DISTRICT PARS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 35, 21 June 1907, Page 2

DISTRICT PARS.

+. .._. In consequence of the Railway Department requiring the station buildings at Te Kuitl, the Post-office is being shifted to temporary premises behind Mr F. H. Sims' boardinghouse. Instructions to remove were received by the postmistress (Miss Melling) this week, and the postal business will be transacted in the new premises from Monday next, June 24th. The necessary arrangements for the running of the early train from Te Kuiti instead of from Te Awanuitu, are now being made. The engineshed is to be removed from Te Awanuitu, and the necessary additions will be made to Te Kuiti station as soon as possible. A party of railway officials will arrive this week to plan the improvements.

Mr H. J. Greenslade, M.H.R., who was suffering from a severe attack of illness last week, has now recovered sufficiently to go about. Mr Greenslade had made arrangements to address meetings in various parts of his electorate, but his illness unfortunately compelled him to cancel the engagements.

The progress of any town is shown in nothing so much as in the establishment of its businesses, and it is always pleasing to be able to record a step in advance. Up to the present the majority of the buildings at Te Kuiti have been erected without the assistance of an architect. It is gratifying to note that in the future all those desirous of building, will have the opportunity of procuring the services of Mr W. Price, that gentleman having commenced business at Te Kuiti as an architect. Mr Price's professional ability is widely known, and it is to be hoped his services will be largely in demand. He has planned a fine up-to-date residence for Mr J. T. Hetet, and now has the plan of the Church of England in hand.

The sale of the leasehold Native township sections at Otorohanga is advertised to take place on Wednesday next, and there is every likelihood of keen competition for most of the sections. In addition to the township sections offered under the ordinary tenure of 21 years, with the right of renewal, there are several lots suitable for gardens and paddocks to be offered in groups for the term of five years.

A further addition to the business establishments of Te Kuiti is shortly to be made by Mr C. Stevens, of Ohaupo, who intends starting a grain, seed, manure, and implement store in King-street, opposite the Chroniclk office. Mr Stevens has been for nine years with Messrs Souter and Co., as manager, and is thoroughly abreasl of all the latest requirements in his business. He has secured good South Island agencies for seeds and implements, and will be able to supply all goods necessary for farmers. Mr Stevens intends opening his store about the second week in July.

For some time past the friends of the Maori have been feeling that it is a pity that the Maori architecture cannot be adapted to the modern buildings which the better class among the aborigines are from time to time putting up. The peculiarity of some designs when adjacent to the picturesque style of the Maori is most marked. In consequence of this, at a meeting of the Te Aute Association, held lately in Gisborne, a committee, consisting of Dr Maui Pomare, and Messrs A. T. Ngata, A. Hamilton and F. J. de Clere, was set up to draw plans of model Maori houses.

Attention is drawn to the fact that the complimentary social, to be tendered to Mr and Mrs Bailey on Friday, June 2lst, will be held at Pacmako, and not at Miroahuiao as before stated. Mr and Mrs Bailey returned to Te Kuiti on Monday last and proceeded to Paemako on Tuesday. The unfairness of the Government imposing conditions upon the private individual which they do not observe themselves was strongly commented upon by Mr A. Hatrick, at Wanganui, last week, when speaking as one of the deputation from the Chamber of Commerce which waited upon the Commissioner of Crown Lands re the roading of Moawhanga township. Mr Hatrick said he believed a great number of people had taken up sections in townships laid out on Crown lands, such as that at Kai Iwi, under the impression that the Government would undertake some of the responsibility as to roading that they imposed upon private individuals. Mr Strauchon pointed out that the Government did not undertake any such responsibility; there was no precedent for it, and it was not the law. Mr Bignell said that in common fairness the Government should make the roads. Mr Strauchon remarked that it would be forming a very awkward precedent were the Government to take that view. lie admitted that it appeared, on the face of it, as if it would be only fair that the Government should do what they compelled others to do, but the law did not say so.

