THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With winch is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1926. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 4934, 3 February 1926, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With winch is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1926. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

His Worship .the Mayor (Mr W. Marshall) and the chairman of the Ohinemuri County Council (M" W. F. Johnstone) left Paeroa last evening for Wellington on business, in connection with the allocation of the cost of the erection of the Criterion bridge at Paeroa.

Under the Education Department’s amended regulations a public school must be open for °the instruction of pupils at least four hundred half-days, in a school year.

Several- motor-cyclists were convicted and fined at the Police Court, Thames, on Monday for permitting pillion-riding. The passengers s\ere ais,o fined.

A contract has, been signed by a Wellington building firm for the construction of a motor assembly factory having an area of 100,000 squar e feet, at Petone, for General Motors, New Zealand, Ltd., at a cost of over £lOO,OOO.

The knowledge that the Hauraki Plains County Council had appointed an inspector has caused many motorists to obtain licenses during the last few vzeeks. The number of applications received since .the New Year almost constitutes a record.

At yesterday’s meeting of the Thames Valley Power Board at Te Aroha it was decided to place a further loan proposal before the ratepayers at an early date to raise a further loan of £150.000.

' The Bank of New Zealand premises' in Pollen Street, Thames, erected at a cost of £BOOO, were officially opened on Monday in the presence of a representative gathering of local! body heads and business men. The manager, Mr A. H. Wilson, interestingly recounted 'the bank’s early Thames history since the first office was opened in l 1861. The bank’s business' has been carried on in Grahams,town in ■the office just vacated for 55 years.

Despite the showery nature of the weather during the last two weekends large crowds* of people from the Plains made the journey to the New* Brighton beaches by motor-qar and motor-lorry. The sea-mud road from the hot springs to been cut up during the wet weather, and is very slippery when wet, but so far little difficulty has been experienced.

The Tahawai cutting, about two miles this side of the Katikati township, was the scene on Tuesday afternoon last week of an exciting runaway of a Ford truck, owned and driven by Mr C. Brown (says the Waihi Telegraph.) At .the top of the hill the driving shaft of the vehicle snapped, and instantly the brakes were thrown out of commis,sion and away sped the laden truck with the driver and another occupant, Mr F. Smith. As the vehicle gathered speed the latter shouted to his| companion to head the truck into the bank. At an estimated speed of '5O miles an hour the truck, with two wheels in the water-table, raced along until it was brought up with a tremendous jerk, the front wheel against the bank coming into contact with a large drainpipe. The vehicle rebounded about ten feet, then plunged nose down into the deep gap made by shattering the drainpipe. Fortunately neither of the occupants.,suffered any material injury.

Mr G. C. Best, of London, who has taken over Mr A. L. Mitchell’s photographic studio in Belmont Road, Pa.eroa, has an interesting announcement in these columns.

The underground cables to the Ngatea telephone exchange are now in use, and all the overhead wires have been removed from the roadside near the office. The cut-over .to the cables has not yet been made in Turua.

The Rotorua'Chronicle says it i's understood that .the fine business block on the corner opposite the Grand Hotel lias changed hands at the substantial price of £55 a foot — the high-water mark of land values in the district.

Forty English public school boys are to be brought to Taranaki this year under the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce immigration scheme. The boys, are expected in two drafts of 20 each, and will arrive in New Plymouth by July. The chamber hast requested that no boys over 19 years of age be sent.

Owing to the local Clerk of the Court being away on annual holiday the local courthouse is now open only three days a week. Although .this is a temporary arrangement, considerable inconvenience is beingi occasioned the public. One day last week a person travelled a considerable distance to transact business with the court, only to find it closed. The solicitors also advise that the arrangement is very unsatisfactory. The public were surely entitled to be advised of the alteration.

At the conclusion of business at the Thames, Valley Electric Power Board meeting yesterday Mr F. H. 'Claxton intimated that he intended to resign his position as chairman of the board, to take effect as from March 31, if possible. Mr Claxton explained that owing to pressure of his private businessi he was reluctantly compelled .to tender his, resignation. Mr Claxton has been chairman' for just on four years. ,

In the Thames postal district there ate seventy offices. During the quarter ended December 31 the business comprised 47,977 ordinary telegrams, 2359 urgent telegrams, 1335 night letter telegrams, and 941 press telegrams. The toll communicationis' totalled 82,987.

Nearly all day on Monday was spent by the members of the Thames Valley Power Board in discuss,ing the question of charges for electricity and the position regarding the supply of power in bulk to the Te Aroha and Thames borough councils. The discussion was held in committee, and was not open to .the Presfe. At the ordinary meeting, held yesterday, the following report was submitted and approved of in open meeting : “The subject of charges be reviewed after March 31 next. If the board’s revenue does not warrant any reduction in charges to the board’s ordinary consumers an increase be made in the charge for bulk supply to Te Aroha and Thames boroughs,. That the matter of asking the boroughs, to dispose of their installations to the board be left in abeyance for six months.”

The Thames Harbour Board’s piledriving outfit arrived at Tui'ua on Monday and commenced work in accordance with the instructions of the board when it adopted the engineer’s suggestion to drive three piles between the floating pontoon and the riverbank to prevent the N.Z. Co., Ltd., having puntjs of road metal brought to the landing stage behind the wharf. The contention of the engineer was that this was necessary *to protect'the board’s works. The effect will be that the company will, be hin*, dered in its, roading contract, as it is practically impossible to unload punts over .the wharf owing to the absence of a derrick, and, incidentally, the board will secure a greater revenue from any metal that is landed over the wharf. Up to Tuesday night five piles had been driven.

Realising the value of electricity for illuminating purposes, at yesterday’s meeting of the Thames Valley Power Board .the engineer and manager were authorised to bring down a report on the best method of affixing signs and lighting the exterior of the board’s premisieis*.

Parents and friends are cordially invited to, attend .the annual -picnic of the Tirohia School, to be held on Mr Kenny’s property at Tirohia on Saturday.