THE Hauraki Plains Gazette. With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 17, 1926. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 5053, 17 November 1926, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette. With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 17, 1926. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Two further earthquake shocks were felt at Paeroa yesterday. The firs,t occurred at about 5 a>m., but it was of a mild nature. At 27 minutes toi three yesterday afternoon another shock was fe.lt, .and it is believed to be the most severe so far recorded here. No damage of any kind has been reported. The afternoon shock was pre-, ceded by an ominous rumbling noise.

The question of the statutory halfholiday for Paeroa was discussed at the Rugby Union meeting on Monday night. Mr K, L. Slyfleld contended that if Saturday w.:s made the late shopping night it would be appreciated by the country people and would give sport a decided uplift. It was resolved tha.t the chairman (Mr W. Pennell) and Mr Slyfleld be a deputation from, the union to wait upon the Chamber of Commerce for the purpose of obtaining its support to change the half-holiday from Saturday to Wednesday.

The golden jubilee celebration of the Marist Brothers’ order was concluded at Christchurch on Monday evening, when the presentation of a cheque for £17'50 was made to BrothW Justin, provincial of the Marist Brothers of New Zealand.

The Education Department’s examinations commence throughout: the Dominion to-day. Paeroa has again been recognised as an examination centre by the department, and the; candidates are sitting in the wooden building at the local- district high school. Forty-four pupils are taking the examinations, as follows: Senior national scholarship, 4 entrants ; Public Service entrance, 11; senior free place, 7 ; junior national scholarship, 14 ; junior free place, 6. These examinations wlil conclude on November 26, when the N.Z. University examinations will follow.

At the meeting of the committee of the Paeroa Rugby Union on Monday night eulogistic references were made concerning the secretary, Mr J. M. Crosby. As a slight token of appeciation and thanksi for valuble’ services rendered Mr Crosby was called upon to receive a cheque for £3 3s. In his reply Mr Crosby said that what little he had done was ddne in the interests of the “good old game” and without thought of reward. He paid a .tribute to the work of the chairman (Mr W. Pennell) and the members of the committee.

“I ask all who' are sure they have, been in touch with their dead to rise and testify,” said Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, speaking to 8000 persons who '“attended a spiritual service of remembrance. at the Albert Hall. About 2000 men and women responded to the invitation. “Thank God there are so many,” said the speaker. “I stay that in 'five years there will not be one in such a gathering as this, who will not rise when they receive a similar invitation.

An application was made to Mr Justice Herdman in the Supreme Court, Auckland, on Monday, for the confirmation by the Court of a- resolution reducing the capital of Hetheringtons, Ltd., drapers and; importers, Thames, from £109,000 to £84,000. Mr West said the scheme for the reduction of capital involved no diminution of the liability for any uncalled capital, and the creditor’s, therefore, were not. affected. The reduction would affect only the original shareholding of the Hetherington family, the founders of the business, and was designed to bring the company back to a stable divident-paynig basis. Decision was reserved.

A start has. been made with the work of completing the work provided for in the Turua Town Board’s roading loan. The Hauraki Plains County Council’s workmen and plant are doing the job for the Town

The Hauraki Plains Golden Art Union will be drawn in the Kerepeehi Hall this evening. A concert and wireless demonstration will be held, and a small charge will be made for admission.

Several speakers referred to the lack of interest and. support displayed by the local business people in Rugby matters at Monday night’s meeting of the committee of the Paeroa Rugby Union. It was pointed out that owing to the Thames Valley Union’s headquarters being at Paeroa more representative matches would be played locally, attracting a large number of people to the town. From a business point of view it was contended that ready support and. assistance shoud be forthcoming.

Among extracts, from the annual report of the Department of Health on school hygiene is a paragraph dealing with the excess of reined, starchy foods and sweets consumed by children of New Zealand. The paragraph states that it is worth noting .that Ne.w Zealand probably holds the world’s record for the consumption of sugar, the average consumption peahead per annum being about 1171 b.

