LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 4938, 12 February 1926, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A meeting of parishioners will, be held in St. Paul’s Parish Hall, after Evensong on Sunday next, when a matter of considerable importance in connection with the appointment of a new vicar will be considered. It is hoped that .there will be a full attendance of all those who haye the welfare of the parish at heart.

The Paeroa Borough Council's issue of debentures for £2OOO for the purpoee of providing the new municipal offices have all been taken up by a, Paeroa ratepayer, thus saving exchange and brokerage charges. At last night’s meeting of. the council the members expressed pleasure at the action of the ratepayer concerned.

The Central Waikato Power Board has been notified of intended proceedings against it by the widow and daughter of the late Mark Webb and the parents of the late Walter Collett, who recently met their deaths at Tauwhare. The amounts of compensation claimed are £3OOO and £3OO respectively.

The Finance Committee reported to last night’® meeting of the Paeroa Borough Council that the revenue for January amounted to £2536 Is lid, and the expenditure on all accounts totalled £1567 ss, Id.

The latest development in connection with the Kaihere post office is that the department has written (o the Ratepayers’ Association asking it to organise the settlers to have the building formerly in use at Ngatea taken to Kaihere. Up to the present it was understood that the department would have this done.

At Tuesday’s meeting of the Hauraki Plain®' County Council the chairman, Cr. J. C. Miller, welcomed the new County Clerk, Mr E. A. Mahoney,, of whom, he said, the council had heard good reports.. He trusted that these reports would prove true, and that Mr Mahoney would continue to hold his good reputation s,o that his stay with the council would be a dedit to him and of advantage to the county.

The last piece of road in Moore Street leading to the -railway station was completed on Wednesday. The meta.l has been well rolled and liberally sanded, and should carx-y the heavy vehicular traffic satisfactorily fox* some time to come.

A section of nearly fifteen miles of the main road to Rotqrua is being formed and metalled by the Public Works, Department. This stretch of road runs through the Government Bush a,t Mamhku, - and the work, which will cost over -£'40,000, is expected to take about two years to complete.

Commenting oxx the right angle turn from Belmont Road into Station Road, at last night’s council meeting, Cr. Flatt said that .there was a pole that he considered would be better removed farthei’ ’ back, to enable motor-cars to fake a widei' turn. He foresaw possibilities of accidents at .tha.t corner, especially on race days. Cr. Brenan: “They wpn’t hurt the pole.” Cr. Flatt, who was equal to the sally, replied, “No, but I was. thinking of the wires.”

Following on the decision of the Kaihere settlers that the old site previously occupied was to be recommended to the Postal. Department for the new post office, and (he department’s adoption of that site, the ownex - of the land, Mr T. Cashin, was asked to ‘fix a price or grant a long lea,se of the section. lit isi learned that he has made the department a gift of the land subject to it paying for the survey and the transfer.

The Finance Committee reported at last night’s meeting of the Borough Council that the rates qnd water statement showed a very small reduction in the arrears, and it w,as resolved that where water charges remained the supply should be cut off forthwith. It was pointed ont .that consumers in such cases ha*d had over ten months’ supply of water without payment.

When "renovations are completed, in three or four weeks’ time, the Ministerial. residence in Tinakori Road, Wellington, in which Mr Massey x,esided, will be occupied by Mr Coates. This, residence erected in the late seventies, but, all ,the Prime Mniisters since that time have not .lived there. Sir Joseph Ward was the longest occupant, as he resided in the house from 1893 until 1912. Mr Seddon preferred the Ministerial residence in Molesw'orijh Street during his Premiership. This latter place is now occupied by Sir James Parr. Mr Massey lived in the Tinakori Road residence from 1912 until, his death in May, 1925.

The practice of the Railway Department in withdrawing from newspapers advertisements dealing with special timetables two or three days before .the occasion in respect to which .the advertisements apply, was referred to’ at a meeting of the Stratford Chamber of Commerce. It was pointed but .that ajnyone intending to travel by .the railway on occasions usually wished to refer to the timetable on the day before, and had to look up back numbers of the papers to get the information. The complaint will be brought before the ■traffic manager.

Topical illustrations in this week’s issue of the “N.Z. Sporting and Dramatic Review’’ cover a, wide range of attractive subjects. The Egmont Racing Club’s meeting is given prominent space, the Gisborne Racing Club’s fixture forms, another interesting portion, while snaps at Takapuna on the final day of that) meeting, with other meetings abroad, combine to make an animated set. The centre pages are devoted to winter sports in Scotland and Switzerland, American athletes, and Paris beauties. A page of fa.shions from New York will strike the eye readily, while a new departure in a page of humorous sketches should provide agreeable diversion.

Two building permits, to .the value of £1675, were granted at last night’s meeting of the Borough Council.

