DISTRICT PARS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 34, 14 June 1907, Page 2

DISTRICT PARS.

The payments made on the 31st in-

stant, by the New Zealand Dairy association, for milk supplied to their creameries during April, total £10,390 7s 9d, as compared with £6,088 7s 4d for the same month last year. These figures are interesting as showing the extension of the Dairy Association's business in the Waikato.

It is understood that the running of an early train from Te Kuiti to Frankton, will be inaugurated at the beginning of next month. The alterations to the station yard, at Te Kuiti, are to be put in hand at once, and with the appointment of a stationmasler, there should be a decided improvement in railway matters. Improvements continue (0 be made in Te Kuiti township, and the building trade is in a nourishing state. The aspect of the front street is becoming entirely altered, and, needless to say, the change is for the better while quite a number of residences are being erected 011 recently acquired sec-

tions. Messrs Mordaunt and Bailey are erecting a large new workshop in Sheridan Street, and Mr J. Relet is making extensive additions to his residence in the same street, and lias had plans prepared for a new dwelling

house on the'western side of the township area. Mr Taylor's new premises at the corner of Rora and King streets are already occupied, and several other people are awaiting (he erection ot buildings to start business operations.

Arbor Day will be eel el) rated in New Zealand on July 24th, and has been gazetted a public holiday in the Government offices. Mr Power, the headmaster of the Te Kuiti school, is endeavouring to secure a supply of suitable trees, in order to allow of each scholar planting a tree 011 that day.

During the next few months a large area of Crown and land for settlement lands will be thrown open for selection in the Auckland district. The blocks include Waimana Estate of about 5000 acres in the Bay of Plenty and a block of about 30,0000 acres near Opotiki.

.1 lie Rev. R. Mitchell will deliver a lecture in Hetit's Mall this evening (Friday June 14th.) The subject of the discourse will be " soiih; manu scripl ol the New Testament " and the sqeaker should have something of great interest to say on ,i matter which has been made a special study by him.

Attention is now being paid to ihe re-stoekin,",' ol the King' Couulrv streams with trout, and he t week quite a number ol cans of young lish were landed at leKiiiti for distribution. Ihe King Country streams are admirably adapted for angling, and in most cases the Ji■ 11 do well. Considering the number of suitable streams in the district there is no reason why the Rohc Potae should not become the " angler's paradise." Land values in the Manawatu district reach high figures in some cases. For eleven hundred acres near Palmerston North, the property of Mr Godfrey Pharazyn, it is reported that Mr E. J. Riddiford paid £45 per acre.

It is stated that the Government has decided to make laihape the principal stopping place on the AucklandWellington railway when the line is completed, and that alterations and additions, to the extent of about £IO,OOO, are to be made to (he Taihape station.

The price of timber is forming the subject of some discussion among' builders in the South Island at present. It is stated that kauri timber purchased in the colony costs 28s per 100 feet, and that by importing the same timber from Melbourne it can be obtained at 25s per too feet. The timber is sent in logs from Kaipara to Melbourne, where it is dressed and then sent back to New Zealand and sold at lower prices than the homedressed material. An endeavour is to be made to have a heavy export displaced on timber leaving New Zealand.

The total distance between Auckland and Wellington by rail is ,|2(> miles and it is estimated that by January next the distance between the northern and southern rail heads will be reduced to twelve: miles. Jn order for the Hon. Hall-Jones' prophecy, as to the completion of the line by the end of 1908, to be fulfilled, the remaining twelve miles will require to be completed in a year. The competitions under the auspices of the Awakino Sheep Dog Trial Club, are advertised to take place at Awakino on July 6th. A large number of good dogs are owned in the King Country and it is to be hoped the trials will be well patronised.

There will be no sitting- of theS.M. Court at Te Kuiti this month, but a Court will sit at Taumarunui when, among other cases, a number of charges for breaches of the liquor laws will be heard. In the last Government Gazette appears a notification to the effect that Mr R. W. Holmes had been appointed

Engineer-in-chief to the Public Works

Department, and Mr C. R. Vickerman Superintending Engineer, while Mr J. A. Wilson was appointed district

Road Engineer for Auckland. Some King Country residents who visited Te Awamutu this week had a very unpleasant experience at Die hands of a band of hooligans. The men in question were anxious to proceed to Kihikihi for the purpose of stopping over night, and learning, on enquiry, that it would cost ralher much to drive out, proceeded to walk.

