LOCAL AND GENERAL

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 7, Issue 432, 6 December 1918, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

* The cutting of oats has already commenced in the Tuhimata district, a paddock near the creamery having been harvested.

A list of dates and places for the attendance next week of a Government officer to inoculate calves against blackleg is advertised in this issue. yr*

The m<b|ron oLlfte Pukekohe hospital thank those ladies who have, iPkindly sent in gifts of fruit, cans, puddings, etc. It not only makes ifca agreeable variety for the patients, bht it also lightens the duties of the hard-worked kit- | chen staff Advt.

The Pukekohe Picture Theatre is to re-open to-morrow (Saturday) evening. The Mayor, before giving his permission jbme, carefully inspected the hSMhroughout and expressed himseljjrm well satisfied with its condition has been thorougjny cleaned and disinfected twiii weekly for the past four week/ and the process will be repeated again to-morrow morning. (Advt].

The Auckland Waterside Workers' Union has made a very 9traighout comment regarding the Hon G. W. Russell's attitude upon the question of quarantining the Makura. The concluding portion of the resolution passed by them runs, —"ln our opinion he (i.e. the Minter for Health) has outlived his usefulness as a Minister of the Crown, and should be replaced by a man who is amenable to reason, and who would be guided by his medical officers."

The heavy downpour yesterday afternoon caught a number of farmers with their hay cut but not yet stacked. For a good many years past it has been a risky experiment to cut hay until December is well advanced. The good old-fashioned seasons, when spring came early and it was fairly safe to mow hay at any time after November had begun, seem to have gone for ever. All the seasons now seem to start from a month to six weeks later than they used to do. Summer does not now usually really commence till about Christmas-time.

A hospital kitchen is by no means an unimportant institution and it says much for the kitchen staff at the Pukekohe hospital that they have given their services freely and voluntarily. Mrs J. F. Martin manages the department, her assistants, who work in two relays, being Mesdames Mee, F. Brown, D. Roulston, Gundy, and the Misses, Usher, Rodgers, Bowles, Shipperd, Avery, and Wake. One lot undertakes duty from 6 a.m. to 1.30 p.m., and the other section from 1.30 to 9 30 p.m Everything runs smoothly in this way, and the results give entire satisfaction.

A remarkable case of ingratitude has come to our notice of a voluntary worker (says the \7airarapa Times*. A lady who was boarding in a house in town nursed her landlady through an attack of sickness, and on the latter's recovery decided to do voluntary nursing for other cases. The landlady thereupon advised her that if she did this she would not be allowed to continue to stay in the house, and on her return from the first day's round promptly carried out her intention and insisted on other lodgings being found.

The matter of the attack made on •he Mayor of Auckland (Mr J H. Gunson) by the Minister for Public Health (the Hon. G. W. Russell M.P.) was referred to at yesterday's meeting of the Tuakau Town Board and on the motion of Mr Mungall, seconded by Mr B. Geraghtv, it was resolved to forward a letter to Mr Gutißon assuring him of the Board's appreciation of the steps he had taken to deal with the influenza epidemic and endorsing his ac ions throughout. Th-* total number of patients at the Pukekohe hospital at noon today was 23, including two brought in from the Tuakau hospital, but only five are cases from Pukekohe borough. In all 35 cases have so far been admitted to the hospital, and of these eight have been discharged, whilst there have been four deaths. One of the fatal cases was that of a Maori who was admitted on Wednesday from Mercer, and who died the same night. Sufferers at their private residences in Pukekohe include Dr Wake, and during his euforced spell of inactivity his practice is being attended to by Dr Campbell Smith.

The recent notification given to local authorities by the Minister for Public Works that in the expenditure of Government monies payment for labour was not to exceed lis per day has been amended, sanction having been accorded by the Minister for an additional payment of 1» per day as a war bonus. Advice as to the foregoing was contained in a circular letter from the Minister read at yesterday's meeting of the Tuakau Town Board and appreciation of the action of the Government in the matter was expressed by the Chairman (Mr W. J. Deeble), who warmly approved of the principle of the increased rate of pay. A thrill of horror must have run through the community when it heard a few days ago what a narrow escape it had had of losing the Minister for Htalth, the Hon. G. W. Russell. A bold attempt was made to kidnap him at midnight, by a lady in male attire, who is said to have desired to show him the seamy side of life in Wellington. Only the Minister's sagacity and promptness saved him from the shock of discovering that Auckland toa« not the only place in New Z 'aland that slums exist in. In connection with the attempt on the Minister an excellent suggestion has been made by * local resident. He points out that as the lady has been detained in custody in order that her mental state might be observed, it would be a good opportunity also to find out whether Mr Russell can really be held responsible fur his acts and telegrams during the period of the epidemic. Hi an! his would be kidnapper would be company for another, and might have interesting arguments as to the comparative filthiness of Auckland and Wellington.