The locaj Borough Council intends holding a special, meeting on Thursday evening next for the purpose of considering storm-water drainage, municipal areas, and other important matters.

Prior to the commencement or business at the meeting of the Paeroa Borough Council last night a resolution conveying sincere sympathy to the relatives of the late Mr Percy Corbett, a member of the Ohinemuri County Council, was carried in silence. In moving the resolution the Mayor (Mr W. Marshall) said .that the district would always be the poorer by the los® of its public men.

The Rev. John Lowden, of Auckland, will preach at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. on February 14 at the Paeroa Presbyterian Church. AH, are welcome. Netherton service cancelled. Miss Ogilvie’s meeting 3l , Thursday, the 18th, afternoon and evening.*

Among the tennis matches that are to be played on Saturday next are the fo,flowing: Waitakaru.ru v. Hikutaia (Williams Shield Challenge), Turua, v. Paeroa, at Paeroa, Ngatea v. Kopuarahi at Ngatea, and possibly Paeroa v. Netherton "B” grade a,t Netherton.

The Mayor stated at last night’s Borough Council meeting that heavy traffic should be‘ y diverted from Taylor’s Avenue as soon a£ possible, as considerable damage was being done to the new street. Several councillors shared this, view, ‘and expressed the hope that .the department would push on with the erection of the overhead bridge at Hill Street.

The following have been selected to represent the Paeroa Cricket Club in a- ma|ch against Te Aroha, to be played at’the domain, Paeroa, to-mor-row : G. Stack, Ted. Edwards, W. Pearcey, H. Tams, F. Pivott, J, Verra,n, H. Shand, R. Day, W. Taylor, J. Fox, .C Rolton, andl W. Haggitt.

Arising out of a letter from the Prime Minister acknowledged the receipt of a x*esolution passed by the council relating to ,the collection of the non-consumers’ rate by the Thames Valley Power Bbard, a further resolution was moved by Cr. Flatt at last night’s council, meeting, to the effect 'tjhat the member fox' the district be informed of the present position, and that he be asked, to keep a watchful eye on any legislation .that may be broxight down m the future.

By notification in the N.Z. Gazette dated February 4, the Ohinemuri County Council has been 'appointed the controlling authority for the administration of the Licensing Act in the Ohinemuri electorate. This means that Paeroa will be tjhe chief polling place in connection with the election of the new licensing committee on March 9, the future headquarters, of the committee, and the centre in which the couxt sittings will, be held. The registrar of electors for the district, Mr P. H. Wylde, in conjunction with .the county clerk, Mr R. W. Evans, will conduct the election.

It is rumoured that one of the Ford rail coaches is ,to be tried out on the Paeroa-Waihi branch railway line. Experiments are being carried out, with these one-ton Ford chassis, converted to suit the rails, on the Woodside-Greytown branch line, and it depends, on the success or otherwise of the, innovation whether more of the coaches will be built. Upon being approached yesterday the Paeroa stationmastex* (Mr W. P. Payne) stated that he wa£ aware that experiments with light) motor trains were being carried out in New Zealand, but that he had received no official intimation that'they were to be used on the Paeroa-Waihi line.’

America is a country of records, many of which no other country will grudge her. As we learned a few days ago, last year’® new American record in the output of motor vehicles has been accompanied, as we judge, from the returns for .the larger cities., by a, new record in the number of automobile accidents. In New York alone more .than a thousand persons—approximately three a day—lost .their liver, last year in accidents of this kind. The statistics for 1924 Bhowed a (otal of 19,000 persons killed and 450,000 injured throughout the United States, in similar circumstances.

At the Wanganui Police Station is a packing-case piled to overflowing, apd the fact that it is what is known in official circles, as the Oates file indicates the immense amount of work that wa®' put in by some of the best detectives in New Zealand in connection with '(he murder mystery which so seriously disturbed Wanganui a couple of years ago. Now that Detective Gourley has retired from the Police Force it can be stated 'tha|t he held certain views on the matterthat were entirely at variance with those of his brother officers. Right to the day „that Detective Gourley resigned he has never let, up on that particulai' case, and a couple of months ago he ma.de an extended search of the King Country, with a result that at the moment cannot be dfeclosed. Detective Gourley is still confident that that particular mystery will be eventually solved.

Mr G. Wratten, a Cambridge motor mail carrier, has, after considerable experiment, devised a director for attaching to motor-cars for operation at night time. It is a most ingenious device, attached to the windscreen, near the driver’s wheel, and operated very simply, giving a brilliant coloured light signifying (he intention to turn. Some such device is badly needed, especially when there is much tra.ffic at night time, and those who have inspected Mr Wrattqn’s invention are of opinion that it will find favour and come into common usage. Steps are being taken to protect the patent, and place i.t on the market. —“Independent.”