LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 9, Issue 513, 12 March 1920, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

A social will be held in the Oddfellows' Hall on St. Patrick's night March 17.

The Raglan County Council, at Wednesday's meeting, decided to request the \ ;ilualiun Department t<; make a revaluation of the county. "I think we'll ask to have two seats reserved for the chairman: lie's a big man," remarked Cr. Seavill when the Raglan Council on Wednesday was discussing the Auckland celebrations to the Prince of Wales. The Pukekohe Borough Council has decided to .sinnd up to •!!-> on a banner lo represent J'ukckohe in Auckland during ill \ ; .ii <ii" Hi-; Roya' Highness tlr i':iiv: of Wales. Also, tiie council accepted an invitation from the Auckland i'i;\ Co,:n. i! lo be present at t!:e recepliui.

According 1«. the secretary of the X'gui'oavvaliia Regatta Association, the prospects I'.ii- ihe forthcoming regalia, to !..- held on St. Patrick's Day, Wednesday, March 17. are looking very blight . Entries for the Maori events are coming in satisfactorily both for the aquatic and land competitions, while everything points to there being keen competition in the rowing events.

The Raglan County Council is to forward .1 letter of appreciation to the retiring Minister of Public Works (Hon. W. Fraser). The chairman, in bringing the matter forward on Wednesday, expressed tin • • js'i.ii i: that the Council's i : epi!t;-.ii«>n, which had frotino 111ly approached Mr. Era■ior, had been well received and sympathetically treated by the Minister, ind he thought it would be lining •in tin- Council's part to recognise the considerate treatment meted out. Cr. Otw.iy siijipoited the chairman's remarks on the subject.

Harvest thanksgiving services will be conducted us St.. James's I'rosbyterian Church. Pukekohe, on Sunday, the morning service being taken by the Hew Nit hoi, of Tuakau, and the evening by Mr. K. Allan, of Auckland. At suitable intervals ssicrod solos. i|uartottes. and anthems will be :endered by the choir. Voluntary gifts of IVuit. vegetables, etc.. will be acceptable for exhibition, same in be ultimately forwa'-drd to the Orphans' Home, presided over by Mr. JeH'ries. So wort In an object claims a generous response.

Cr. C. Ot way -Hit up the perennial topic of 'be Rangiriri Hills Road, at the I :• lan Coi.nty meeting (.n Wednesday. n lie • ■.»<j■.i:re«l the route the road v .1-1 lake, wheneve ■ the (iovernnient started to put the stretch of main road there m order The engineer stated that the e was not the slightest doubt in his mind that the route would be kept to the To Kauvvhata side, as the idea was to have a juncti'-n at that place, -striking oil' to ! : ae;- ( ,a. However, this does mean that a commencerheift y<>f the work is near at hand, thougTf*it has been stated that a survey was miwte recently.

The results of weight-guessing competitions at the Franklin A. and P. Show are advertised. Excursion trains are advertised for the Paeroa races, 13th to 17th; and the Ngaruawahia regatta, on the 17th (St. Patrick's Day). "Fourteen shillings a day is low money for a good man, but some are terribly dear at half of it, commented the Raglan County chairman at Wednesday's meeting, when wages were being informally discussed. On Wednesday, March 17, a special train will leave Pukekohe at 8.18 a.m. for the Ngaruawahia regatta, and return specials leaving Ngaruawahia for the return journey at 5.11 p.m. and 5.25 respectively. The Raglan County Council on Wednesday authorised its engineer to pay 14s a day for approved labour. The engineer commented, when the discussion was on, that it was impossible to get good men below that figure. In an advertisement in this issue, Messrs. Gallagher, Howe and Moore intimate that'thev have secured the services of Mr. Murgatroyd, a firstclass motor mechanic, formerly employed by Messrs. Pullan and Armitage of Auckland. Ample evidence of Mr. Murgatroyd's qualifications :s afforded by the class of work he is executing at the present time. The firm also solicits a full share of pati ronage. Most of us mere humans become moist in the eyes when eating raw onions, but the representatives of the proboscidea mamals in Wirths circus have no such aqueous troubles. One of the elephants, being entrained, stretched his powerful but pliable trunk over into another truck and collared a sack full of Pukekohe prime onions. He swallowed the lot and never showed a trace of waterin"' at the eyes. What a costly business it must be to "feed the brutes'! "They are getting £6OO an acre for seaside sections," stated Cr. Rawlinson at the Raglan County meeting on Wednesday, when harbour works at Raglan were under review. As indicating the upward trend of land values at this popular watering resort, it was pointed out that an adjoining section of similar area was quoted at four figures, just following the sale mentioned by Cr. Rawlinson.

About midday to-day there was a little excitement at the west end of King Street. It appears that three horses, each attached to a vehicle, were startled by the noise of a motor cycle engine, which, by the way, must' have been of the ancient type. The animals commenced to career in

all directions, but fortunately were brought to a standstill before any damage was done. Unfortunately one fell on the street, and the harness is a little the worse for its experience.

An increase in salary of £SO per year was granted to the assistant engineer by the Raglan County Council on Wednesday. Cr. Otway recorded his "No" against the motion on the ground, as he expressed it, that he considered notice of motion should be given before the subject caine on for discussion.

Hardly a day passes without a horse "empties out" on Pukekohe's main thoroughfare. King Street. Yesterday one animal came to grief at the corner of King and Edinburgh Streets, and to-day one fell near Perkins'. Unless some method can be devised to obviate the danger, a serious accident will be recorded. If horses are going to fall almost every day in the summer when the surface is soft, what will happen during the winter when the street is hard and slippery? A few months ago the "Times" sent a representative to take a trip over a block of some 11,000 acres of swamp land south of Te Kauwhata, with a view to giving a description of the land and pointing out its suitability for soldier settlement. The article was duly published, and the provincial executive of the Farmers' Union took the matter up with the Minister of Lands, the Hon. I). H. Guthrie, who has replied that the matter is now under consideration. A survey of the area, with the view of determining the practicability of successfully draining it, is at present being made. If the block can be drained without seriously affecting other portions of the district it will be offered for selection by returned soldiers. This journal has a few other land settlement propositions in view, the realisation of which would greatly add to the Dominion's volume of production.