LOCAL AND GENERAL

Putaruru Press, Volume II, Issue 23, 20 March 1924, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The next sitting of the Matamata Magistrate’s Court will be held on Thursday of next week. Accounts in connection with the Matamata races have not yet been quite completed, but it is expected that the profit to the club will be quite up to if not exceeding- expectations. Although the notice has been posted at the office at Matamata it is not generally known yet that the eveningmail which previously closed at 5.30 dees not now close until 6.45 p.m. For about an hour the Matamata County Council was engaged after lunch in committee, the engineer, clerk and press being asked to leave the room. No announcement was made for publication upon the meeting resuming in open council. 44 I’m not a farmer,” said an official at the Matamata County Council meeting on Friday, in speaking regarding the purchase of chaff. 44 No, you’re not,” retorted Cr. Stopford, humourously, 44 when you mistook my lucerne for Californian thistle.” (Loud laughter). It is estimated that there arc about 500 miles of what are termed 44 mud ” loads in the Matamata county. The engineer drew attention to the fact that each-similar road taken over added to the Council’s liability. He thought that in accepting dedication the Council should insist on a fair road. The week of Easter Monday is going to be rather a puzzling one for holidays. Easter Monday is a holiday and as a rule Easter Tuesday is observed as such. Wednesday in that week is St. George’s Day, a statutory bank holiday, and Friday is Anzac Day, a statutory Sunday. When the blackberry pest was under discussion by the Matamata County Council last week, no mention was made of Californian thistle. The spread of this weed is causing much comment among visitors and is one which should undoubtedly be attended to. On many farms no attention whatever is paid to the luxuriant growths. Subject to his approval, Mr. A. S. Taylor, 8.A., LL.M., brother of Mr. B. C. Taylor, of Matamata, has been appointed the. Canterbury College Board of Governor’s representative at the Imperial Education conference, convened by the League of the Empire to be held in London next summer. The Matamata County Council has been in exigence since 1908, and has only had two chairmen, Mr. C. W. Keeley (deceased), who served from 1908 to 1913, and Mr. J. W. Anderson, who succeeded Mr. Keeley and is still in office. Formerly the tenUory was included in the Piako county. The Rte Mr. Keeley is termed the foundei* of the county. The legal.aspect regarding noxious weeds on roads was again drawn attention to when the spread of blackberries was under discussion by the Matamata County Council on Friday. The clerks read liie Act, which stated clearly that the owner of adjoining properties are responsible for the clearance of half the width of a road. The matter was deemed a serious one.

It is reported that a Public Wort. • forming the Huih.utaha stream road ! right thiough to Waotu. This wdi • make an important direct road be- j tween Wnolu and Puketurua. j With ihe advance of autumn alien- j lion is being* turned towards golf. A ; working bee of members of the Puta- ! ruru club has put the local links in order and an impromptu start has been made with play for the season. The annual meeting of the club is to ibe held early next month. ! A Putaruru building contractor, Mr. F. C. Fly gey, has secured a contract to a total approaching £7OOO for the erection cf railway buildings at Maungaturoto, cm the North. Auckland railway. The settlers of Upper Kaimai (Tauranga county), says the Bay of Plenty Times, are wondering why the County Council has not made more headway with metalling, as there is no c-.< use now that the money is in hand. This winter most of the scltieis m Upper Kaimai intend trading \v ;.h Matamata, as the road on that side vill be much better, there being only shout four miles unmetaNcd. Mr. i; a-yes is making good progress and houhl complete a two-mile con Ira-.', tailed last season. Mr. Walker, ike : ervice proprietor, deserves great croc It for the amount of work he has o ne on the road this season. It is understood that the no T officeOraka bridge length of the 7 hoc roan is to be metalled with gravel from the Waihou pit, Messrs. Rennie Bros., who have a similar contract on ;he other side of the bridge, to do the work. A statement to this effect has been made by Cr. E. J. Darby, and the county engineer also stated at last Friday’s meeting* of the County Council that the post office-Oraka length was to be gravelled within a couple of months. For the metalling* of the roads leading* to the Puketurua cheese factory gravel was at first obtained from against the roadway on the Horahora road below the bluff on Mr. Bent’s property and opposite the pit from which the Public Works Department is getting the metal for the Arapuni road. However, doubts were expressed. as to whether this gravel would prove of lasting* quality, while the taking* of it from here was leaving a pit rather uncomfortably close to the vehicular track. Cr. Darbystates that as a result arrangements have now been made by the county authorities for the obtaining of the necessary gravel from another deposit on Mr. Bent’s property!

Arrangements for the floral fete at the War Memorial Park on Saturday are complete. A very good day for all is assured.*