LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Putaruru Press, Volume VI, Issue 223, 9 February 1928, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A Kiwitahi dairy farmer stated that his milk cheque for January would be less than the cheque he received in May last year, and half what it was for the flush month this season.

“The Daylight Saving conditions have reduced the board’s revenue on meters- approximately £1500,” stated the manager of the Thames Valley Power Board, Mr. R. Sprague, at Tuesday’s meeting. Mr. A. W. Swap, of the relieving staff, has been appointed permanently to Putaruru post office as postmaster in succession to Mr. F. J. Pretsch, who is retiring on superannuation. Mr. Swap assumed his new duties on Monday last.

“ We have an anxious time ahead of us with regard to the supply of power,” said the chairman of the Thames Valley Power Board at Tuesday’s meeting. He added that, apart from this the position was quite satisfactory.

The total number of consumers connected to the Thames Valley Power Board’s mains on January 21, 1928, was 5036. In these figures Thames and Te Aroha boroughs are not included, the consumers in Thames borough being 1053 and in Te Aroha borough 623'.

Father J. T. Taylor, formerly of Matamata, who has been parish priest at Waiuku for about three years, has been transferred to Paeroa. Prior to his departure from Waiuku Father Taylor was presented with a wallet o” notes as a token of regard..

A petition is being prepared asking the Matamata County Council to take steps to form a drainage area under the County Council to cover the portions of swampy land extending from the Pokaiwhenua through Vosper’s property to the Put’aruru town boundary.

At a congregational meeting of the Putaruru Presbyterian Church held recently Mr. W. P. Benton was unanimously elected as a member of the session, and Messrs. Begbie, Scrimgeour and Runciman were elected members of the committee of management.

Walter Leonard Cooper was arrested at Arapuni last Tuesday and appeared before the Court the same night at Putaruru charged with stealing £l3 7s Gd, the property of Leonard Baker. At the request of the police Cooper was remanded for a week, bail being allowed on his own surety of £SO and two others of £25 each.

The dry weather has caused considerable ‘mortality among the treeseedlings planted by the Thames Valley Power B'oard" on the Waitakaruru section, although after rain comes, results may not prove to be as bad as they at present appear. All seedlings planted in the uncultivated ground are still alive. The seeds planted show no sign yet of having germinated.

The Norfolk Dairy Co., Motumaoho, has refused an offer of 8 3-Sd per lb for its cheese output for the remainder of the season. It is confidentlv expected that the. output will be sold at 84d, which will enable a uniform payout of Is 6d per lb but-ter-fat to be made over the whole season. A sale of 40 tons, distributed over the remainder of the season, has already been made at Sid.

Mr. W. C. Bond, who lias made himself extremely popular with all sections of the community as stationmaster at Putaruru, received notice of his transfer on promotion last week-end to Waipara Junction, North Canterbury. Mr. Bond, whose departure will be greatly regretted, expects to leave Putaruru in a month’s time. He will be succeeded by Mr. Davis, who is now in chargi of the Morrinsville station.

Advice has been received by Mr. Davis, stationmaster, Morrinsville, of his transfer to Putaruru, the Morrinsville vacancy to be filled by Mr. J. Barker, assistant relieving officer, on the Auckland section. The transfer, which is the outcome of a new grading system, recently instituted by the Railway Department, is not definite, as the officers concerned have an opportunity to appeal against the change if they desire to do so.

Very sad news was contained in a cablegram received by Rev. Father Silk, of Matamata, on Wednesday, intimating the death of his mother, Mrs. John Silk, of Kilconnell (Ireland), at the age of 82. There are a widower and 11 of a family bereaved, of whom three daughters and one son have consecrated their lives to the service of the Roman CatholicChurch. Father Silk is the youngest of the family.

