THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 1927. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5095, 2 March 1927, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 1927. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A reminder is given of the conference to discuss the carriage of mails by the night rail car from Frankton Junction which is to be held to-night. The meeting is to take place at the Borough Council Chambers at 8 p.m., and will be attended by delegates from the Paeroa, Thames, Te Aroha, and Waihi Chambers of Commerce. It is understood. that Mr Wellsted, district business manager of the New Zealand Railways, will be present.

The local registrar (Mr W. E. Ward) supplies the following vital statistics for Paeroa for the month of February, the figures for the corresponding month in 1926 being shown in parenthesis: Birtfis, 9 (12) ; deaths, 0 (1) ; marriages, 2 (1).

Benefit entertainment, Thursday, March 3.*

In view of the fact that tennis clubs on the Hauraki Plains have been arranging matches on dates which the Hauraki Plains Tennis Association desires for its competitions, and that if both the functions were held on t.he same day they would be adversely affected, notice of motion to amend the rules of the association has been given to prevent the arranging of private matches unless with the sanction of tJie association.

An unrehearsed incident caused much amusement at the Whangarei swimming carnival. One of the items by the silver band aroused the laughter of a young man stretched on the roef of a dressing-shed immediately above the player of the double bass. So hearty was his laughter that he dislodged his artificial teeth, which fell into the big 88, much to the astonishment of the player, who for the moment was nonplussed by tne sound which came ’frena, his inst.rument. The restoration of the lost property amused the big audience.

■According to a report submitted to yesterday’s meeting of the Thames Valley Electric Power Board the total number e,f consumers connected to the board’s mains on February 26, 1927, was 6315, which includes, the boroughs of Thames and Te Aroha. During the month 45 lighting and heating consumers, 20 water-heaters, 9 electric ranges, together with 14 motors on farms, of which 9 were 2 h.p. milking motors were connected. There are now connected and operating 988 water-heaters and 141 ranges, and the total number of motors connected and running on 'farms is 1861, of which 1606 are 2 h.p. milking motors,

At the Tauranga A, and P. Show on Wednesday last Mast,er Jack Smith, son of Mr E. W. G. Smith, Paeroa, secured the Ben Myers Cup for the best boy rider under 16 years over fences. Young Smith also carried off first honours for the best boy rider at the show.

The Railway Department advertises in this issue particulars of holiday excursion tickets, and train arrangements in connection with the Matamata Races on March 5.

Haymaking :>n the Hauraki Plains has now finished for the season, and a large number of stacks have been thatched. Tn previous years it was the exception to see a haystack on the Plains which had been covered.

Good farm labour is scarce on the Hauraki Plains at the present time, though inexperienced men are available in big numbers. As many of these men want to work trade union hours, numbers o'f farmers have given up trying to obtain suitable assistance for the remainder of the season. There will be plenty of work available in the district in the near future, when drain-cleaning commences in earnest, though only hard workers will find favour with the contractors.

A return in the last N.Z. Gazette estimates the population of New Zealand, with its dependencies, to be 1,485,955, made up o'f 759,849 males and 726,106 females. Included in the total are 64,138 Maoris. The North Island total ’is 910,287, and the South Island 519,244.

“There is nothing in the Power Boards Act to compel a power board to publish a balance-sheet,” remarked the manager (Mi" R. Sprague) at yesterday’s meeting of the Thames Valley Electric Power Board. He added, however, that a provision should be included’. A Member : “It is the best safeguard we have.’’ Mr Sprague replied that the board had always printed a balance-sheet, copies of which were sent to London in order to allow subscribers to the board’s loan to see how the board’s finances stood.

A homing pigeo.ll arrived at Kerepcehi on Monday morning in an exhaused condition, probably as the result of battling against the week-end gale. After being given food and water by Lands Drainage Department employees it was liberated, but so far it has n”t departed 'from the locality. It Jias two bands on its legs each bearin'; the letters A.H.P.F. and a number. One number is 3114, and the other is 26 (sideways) 831. A note was planed on the bird’s leg stating that it had been fed, watered, and liberate 1 at the Government workshops, Kerepeehi, ort February 28, 1927.

During the hearing o'f a case in the .Calcutta courts last week it was stated that some habitual crooks had developed a capacity for concealing valuables in cavities in their throats. One old offender snatched a gold neck charm from a woman. A hue and cry was raised and the man was arrested 011 tire sp 't, but there was no trace of the lost, property. After the exercise of judicious pressure the man vomited the chain, which he had concealed in a cavity in his throat.

At the meeting of the Thames Valley Electric Power Board yesterday the special finance committee recommended that the matter of the charges for bulk supply for Thames and Te Aroha boroughs be 'held over until the next board meeting, owing to the necessary data required for their discussion not yet being available. Mr F. E. Flatt said that the time was getting on, and he was disappointed that t,he matter was not ready for discussion. He would like an assurance that everything wCluld be in readiness .'for the April meeting. In the absence of the Thames Borough representative he was not desirous of promoting a discussion, but hoped there would be no further delay at the next meeting. The chairman (Mr F. M. Strange) assured Mr Flatt that everything would be in readiness, and he hoped the matter could finalised at the April meeting.

Attention is drawn to an announcement elsewhere in these columns by the Waihi-Paeroa Transport Co. with reference tp a daily bus service to Thames, commencing on Monday next, March, 7.®

At, yesterday’s meeting of the Thames. Valley Electric Power Board the manager (Mr R. Sprague) said that he had made inquiries while at the recent secretaries’ conference, but could pot obtain any definite information as to whether the board’s load from Horahora would be restricted in tjie event of Arapuni being late in coining into operation. In the absence of the information he could not recommend the board to undertake an extensive publicity campaign at the present time for increasing the demand within its area.

The reason lor the flooding of the main Paeroa-Auckland road in the Mangatawhiri Valley is, it is stated, the presence o’f several kauri logs lower down the stream, which stop the water from getting away. These logs have been in their present, position for some time, and if the facts are as stated it is time they were cleared away by the local body concerned. There was over a foot of water on the road on Sunday afternoon.

Turua people who attended the Te Aroha races on Monday last carried away a fair proportion of, the money invested on the tet,alisator in the second race when Te Kawana paid over half a century.

The Hauraki Plains County Council’s water supply committee met at Ngatea on Monday and discussed the progress of the work. Authority was given the engineer to call tenders for a further section o’f reticulation, and it was decided to call ineetjngs of settlers in the Horahia and Kopuarahi ridings to discuss the extension of tne mains across the Piako River.

The manager (Mr R. Sprague) reported at yesterday’s meeting of the Thames Valley Electric Power Board that he had made arrangements for cooking demonstrations by a competent demonstrator in every town in the board’s area during the m<»nth of April. Quite a demand for electric ranges was being made, he said, and those already in use were giving the utmost satisfaction.

At yesterday's meeting of the Thames Valley Electric Power Board the chairman (Mr F. M. Strange) said that the board was now beginning to feel the results of its policy of reducing the administration expenses. He did not see how matters could be 'further reduced and efficiency maintained. The organisation was fairly complete, but. was about at its minimum at present.”

' The Railway Department, advertises in this issue particulars of the train arrangements in connection with an excursion train from Frankton to Waihi and back on Sunday next.