LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5394, 1 March 1929, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Tauranga County Council has unanimously decided in favour of making representations to the Minister of Public Works urging commencement of the Paenoa-Pokeno. railway.

New Zealand’s exports to Hawaii are valued at £130,000', while her, imports of Hawaiian products amount to £lo,ooo'.

The Maorjs round Rotorua, have great success with their tobacco plantations. Mr Lowe, the Government expert, estimates that the initial crop for this season will be worth about £lOOO.

At a meeting of. the Waihi branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union Mr Otto Bjerring, president, said thaij there was a movement afoot to get the Whanggmata. riding transferred from Thames County to Ohinemuri County.

On Wednesday evening the Bibleclass of the Paereia Methodist Church lield a pleasant social at. the Centen--ary Hall in aid of the Sunday School picnic. Those present had! a thoroughly enjoyable time, games being most heartily participated in and the musical items during supper greatly appreciated.

For artistry of production it would be difficult to surpass the; current, issue of the “N.Z. Sporting and Dramatic, Review.” Topical events in many parts of the world combine with other pictorial subjects of. outstanding excellence to make this week’s edition a very attractive publication. Prominence is given, to pictures olf the Otahu,hu Trotting Club’s summer meeting at Alexandra Park and the Dunediii Jockey Club’s autumn, meeting at Wingatiu. A beautifully coloured supplement, of Mary Philbin adds. considCjrably to the edition. The centre pages are devoted to interesting snapshots of the British Army on tlie Rhine and winter spolrts in Swit.-. zcrlaml, and the N.Z. Amateur, Athletic Championships at Wellington are pictures is a graphic series. The miscellaneous section is rich with fashion, stage, andi motion picture new.s.

Thq Paeroa District High School will hold a swimming carnival, with entrants solely from its own punils, on Wednesday, March 6. The programme consists of 15 events, swimming of varied descriptions, a.nd also diving, being arranged sei that chil-. dren of all ages can take part. No prizes will be presented, but the class gaining the highest, number of marks for places will be suitably rewarded in a manner, that will agreeably surprise them. The early teaching of every child to swim is of such vital importance that the public should give their wholehearted support and attend the, carnival in order to see what has been accomplished and. enjoy the afternoon’s entertainment.

Mr A. Christie, of Turua, had his collar-bone broken yesterday morning as the result of a fall frefcn a motorcycle while visiting, farms at KopuaI'ahi to collect donations for the Turua. Town Band, of which he is bandmaster. Mr Christie was riding on the pillion seat, and' the drjver swerv-. ed to avoid a cyclist and skidded in the loose metal.

Good work is being done on the highways through the ilauraki Plains by the power grader-scariiier recently purchased by the County Council for treating, corrugated roads. On Wilson’s Road and /Orchard East Road, where the corrugations were very deep, a wonderful improvement has been effected.

There will be no voting in connection with the Thames Licensing Committee this year, as only live nomiiuitions were received for the live seats. The following offered their service;* on the committee, and in view of the foregoing; have therefore been auto-. matically elected : Messrs S'. James, W. H. Lucas, J. McCoximick, W. J. Towers, and W. >M'. Wallnult.

The N.Z. Rifle Team to compete in Australia, of which Captain H. Simmonds, of. Paeroa, is a member, is get" ting, in good practice a,t Williamstown, near Melbourne.

The Commissioner of State Forests, the Hon. W. D. Taverner, speaking at. Mataniatu on Tuesday, intimated.'that in future the State Forest Service would confine its efforts to areas suitable for afforestation only.

Mr Foster, American Trade Commissioner in New Zealand, whJ has just returned to Wellington' after a visit t.o aIJ the main comnierc.ial centres of the Dominion, considers that the economic outlook is extreme-, ly bright. Barring unforeseen events, there is every prospect of a record trade year.

The Government’s acceptance of the tender of Messrs Armstrong, Whit" wOrth and Company for the construction of a vessel to replace the lighthouse steamer, Tutanekai was announced! by the Prime' Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, after a meeting of the Cabinet bn Tuesday. The new steamer win be built during the year.

During last month in Paeroa there were five births, one death, and' one marriage, as against nine, two, and twc ; , respeptively, in. February last year.

The new bridge ovep the Waitakar rum Stream is nearing completion. One-,third oft lie decking has been One-third of. the decking has beep being made.

The lire in the peat land' south of Patetonga has burped, itself, almost out, and is comparativcjly safe unless an easterly gp|e springs up and carries sparks to other areas. 'Die area has been surrounded 1 by trenches and flooded, and all drains have been, dammed up. The fire i* slowly burn" ing down to the wet peat. -Beyond destroying a fair amount of rough feed, the fire has deme no harm, but has done good in clearing the land. No flax has been burned.

Mr F. R. Howard, sighUcsting specialist representing Messrs Barry and Beale, Ltd., of 322 Queen Street, Auckland, will attend at the Centenary Hall on Tuesday, March 5, fipm 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.*

The Hauraki Plains school dental clinic at. Ngatea was closed on Wednesday on the completion of all the patients, offering at the present time. The dental officer, Miss L. C. Ellis, returned to Paeroa yesterday and reopened the local clinic.

The Paeroa Rifle Club despatched a cable to-day to Captain H. Simmonds, at Williamstown, Melbourne, wishing him success during the coming week on the occasion of, thq rifle-shooting meeting between New Zealanl and Australia.

In the Waitakaruru district, settlers who have been burning off the peat on their land report excellent burns. The fires have burned slowly an<l' right down to the c,lay, whereas in previous years they have spread quickly and only burned the surface.

The metalling of Ore,hard West Road, Ngatea, is nearly completed, and thr.ee scowloads of metal will probably see the work completed l .

Bishop Taylor-Smith, recently through the Dominion, asked, when he was going to smoke, replied, “When I am. cremated.” No friend of the weed evidently ? Well, that’s' hi& loss. Tobacco is often reviled by those who don’t like it, but so, long as the quality is good, and it doesn’t contain an excess p£ nicotine, its use may be ; considered rather beneficial than othenvise. “Smoker’s throat,” “smoker’s heart,” and smoker’s nervetvoubles all arise from too much nicotine in the tobacco. The purest tobaccos are grown right here in New Zealand. They contain a very small proportion of nicotine, , and so may be smoked, pipeful after pipeful, with impunity. As to quality, there is nothing to beat them for flavour and aroma. That is largely owing to the fact that the leaf is toasted (quite a new idea) in the course of manufacture. These excellent brands are in various strengths (to suit all smokers). Ask your tobacconist for Riverhead Gold, mild ; Navy Cut (Bulldog), medium ; or Cut Plug No. 10 (Bullshead), full. They are all toasted.*