WAIKATO NOTES.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 202, 25 October 1909, Page 5

WAIKATO NOTES.

Own Correspondent. Since my last tetter the weather developed signs pointing to the return of winter again. Today, for example. terrific hailstorms, accompanied by thonder and lightning, were the order of things, and ?er some days we have had heavy rain. Bot the grass grows quickly, and the sunshine is boond to return, so thing must take a torn as I believe. The- WaikaU> Winter Show Association held its annual meeting the other day and re-elected Mr 11. J. Greenslade. M.P., as patron, and Mr J. S. Bond, as president. The president looks forward to the Show becoming the chief root show in the Dominion. The Assecaition has accepted the renditions upon which the Laurie Cup is to be given for the l» b*st turnips grown from John Bull seed. The cop will become the absolute property of the winner. It is to be hoped a larger number of entries for this competition will be forthcoming. Last year the numbers were miserable. The Cambridge Co-operative dairy at Hautapu is turning eot l»»0 mere lbs. of butter a<day this month than it did in the correspondnig month last year and paid £s9*) more for botterfat the ether day than last year at the same time. The prospects for the dairying season in Waifcato generaily were never better, and the thick lush grass delights the heart of the dairy farmer and all who depend upon the industry for a livelihood. A movement is afoot f«>r the establishment of the infantry corps talked of or.rf before, but never established. Colonel Bell is also moving in the direction of getting a battery of field artittery staioncd in Hamilton, as also a regimental band attached to the local corps. The Waikato Hospital Board has been paying its surgeon-superintendent £jf)o a year, with a free house, ami recently also giving him the right to attend urgent cases outside. It has now made bis salary £6o© a year, with the free house, bot any fees got in attending orgent cases will fall into tbe Board's funds. The salary looks an ample one to me, and I have often thought an assistant surgeon a rm,re desirable addition than an increase of salary. Come sixty patients are always in the Hospital and the work must fall heavily on any single indivdiual, however qualified and capable. The prominence being given to the Walkato coat fields draws attention to the importance of this growing indostr yto Waikato, Since the regime of Mr Millar was established at the railway department the supply of waggons has been put on a much more satisfactory footing, and the fact that the pits at Taupiri were idle for the first time for many months past, on a recent Saturday, shows what a businesslike management of the State railways can bring about. There will be great developments in these coalfields before long.