They had not gone far when a number of young fellows overlook and assaulted them. In the scrimmage there was some hard hitting, and although out - numbered, the King' Country men held (heir own. ll is said the larrikins referred 10, are recent arrivals at Te Awa mufti. If so, the residents are to be sympathised with, but they should also take steps

to rid the town of such a band of undesirables.

The ordinary monthly meeting of

he Te Kuiti School Committee was

held Tuesday evening lasl, when Messrs Ormsby (Chairman), I'lier, Coggins and Sims were present. The only tender received for clearing (he new play ground was that ofT. Bronnan for £3, which was accepted. Application had been made to the Education Board for a grant sullicient (o effect some improvements to the buildings and ground, and the reply received from the Board was a request for particulars, Messrs Ormsby and Mordaunt being deputed to furnish same. Several small accounts were passed for payment. Messrs I'lier and Ormsby were appointed to sign cheques for the ensuing year. On Monday night as the train was nearing ■Taumarunui, a passenger, who had been relieving the tedium of the by journey "filling' 'em up again," accidentally wandered over the side of the (rain into the outer darkness. The remainder of the passengers

thought he was killed, and as soon as the (rain arrived at the station a jigger was despatched along the line to bring in the corpse. After proceeding about a mile the relief party met the victim of "I.lenncscy and circumstances " walking' towards his destination. lie cheerfully informed them (hat only for (he train having a living sfarl he would have hacked himself to beat il into Taumanmui. It is not generally known among farmers and those who have fo do with (he killing of stock for their own consumption that il is a statutory offence to remove the ears from the hides and skins of cattle and sheep. The fact was clearly demonstrated in the Wanganui Supreme Court during' (lie hearing of a cattle-stealing case, several witnesses stating that it was only lately they had become aware of the penalty in question.

Ouite a number of men on (he Main Trunk Line have knocked off work 011 the approach of winler, and the number of those who come, and go after a very shorl (rial, is greater / than usual. Cold, wet weather is from comfortable at the " front," where there is little protection against: the vigours of the season. The recent immigrants from England are among those who feel the cold most. The house accommodation is probably accountable for this, and although lenting in midwinter Jis recommended in some circumstances, there arc drawbacks attached to (lie experience.

Sir Joseph Ward is exprcted to arrive at Wellington on June 26th, by the s.s. Maheno from Sydney. "There is nothing new under the

sun" even in New Zealand politics. p At the recent parliamentary re-union

. at Auckland, Mr M-'ssey, iVI.IH.R., in responding to the tcaot oi iiic " Present Parliament." mentioned that he had in rw-.-.-ession a copy of the Hansard of 1854, burning questions of the present were the burning questions of that time, the Land Question and the constitution of the Legislative Council being cited as examples. Mr John Williamson, of Honikiwi, has been elected to fill the vacancy on the Waitomo County Council, caused by the retirement of Mr McGechie. At a sitting of the S.M. Court at New Plymouth last week, several persons concerned in the supplying of liquor to the Parihaka Natives during the tangi on the late chief Tohu were convicted and fined The carrier who carted the liquor, and the Natives who distributed it, were fined in amounts from 3 0s t° £?> and the hotelkeeper, from whom it was obtained, was mulcted in a penalty of £lO and costs. At the last sitting of the Taranaki Land Board it was decided that reserves in the townships of Aria and Mangaroa and villages of Matiere and Tatu should be put up for public competition for a term of five years at an upset rent of 5s per annum each. The Hon. W. W. McCardle, M.L.C., accompanied by Mrs and Miss McCardle, left Kawhia for Wellington on Tuesday last, and intend to reside in the Empire City. Mr A. C. McCardle, of Te Kuiti, contemplates removing to Kawhia at an early date.

At the last meeting of the Kawhia Town Board it was stated that the rate of 4d in the £ on the unimproved value of the property in the Town District would amount to £6O. The total revenue expected to be obtained from the rates and Government subsidy of lOs in the £ is estimated at £75-