THE Hauraki Plains Gazette. With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto Public Service. MONDAY. WEDNESDAY. & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1927. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5086, 9 February 1927, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette. With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto Public Service. MONDAY. WEDNESDAY. & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1927. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Paeroa District High School Committee is holding an important meeting to-night. To-morrow night the monthly meeting of ,the Paeroa Borough Council Is to be held, when the question of swimming baths at Paeroa will receive further consideration.

The rain that 'fell locally on Monday last was insufficient to' give the parched earth a thorough soaking. Several heavy showers fell during the day, but, they were of brief duration, and between whiles the sun shone brightly. Yesterday was very hat and oppressive, and towards evening black thunder clouds gathered in the sky and a heavy downpour appeared imminent. Barring for a light sprinkle the rain passed over the town in a. south-easterly direction. Tihe local rainfall so far this month has been below the average.

It is understood that a warrant has been issued for the arrest o'f a man approaching middle-age—Grenfell being the name mentioned—for alleged false representations as to his business status and in connection with the borrowing of the sum of £25 from a member o'f a. well-known family residing at Waikino. The wanted party is said te have first got into tough with the family by correspondence some time hack, and wifining their confidence with glowing descriptions of his state of affluence and social position in Sydney he later came to Waikino and made his home with them. There he remained until quite recently, when certain circumstances arose which gave rise to suspicions as tp his bona fldes, and when t,axed he is said to have disappeared.

On several occasions the Hauraki Plains. County Council’s balance-sheet has been tagged on account of the lack of receipts for wages paid. The treasurer experiences considerable difficulty in getting workmen to send in receipts, and now, in desperation, he has deieded to hold up the payment of wages until the receipt is forthcoming.

The Timaru municipal ’bus service is being run at a loss at the rate Of £2OOO to £3OOO a year.

Attention is drawn to a motor service that haa been inaugurated by Mr H. K. Peterson between. Paeroa and Thames. This service, should prove of convenience to commercial .travellers and others wishing to visit tihe seaport town. Full particulars appear elsewhere in these columiis.*

The works committee of .the Hauraki Plains County Council has recommended that provision be made 'for metalling Pukahu Road, Netherton, to its terminus, but that such work be deferred to' allow the clay formation to settle sufficiently to receive metal. This rted is in the Netherton roads loan area, but it was not previously intended to metal the whole of it. Representations on behalf of the settlers concerned were made recently by the riding member, Cr. J. A. Reid.

A pig of unusual proportions was among a truckload consigned from Hawera the other day to the Ngahauranga meat works. A female cf the Tamworth breed, the animal balanced the scales at 6251 b—a respectable weight even for a fat bullock. It came from the farm of Mr J. Thomlinson, of Hawera, and Mr H. A. K. McNae, who was in attendance at ,he yards, when the animal was loaded, informed a “Star” reporter that over n considerable number of years he had net encountered a specimen of such proportions.

A first offender, a middle-aged labourer, was charged with, drunkenness in Belmont Road, Paeroa, yesterday, before. Mr P. E. Brenan,, J.P., at the local Police Court t,his morning. Constable McClinchy stated that the defendant had been in town to celebrate the opening of the new hotel, and had hung about until yesterday, when he was arrested. In answer ip the Bench defendant admitted that he had been drinking too heavily, but had work to go to, and would immediately leave the town. Tee Bench intimated a desire. to give defendant another chance. A conviction was entered and defendant was: discharged.

How it pays to advertise was brought home to the officials of the Wanganui City Gas Department as a result of its operations in December, when, following an intensive publicity campaign, 107 gas cookers were sold. A good result for a normal month is the sale of 30 ar 35 cookers.

The. Hauraki Plains County Council decided at its last meeting that t|iie motor-car used by the engineer had outlived its usefulness and agreed that a new one should be purchased. The old car was dismantled recently and many of the parts utilised as (spares for the trucks of 'the same make owned by the council. A new car— a two-seater —arrived last week.

