LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 283, 11 April 1929, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

In conversation with a Press representative a district farmer mentioned that he had recently had eight men on cutting ragwort and that the cost of same had run into £IOO. As he remarked, it seemed a pity that his good work (and the good work of others) stood in danger of being jeopardised by those who were not so alive to the danger of the weed. Mr. McFarlane, registrar of births, deaths and marriages, at Putaruru, supplies the details of the vital statistics for the month and quarter ending March 31. Figures for the corresponding month and quarter are given in parentheses;—March: Births 10 (8), deaths 3 (2), marriages 3 (2). For the quarter ending March the figures are: Births 20 (23), deaths 5 (4), rfcarriages 3 (3).

Mr. Davis, who recently returned to Tokoroa after the absence of a number of years, in the course of a chat with a representative of the Putaruru Press said that he had been farming in Australia, mostly in New South Wales. The land there did not require manuring to the same extent as it did in New Zealand, but this was offset by the dry seasons experienced. “My idea,” said Mr. Davis, “ is that the price of land in New Zealand is far too high, especiallv for grazing and fat stock raising.”

Messrs. Bowler Bros., two old residents of Matamata, have sold their farm to Mr. B. Simpson and are tak- : ing up their residence in Te Aroha. j A plea of guilty was entered by a Kiwitahi youth, John Amil Mohn, | aged 19 years, in the Morrinsville Court on Saturday to a charge of indecently assaulting a young girl in , Thames street, Morrinsville, on April j 4. After the hearing of evidence Mohn was committed to the Supreme Court at Auckland for sentence. According to the opinions of residents of Arapuni there is every pros- ! pect of power being generated from j the works there by the end of May, and it is also anticipated that the other two generator plants will be in operation, one at the end of August and the other at the end of October. The news that a fourth set is to be installed has been received with the greatest satisfaction by business people and the residents generally.

A farmer of ttie Tokoroa district, in conversation with a Press representative, in referring to the spread of ragwort, said that the carelessness of some farmers in not cutting the weed amounted almost to criminal negligence. The inspectors were, in his opinion, far too lax. And it was the duty of these officials to shake the offenders up. -The Government wen also not entiiely free from blame, for the weed was allowed to spread on their land uncut and unchecked.

The latest kind of road has been defined by a scholar at the Te Awamutu District High School, says the Waipa Post. The class was writing an essay on “ Good Roads ” and had been specially cautioned against the use of the same adjective more often than was absolutely necessary. scholar, having used the worn “ good ” in describing roads, introduced a novel touch when she said: “ When macadamised there are virtuous roads.” A “ household evening ” was held at Tirau on Wednesday, under the auspices of the Tirau Presbyterian Ladies’ Guild, in aid of Mrs. Symes, who recently had the misfortune to lose her home and all its contents by fire. There was a large attendance and dancing filled in the major portion of the programme. Mr. Brabyn gave a solo and Mr. Hirst a recitation, both items being greatly appreciated. Mr. Brabyn asked Mrs. Symes’ acceptance of a large number of household items, wherewith to rehabilitate the home. Mr. C. Symes thanked the donors on behalf of his mother. Several years ago Putaruru used to boast of a strong troop of Boy Scouts, but the energetic scoutmaster, Mr. J. R. O. Lochhead, found that so many calls were being made on his time that he was reluctantly compelled to give the work up, with the result that there being no one to .fill his place, the movement lapsed. The Rev. S. R. Wareing, Anglican vicar, who for many years has taken an active interest in the Boy Scout work, has resuscitated the troop, and a start was made this week. The movement is too well-known to need any commendation and the eo-opera-tion of parents and boys is asked for. A representative of the Press was having a conservation with a Waotu farmer the other day and the subject of the extermination of ragwort cropped up. This gentleman said that the menace existed in Scotland at one time to an even greater extent than in New Zealand, but the pest had been overcome by stocking tbe land with sheep. The infected areas were partitioned off into small sections and the land was freed in a very short space of time. The farmer also said that there was a caterpillar in New Zealand that attacked the ragwort, but unfortunately the starlings found this .particular insect luscious, the result being that tha insect got no chance to breed with sufficient rapidity.

There was a pleasing function at Arapuni on Easter Monday evening, when the members of the Presbyterian Church, together with other friends, met to bid farewell to Mr. G. W. Nelson, of the Public Works Department, who has been transferred to Dunedin. Mr. Jones presided over a large attendance that spoke for the popularity of the departing guest. A jolly time was spent, games and musical items making the time pass all too quickly. During the evening Rev. W. Brabyn presented Mr. Nelson with a silver tea pot and hot water jug on behalf of the church people. In doing so Mr. Brabyn paid a high tribute to the faithful services rendered to the church by Mr. Nelson, remarking that his place would indeed he hard to fill. Mr. Nelson feelingly responded, and supper brought a pleasant evening to a close.

