THE Hauraki Plains Gazette. With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 1928. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5224, 9 January 1928, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette. With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 1928. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A live-seater Flint car, owned by Mr H. Jowsey, taxidriver, of waitakaruru, was destroyed by fire about 3 a.m. on New Year’s Day. It appears that while near the Waitakaruru school the engine back-fired, igniting the machine. The passengers jumped out and the car moved forward into the. roadside drain and was completely destroyed.

Constable J. Dawson, of Paeroa, who has -been relieving Constable Devereaux at Kerepeehi, resumed duty at Paeroa, again to-day.

While gathering cockle,s at Piiru, Thames Coast, yesterday, a bdy picked up in the sand a gold sovereign easecontaining a half-sovereign. Judging by the appearance of the case it had not been in the, salt water very long.

Extensive scrub fires have be,en raging during the past few days in the swamp country beyond. -Motiimaob.o, and through U’e back of Tauheji to as far as Patetonga (states the Morrinsville “Star”). The dry weather has made the peat liable to burn deep clown and- the fires, have! now gained a good hold. In several instances roads were threatened with undermining, apd water had to bq poured on to the roadsides to check the flames. One or two telegraph poles have been burnt through, necessitating their replacement.

So far as local motor-car owners were coneejmecl, there was no appreciable rush for petrol, supplies on Friday prior Jo the prices advancing an extra, fourpence a gallon on Saturday morning. One local garage reports that a few motorists, apparently “in the know,” insisted on having, their tanks filled, while, others took sufficient toi do the journey. There have apparently been several false alarms as to just when t'he increase in price was to take place, and for some time the more canny motorist has made a point -of travelling about with his petrol tank chock-full. The petrol tax of fourpence a. gallon is expected to yield a national revenue, of £720,000 a year. Petrol iinpdirtr into the Dominion for the, eleven months, ended November 30 last exceeded 43,500,000 gallons.

Sc.ven members of the newly formed Pi’croa Defence Rifle Club had a tryout on the range on Saturday afternoon. Shooting was done from the 200yds and 300yds ranges, and the, targets and everything worked very satisfactorily. The official opening is to take place at an early date. The secretary, Mr H. Simmonds, is etithusiastic about the prospects, of the club, and urgqs members, to apply for their rifles as early as possible.

With the continuance of dry weather conditions grass and other foliage everywhere] is drying up, a condition that applies" equally to the farm or around the home. Residents should be careful to see that lighted -matches are not thrown about, while care should be t\xcrcised in lighting fires.

At the Paeroa Police Court this morning a man named Alex Swaine appeared before Messrs W. Marshall and H. J. Hare, J’sP., charged with drunkenness and using obscene language at Paeroa on Saturday afternoon. It was stated by Constable JMcClinchy that accused, who was a swagger, and had been previously convicted, arrived at Paeroa on Saturday morning, and had spent the day imbibing freely. On the charge of obscene language accused was cpinvicted and fined £5, in default seven days’ imprisonment at Thames Gaol. He was convicted and discharged on the drunkenness charge.

It is estimated that between 2000 and 3000 people visited the Waihi Beach on New Year’s Day. The number at Te Araha .was about 2000.

A two-seater Rover car skidded on tlie loose metal of the Waitakaruru Road on Saturday afternoon and ran into the deep roadside drain. The car was only slightly damaged, and the passengers, two Auckland Catholic priests, were not injured.

The railway excursion from the Wa’kato to Waihi Beach was well patronised yesterday. On arrival at Paeroa the train, comprising eight double carriages, carried just over 300 passengers. A further 50 persons joined tlie train at Paeu'oa, and on their return reported that the arrangements for the excursion worked satisfactorily, and a thoroughly enjoyable day was spent. It is considered that had thei'e not beien’an excursion from the Waikato to Arapuni yesterday, the number for Waihi Beach would have been much greater.

On a motor tour of tlie North Island Mr j. Havard, of Lower Hutt, Wellington, reached Paeroa. on Saturday afternoon, having accomplished just over 600 miles on the tour. Mr Havard, who is at present stay:ng with Mr J- A. G. Wilson, Kerepeehi, 'states that the roads traversed so far are in fair condit’on, the roughest portion being between Tauranga and the Paeroa borough boundary. His car, the latest model Armstrong-Sid-dley, created a good .deal of interest as it stood outside a kerbside pump this morning.

Wh’le the Waikato and Thames

Valley cry for rain, the position is not nearly so serious as in the environs, of Auckland City, where the) nature of the soil is such that it cannot retain moisture for any lengthy period. Approaching Pukekphe one sees pastures that have turned brown with the heat and afford practically no nourishment for stock, and cows are going down in their milk yield by a large amount each week. The country surrounding Paeroa is by no means in such a parlous position, but unless there is a copious rainfall fairly soon things will, assume, a serious aspect. The low-lying parts of the district and the Plains seem to have suffered least, and in a number of paddocks green pastures abound.

On board the ferry steamer which left Wellington with thq first of the Christmas crowds was a man from “out-back” with several of his cronies. All appeared to have imbibed too freely. The central figure went to his bunk wearing only a shirt and a huge pair of boots. About midnight he wejnt on deck fpr a promenade. After a time he. returned to an empty bed, which he thought was his own. When he awoke next morning, still fuddled, he discovered- that he was in a women’s boudoir. Hej got up, and was ■ seen with a Sflanket wrapped round his waist, and a half-smoked cigarette behind his ear, frantically searching for his clothes. His cronies joined him in the search, but when the other passengers Icfjt the ship at Lyttelton the missing clothes had not been discovered.

In preparation’for the metalling of the Kaihere-Torehape road, work was commenced on Friday last on improving the formation and cutting back corners, etc.