We are In receipt af an advance complimentary copy of the London Times New Zealand number. It is a splendid production of 32 pages, profusely illustrated with views df our scenic and other attractions. There is a wealth of literary matter that directly deals with the progress of New Zealand. The fine production breathes the atmosphere of the Dominion, and should prove a splendid advertisement, even though it must have, cost several thousands sterling. The publicaion will be distributed on the 22nd instant.

An outside dealer purchased a very fine line of two-year-old heifers from Mr J. C. Cleland, Ngatea, this week, at a price averaging £7 a. head. It seems strange that Plains farmers do not realise the value of this kind of stock at this season and allow outsiders to come in and take their pick. In a few months’ time heifers will be in keen demand, and Plains farmers will have to pay .aboutj twice the present price, and possibly the line that left this week will be brought back and sold.

A start, was made this morning with the annual cutting of, the elafeagnus hedge 'surrounding three sides of the local domain. The cutting of both sides and top of the hedge involves a distance of thrtee miles.

Efforts .are still being made by the Kerepeehi School Committee to arrange a conveyance for the many school children residing along Pekapeka Road. There are a great many children who have just reached school age, and 'tjhey would attend the Kerepeehi school at once if some conveyance could be provided. The parents; are. willing to contribute towards the cost, but the department is not willing to provide a subsidy, as the ctifldren are not beyond the three-mile radius. The matter is not being allowed to drop.

The popularity of the. New Ply-mouth-Te Kuiti route is still growing (says the Taranaki Daily News). Mr A. Bartleet, of Awakino, said the other day 'ijhat the volume of traffic this year showed a big increase on that of last year, the business at his private hotel having practically doubled. About 3000 motor-cars have crossed the Mokau River since the holiday season began, the biggest number in one day being 157.

For many years the Kerepeehi Sports Association has: held a sports gathering in the showground on Easter Monday. On the headquarters of the Hauraki Plains Agricultural and Pastoral Society going to Kerepeehi, <he question of holding a sports meeting as a means of relieving its financial position was advocated, and it came about that the A. and P. Society absorbed the Sports Association and its accumulated funds with the intention of carrying on the sports on t,he usual date. Supporters of the old Sports Association now realise that a misfake wasmade, but, nevertheless', they are hoping that the sports will be held this year as usual. Easter is( only nine weeks off, and so far nothing has been done.

In the first matches of thfe. third round of inter-club cricket on the Plains on Saturday wins were secured by Waitakaruru from Kaihere and by Kopuarahi 'from Ngatea. The TuruaPipir°a match did not start until late,, and on Turua making 89 runs for nine wickets the innings wa'si declared closed. By the call of time the Pipiroa side had knocked up 32 for nine wickets, thufei making the match a

draw. The only double-figure scores were Macklow 32, Averill 17, and French 17. Batting in the NgateaKopuarahi match, Nicol made 26, McPherson 21, S. Phillips 19, and G. Phillips 12, and the others single figures .to bring the Ngatea total to 88. For Kopuarahi the total score was 95, of which T. McKay was responsible for 33, Whelan 27, and Rusfeell Green 11.

A remarkable story is told by the Poverty Bay Herald of the pluck and endurance bf a Maori, who, although suffering from a deep gash in his foot and ankle, rode a noise for 10 miles to receive attention at a country station. Matu Rangi, while cutting a pack track at the back of Huiarua station, inland from Tokomaru Bay, drove his axe into his f;ot, but oe,spite the great pain and the. fact that the serious wound was bleeding profusely, he managed to mouirt his horse and ride in to the station, a distance of 10 miles. There he received every .attention from Mr and Mrs Atkins, who did very'thing in their power to relieve the pain and prevent blood poisoning setting in. Fortunately Dr. McSweeney happened to be visiting the coast district at the time. The deep gash was stitched up, and the brave native allowed the operation to be performed without chloroform. He was then removed to Te Puia Hospital.