THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto : Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 1926. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 4929, 22 January 1926, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto : Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 1926. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Through falling off a. small Shetland pony she was riding Miss, Joyce Williams, daughter of Mr J. A. Williams, Turua, had her arm badly broken on Saturday last. An X-ray examination in the Thames Hospital disclosed that the bone was very much shattered, and it was thought that amputation would be necess.ary.

A start has been made with the construction of the line .to be used as a dock for the Waihi train at the Paeroa railway, station. This is, being built on the Moore Street Bide of the platform opposite the main line.

School holidays during 1926 were dis,cussed at the Auckland Education Bo.ard’is- meeting on Wednesday morning. It was decided that the vacations should be as follows : One week during May, the date of commencement to, be the same as 1 that on which the secondary schools close. The August holidays, will commence on August 23 and continue till September 4.

After doing duty for over twenty years 'the two gasometers at the site of the old Ohinemuri Light and Power Company’s late property off Puke Roa,d are being dismantled.. The whole of the ironwork has been purchased by 'the proprietors of a foundry at Thames, and when dismantled the scrap-iron is to be.. railed to that town.

The Australian cruisers Sydney, Adelaide, and Delhi will, according to the provisional arrangements, on February 20 cruise towards New Zealand from Sydney, arriving ati Dunedin on February 24. Leaving Dunedin on February 2'5, the Adelaide and Delhi will proceed to Lyttelton a,nd remain there, ;if,ter having been joined by the Sydfaey, until March 1. After a stay at Wellington from March 2 ( until March 6, the three cruisers Wil’S go to Auckland. From Auckland, where the period between March 8 and 24 will, be spent, the isquadron will return to Sydney to rejoin the destroyers on March 29.

"Swedish settlers would do very well in New Zealand, as, the country ic- much like our own,” said M. Bengtsson, the Swedish journalist, in conversation with a Taranaki News reporter. The reason that so few of his countrymen found their way out to the Dominion was, in Ml Bengtsson's opinion, because New Zealand is so far from their homeland, and if they settled in Canada, where the Government gave them every encouragement, they would probably have an opportunity of going home occasionally, as Sweden is only 11 days’ journey away by direct service.

The first census, in the history of Persia revealed a woman aged 146, living in a mountain village with a son aged 117.

Information was received just as we were going to press to the effect that the Orongo-Kopu ferry had broken away and was drifting upstream towards Turua. It is understood that a couple of motor-cars, aic aboard the ferry.

The Thames Valley Power Board has been advised by the Public Works Department that the line from Bombay to Waikino will be commenced this season. The route across the Plains has recently been surveyed.

A resident of Turua, Mr Alex Johnston, was injured in the leg this morning by falling bricks from a, chimney which had been brought down by the gale.

Mr E. R. Ross, M.A., will conduct both services at Paeroa Presbyterian Church on Sunday, Ja,unary 24, and at Netherton Hall at 2.30 p.m. Morning subject, “The Lamp of Heaven” ; evening, “Our Spiritual Harvest. Hearty invitation to newcomers and visitors.*

A scene of activity presented itself a.t the Paeroa railway station yesterday morning, when a gang of men commenced the excavation for the concrete foundations under the platform for the housing oif the system of elective signalling and interlocking. .

Wajlter Frederick Bang (29) was fined £5 and costs for the theft of a bicycle in January, 1924, at Thames. He alleged that ho won it in a raffle made up by an Austrian. The police found the cycle with the name-plate taken off, and an attempt had been made to obliterate the numbers. The Magistrate disbelieved accused’s s,tory and ordered the cycle to be returned to the owner.

About 40 miles of cable for the Cook Strait .telephone is expected to arrive in March. It is specially constructed with wrappings of alley of iron and nickel, and will be the first of its kind in New Zealand. It is expe'eted that this- ca’ille will allow telephone communication between the two islands without difficulty.

A somewhat exciting incident-’’oc-curred on' the Ta.uranga railway bridge shortly before noon on Monday. Two persons—a m,an and a woman—were walking over the bridge towards Matapihi, and did not observe an approaching train until i.t was about twenty yards off. They then started to run back, and the tra.in slowed down and eventually stopped. Apparently the woman collapsed, and after a few ininutejs’ the train resumed its journey and left 't'he couple on the bridge.

A curious case of absent-mindedness resulted in a, privately owned car occupying a stand in High Street, Dannevirke, for some 48 hours, its owner having left for ,a trip and forgotten to garage it before taking the train. It speaks well for the honesty of the Dannevirke public, states the “News,,” that though the car stood in the main street unattended for two days and nights it wa t s not interfered With in. any way.

An incident showing the methods of the Railway Department in its desire to secure business is, afforded by the experiences of a Plains farmer. Having to remove some furniture, he obtained a, quote from a motor-lorry owner and telephoned to a railway station for a. quote for .transportation by train. Somehow this could not be supplied, and, becoming indignant, the farmer communicated with the Minister of Railways. The letter was referred to the department’s business agent, and a fw days after the furniture and the farmer had departed the agent teilephoned from Thames to arrange an interview. The charges for the carriage of furniture by train are calculated according to weight;