The Waharoa butter factory (Mr. T. Walker, manager) gained fourth place in the grading returns for December of the N.Z.C.D.C. factories, securing an average grade of 92.77, and this for an output of 15,337 boxes of finest, higher than the next largest output by over 5000 boxes. In the cheese department the Matamata factory (Mr. B. Barnes, manager) topped the list with average grading points 93.097, and an output of 1311 crates, the next highest output (Gordonton) being 422 crates. The whole of the Matamata output secured first grade. The Morrinsville butter factory average grading eyas 92.50, with 7573 boxes of finest.

When the enormous quantities are considered these results reflect credit upon the staff and suppliers.

Mrs. R. Connell, of Auckland, an early resident of Matamata, at one time proprietress of an accommodation house at Matamata, passed away on Saturday.

Mr. R. Hackett, editor of the New Zealand Herald, spent some hours in Putaruru on Monday while on his way to Taupo, where he and _his family are spending their vacation.

The Putaruru school opened this week with a roll of 194 as against 214 at the erid of last term- The drop is accounted for by new scholars not equalling those who passed through standard 6.

The many friends of Mr. J. G. Gasparich, headmaster of the Putaruru school, will regret to learn that he leaves for Auckland to-morrow to enter a private nursing home to undergo an operation for appendicitis. Miss Semple, of Auckland, has joined the staff of the Putaruru school, vice Miss Matthews, who left at the end of last term. Miss Sneddon, of Lichfield, joins as a probationer next Monday.

A bush fire occurred on the property of Lucerne Ltd. on the Arapuni road between 8 and 9 o’clock on: Tuesday night. The fire started in a plantation of six acres on the river bank but was controlled before it did any damage to the lucerne crop or stacks of baled lucerne hay.

Mr. F. J. Pretsch, who has been postmaster at Putaruru for the past 10 months, and lias resigned from the service on superannuation, handed over to Mr. A. W. Swap yesterday. Mr. Swap, who now takes charge, comes from Auckland, and was recently relieving at Waiuku for some time. Mr. Swap is a keen bowler, golfer and Rugby enthusiast. Mr. Pretsch left Putaruru to-day for Rotorua, and shortly leaves for Melbourne.

At Tuesday's meeting of the Thames Valley Power Board, Mr. J. Price urged on the board the- necessity of discussing the balance-sheet before it went to the auditors and was printed. “It is about two years late when we see it,” he said. Mr. F. E. Flatt agreed that the board should definitely consider the balance sheet and definitely base charges for power on it. On his motion it was decided that a copy of the balancesheet should be supplied board members seven days before the May meeting, at which it should be considered. “ The procedure is unusual, but it is justified in our case,” said Mr. Price.

“ I think the Te Aroha Borough Council might be more frank in their attitude to the public,” said Mr. F. Strange, chairman of the Thames Valley Power Board, at Tuesday’s meeting. Mr. Strange said that when the peak load was reduced by the borough for half an hour to save peak hour charges it was the Power Board that got the blame, but it was quite unable to help itself. Mr. F. E. Flatt commented that the borough should advertise when it proposed to reduce the peak. “We get quite enough bricks thrown at us as it is, without getting abuse for this,” remarked the chairman. Mr. C. A. Arthur: “Did you say ‘drinks’?” The chairman: “No, ‘bricks.’” Mr. Arthur: “ Oh, that’s alright, because lack of water is one of the council’s chief difficulties.” (Laughter).

“ Some difficulty is being experienced in the Matamata district owing to low voltage, and no improvement can be given by the Public Works Department with its present arrangements,” stated Mr. N. G. McLeod, engineer of the Thames Valley Power Board, on Tuesday. “It will be some time before the new substation can be erected,” he said, “ and it is suggested that a temporary sub-station be erected before the start of the next milking season. I believe the Department will be prepared to do this, and the board could loan material and men to the department if they should require this assistance.” Mr. J. Price moved that the department be asked to erect the temporary sub-station at Matamata. The chairman seconded, and the motion was carried. “ Matamata has the biggest grievance and has suffered most from low voltage,” said the chairman.