THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motta: Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. MONDAY, JANUARY 21, 1929. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5377, 21 January 1929, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motta: Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. MONDAY, JANUARY 21, 1929. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

From 1892 until March 31 last the Labour Department found employment for 177,872 persons with dependants numbering 231,134, according to the. New Zealand year Book. Private employment was found for 82,667, and the remaining 95,205 either went to Government or local body works.

In our. report on the half-holiday question in our last issue we have Cr. Edward.s as stating that some of the bigger businesses at Thames “favoured 1 Saturday being open.” This should have read “favoured Saturday halfholiday.”

A beautiful and unusual sight in the Auckland outer harbour yesterday was the Finnish barque “Olivebank.” Anchored off Rangitoto, she awaits the aid of a fair wind t.o commence her voyage to Port Lincoln, where she is to load wheat for Europe. As ballast she is taking soil from the Auckland Civic Square w.hich will be discharged before grain loading coinmenc.es ; so it may safely be said that part of New Zealand., has gone to help build up Australia.

In connection with the application of the Hauraki Plains Racing Club for an alteration of the date of. its proposed non-totalisator race meeting from February 16 to February 23, a reply has. been received from the secretary of the Rac.i.ng Conference pointing out that in the proposed programme the amount of the nomination and acceptance fees for some races exceeded five per cent, of the vadue of the first prize. The Conference also desired to be adVised of the distance from the rac.e at l?aeroa, Te Aroha, and Thames. The club has placed the matter in the hands of its patron, Mr A. M. Samuel, M.P;, to adjust with the Racing Conference. In the meantime the work of preparing the racing track is proceeding.

Mr A. P. Grant, assistant engineer, Public Works. Department, writing in connection with; the request of the Borough Council to the Main Highways Board that Station Road bq del clared a main highway, advised that this l opd could not be declared a separate main highway, but it had been suggested that the route ■qf the Kopm Raglan main highway through Paeroa be altered by substituting Station RoacT for Arney street, between the junction of. Station, road! and Normanby Road.

The metalling of the road on the island side of the Puhahga canal .was completed on Saturday by the Hauraki Plains County Council’s contrac,tors. The road on the other si die «f tlie canal where the Lands Drainage Department is using horses is not qo far advanced, but this road is being made up to main highway standard as regards width .and depth of metal, so comparisons of distance completed are not applicable.

Two motor lorries and two c.ars, went into roadside drains on the Hauraki Plains on Saturday. Possibly there were morq, for it is such a common occurrence that unless there are some peculiar, features, the incident receives little notice. One case on Saturday afternoon was out of the ordinary, far the lorry chose to go into the drain from the approach to. the Ngatea bridge, where the drop is probably the highest of its kind i n the county. The incident is worthy of note also because one of the Landfj Drainage Department’s Bucyrus drag j Hue dredges, which was in a handy position, was utilised to draw thq truck back to the road. Mr E. Taylor, lands drainage engineer, happened to come on the scene, and noting that ordinary methods would be of little avail, he went to Kerepeehi for a dredige-master. The dredge hadi little difficulty in lifting the truck.