DISTRICT PARS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 65, 17 January 1908, Page 2

DISTRICT PARS.

Consequent upon the greatly increased stock traffic in the district, it is stated that the Railway Department intends making considerable additions to the Ongarue station yards, Receiving and holding yards for cattle and sheep are to be erected., and facilities for loading and unloading will be greatly increased. The additional accommodation will be greatly appreciated by the Ohura settlers, as Ongarue is the receiving and unloading • station for practically all the stock of that district. Angling is being indulged in by local enthusiasts during the present fine Hfcather, and some decent baskets are. repojtteci. Las| week Mj; W. L6rigan, of' Te Kuiti,' and Doctor Slomau, of Auckland,'spent a 1 pleasant day at Waimeha, and obtained good spbrt. Fifteen trout were caught the sVej;ag£ we|gj)f J?eing about three pounds, andl tfte W e *-' e if} Wl !r l° condition. ' " The tender of Messrs Ryan and Bird has been accepted for carting the bridge timber to Wairere and Mangaronga bridge sites, and the work is to be undertaken immediately.

In view of the recently reported discovery of gold-bearing quartz in the district, Mr W. Lorigan, of Te Kuiti, this week made a tour of portion of the district extending to the south-east of Te Kuiti. Mr Lorigan, who was accompanied by a Maori guide, did some hard travelling, and states that though quartz was met with in various places, the indications were not of the most favourap'.e character for gold. Little in the way of prospecting was undertaken, as the tour was not done for prospecting purposes. There is no doubt that qu-artz exists in the district, and with a favourable belt of country there is a prospect of gold-bearing ore being met with. The Maori's prediction for music is well known and we have some excellent performers in the King Country. At the recent Settler's Social, at Miroahuiao, the music rendered by those responsible was greatly appreciated, Messrs Norlhcote, Tangi, and Wharangi each did great service, indeed rarely has better been supplied than at the social in question. In another column will be found the itinerary of A. S. Gresham, dentist, for his next King Country tour. Mr Gresham intends starting practice at Te Kuiti at an early date, and is now awaiting the completion of Mr Nicholls' new buildings, in order to open consulting rooms. Potatoes are largely used as a supplementary ration for fattening animals in Germany, either raw, in the form of flour, or mixed up with chopped straw. Professor Hamcns has made some experiments regarding their value in feeding of milch cattle and finds that the proportion of fat iii the milk is 3.15 per cent, when fed on raw potatoes, and 299 per cent, on dry potato flour, but that it is increased to 3.25 per cent, when the latter is mixed with water. He also found that there was a large proportion of the casein in the milk of mountain cattle than those that came from the valleys, and that this was more noticeable in shcSchwytz (Braunveih) breed than in the Simmenthal Fleckthc former being the best milkers and cheese-makers.

A meeting of the Waitomo County Council will be held at Tc Kuiti on Monday next. Severn 1 matters of widespread interest wili be discussed, including loan proposals, township and sanitary matters. The forthcoming sculling contest for the World's Championship, which is to take place on the Wangamii river on February 25th, is rousing public interest as the eventful dayapproaches. Both Webb and Tresidder are in active training, and the course has been chosen and approved of by the contestants. The third wool sale of the season opened at Christchurch on January Bth, when an aggregate of 17,862 bales were submitted, an increase of 2360 bales as compared with the January sale of last year. The increase was mainly due to the large number of withdrawals at the opening sales of the season, when prices ruled lower than was anticipated. Competition was brisk, and a satisfactory advance was noted, prices for most lines ruling abowt a penny higher than earlier in the season. Merino sold remarkably well, the top price of Is id being obtained for eight bales from the Culverden Estate.

