THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto Public Service. MONDAY. WEDNESDAY. & FRIDAY. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1928. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5243, 24 February 1928, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto Public Service. MONDAY. WEDNESDAY. & FRIDAY. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1928. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Paeroa was heavily wrapped in smoke until nearly mid-day on Wednesday, when the sun broke through the haze and shone with relentless heat. The smoke clouds were the heaviest so far experienced this •year, and they made the atmosphere very oppressive. Considerable damage has been caused by a bush fire, which apparently originated oir the Komata side and travelled up the range and into a large area of bush in the Paeroa water catchment area. The fire also travelled through the properties of settlers having land running up to the hills. In addition to losing a fair area of bush, Mr W. Marshall has had approximately 50 acres of grass destroyed by fire. His loss, is a severe one, as tlie grass destroyed was being reserved for winter feed for his dairy stock.

The Paeroa District High School is holding its annual picnic at the Kerries Memorial Park, Te Aroha, to-day. About 500’pupils, parents, and friends left Paeroa by the 7.52 o’clock train this morning in nine carriages. The excursionists are due to return by the 7.20 train to-night. ■ 1

The car “Blue Bird,” In Which Captain M alcolm Campbell drove at the' world’s record rate of 206 miles an hour at Daytona Beach, Florida, was, designed and built at his <>wn expense. It cost(£2o,ooo.

On making inquiries at the borough office this morning it . was learned from the town clerk that public subscriptions towards liquidating the sum of £l5 18s 9d which was treated as unauthorised, expenditure by the 'Audit Department and ordered to be refunded were very slow in coming in. The amount previously acknowledged is £2 /Os. Since Monday 10s 6d has been received from W. J. Towers and sfc, from W. Barclay.

The subscription iist opened by A Company, Hauraki Regiment, at Paeroa for the widows of Lieutenant J. R. Moncrieff and Captain G'. Hood, who attempted l to cross, the Tasman Sea from Australia to New Zealand iu an aeroplane on January 10 last, has been definitely closed, and the money received by the editor of the Hauraki Plains Gazette now totals £8 Bs. This money is being forwarded to-day to the N.Z. Herald, to be included in that paper’s Ifet. Tlie amount previously acknowledged was £7 ’ss 6d, andi since then the sum of £1 2s 6d has been re-, ceived from the Waihi territorials.

A Skye terrier, owned, by Mr J. Walls, was run over in Belmont R°ad by a motor-car and killed on Wednesday morning. The driver of the car appeared to make no attempt to avoid the dog, and did n(ot stop after (he had run over it. This fe> the second dog Mr Walls had had killed by motor vehicles within a fortnight.

A temperature of 87 degrees was recorded in the Ngatea school on Tuesday afternoon. Althougn schoolmasters are authorised to close their schools early on very days, this is not being done to any great extent on the Plains owing to the difficulty of arranging for the school buses to call earlier than usual. At some place,?, it is thought oy parents that it is better to keep the children indo'JrS than to let them go home during the hottest part of the .day.

Apt and artistic are the beautiful centre pages featured in this week’s issue of the “N.Z. Sporting and Dramatic Review,” embracing photographs of the noted environs of Switzerland, Europe’s winter playground. For racing enthusiasts there are comprehensive -snapshots covering the Wanganui and Taranaki meetings, while trotting has a splendid showing in incidents and leading events at the Otaihuhu fixture. The Auckland Rowing Club’s at home is represented, and other current happenings graphically portrayed are speed boats racing on Whau River, and the annual harbour r;j.cc for the Molloy Shield. A highly artistic frontispiece, a supplement of vital interest to all bowlers, a cliarm--Ing selection of stage and motion picture portraits, also of brides and fashions, are comprised in this superlative issue.