LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Putaruru Press, Volume II, Issue 13, 10 January 1924, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

There are signs ot rev i\ a I in the land market of the Waikato. At Hamilton last week an agent, effected the sale of a farm of 600 acres at Tuliikarameii at £SO an acre, and another of 000 acres at Motumaoho at £22 per acre. The effect of the very heavy showers of rain on Friday on swede crops that had just been sown and had novet germinated was to wash the seed in deep—so deep that some farmers may find it necessary to resow their crops. The Rev. T. G. Hammond and Mrs. Hammond, of Wiltsdown, are at present on a trip to the South Island, taken for the benefit of Mr. Hammond’s health. They intend visiting relatives in the Picton district. Mr. C. P. Lock, of Tokoroa, is also visiting Christchurch. In presenting the prizes in the Ladies’ Bracelet Handicap at the Thau races, Mr. F. F. Hockly, M.P., stated that he was very mud) in favour of giving every encouragement to sport for country people, and he had spoken as strongly as was possible on the floor of the House in this regard when the matter had come before Parliament. The support ac•orded the Tivau club in the form of < onations and the big attendance at ■ he races showed to his mind that a ’jotalisator permit for the club was certain l v warranted, and he would press this subject if an opportunity presented itself, a A man m the United States has just built himself a home majle submarine—an 18 foot wooden vessel, which he has tried out in the harbour of San Pedro, California. He has an absolute faith in his bantling', and is not. only willing to risk his life in this strange craft, but he plans to sail round the world in her. taking a certain amount of stores, and supplying the remainder by catching fish through a hatch in the bottom. Whether this strange craft will be allowed to put to sea for a cruise round the world has yet to be seen.

Commenting on the effect the Arapuni scheme was likely to have on Putaruru, a prominent engineering contractor who has had experience of such big contracts in many parts of the world and will probably tender for the Arapuni contracts, stated that his firm found they could get and retain the most satisfactory type of workmen only by providing them with the comforts of civilisation for themselves and their families. Thus Putaruru, offering full town facilities, would make the best residential centre for Arapuni workmen. Its distance from the works would prove no difficulty, as the. good new road would allow motor busses to cover the distance in from 20 to 30 minutes, and that too at a fairly cheap rate. 11 would even pay a contractor to subsidise such a service to enable him to obtain good, reliable workmen.

The native, Matene te Hukai, who was arrested on December 20 on a charge of stealing* a box of butter from the Mamaku railway station, was brought before Mr. W. G. K. Kenrick, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court at Rotorua. The circumstances of the case, as outlined by the police, were that Matene was on probationary license for previous offences when on December 20 he took the box of butter, which was consigned to a Mamaku storekeeper, and sold it to the proprietor of refreshment rooms at Mamaku. He then left by the train for Frankton. Meanwhile the stationmaster at Mamaku discovered the theft and communicated with the police at Putaruru, with the result that Matene was arrested by Constable Murphy when the train arrived at Putaruru. He was sentenced by t-he magistrate to two years’ reformative treatment.

It is understood that the increasing supply of cream being received at the Waharoa butter factory is now approaching the maximum that that factory, large as it is, can handle. Thus, the N.Z. Co-op. Dairy Co. will probably soon have to erect another such factory in these parts, and comment is made that the claims of Putaruru as a very suitable centre should be brought fully under the notice of the company. The question of the establishment of a butter factory here has been mooted on several occasions of late, and with Putaruru as the railway junction for a very big stretch of country in which cream production is increasing very substantially season by season and will apparently in a few years reach an enormous volume, the establishment of a butter factory here by some eni rrprise or other within the very near future seems a certainty. In fact preliminary inquiries to this end have a!veadv been made by move than one set of interests in the dairying world.

The New Year finds the preliminary work for the Arapuni scheme weil started. Principally noticeable is the completed power line from Horahora to Arapuni, the work done on the new access road, and the erection of three now houses and a set of offices now ir. hand. The road has been formed light through to the I-fuihuitaha stream, where ir is not merely the stream but a big gully that has to be bridged. The concrete foundations are laid for the bridge, the approaches filled up, and the first row of piles or either side driven. It is quite evident here that the department js sparing no expense to give a road of very easy grade, for with a detour in\olving a moderate! y-steep grade on either side of the creek a much smaller bridge would have been necessary. However, the department is evidently making certain of a good read with a good grade throughout and the bigger bridge is being constructed to ensure this. The formation of the final mile or so of the road has yet to be completed, and then, when the Huihuitalia and Waipa bridges are also com pleted the route will be open throughout. Certainly a lurge amount of metalling will still « Ux be done, and f be two bridges r.- Putaruru end of the- road re pk.cofh but this should not interfere with local traffic using the route with the permission of the department.