LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Putaruru Press, Volume VI, Issue 256, 4 October 1928, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

“ The Piakoiti road has been surveyed for the new 11,000-volt extension line, and work should be, commenced within about a week, saia the Thames Valley Power Board engineer on Tuesday.

“ There are several objectionable things about politics. I am discovering them one by one. One s friends ornament one with wings and a halo, and one’s enemies with a tail ana horns.” —Captain Rushworth s experience.

The Thames Valley Power Board engineer, Mr. N. G. McLeod, stated at Tuesday’s meeting that during the month a joint line was built to supply Messrs. Walker, Clothier and lhirwall, on the Matamata-Hihuera road. The copper was increased in size on 32 chains of existing line, and 69 chains of new line were built. Sixteen service lines were completed during the /month.

The total number of consumers connected to the Thames Valley Power Board’s mams now totals 6776, which includes the Thames and Te Aroha boroughs, Thames consumers totalling 1074 and Te Aroha borough 640. Forty-one lighting and heating consumers, 46 water heaters, 9 electric ranges, and 38 motors on farms, of which 35 are milking motors, were connected during the month.

Farmers will welcome a resolution passed by the Thames Valley Power Board that the expense of urgent toll messages reporting breakdowns ot motors is to be borne by the board. Mr. J. Price, who brought the matter up at Tuesday’s meeting, said it was unfair to saddle consumers with this expense. Discretion would have to be used, however, and it should be made clear that ordinary breakdowns of the house-lighting system snould not be treated as urgent.

A good istory against himself is told by an aspirant to political honours who is well known in Mornnsville. He was chatting with a group of electors when a huge son of toil looke’d him over, and punctuating his remarks with some gems of profanity from an extensive repertoire, said : “ Well, young man, I don’t know anything about your politics, but I’m open to bet a fiver that you re no worse than the that are in Parliament now.” No one accepted the wager, and the candidate is expecting a vote from this candid critic of the Administration. —Morrinsville Star.

At Tuesday’s meeting of . the Thames Valley Power Board a motion expressing appreciation of the fine work done by the Public Works Department officers in restoring power supply after the fire at the Horahora transforming station, and of the assistance given by the authorities that had been generating power to meet the contingency, was passed. Appreciation was also expressed Ot the work done by the Hamilton Fire Brigade in confining the outbreak to as small limits as possible. They all did yeoman service,” said the chairman.

In his report to the Thames Valley Power Board on Tuesday the engineer, MY. N. G. McLeod, stated that the line from Whakahora road to Lamb’s transformer, Te Puninga, was made alive at 11,000 volts, and Lamb’s and Henry’s transformers were changed from 3000 to 11,000 volts on September 19. The 11,000volt extension westwards on No. 9 road had been completed and a transformer station built at the Piako river end. This section was made alive on September 29. Progress had been considerably delayed on account of bad weather, but the gang was expected to complete within a few days, when they would be shifted to Dodd s road, Motumaoho.

Don’t forget the Putaruru Hockey Club’s Hallowe’en dance, October 26.* Rev. A. J. Seamer, General Superintendent of the Methodist Home Mission Department, who is to visit this district on October 25, is recognised in all circles as being one of the leading experts on Maori questions. Thirty years ago he was a Maori missionary in the Urewera country. After holding important posts in both the English and Maori branches of the Methodist Church he was elected General Superintendent of the Maori Mission in 1919. Three years later he was appointed by Conference to his present important position, in which he still retains general guidance of the Maori policy. Being a firm believer in the Maoris leading their own branch of the church, he nominated Rev. R. Tahupotiki Haddon, a Maori senior minister, as Senior Superintendent and Chief Pastor of the Maori Church, Mr. Haddon, or Tahupotiki, as ho is known to the Hnoiis, is run mg him self a capable and gifted leader and bishop of his people.*

At his meeting at Morrinsville on Saturday night, Captain Rushworth said he heard an American cynically sum up the American business man as follows: “There is J honour among thieves, and that is what distinguish- j es thieves from the American busi- J ness men.”

Discussing the sale of a building belonging to the Thames Valley Power Board in Pollen street, Thames, a Thames land agent in a letter to the board on Tuesday stated : “ It is useless hanging on to these old buildings for future value here as the unimproved system of rating has about ruined this town.” “ Trees endangering the board’s lines have now been removed by the owners, with very few exceptions,” stated the manager of the Thames Valley Power Board at Tuesday’s meeting. “ Those owners who have failed to act have now been legally notified, a -d definite action will be taken within the next few days if the dangerous trees are not attended to.”

Considerable damage was caused to power lines in the Matamata district by storms and lightning during September. The engineer, Mr. N. G. McLeod, stated at Tuesday’s meeting of the Thames Valley Power Board, that the 15-k.v.a. 11,000-volt transformer at Samuel’s on the TirauCambridge road was damaged by lightning on September 14. The 7i-k.v.a. 33f0-volt transformer at Nash’s, Hinuera-Taihoa, was damaged by lightning on September 17, and the 10-k.v.a. 11,000-volt transformer at Ryan’s, Turanga-o-moana, was damaged by lightning on September 25.

“ Honest witnesses will give the most extraordinarily conflicting evidence,” said Mr. J. S. Barton, S.M., at the Wanganui Magistrate’s Court, when remarking upon the discrepancies in the statement of opposing sides in a case he was reviewing. He found it difficult to arrive at a decision because he regarded the witnesses on both sides as being honest. The ■ experience of the court was that when witnesses, whose sympathies were aroused in a particular direction, were asked to give evidence, they did so with an unconscious bias.

There is ample evidence that the “ mysterious ” disease among dairy cattle, described in one quarter as “ eclampsia,” is by no means as rare a thing as some would have us believe. Several members of the Matamata branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union spoke of the trouble in its various forms as a meeting on Saturday night. It was freely commented that many cows have been dost in the Matamata district through the unknown cause, not only this year, but for some years past.—Matamata Record.

The youngster who was seen crying in a Greymouth street recently because he had “ lost his bus fare ” is evidently a child of infinite resources (relates the Grey Star). His first stunt was spoiled when it was discovered that he had collected about five 'shillings from sympathisers to replace the “ lost ” bus fare, but he has now struck out on a hew course, which consists of a plaintive request to passers-by for a “ thrummer,” to be allegedly used in gaining admittance to the competitions. It is not known how many persons have been “ bitten.”

A “ get-rich-quick ” scheme was worked at the Christchurch Winter Show on Saturday by a boy whose action was as enterprising as it was unlawful (says the Lyttelton Times). Being permitted to retain his pass after entering the door, he slipped round to a quiet part of the dividing fence, over which he handed the pass to one of his mates. The latter repeated the performance of passing a doorkeeper and handing the ticket back over the fence, until nine of the

“ gang ” were inside. Then the first boy, as arranged, collected sixpence a head from his mates for the privilege of using the pass, which was worth a shilling. In the first place the pass belonged to the hoy’s sister, whom he had cajoled into giving it up.

The most successful dance yet staged by the Putaruru Oddfellows Lodge was held on Friday in the Town Hall. There was an attendance of about 80 couples and the evening was one of complete enjoyment, largely the result of the painstaking work put in by the dance committee. The hall was tastefully decorated with greepery and streamers and excellent music was supplied by Pennel’s orchestra. Extras were played by Mrs. G. Jones. During the evening several competitions were held, the winners being as follow : Balloon dance, Miss Rolfe and Mr. T. Aylv/ard ; packet dance, Miss Lowe and Mr. Conaghan ; Monte Carlo dance, Miss Aubrey and Mr. Dunn. Mr. C. D. Brown was M.C.