At the Magistrate’s Court, Queenstown, recently, A. Jopp, licensee of the Royal Oak Hotel, Arrowtown, was charged with refusing to supply meal to a party of travellers jv'ho arrived there at 6.45 p.m. The defence was that the tea meal was over and that the girls had gone to church. His Worship held that defendant had not carried out his legal obligations, and entered a conviction without fine. The cos.ts and witnesses’ expenses amounted to £7 19g.

When forwarding a donation of £3 3s towards the prize fund of the Hauraki A. and P. Sho.w, Paeroa, a manager of an Auckland importing firm wrote to the president (Mr H. J. Hare,) : “Regarding my trip . through your district, it was .the first time that I had been off the railway line, and it was certainly an eye-opener to me. I never knew that dairy country in the Thames Valley was such a beautiful aspect as it is*. I have spent the bulk of my life down the Manawatu, and the people there pride themselves on the quality of the Manawatu and Kairanga Flats, but the best of the country round, your way is, in my opinion, much more productive. than theirs, il am looking forward to making another trip through, when I shall have more time to stop and admire the beautiful pastures that are to be seen everywhere.”

The main highway from the Plains to Ppkeno is now in fair order. Metal has be,en placed in the worst holes in the unmetalled section, and this part should present little; difficulty from now on. Much of the new metal has been blinded with shell, and .the surface is very good. The Franklin County’s portion, is receiving regular maintenance and is in good order.

The erectiop pf the Public Works, Department’s electric power transmission mains from Bombay has proceeded well into the Plains county on the, way to Waikino, and much of the wiring has been done.

Mr D. Leach, of the Victoria. Bakery, Paeroa, has‘shown considerable enterprise in landing direct from England one of the largest Artifex steam ovens for his bakery. The machine,’ which weighs in all about eleven tons, is one of the first v of its kind to, be erected in the Auckland province. The equipment, complete and ready for approximately £350.

The Thames Valley A., P., apd H. Association opens its-31st annual show at Te Aroha on Tuesday, November 23. The • show promises to be the largest apd most important ye;t held at Te, Aroha. Entries for all classes have been good, and a feature of the first day will be the pony events, while numerous ring competitions will keep the crowd interested on Wednesday (People’s Day). The side-sihows will be better and more numerous than formerly, and apart from its educSr tioiial value the exhibition will have; many novel and amusing features.

The Hauraki and Horahia. drainage boards have not yet considered when the amalgamation, as ordered by the recent commission, will take effect from. It has been suggested .that in the meantime the two boards should sit together. Members of both boards will probably meet to-day to discuss improved drainage for the Orchard East-Huirau Road area. The monthly meeting of the Horahia Board will be held on Thursday.

The Hauraki Plains Cricket Association’s matches for Saturday next are as. follows: Turua at Waitakaruru, Ngatea at Pipiroa, and Kaihere at Kopuarahi.

The good work done in .the relief of distress in Wanganui by the S.wankers’ Club is well known. How seriously the Swanketrs take thei]* self-impos-ed obligations is revealed by an incident that happened the other day. In general conversation a business man spoke to a friend, a Swanker, about a case of distress he had recently encountered. He was immediately handed a cheque for £1 15s to be expended in giving assistance.

If the average man were cast away on a desert island and compelled to lead a Robinson Crusoe existence, his first thought (after the food and water problem was solved) would be: “How can I get something to smoke?” The craving for tobacco is insistent in the case of 10 men out of every 12, and to satisfy the universal demand hundreds of brands of .the “weed” are on the market. They come from many lands, one of tne latest countrieis to produce them (in a perfected form) being New Zealand. Strange to say, the barren gum lands of the North, which won’t grow ordinary crops, grow splendid tobacco, a matter of the greatest importance to men on the land up there, because the average yield of leaf is worth £5O per acre, and the industry promises to become a source of national wealth. The local article is much appreciated by those who had to give up smoking foreign tobaccos because of the excess of nicotine, which affected thier health. Try Riverhead Gold, mild ; Navy Cut (Bulldog), medium ; or Cut Plug No. 10 (Bulls head), full.*