LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 338, 14 December 1917, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr John Beatty, on behalf of Messrs W. and R. Fletcher (N.Z.) Ltd., will be purchasing pigs at Pukekohe next Tuesday. The annual meeting of the Pukekohe Chamber of Commerce is to be held in the "Times" office next Thursday evening. Pte C. H. (Monty) Brown, of Pukekohe, who sailed with the 30th Reinforcements and who developed an illness whilst on board the transport, is now reported as convalescent. We are requested by the Postal Department to state that those intending to send Christmas greeting messages to soldiers for delivery in England or France should lodge the same not later than 15th December. The charge is 8d per word. At the half-yearly meating of the Loyal Pukekohe Lodge of Oddfellows (M.U.) held on Tuesday last the following officers were appointed for the half year, viz, Bros G. Haslam N G., R. Vant V.G., and T. R. Thomson E.S. The New Zealand Co-op. Bacon and Mea*; Packing Company, Ltd., will be buying pigs next week as follows, viz. at Onewhero on Monday, at Tuakau on Tuesday, at Pokeno on Wednesday and at Te Kauwhata on Thursday. The local banks will be closed on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in Xmas week inclusive and on Monday and Tuesday, December 31 and January Ist. These holidays will be observed instead of as usual on Xmas Day and two days following and New Year's Day and day following. Lieut. Cryil D. Gabites, of the Otago Infantry, who is reported as having been killed in action on Dec. 3rd, was a nephew of Mrs Wdliam Roulston, of Pukekohe. He sjrved in the Gallipoli operations and had since been all the time in the fighting line in France. At the meeting of tho Auckland Education Board on Wednesday it was decided that the Board's resolution to shorten school hours during February be not applied to the secondary department of the Pukekohe District High School and that the holidays for the secondary department of that school be extended one week. Keith, the four-year-old son of Mr •H. B Wright, a member of the local railway staff, met with a nasty accident last week in King street, Pukekohe He seated himself on the back of a motor Iprry and fell off, his head striking the road with no little violence. Injury to the brain has since 1 developed and the little fellow is now an inmate of the Auckland Hospital. At the Pukekohe Magistrate's Court yesterday before Mr Wyvern Wilson, SM., two youths were charged on remand with having, as reported in our issue of Friday last, stolen various articles from dwellingbouses and also moneys from several churches. The Magistrate reduced the charges to one of common theft, the accused both pleading guilty Mr Shell, Probation Officer, of Auckland, reported that one of the lads had been an iomate of St. Mary's (Takapuna) Industrial School and had been out on license but his conduct had not been very satisfactory. The other, whose father had died recently, was a youDger lad and had been influenced by his companion. After hearing the report by Inspector Shell the Magistrate adjourned the case against the younger lad for three mjnths on the understanding that he procured suitable employmrn*, the Probation Officer arranging to look after him and to see that any monev he earned was forwarded to his mother. The other youth was ordered to be returned to St. Mary's Industrial School with a recommendation that he bhould be transferred to the Burnham (Canterbury) Industrial School. The six o'clock closing; of hotels had an unexpected and far-reaching ! development in Pukekohe For a farewell function in the form of a "smoker" arranged to take place in the Premier Hall lus-t evening arrangements had been made for the customary supply of stimulants with which the company present would honour the toasts. Intimation was, however, received by the promoters from the local police that at any gathering held off licensed pre mises the old established practice of consuming liquor paid for out of the general fund would be no longer permissible It appears, that in the past that there has been some doubt whether at dinnerc, smokers or similar gatherings the practice alluded toca ue within the letter of the law but the authorities now hold that, particularly with the new legislation adopting six o'clock closing, the time-honoured custom must be dispensed with The consequence was that the proceedings were of a " dry " nature. I