THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1927. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5221, 30 December 1927, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1927. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

There will be no publication of the “Gazette” on Monday next, January 2, 1928, and the office, will be closed untl Wednesday, Januaiy 4, which will be publication day, as usual.

The Miranda route through the Hauraki Plains to Auckland is in excellent order .at the present time, a®' the clay road is very smooth. The highway between Waitakaruru and Maramarua is abominably rough.

A very severe thunderstorm, accompanied by torrential rain, was experienced on the Hauraki Plains on Saturday last, Christmas Eve. The rain was very welcome to farmers, and to -householders whose tanks were runn’ng low.

The Bank of New Zealand had to stop paying at Ngatea on Thursday of last week, on account of lack of funds. Over £BOO in cash was brought over from Thames, but possibly £lOOO was required to meet the demand for cheques presented.

It is pleasing to report that so far as is known no serious accidents occurred locally during the; holidays. Despite the, heavy volume of motos traffic that traversed the streets on Christmas Eve serious congestion was avoided. Credit is due. to the way the police handled the, situation. A motor accident occurred at th®. Ngatea Bridge on Monday last. It appears that a Mr Bond, a fish-mong-er, was driving a motor-cycle and silecar onto the bridge, when a collision occurred with a motor car. The shlecar on to the bridge, when a colors, Mrs Bond and two babies escaped unhurt.

Fresh water under the Hauraki Plains West water supply schejme has been available to the whole of the district, with the’ exception of th® Rawerawe West Road, since the middle of last week, and since a blockage was removed from a pipe at> Waitakaruru the pressure has be?in surprisingly high. The pressure pump is not yet in operation at Dalgety’s corner, but the water pressure at Ngatea is considerably above that of many cities. As yet some of the water is muddy on account of dirt which got into the pipes, when being laid. The blockage in the pipe at Waitakaruru was a bag of cement evidently deliberately placed there by a dishonest workman. As there was a good pressure at the Wa'takaruru stream crossing, and a poor pressure at the, canal crossing investigations were made. The locality was narrowed down to a chain or so, and a concrete p’pe removed,. The bag of cement was so placed that a small quantity of water could pass. A similar blockage was discovered some weeks ago at a place where the pipe-line was 14 feet below the, ground

Inquiry at the Waihi Hospital, yesterday morning elicited the information that B. Aitken and F. Burt, who were recently injured in a motor-cycle accident near Mackaytown, are making satisfactory progress towards recovery. Burt, who was the more seriously injured, and whose condition was fior a time grave, is now regarded as being out of danger.

Christmas moi'ning was ushered in at Paeroa this yeai- by a parade of Boy Scouts. The troop divided UP into patrols and toured the residential portions of the borough and made merry by playing musical instruments and carol singing. The lads met with a cordial reception, and in a numbei of instances were regaled with Chr stmas cake and other edibles.

Everyone should secure, a copy of this week’s issue of the “N.Z. Sppit’ng and Dramatic Review,” as it contains a large and varied selection of up-to-date illustrations of general interest. Pride of place is given the Auckland Racing Club’s meeting at Ellerslie and the Auckland Trotting Club’s -meeting at Epsom. 'There is a fine selection of photographs in the centre pages, and the miscellaneous section will create wide, interest. The New Zealand section is also full of merit.

The New Year is welcomed for the opportunity it gives us. It brings with its renewed hopes and a measure of goodwill and happiness- The, seasonal festivities may be bright; they should be symbolical of thei future, and if we look forward with confidence we should not fail. There is always a brightness, in the future, and with this year just drawing to a •close we should review it in retrospect as our balance-sheet, correct our defects, and look to the coming year with confidence. To all our regd®rs we extend a greeting of goodwill and good cheer for 1928.

A slight diversion -occurred at the Peroa end of the Criterion traffic bridge over the Oihinemuri River on Wednesday morning. A young man named Peter Grant, a farm-hand employed by Mr D. Sheehan, of Rotokohu, was driving a horse and cart containing six cans of cream to the butte,r factory. While crossing the bridge a motor-car came up behind, and on reaching the end of the bridge, and in order to allow the car to pass, Grant turned shprply to the right and his vehicle failed to negotiate the newly formed embankment and capsized. The cans were, distributed in all directions and a quantity of cream was spilled. The. driver and horse were uninjured, and the cart sustained nothing worse than a broken splash-board.