The second annual regatta and aquatic carnival, to be held on the Waikato river at Hamilton, has been fixed for February 15th. A remarkably varied and attractive programme has been drawn up, and arrangements are being made to run excursion trains from various places on the day. A record attendance should result providing the weather conditions prove favorable. Country towns are seldom visited by members of the burglar fraternity, but on Friday night last an attempt was made to enter Mr Hyde's cordial factory at Te Awamutu. The burglar was evidently a man of some experience in :the profession, and had six holes bored round the lock of the office door when presumably he was disturbed. Mr G. Ahiers' store was visited on Sunday and a window clasp wrenched off, An arrest has been made in connection with the affair. The traffic on the Main Trunk line is becoming very heavy, and as the railheads come closer a continuous stream of travellers between Auckland and Wellington may be expected. Just now the express which leaves Auckland at 10 a.m. and carries passengers fcr Waikato, Thames, and Rotorua, as well as for the Main Trunk, is crowded on every trip. On Monday last about 700 passengers left Auckland by the express, the train being delayed through having to attach extra carriages to accommodate the demand. Upon arriving at Te Kuiti the train was crowded, and the sight of a hungry crowd thronging the platform outside the refreshment room witnessed.." The fortunate ones obtained tea, while others had to be content with cooler beverage, in the shape of cordial. If the present traffic is, as some people assert, only a small fraction of what will come when the line is completed throughout, the opening day cannot come too soon. Tl\£ " Waimarino County Call," published at Ratihi is the latest addition to New Zealand's list of newspapers. The new organ which is a tri-weekly production has made an excellent start, and as the district in whjph it circulates }s developing rapidly, there is every reason to anticipate a successful future for it. A sitting of the Native Land Commission is gazetted to be hcldatOtorohanaga, on February 20th, for the purpose of dealing with all the lands of the Rohe Potae. Mr Allen Bell, Provincial President of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, paid a visit to the King Country at the end of last week, returning to Hamijton on' Monday. %lv Bejl intends visiting Te Kuiti for' the purpose of endeavouring to form a branch of the Farmers' Union at that centre. At the last mecimg of the Waikato and Charitable Aid Board' a vote of thanks was passed to Mrs W. A. Graham for her woi-k in providing Christmas comforts for the patients at the Hospital.

A meeting of the settlers is to be held at Mr D. C. Anderson's residence Paemako, on Saturday evening next in connection with the recent settlers - _ social and picnic. Latest advices from the South report extremely dry, hot weather, and fears are entertained that Jthgtcrops in Otago and Southland will cW)adly affected unless good rains fall in the near future. The success of the last Winter Show at Auckland has encouraged the Auckland Agricultural and Pastoral Association to take steps to promote a similar function this year. At the last meeting of the Association it was decided to hold n Show, and a committee was appointed to choose and report upon a suitable hall for the purpose. The next Tc Kuiti stock sale is to be held on January 29i.11, by the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company. A feature of the sale will be the large number of sheep offered. Sheep are being largely introduced into the district, and settlers will have an opportunity of buying locally, instead of going further afield as has been the case hitherto. King Country residents will regret to learn that the Rev. Sanders Spencer is about to leave the district, having been appointed to Fitzroy Parish, New Plymouth. Mr Spencer will probably leave for his new charge in February. Messrs Nelson Brothers, Limited, have just completed loading the Star of Japan with a record Hawke's Bay meat shipment, consisting of 19,903 carcases of mutton, 22,472 of lamb, and 1716 quarters of beef. ,- One of the brides at the recent Tc Kumi weddings, Miss Sarah Tomlins, boasts a descent from the famous Ngatitoa chief, Te Pchc, of Porirua, Miss Tomlins being a grand-daughter of Te Rapa. A number of the bride's people were present from Porirua to take part in the celebrations, and were entertained by the bridegroom, Ruruanga Mahuki, and his friends. According to Maori custom, a presentation was made to the visitors by the bridegroom's people. Included in the gifts were a number of Maori curios in the shape of mats and greenstone ornaments, together with cash to the extent of £4B. A special wedding cake, baked in Maori fashion, was also given to the visitors to take to their friends at Porirua. It is estimated that fully 800 people were entertained at Te Kumi on the day of the wedding celebrations.

It is reported that the potato blight has been severely felt in the Mairoa district, nearly all the crops having to be dug early in ordar to prevent total loss. Other crops in the same district are said to be doing exceedingly well. Sergeant-Major Coleman paid a visit to the Ohura last week in connection with the inspection of the Defence Rifle Club in that district. The officer reports the club has a very strong membership, and every prospect of success. The rifle range, which has been secured on Mr I). Bruce's properly is in every v.'ay suitable and could not be improved upon. The Rev. S. Spencer and Mrs Spencer returned to Tc Kuiti from their wedding lour on Wednesday last. Doctor Zobel arrived at Tc Kuiti on Tuesday last and lias commenced practice. At present the doctor may be consulted at Mr E. Kerr's boarding house, but arrangements arc now being entered into i'<>r Tie purpose of acquiring a doctor's residence in a convenient position.