LOCAL AND GENERAL

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5509, 4 December 1929, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Travellers arriving at Auckland from overseas during November totalled 1818 and the number of departures during the same period was 888. In November of last year the arrivals were 1524 and the departures 932.

During the four weeks ended November 16, comprising 21 crushing days, the Waihi Gold Mining Company crushed and treated 16,990 tons of ore for a return of 6192 fine ounces of gold and 37,924 fine ounces of silver. This included 932 tons mined from the Grand Junction area, which yielded 419 ounces of gold and 4504 ounces of silver, and 183 ounces of gold and 564 ounces of silver from residues from the site of the old Waihi mill.

The running of Sunday excursion trains by the Railway Department was severely criticised at the meeting of the Hamilton Ministers’ Association this week. It was decided to send letters of protest to the Minister of Railways, the general manager, and also to Mr J. A. Young, M.P. for Hamilton. Local churches were urged to record their disapproval of the excursion trains in the same manner.

Messrs Hare Bros, will be demonstrating at the Hauraki A. and P. Show to-morrow some of the worldrenowned farming appurtenances for which they are the agents. Among them will be Gane milking machine goods, Alfa-Laval separators, and Booth Macdonald farm implements.

There have been many cases of bogus insurance claims, and the latest one, which went astray, comes from Germany. A German baron insured for £3300 a letter which was said to contain a pearl necklace. When the letter arrived at its destination, however, it was found to contain a dead mouse. The baron was prosecuted for attempted fraud, and his plan was revealed to be this : Instead of posting off the valuable necklace he placed in the letter a livfe mouse on the assumption that during the long journey the animal would bite a hole in the envelope and escape. When the empty envelope arrived at the other end he would claim for a lost necklace. A clever plan, which only failed because the mouse died before it could escape!

At a meeting of the executive committee of the Thames Valley A. and P. Association at Te Aroha the secretary read a statement in connection with the recent show, receipts being listed at £744 9s Id and expenditure £662 10s, leaving a credit of £Bl 19s Id. Members expressed satisfaction at the result.

A white Leghorn hen among the flock belonging to Mrs Kerr, of Invercargill, was spurred to an unusual effort in egg production the other day and laid an egg weighing four and three-quarter ounces. It was no less than three inches long with a circumference of 71 inches.

Mr S. A. Shaw, who recently made the journey from Paeroa to Waitekauri by the old short route, which has not been used for years, reports that the track is practically impassable. Besides being overgrown with a mass of brambles and weeds, in many places trees have fallen across, effectively blocking any passage on horseback.

At the Paeroa Magistrate’s Court on Monday judgment for plaintiff by default was given in the following cases : G. W. Brown v. L. Saunders, £6 7s 6d, costs £1 17s 6d ; Brenan and Co., Ltd., v. L. McNeil, £6 6s 6d, costs £1 Ils 6d ; E. L. Mulgrew v. S. Johnson, £8 13s Bd, costs £1 18s 6d ; Commissioner of Taxes v. W. K. Morrison (as administrator in estate of Clara Morrison), £l2 16s 7d, costs £1 7s ; Official Assignee v. W. A. Watts, £6 19s Id, costs £1 Ils 6d ; Official Assignee v. J. Taylor, £9 5s 6d, costs £1 10s 6d ; Brenan and Co., Ltd., v. J. Taylor, £33 6s lOd, costs £4 Is 6d ; Public Trustee v. L. Buckman, £2 2s, costs £1 9s 6d ; Masters and Son v, W. E. Collinson, 15s 6d, costs 9s ; J. B. Rush v. A. Lawrence, £43 19s 6d, costs ,£4 Is 6d ; W. Fleming and Son, Ltd., v. C. Holt, £3 0s Cd, costs £1 3s 6d.

The Railway Department announces that commencing from Monday, December 2, it is now possible for intending passengers to purchase thentickets and reserve seats or sleeping berths at any time prior to the commencement of their journey. Up to the present these preliminary travel arrangements could be made only during a restricted period of 14 days ahead of travel date. The new system is effective during the period of the Christmas and New Year holiday excursion tickets (see advertisement in this issue), and should prove a helpful factor towards eliminating the congestion inevitably associated with the handling of the heaviest holiday traffic of the year. The department points out that the arrangement is being introduced as a trial measure only, and its permanent adoption is dependent on the extent to which it is used.

The spoil obtained from the Wai-takaruru-Pipiroa roadside drains with the purpose of haunching the highway is now being spread, but on account of the shrinkage there does not appear to be sufficient to make a satisfactory job. The metal is being graded up, and in places beach gravel is being added, so at the present time the road surface is very tricky for motorists.

Hopai Road, which has recently been widened, land for the purpose having been given by the settlers on the northern side, is now being formed up in preparation for metalling. This work includes the filling of a shallow roadside drain.

Messrs Sturt and Steadman (Auckland), Dr. Gray (Thames), and Mr A. W. Sims (Hamilton) will give exhibition matches of lawn tennis at Hamilton on Saturday next.