The Zew Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company's sales for next week include stock sales at Tuakau and Pukekohe on Monday and Tuesday respectively, and a cleariDgsale on Thursday at Mr F. A. Moore's farm at Alfriston. For particulars see advt.

We understand that the official report is that close upon 80 deaths have occurred from influenza amongst the natives at the various settlements on the Waikato River between Mercer and the, Waikato Heads. A military doctor and a native nurse have recently been attending the sufferers and the disease is now well in hand.

An alteration has been made in the matter of the administration of the country courts. Mr F. K. Hunt S.M. is still to preside at the Pukekohe, Mercer, and Waiuku Courts, but Mr J. W. Poynton, the newlyappointed S.M. to assist in the Auckland district, will take over the control of the Otahuhu, Papakura and Onehunga Courts, That potato-growing under favour- j able circumstances is a profitable industry is the experience this season of Mr J. H. Webb, Pukekohe Hill. His crop of early " spuds" has been such that from a patch of three- j quarters of an acre he has secured a | return of £l4B 2s 3d, based on market prices ranging from £3l to £l6 per ton, the yield having been j 7 tons 13 cwt. In addition to the list of Govern- j ment grants for works which appear on page 4 of this issue, it should be j mentioned that the sum of £6OO has been ie-voted for the erection of a police station at Tuakau, and £IOO and £7OO for postal buildings at Buckland and Manurewa respectively. Out of £15,000 voted last year for the Waiuku branch railway, £10,734 was spent, and a further expenditure of £15,000 is now authorised. Some alarming reports have recently been in circulation as to the health of Mr W. Goodfellow, the Managing Director of the Waikato Co-operative Dairy Company, Ltd., and it was even freely reported that his death had occurred. We are therefore glad to be able to state that Mr Goodfellow, although he was for some time absent from duty as an influenza invalid, has now recovered and is once more active in controlling his Company's destinies. Country tales to be conducted next week by Messrs Alfred Buckland and Sons Ltd. include a clearing sale on behalf of Mr W. McNally on his farm at Pukekohe on Monday, a stock sale at Clevedon also on Monday, and a horse sale at Pukekohe on Wednesday. The same firm will also submit to public auction on Friday at their land sale rooms in Auckland a farm of 407J acres situated at Pokeno, the property of the late Mr J. J. Clark. For particulars of the various sales see advts. in this issue A volunteer worker who has been attending to influenza patients in the country districts of Masterton, informed a reporter that a simple precaution ho suggested had been attended with wonderful results. Every infected home he visited he insisted on the occupants boiling bluegum leaves and letting the steam permeate every room. This not only acted as a tonic, but as a deadly disinfectant. The Tuakau butter factory is once again in operation, sufficient of the Waikato' Co-operative Dairy Company's staff at that institution having recovered from the influenza scourge to enable the manufacture of butter to be resumed. The Waikato Company's suppliers do not hesitate to express their appreciation of the truly co-operative spirit shewn by the N.Z Dairy Association officials, and more particularly by Mr W. Y. Kirkman, the manager of the Association's factory at Pukekohe, in coming to their rescu# in the emergency, by consenting to deal with the cream that in the ordinary course of things was destined for Tuakau. It is testimony to the efficiency of the Association's arrangements that not one can of cream was lost during the temporary arrangements, and further that the double output at the Pukekohe factory was carried through without a hitch. This was enabled to be done thanks to local farmers voluntarily coming forward to take the place of the Association's regular employees, who were indisposed. To give some idea of what extra work was entailed at the Pukekohe factory, it is interesting to mention that approximately fifty tons of cream were handled there last Monday, equivalent to an output of nearly twenty tons of butter in the one day. At the final sitting of the First Auckland Military Board on Tuesday, Mr F. J. Burgess S.M. presiding, Miss Mary K. Hutchings made application, on behalf of her brother, Corporal A. J. Hutchings. It was stated that the mother and father, both of whom were at present in ill-health, had been endeavouring to carry on their 20 acre farm at Pukekohe West for two years, but the services of the son were now necessary. Miss Hutchings gave evidence and said her brother left with the 20th Reinforcements and owing to a loss of the first finger of his left hand had been debarred from going on active service in France. He had been retained in Sling Camp. He was, however, quite fit for farm-work, which recently he was doing near Sling Camp. She considered that he would be batter at home, helping her people. Another brother had given his life in action in France The Board pointed out that the position of affairs had undergone a great change since the application was originally lodged and it was therefore preferable that the order of precedence to men returning should left to the authorities. The Chairman said he thought it would only be a matter of months, and the man would be home in any case. Why let your music books, pieces etc., remain untidy or 4 orn when tne same can be rebound or repaired at the "Times'' office. All orancnes of book-binding undertaken.