A school committee not a hundred miles from 'Putaruru recently had some difficulty in securing accommodation for a teacher that had arrived. A notice was put up in a prominent place asking for applications to board the young lady, and among the replies received was one from a wag whose letter to the committee contained the following passages : “ Allow me to nominate myself for the position, as I have had a large and varied experience, having boarded ships, tram cars, automobiles, push bikes, horses, and at hotels, so you may rest assured of my ability to make her comfortable in an armchair for two. If any further inducements are necessary may I state that she will be allowed to help with the milking, washing, cooking and mending. I have a brown mole on my right hip and an uncle with two sets of twins. My terms are thirty shillings per week, payable in advance. P.S. —Suggestions bv the committee as to my future destination will not he considered.” Needless to say the application was not successful.

A special meeting of the Putaruru Town Boa»d- is to ue held on Monday, April 22, to bring down the estimates for the ensuing year. The decision to include the earthwork formation of certain footpaths in Mr. McArthur’s contract with the Town Board was arrived at at the monthly meeting of the board on Monday night.

Mr. H. M. Corbett, chairman of the Ohinemuri County Council for a number of years, has decided not to seek re-election. Mr. Corbett is known to the farmers in the Putaruru district, having recently been engaged in valuing land in the district.

A large congregation attended the Presbyterian Church at Putaruru on Sunday evening, when Rev. W. T. Brabyn gave an interesting address on the life of General Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, whose centenary is being celebrated throughout the world. The lato General Booth was born in Nottingham on April 10, 1829.

In a letter to the Putaruru Town Board, Mr. M. E. Fitzgeiald, Matamata county engineer, suggested that a foreman of works should be appointed at Putaruru, but the suggestion did not find favour at the board’s meeting on Monday, Mr. Griffiths remarking that the time did not appear to him to be ripe. It would probably cost £3 to £6 10s per week. Mr. Tomalin agreed with the chairman.

When the Putaruru Town Board at its meeting on Monday authorised the issue of two building permits for buildings to a value of £7BO the chairman (Mr. Griffiths) raised the question of issuing permits for the erection of fences, saying that this was necessary to prevent the erection of harbed wire fences on roads and not to harass the ratepayers. It was resolved to put this by-law into operation.

A well-known Waipukurau businessman recently indented goods from England. To bring the purchase the many thousands of miles to Wellington cost £4 17s, yet the railway charges from Wellington to Waipukurau—a journey of a few hours—entailed a payment of £2 15s. “ In future,” stated the importer, “ it is a case of a direct boat to Napier, and then the motor lorry service will do for me.”

A Waipukurau resident, who desired to forward a small parcel from Waipukurau to Christchurch, discovered on inquiry that to consign the parcel through the Railways Department would cost twice as much as if the parcel were sent through the post office. As the Railways Department, of course, carries the post office parcels, it is difficult to understand why it cannot quote at least as cheaply as the post office for a no greater service.

A summarised statement of ratc-s for the year ended March 31, 1929, was submitted to the Putaruru Town Board at its monthly meeting on Monday evening. The sum of £330 Is 4d was outstanding at the beginning of the year, whilst £1636 9s 7d was struck during the year, being made up as follows, general £lO3 11s 2d, special £723 8s 3d, sanitary £476 13s 6d, 10 per cent, penalty £29 16s 8d ; £169-1 16s 2d was collected during the year ; £l9 10s 8d was written off and given in discounts, leaving £252 4s Id outstanding at the end of the year.

When the Minister of I-ands and Agriculture, the Hon. G. W. Forbe3, was in the Putaruru district recently he listened to various estimates of what it cost farmers to bring the pumice lands into productivity. He undertook to get in touch with his officers, and he has carried out that promise, for last week Messrs. Dalgleish, of the Agricultural Department, Rotorua, and M. Galvin, Fields Inspector, Lands Department, Hamilton, were in the Tokoroa district. They interviewed a large number of farmers, ascertaining the cost of breaking the land in. This information is to be passed on to the Minister so as to enable him to come to a decision as regards the settlement of this class of land.

In discussing works about the town at the monthly meeting of the Putaruru Town Board the question of the provision of a footpath on the railway side of Princes street cropped up and Mr. Tomalin characterised the making of such a footpath as a waste of money, a statement that found a supporter in Mr. Barr Brown. Both gentlemen said that it should be used for parking purposes, remarks that led Mr. Griffiths to say that it should not be used for this purpose. To .provide parking facilities in a busy street it would have to be a wide one. Mr. Neal gave it as his opinion that they should make this street wide enough for a parking area. Mr. Barr Brown said that they could leave the matter of a parking area until a later date. It was decided to eliminate the idea of a footpath on the railwav side of the street.

A well-known city auditor and accountant, who has a good deal to do with rural trust accounts, states that the plentitude of money is becoming almost embarrassing in some cases. Whereas they had to worry people to pay their interest on loans three or four years ago. the position was such now that people were paying the principal and did ot require any further advances at present. The aggregate of such repayments (instead of renewals) was such that, the trustees were rather at a loss to find people who wanted the money on ether suitable investments. As the result of this state of affairs which 1 e assumed was not confined to Wellington nrovince, the informant said that he would not be at all surprised to hear of a reduction in the price of monov. and a loosening up in regard to advances on broad acres.