LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 273, 31 January 1929, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr. G. Bodman, of the staff of the local branch of the Bank of New Zealand, is at present on his annual leave. The purebred dairy herd reported missing in Monday’s Herald, but which has since been found, belongs co Messrs. Morse and Mel Barnett, who are sons of Mr. F. C. Barnett, of Putaruru, and are farming near Mange re. Amongst the recent appointments of teachers authorised by the Auckland Education Board are those of Mr. R. M. Harvey as head teacher at Tirau and Miss G. K. Farrelly as probationary assistant at Putaruru. A sudden change in the weather produced a most unseasonable cold snap towards the end of iast week. On Thursday night there was a fairly sharp frost at Tokoroa, and a lighter one in Putaruru, several gardens suffering in consequence. “ I know there were over twenty entries,” stated a married man positively during a discussion at a recent meeting in regard to how many entered tor the married men’s race the previous year. “ I ran myself, and I saw them in front of me,” he concluded, amidst laughter.

The death took place at Warkworth on Monday of Dr. G. M. J. East, who for eighteen months to two years was practising at Putaruru. Dr. East, who was 51 years of age, was born in Dunedin and educated at the Otago University. He came to Putaruru from Gtira. He married Miss Dean, a daughter of the pL.ivor flaxmiller, of Pokeno. He is survived by a widow and one son. Sir Janies Gunson and party had a breakdown this side of Tokoroa on Sunday while motoring to Taupo. The steering gear snapped, luckily while the car was on a straight and level piece of road. Sir James returned to Putaruru for assistance and had lunch there, the ladies meanwhile having to sit in the car, while the staff of a local garage welded the broken rod. Two men are reported to have unearthed a quantity of greenstone not far from Kumara during the holidays and disposed of their find for about £BO (states an exchange). Before the war a company successfully worked a greenstone quarry at Wainihinihi, on the Kumara-Otira, road, but as the principal market for the disposal of the stone was in Gerriiany the company ceased operations and sold most of the plant. Owing to the difficulty in getting a suitable house near to the post office, Mr. JiacFarlane, who was appointed postmaster at Putaruru last October, expects to receive an early transfer. The Department’s view is that it is reluctant to build a house on the ample section available, as the great growth of postal business in Putaruru may shortly necessitate the erection of a larger building in permanent material, when, of course, living quarters would be incorporated in the plan. The Department’s farsightedness in this respect will therefore necessitate the appointment of a bachelor to the local office.

The death occurred at Waihi hospital on Saturday night, about 10 p.m., of Mr. Jack Fitzgerald, a brother of Mr. Jim Fitzgerald, who is fairly well-known in Putaruru. The late Mr. Fitzgerald, who was about 26 years of age, had been an invalid for six or seven years, as the result of a fall from a horse which seriously injured his spine. His case aroused some medical interest, while his unfailing cheerfulness made him a general favourite with everyone in the hospital. Several times his life had been dispaired of, and it seemed as if it was only his great will power and brightness which kept him alive. Some short time ago he was taken to Waihi beach for a period arid the change appeared to do an immense .amount of good. Latterly, however, his strength failed again, and about a week ago his brother was again warned that the end was near. This time he failed to rally and Hs release came, as stated, late on Saturday i night. The funeral took place at Waihi on Monday.

The annual horticultural and industrial exhibition organised by the Putaruru Anglican Ladies’ Guild will be held on Friday, February 15, entries closing at 10 a.m. on the day of the show. Schedules may be obtained from Mrs. Roi ft .

Mr. R. A. Bent, of Putaruru, is acting as judge of the horse events at this year’s Waiwera show.

Subject to the approval of the School Committee, the Auckland Education Board has appointed Mr. J. G. Gasparich, of Putaruru, headmaster of the Stanley Bay school, Auckland.

A particularly senseless and dangerous action on the part of a number of children in Napier terrace recently caused an infuriated motorist to stop his machine and pursue the miscreants into a nearby garden, where the children had apparently fled to escape well-deserved punishment. The action which caused the motorist to stop was that of the children throwing handfuls of grain into his eyes, and also those of _ a child in the car which he was driving, rendering him liable to be temporarily blinded and unable to control the machine. On many occasions the instigators of such foolish actions escape without redress, but this time, says the Napier Telegraph, full punishment was meted out, and the children departed to their homes from their unsuccessful place of refuge looking not a little sorry for themselves.

While the Port Denison was en route from Auckland to Gisborne and steaming out to anchorage recently, the police and an identifying member of the ship’s company combed likely places for two missing ratings (reports the Poverty Bay Herald). When found they were in that happy state that they did not care which way the ship went or whether she sailed at all. They were conveyed to the water front and taken aboard in a launch. The pair behaved nicely until alongside the steamer, but when they saw the gangway they shied like two-year-olds, first one and then the other taking a header over and into the harbour. Then they began i series of evolutions that were quite masterly, and they evaded recaoture until one of the escorts picked up a boat hook and gaffed the pair, one after the other, and landed them safely aboard.

“ Every shilling spent on earthblinding the roads meant a shilling lost to the ratepayers,” remarked Or. Brown emphatically at the meeting of the Inglewood County Council recently. He had given the matter careful consideration during many years of practical road work, and while not wishing to dominate the council he characterised earth-blind-ing as a waste of money. One yard of gravel-blinding was worth a hundred yards of earth, which either blew away with the wind or became slush after the rain. The chairman and members agreed that e&rth-blinding was not desirable, but that it was necessary to do something to preserve the metal when the roads commenced to break up. Cr. Brown strongly advocated raking the loose metal off the road and utilising it later for maintenance. The money expended in earth-blinding- would be .far better expended in clearing drains, he said. Geese have figured a good deal in literature and song, and, on the whole, have not been credited with a great deal of grey matter ( remarks the Christchurch Sun). They have, however, a keen car for music, as has been shown by the behaviour of one flock at Akaroa. This flock had its quarters near a camp where a radio set was installed. The birds did not show a great deal of interest in the news session, but whenever music was broadcast, either vocal or instrumental, the flock bunched together and listened intently to the programme. As the evening advanced the geese would draw nearer and nearer to the tent containing the set. Not very surprising, for modern jazz has an appeal to featherless bipeds also, who are not overburdened with “ grey matter.” The report does not say whether the feathered geese have any partiality for Tootsie Wootsie as against a Cavaleria Rusticana type of selection.

According to an officer at present visiting Napier, not the least of the effects of the change of Government has been its addition to the troubles of Departmental heads (states an exchange). From all over the country Government departments are receiving letters raising grievances which they imagined had been settled for all time. The change of Ministry has inspired many persons with unsubstantial claims to “ give it a go ” in ’ the hope of obtaining something from a benevolent Government. Chief among the sufferers is the Pensions Department. Numerous applications, previously refused, have been renewed during the last few weeks. As might be expected the new members are being asked to sponsor a good number of claims. Some of the applications are not without their amusing side. One Department has received a letter from its Minister enclosing an application from “An Old Liberal ” who recently abandoned his attempt to convince the Minister's predecessor that he was an “ Old Reformer.'