mr Low had the distinction of presenting one of Wiljliamson’s shows at Waihi on the night that no-license in Ohinemuri came into effect.

At the meeting of the Thames. Hospital Board on Monday the. following paragraph was read from the report of the superintendent of the District Homes : “The cook walked out of the kitchen at 10 o’clock on Christmas morning, and left us to do the best we could. He was ’wanted’ by the police, who arrested him tliat afiernoort- At the Court next day he was convicted, prohibited, and ordered back to work out the week, and now, like ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ he’s gone.” The quotation was much enjoyed by the members. i

In the course of discussion about, the advisability of ordering goods and groceries by telephone, at Monday's meeting of the Thames Hospital Board Mr G, Death, a member of the Homes, Committee, mentioned that certain unbleached sheeting that had been ordered had not come up to specifications. Mr Danby queried whether it was not more prudent to purchase the better quality article rather than a cheaper one that only lasted about haUf as long. With the brick versus- wood controversy fresh in his mind Mr W. C. Kennedy quietly remarked : “Then I take it your remarks apply to the Paeroa Hospital, Mr Danby.” Amid’ the laughter tnat followed this sally :the chairman (Mr W. E. Hale) ruled that no irrelevant matter could be introduced into\the discussion. Mr Brenan : “That’s right, never -go against the chairman, Mr

The Hauraki Plains County traffic inspector has been very active s,incc Ii is appointment recently, and numerous motorists have been stopped for an inspection of their licenses. Cyclists were warned thii.t they must have bells on their machines.'

A start was made with the bitumensealing of Piakp Road, Turua, on Mondays The work begins at .the township end. The first course of metal has been laid for a considerable distance on the portion beyond the Town board boundary.

Tenders for the ploughing of about two acres of land near the Paeioa High School close) with the secretary of the school committee at 5 p.m. tomorrow.

Suggestions for ,a name for the bridge that is to be erected over the Waihou River near Kopu are invited, editorially, by the Thiijnes Star. The proposed bridge has been referred to in the past by s,uch appellations as the “Kopu,” “Kirikiri,” and “Waihou” bridge. Reasons are given why these names should not be used, and a desire is expressed' for an appropriate title that could be rigidly adhered to. “Thames” and “Hauraki” are names that are -suggested by the “Star,” which also refers, to it as the “Taihoa. bridge’’’ on account of the time taken to bring it to fruitiqn. Doubtlessly the people of Nethertbn would suggest that it be called the “Thames Borough’s bridge,” on .account of the benefit Thames hopes! to receive and the energy displayed by the burgesses in persuiyling the Haui’aki Plains, County that it wants the bridge.

The Wellington Evening Post, at the risk of being suspected of stil,l- rankling under the fine imposed upon it the other day for indicating totalisator odds, returns to what it cd.lls the farce of the betting law. “To-day,” it says in its current issue, “we have another phase of the whole ridiculous business. Three bookmakers have been fined sums totalling £350. One of them is a returned soldier living on; a pension and a nightwatchman’s pa.ji. His fine was £’so. We do: not contend that bookmaking should be carried on without let or hindrance in spite of the law, but 1 is it not a faet that the offenders, who are punished are always l the small fry ? Is it not a fact, also, tnat while the big “principals”—often referred to in prosecutions—a,re believed to be operating widely, they are never caught in the net ? What can be paid of a law that is framed in this way ? It is time the Legislature gave serious attention to the whole business and 1 amended the law tai make it both logical and enforceable"

The Ngatea Tennis. Club will play its challenge match for the Williams Memorial Shield at Hikutaia on Saturday

The first management committee meeting of the Paeroa A.thletic Club for 1926 was held on Monday night. Following careful consideration and review, it was deemed expedient, to enable the club to make its initial sports meeting a real success, to continue working until, the next athletic season before launching out. After various money-raising schemes had been mooted a gravid concert by the leading talent of the district was made the first objective.

During a discussion on .the najs and means of securing new bustoesis at the month'iy meeting of the Cambridge Power- Board on Friday the chairman (Mr M. Wcllis) said that as the result of the board’s advertising campaign seven stovesi had been sold and numerous inquiries received. He was, satisfied that the advertising had done some good, and the bqard should continue with it. The board was no doubt benefiting indirectly a good deal by the advertising.

A very severe thunderstorm, accompanied by heavy rain, passed over Patetonga yesterday and spread along ■the hills. This rain, .together with that which fell on the previous couple of days, will probably extinguish the peat fires that have been burning for the last six weeks.

Some concern w’as shown by Mr P. E. Brenan during .the reading Oif the monthly report of the maternity annexe at Monday’s meeting of the Thames Hospital Board. The report stated, inter alia, that three mothers and four babies were remaining in the institution at date. In response to,.Mr Brenan’s query the chairman explained that when mothers who entered the main hospital for treatment with babies, the babies were taken care of at the annexe, and that accounted for the extra One mentioned in the report.

On a charge of paying a driver £4 a week, instead of £4 12s 6d required by the award, Hustler Brothers were fined £2, with costs, in the Magistrate’s Court at Gisborne yesterday. To ,a further charge of haying on their premises an incrorect and unstamped weighing machine defendants stated that the scales were never used, but had been kept on the chance of their being sold. A tine of £2 was imposed in this case also.

Yesterday Metssrs F. Basham (engineer) and H. J. Hare ,(riding member), acting on behalf of the Hauraki Plains County Cou'ncil, let a contract for the supply of 10,000 yards of crushed metal ftom the Paeroa quarry for .the follojwing roads: Wilson’s, 3080 yards; Pukahu West, 1008 yards; Pukahu East, 2040 yards; Ngararahi Stopbank, 2420 yards ; Awaiti South, 1500 yards. It is hoped .to complete Wilsoii’is- Road this summer and the balance of the roads, next summer. Metal for Fisher's, School, Mfunro’s roads will be delivered during the winter from the Hikutaia quarry in readiness for metalling these roadis next summer.

Having completed the erection of a large bridge over the Clarence River in the Marlborough province, Mr V. E. de MaLmauehe, bridge construction engineer, Public Works Department, is at present in Paeroa on matters connected with the" mjijnifacture of piles for the Kirikiri bridge over the Waihou River at Kopu and the erec-' tion of the new traffic bridge over the Ohinemuri River at Paeroa.