CLEVEDON.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 14, 19 February 1915, Page 3

CLEVEDON.

La?p.e shipments of manure and timber have been coming to hand ex the e.s. Hirere, some buoy scen:s having b 7 en witnessed on the 1 wharf on the arrival and departure of the trader. A steady How of butter and fruit is shipped from Clevedon and the other districts en route to Auckland. The passenger traffic, per trip, is averaging in the vicinity cf 20. Mr J. McKnight, manager of the Wairoa Butter Factory Co., repr.rts good business for last year, The totsl ton' age of butter rna-ufaciured at the factory during 1914 was 150 tons. The supply of cream at t e b?ginrung of t'l2 eeason was g °i right up to the end rf Ociobr, b'jt thereafter it fell away considerably, and it is feared th;t the ntal cut put of butt:-r from the factory this will be less than last year's total. The average return per cuw in the district is possibly greater than any district in New Zealand; for butter fat alone the average fur 1914 was £ll 10a per cow. The Company, although uncertain as to the freight rates the shipping companies would be charging, advanced their suppliers 11 id per lb for butter-fat. i'fce quality of the butter-fat is considerably better ihis year than last year, owing to the non-existence of rank feed. The grading accordingly has improved and is also better than it was last year.

The p.ivate telephone system which connects up the Otaua,' North road, East road, Ardmore and Clevedoi. districts is coming into mora favour day by daj. When the first line from Clevedon to Olaua was instituted some four years ago there were only 13 subscribers, but at the present time there are 70 subscribers. The sys'.em is controlled by an executive cf subscribers elected by subscribers and the work of connecting up the various branch lines is attended to by Messrs Holloway and Holliday, Hawthorne and Munro and Messrs Johnston Bros.

Forming and metalling 80 chains of the Maetaitai road is now being carried cut timer the supervision of the Wairca Roai Board. The crork is being started from ths Eastern end and when finished will be a vast improvement cn the condition of the load last winter, when it was a difficulty to get through even in a light trap. The N:ss Valley Land Co. have appointed a Mr Ritchie, from the South Island, to supervise the work of clearing, fencing and tub-dividing into holdings to suit purchasers ttos balance of 4500 acres of the property that the Company own at the top end of Ness Valley. In the past two years five properties, ranging from 300 acres to 400 acres, have been sold by the Company to settlers, and a small settlement is gradually growing up in the locality. During the present week, if the weather is suitable, an attempt 13 to be made to burn off 100 acres of manuka. The land the Company has already sold has averaged from £4 10s to £8 10s per acr°. The country is of a hilly formation, sloping away to flats, which make good ploughable country. The settlers in the vicinity are agitating fcr the appointment of a school mistress. The school was closed seme months Ego and the teacher left the district, but since her departure settlers with families have purchased holdings in close proximity to the school and are anxious" lor the children to be taught the necessary education to asist them through life. With the exception of rape and turnip crops the whole district is in a very parched condition, and cow? that should be giving a fair quantity of milk at this period a:e slackening off. Farmers are, indeed, considering the advisability of stopping their milking machines and milking by hand. In many instances the milking herds are being fed off turnips. Luckily for the farmers tbe district has an aburdant supply of water in streams and in springs, If a favourable milking season is experienced text year increases in the milking herds will be made in many instances. On Mr F. H. Gibbs' property, two crops, one of 3 acres of rape and the other 3 acres uf turnips, have done exceptionally well. Mr Gibbs experimented with a crop of three acres each of -Japanese and Hungarian millet, as recommended by tbe New Zealand Government as a drought resister, but met with little succees. The crop ia not doing at all well. If it Eucceesful it could have been cut three times, but as it is it is haraly fit for cutting once.

A live acre crop of turnips and a crop of 10 acres of swedes on Mr T. Hoyes' property has done well, despite the exceptional weather. Three and a-half hundredweight of turnip manure was mixed to the acre in bcth crops. On Mr McPnerson's property preparations are being mad* for the sowing of 16 acres of grass seed. Mr McPherson was well pleased with his milking herd up to Christmas time, .when they had done better than any period during the past two years. A crop of nine acres of swede turnips on the property were sown about Christmas time, have a fresh, green like appearance, and when matured will make excellent feed. Mr J. Ward has also a crop of six acres of swede turnips which have done well considering the "dry" spell. . Mr W. Wrenral is a new settler, who is losing no time in improving the property acd buildings on the farm. A new cow shed has already been erected, and concrete yard, lioor and cess pita are being laid down. The plough will soon be put to work on the property, the first paddock to be ploughed being a 20 acre paddock. Mr A. K. Bodlo has disposed of 108 acrua of his property, near the black Bridge, to a buyer from N«aruawahia at £37 i'Js per acre.

The social committee of the Clevedoa branch of the New ZealaDd Farmers' Union have decided to bold a social ard dance in the Public Hall, Clevedon, on Friday, March 26th, next. The committee have been generous enough to admit the ladies free and will aldo supply the supper, Mr A lick. Hawthorn will supply the muiec. At the Ardmore Public Hall on Wednesday of last week Mr James Campbell, a resident of the district, was given a send off prior to hi? leaving with the expeditionary force for the front, , During the evening a presentation of a gold watcb was made to Mr Campbell as a murk of respect, esteem sod good wishes from the residents of the district The dancing was good, though a krrge of e'adnfcsS Wae 1 through i} at

i the thoughts of the honoured one departing for the front. On Thursday, February 4th, a | meeting of ih-3 ladies of Ardmore : for the f: rmatior. of a Solai'.ra' (lift Club w»s held in the Aidmcre Public Hall. All those present agieed to send some small gift to the soldier boys who have]| no friends. The club agreed to hold their meetings monthly. A meeting of members of the Clevedon branch of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, settlers of the district and oihers was held in the Public Hall, Clevedor, on Siturday week for the furpose of discussing the formation of a Farmers' Union Mounted Kifle Club. There were about 49 numbers and ret'lers present. Mr J .hn Luke, vice-oresk'ent cf the I cal brancti of the Uiian presid d Maj)r A. G. McKenzie, who was piesent by invitation,-ad-dressed the meeting it tome length in c nnecti'n with the sciitmp, explained the needs and wnerefore of a Mounttd Kifle Club being foimed, £0 that the fa'mrrs and members would bs ready, if the time ever came, to repel invaders and defend their own hemes. After the scheme had been discussed and questions answered, Mr C. C. Munro proposed, and Mr J. A. Gandy seconded, "That this meeting accept signatures for presentation to the Defence Authorities applying for the formation of a Mouuted Rifle Club." This was carried unariicou-ly. Twenty of those present signed the proposed membership fo*m applying fnr the formation of a Mounted Kifle Club. Major McKenzie was unani- 1 mously thanked for his address.

Among the recent new eettlers is Mr Donald Fraser, from the Wairarapa. This gentleman has purchased one of the best farms in the district and has erected a handsome dwelling thereon. Within comparatively easy distance of Auckland, Chvedon offers exceptional facilities for a respite from the care 3 and worries of city life. Thus the well-known legal luminary, Mr Fred Earl, K,C., has a smill farm at Ness Valley, at which he is frequently in residence. A feature on Mr Earl's piopertv is his stu.l of 25 Shetland ponies; 16 ot which are foals and two-year-olds and the remainder brood mares. The ponies are of the well-known Csrlyon straiD. During the 25 years that Mr Earl had been breeding Shetland ponies he has won' a large number of prizes with exhibits from amongst his stud. For three years in succession one of his Shetlands won the championship at the Auckland A. and P. Association's Show.