THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE HAURAKI PLAINS GAZETTE. Motto : Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. FRIDAY, APRIL 9, 1926. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 4960, 9 April 1926, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE HAURAKI PLAINS GAZETTE. Motto : Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. FRIDAY, APRIL 9, 1926. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Just as, we were going to press word ;was received that Odium’s sawmill a,t Maratoto was destroyed by fire early this, morning No .definite particulars are available, but it is understood that the mill was not insured.

A start has been made with the erection in Kerepeehi of a. building which .is cKt.’.mated to cost about £6OOO and for which it is hoped to secure a publican’s license. A big gang of men will be employed, as it is, hoped to. have the building completed in a couple of months.

A record of which they aye proud was established recently by a firm of Wanganui' .land agents, who sold a local residential property by telephone, ail the negotiations being conducted over tlie wire. The buyer (rays the "Chronicle”) was a Palmerston North man, and lie did not even inspect tlie property. Tlie transaction was put through entirely by toll ca|Us between Wanganui and Palmerston North, and the buyer’s profound Faith ‘lias been rewtirdetbby potssessiioirof a fine property.

Tlie construction of the, Government 50,000-volt electrical transmission line between Waikino a ; nd Bombay is being put in ha,nd, and should be completed by October next. Tenders have just, closed with the Public Works Department in Wellington 'for the cartage of approximately 625 poles, a.nd all other necessiary materials, to specified positions along the’ route, and for the erection 'and wiring of the poles, together with the distribution and erection of some 304 gates, and 70 bridges. When completed, this important addition will link up the Government hydro-electric generating works at Arapuni and HoraIwra with the generating and dis-, tributlng systems of Tauranga and Auckland. By. this provision of au alternative means of service, continuity df supply ishould be ensured to a 7 wide radius —embracing Auckland, Waitema,ta, Franklin, Central, Hamilton, Cambridge, Te Aw'amutu, Thames Valley, and ' Tauranga districts—in the event of a breakdown occurring at any generating station or on a main transmission line.

Mr A. Benzy, fish merchant, Belmont Roa,d, Paeroa, announces ia; startling reduction in the prices of fresh and smoked fish in his advertisement on page 3. ,

The Auckland Racing Club’s Easter Carnival holds pride of place in the pictorial section of this week’s issue of tlie “ New Ze.ala.nd Sporting and Dramatie Review.” The Franklin fixture is also represented in an excellent series of animated pictures. Tlie centre pages are devoted to outdoor s.port in its various forms, and the miscellaneous illustrations cover an exceptionally wide and diverting range. The stage and motion picture sections, are attractively presented in numerous portraits, and so'ciety and humour make up an excellent quota.

The Auckland-Paeroa steamer Taniwha is. at present undergoing annual overhaul and Government inspection. The Waipu hats: been withdrawn from the Piako River service, and with the addition of au auxiliary scow will replace tlie Taniwha. The Gael will replace the Waipu.

A mishap befel the Borough Council’s 10-ton steam, roller on Wednesday afternoon. The machine was engaged in rolling the unmetalled side of Taylor's, Avenue.,•’near the railway line, when it wa.s driven a little too far on to the edge. At a point near the main outfall drain the 'formation work had not consolidated sufficiently, with the result that the roller sa,nk in the soft ground, burying itself nearly up to the rear axle, with the rear portion of the machine resting ■on the ground.

The following shows how far £1 will go ,to-day in the purchase of commodities when compared with July,’ 1914. z These figures are. the average for the Dominion generally, and are to December, 1925, the latest available : Groceries Ils lid, dairy produce 13s 994 d, meat 13s Sd, rent Ils fuel and light Ils 514, clothes and boots 12s 6d, all groups 12s 2%<1.

The metalling of the WaitakairuruPokeno section of .the maim highway is proceeding steadily, but. a good many mile's; remain to be done.. The umnetalled part df tlie road has cut up ba,dly during wet weather, and there is a prospect that the route will be impassable this winter.

The newly opened public hall at Netherton has been made available to all religious denominations free of charge for the purpose of holding church services in the day-time.

Aided by favourable weather, good progress has been made with the construction of the double-track concrete bridge over tlie main outfall drain ,at Taylor’s Avenue. The concrete piers and. abutments are now nearly completed, and when this work hap ripened sufficiently the steel girders, to carry the rails will be placed in position. It is .expected to have the structure completed about the middle of next week,

Referring to the objection .taken' to the quality of some of the stone being used on Wilson’s Road by the deputation that watied on the Hauraki Plains County Council at its last 1 meeting the Paeroa. quarry contractor explained that at the commencement of the contract a bad slip had occurred at the quarry and a little inferior sltuff had mixed with ‘the metal proper. The wrong was soon righted, hcnVever, and it its, understood that the council will gain rather tha.n lose over the matter. The top layer of me.tal for Wilson’s Road is now being crushed and carted, and is, said to be of superior quality. ‘

Referring to the past method of employing temporary clerks on census compilation, Mr Malcolm Fraser, Government Statistician, said that each clerk used .to put through about 500 cards a., day, but now the girls employed disposed of 250 cards an hour. In answer to a question’ Mr Fraser gaid that the cast of a census in New Zealand Was about £30,000, not more than it cost in 1911.

Tire services at St. Andrew’s. PreSr byterian Church, Macky Street, will, on Sunday next, be conducted by the Rev. Joseph Clark. Subjects : 11 a.m-, “lonah” ; 7 p.m., “T. v. C.L.” Ne.therton service 2.30’. p.m. Visitors and newcomers heartily welcome.*

A famous old London tavern Is the Cheshire Cheese, situated in a little court off Fleet Street. This house was a favourite haunt of Dr. Johnson, and his chair in the corner of the coffee room is still in evidence. Upstairs .another quaint old room is set apart for smokers. Down its centre runs a long, narrow table, On which are arranged at short •intervals long "Churchwarden” clay pipes. Generations of smokers dead and gone have "blown a cloud” in that old room. Here's to the weed! So long as the quality is good it never does anybody any harm. On the. contrary, it may prove highly beneficial. Most doctors will admit that. But they will tell you also that brands strong in nicotine are best avoided. It’s excess of nicotine that does the misehiei when mischief , results. New Zealand tobaccos are the purest on the market. They are toasted, and in their refined state do not affect the heart or nerves. Try Riverhead Gold, mild; Navy Cut (Bulldog), medium ; or Cut Plug No. 10 (Bullshead), full strength.*