On the subject of bot fly in horses, a well-known Sydney medical man says: • —"Regarding bot fly and remedies for the same, one which I used to see employed in the Old Oounlry seems lo be unknown here. A quanlily of the young shoots and branches off he furze or gorse were pounded in a large slone mortar with a heavy wooden mallet. When the thorny mass was sufficiently broken up it was mixed with a little oats. The horse ate I his with relish. I have seen large quantities of the larvae passed after a feed or two of the furze. "

Some experiments are at present being conducted in road-making in England which should interest all concerned with the laying-out of new roads through clay country in New Zealand. The roadway selected for treatment is ploughed as deeply as possible. Furrows arc then dug across the road from ditch to ditch, 4ft apart. Cordwood is then placed in the ridges thus formed, and ploughed clay is laid thereon in layers, care being taken to provide Hues, in order that the wood which is to be set afire, will readily burn and bake the clay. When the firing is completed the treated clay is rolled and compacted to eight inches in thickness. The clay has been changed by the burning into clinkers, which compact into a solid road-bed, which will not form mud. The cost is low, and while the wearing qualities of the road have not been ascertained, it is believed that it will wear as well as other made roads. Where wood is. dear it is thought petroleum might be substituted.

On the evidence of the returns of butter imported into the United Kingdom during 1906, it is evident that Russia will in the future be the most serious competitor which we will have to meet in the British trade. The comparative proximity of Russia gives it an advantage over the antipodes, while the cheapness of land in the vast Siberian plains suggests that the Russian butter can be produced with a profit on figures impossible to the German, French, Danish and Scandinavian farmer. A letter from London received in Australia recently says:— " The general impression throughout Russia and Siberia is that there is going to be a material increase in their supplies this season, some estimates giving as high as 25 percent increase. It is a fact that to-day fresh-made Siberian can bought at prices ranging from 83s to 90s, delivered in London, so that this description is getting attractive. " The lessons to the antipodean producers in this connection are that we must keep down our transportation charges by rail and ship, and that we must rigidly apply ourselves to the improvement of the quality of our output.

The Auckland members of the House of Represetatives contemplate making the trip down to Wellington for the coming session by the overland route, and MrW.F. Masscy is making the necessary arrangements. It is proposed to leave Auckland on Monday, 24th inst., and it is calculated that the party can reach Wellington by the following Wednesday night. There is at present a gap of something like 28 miles between the two rail-ends, but the roads which will have to be travelled are reported to be in good condition.

Last Friday night a very severe gale was : experienced in the Mairoa district. The blow was of shorl duration, but lasted long enough to uproot large trees on some sections, and in one or two instances slight damage was done to farm buildings. Mr J. Gleadow had a quantity of corrugated iron distributed over his property from one of his buildings, and Mr Bcvcgc also had some (rouble with a tank.

Shooting Native game, out of season, is sometimes practised in various bush districts of New Zealand, and the country constable is usually on the alert to sheet home infringements of the law in (his respect. Sometimes, however, the well-meant efforts of the officer are not successful, and a good story is told of a job that was " put up " recently on a certain zealous officer not more than a hundred miles from Te Kuiti. A party in the back-blocks was out after rabbits, and seeing the ollicer in question from afar, held a hurried consultation, and planned a campaign. The result was that one of the party proceeded into the bush, and began shooting promiscuously, while the others sought a hiding place, When the constable came along- he proceeded to investigate, leaving' his horse tied up by the road side. The party in hiding slid the saddle under the horse's belly, and slipped off Ihe bridle, and the steed immediately made tracks for fresh pastures. Finding the saddle a useless encumbrance, the animal kicked it away in sections, and by the lime the performance was ended, (he horse was many miles away from its master. When the ollicer returned from his unsuccessful quest, he had no difficulty in 1 racking his errant steed, and was kept busy picking up pieces of saddlery along the road, lie is usually a self-contained man, hut it is rumoured that upon this occasion he indulged in the luxury of language not commonly made use of in a public place.

After a! very short spell of rain, " King Frost " made his re-appear-ance on Sunday, and on Monday morning one of Ihe heaviest frosts experienced in the King Country was felt. In the Miroahuiao Valley the scene was exceptionally fine, (lie whole of the surrounding country being shrouded in a mantle of white. The ground in many places remained frozen all day.

The enterprise of some of the settlers in our newly opened inland blocks is well shown in the case of one of them who has taken up land in tiie Kaurarapaoa Block, west oftheWanganui Kiver, near Atene. Last season he got 1000 acres of bush down, and is now putting a road a mile ancUj three-quarters in length, and some £ISOO. through his block. Last, year he spent over £SOO in getting" this road extended from the Brunswick end up to his boundary, and he has now twenty men working on the new formation. If he tinds that sullicient water is available for developing electrical power he intends to inslal electrically driven sheep - shearing machinery.