LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Putaruru Press, Volume VI, Issue 267, 20 December 1928, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Owing to the Christmas and New Year holidays the Press will be published next week on Monday, the 24th instant, instead of Thursday, the 27th. The following issue will be on Thursday afternoon Instead of Thursday morning. The Press office will be closed from Monday, December 24, to Wednesday, January 2. Will advertisers please note this alteration in the day of publication?

“ They were growling about their rates being high,” stated a member of the Matamata County Council, at the last meeetihg, when referring to complaints made .to jhim, “ but I told them they would be higher still next year.”

At the conclusion of the service at the Putaruru Presbyterian Church on Sunday morning Rev. W. T. Brabyn handed out the prizes to the scholars of the Sunday; school and wished them all the compliments of the season. The splendid selection of books was very favourably commented on by the large congregation.

The rates in Matamata county' do not appear to be excessive by comparison with Piako, especially when the road surfaces are compared. In a discussion on the subject between interested parties, it was stated that one man having five hundred acres in Matamata county paid less rates than did his brother who owned two hundred acres adjacent in the Piako county.

Tenders were accepted by the Matamata County Council on Friday for additions to its bitumen surfaced highway's. The engineer recommended to the council the acceptance of Bray and Co.’s tenders as follows:—Hinu-era-Te Poi road seven miles, £9913 (engineer’s estimate £9575); Puta-ruru-Arapuni, 12 miles, £14,708 (estimate, £14,703). The council receives a£2 for £1 subsidy from the Main Highways Board.

Two solicitors were haggling over a question of costs in the Morrinsville Court on Tuesday. One maintained that as an item of £6 had been cut out of the claim and he had had to prepare to defend, he was morally liable to be awarded costs. An appeal to the Magistrate, Mr. Wyvem Wilson, S.M., brought forth the crushing reply: “This is not a court of morals.” The costs \> ere fixed according to fixed scale.—Morrinsville Star.

A breezy contributor pens the following in the New Zealand Observer on Mr. S. S. Allen, of Morrinsville, Administrator of Western Samoa: , “ Steve Allen, that stiff, ram-rod Administrator of Samoa, sent by Gordon Coates to counteract General Sir George Richardson’s talkativeness by a characteristic silence of speech and all on the square, is puzzling the Mau’s, who have waited since Steve’s assuming the dictatorship for a cue to his disciplinary measures to see him lift the big stick, but Steve’s sphinx-like attitude has got them beaten. Like their old-time wooden or stone gods who looked wise or fearful but never gave the native an example of its powers. The simple native was afraid of it and shrank with terror from its curse. So with Administrator Steve, he hasn’t wielded the big stiak, nor ranted threats, just sat back with his beatific smile and now they’re beginning to believe he’s a devil or an angel—something t» be worshipped er feared: But the white population have got Steve going good and strong. A few week.-; ago the Samoan Guardian says : ‘At the races, the judge for the day could not officiate owing to his horse being' a startfer in the Pony Handicap. His Excellencv ‘-ary graciously went into

■the judge’s box and gaye his decision for Cary.’ And how graciously hr would-enter that box and graciously leave it. Ail Steve does is done graciously.”

Mr. J. N- R- Johnson, who has been on the clerical staff of the Putaruru post office for the past 10 months, left last Thursday under transfer to Waimauku. “ My experience has been that the less officials you have the’ more work there is done,” said a member of the audience at the Putaruru library meeting in tones’ which suggested she had been “ through the mill.” “ One of the public had better move that ” said a member of the Glee Club at the library meeting last week. “ But you have taken aU the public for official positions,” pointed out another member, which statement of the position was actually correct, for the attendance was remarkably poor for such a meeting.

A “ boasting bird ” blew into the Matamata county office last week. He was going to have a special meeting of the council called, and a deputation to the Main Highways Board, for the purpose of declaring a bridle track at Mud-on-Slush a main highway. The Power Board also was to get a few more volts on and instal electric again with ruffled feathers. His Christmas. It seemed from ttie little informal discussion at the council meeting on Friday that -he blew out again with rufflede feathers. His great expectations may even result in his wings being singed.

The unfortunate victim of the shooting accident at the Bank of New South Wales, Whangarei, Mr. Henry Samuel Kedgley, was a son of Rev. E. H. Kedgley, Presbyterian minister, who was stationed at Maraaku some 18 years ago. At that period there was no Presbyterian or Methodist church in Putaruru, and Rev. Kedgley used to preach in Putaruru once a month. He and his family were very well known to early Putaruru residents and were loved by everyone. The unfortunate victim of last week’s tragedy was then only four years old and is well remembered by the older residents in the Putaruru district.