Province and Suburb

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 478, 6 October 1928, Page 12

Province and Suburb

STRAWBERRIES AT NORTHCOTE

The spell of fine weather during the week has been greatly appreciated by local strawberry growers, and full advantage has been taken of it in finalising the weeding of the beds. In most cases plants are now ready for mulching. The plants have stood the recent heavy rains without suffering any great check. So far the disease, “root-rot,” which affected the plants last season, has not appeared and growers are trusting that it has disappeared as mysteriously as it came. The majority of plantations are situated at the northern and western boundaries of the borough, and a careful computation fixes the number of plants under cultivation as 500,000. The advent of Hie strawberry season at Northcote is being eagerly looked forward to by the juvenile pickers engaged, the financial returns being their uppermost thoughts at present.

HOWICK SHORT OF MONEY

With six months to go before the rates come in, and only £37 to its credit, the Howick Town Board finds itself in an awkward position. In view of the unsatisfactory position, it has been deemed necessary to suspend all general work pending an investigation of the situation. The board will discuss the situation at its next meeting.

MAUNGATUROTO GORGE ROAD

Supervised by Mr. (Jr. Kerr, who created a Dominion record in road construction, on the 17-mile stretch between Donnelly’s Crossing and Waimamaku, the reconstruction of the road through the Maungaturoto Gorge is proceeding ahead of the estimate. All sharp corners are being cut out, the road widened and steep grades eliminated by deviations and fillings, and the whole 10 miles metalled.

There will be four bridges of a permanent character built of steel and concrete and the steel girders are already on the sites. The borings for the piles were completed last week. Contrary to the popular conception of relief x works every one of the men on the job' is earning more than the relief rates of pay and many of the single men earn as much as 17s a day instead of 9s. It is expected that the work will be finished within six months and there will then be an unbroken metalled road from Maungaturoto to Whangarei, a distance of 40 miles.

MORRINSVILLE NOTES

The engineer of the Thames Valle Electric-Power Board states that tl. Piakoiti Road has been surveyed for ; new 11,000-volt extension line, and won on the erection of the latter should commence in a few days. Rapid progress is being maintained with the erection of additions to the Morrinsville High School buildings. Difficulty has been experienced in reaching foundations for several of the piers in connection with a large concrete block of shops to be erected in Thames Street for Mr. E. Jones, of Hamilton. The builders have encountered the bed of an old creek, which formerly ran down Studholme Street and across Thames Street. The excavations have had to be carried to a considerable depth before a firm bottom was reached. * * * Mr. Ben Young, for several years greenkeeper at Taumarunui, has been appointed greenkeeper for the Morrinsville Bowling and Croquet Clubs. There were over sixty applicants for the position. WAIHI’S SOUND FINANCES Reference was made to the satisfactory condition of the borough’s finance by the Mayor, Mr. W. M. Wallnutt, at Thursday evening’s meeting of the Waihi Borough Council, when the town clerk and borough treasurer, Mr. E. C. Westbury, presented his report for the first six months of the financial year. The Mayor stated that this was the first time in many years that the borough had had a surplus in hand, and complimented the town clerk and heads of departments on the changed condition, but at the same time advised them to stiff use caution in the outlay of public money. The treasurer’s report showed a credit balance of £1,383, whereas the year was commenced with a debit balance of £9OO. Excellent work is being carried out by the Waihi Beautification and Tree Conservation Society on the slopes of Martha Hill in upper Seddon Street with a view to converting this area into a public park. Valuable aid has been rendered by the Waihi Gold Mining Company, both labour and material having been generously given, and the Borough Council has decided to assist the work, the opinion being expressed that the park will eventually be a credit and an asset to the town. The area already possesses valuable native trees and shrubs which will be preserved.

FEILDING STOCK SALE SHARP DECLINE IN PRICES Press Association FEILDING, Friday. A sharp decline in prices of fat sheep and fat cattle was a feature of the stock sale to-day, when heavy yardings were offered. Rates for fat sheep were down probably 2s 6d a head on last week’s prices, and many lines were passed in. Prices were:— Fat sheep: Blackface hoggets, 27s to 30s; especially prime, 435; woolly hoggets, 35s to 395; ewes, shorn,, ?3s to 275; woolly ewes, 27s lOd to 375; four-tooth ewes, 33s 3d to 355; woolly wethers, 36s 6d to 42s 9d; shorn wethers, 29s 6d. Stores: Wether hoggets, 30s 5d to 365; ewe hoggets, 35s 5d to 44s 6d; empty ewes, 21s; ewes with 100 per cent, iambs, 455. There was a heavy yarding of fat cattle and rates were down £2 a head. Fat bullocks, two and four years, made £l2 8s to £l3 6s; Shorthorn heifers, £6 to £8 10s; Shorthorn maiden heifers, £l3 12s 6d; other heifers, £5 15s to £6; cows, £5 15s to £11; steers, to £l2 10s; yearling steers, £6 Is; empty forward cows, £6 to £7 15s; bullocks, £l3. Dairy stock: Heifers, £l2 to £l4 15s; inferior, £8 to £9 15s; good cows, £l3; inferior, £10; yearlings, Jersey bulls, 19|gns. and 22gns.; two-year grade bulls, £6 2s 6d to £9 ss. MARKETING KAURI GUM™ (From Our Resident Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Friday. Little of special interest is contained in the Kauri Gum Board’s first annual report presented to Parliament. It states samples of kauri gum are being sent to England for special testing, with a view to the production of a satisfactory cover for airship fabrics. Experiments are being made at the board’s expense in the production of pitch and charcoal from swamp timbers. If such processes are successful they are likely to have a very beneficial effect on the industry. A levy of % per cent, on all kauri gum exported was made from May 1, 1927, and from that date until March 31, 1928, yielded £1,573, after a deduction of 1 per cent, had been made by the Customs Department for collecting the levy.

(From THE SUN’S Correspondents).

TAURANGA HARBOUR BOARD At the Tauranga Harbour Board’s meeting yesterday a letter from the Whangarei Harbour Board was read, stating it was prepared to give every assistance in establishing a regular service for Southern shipping. Messrs. D. Grant and J. G. Green were appointed delegates to attend the annual meeting of the Harbour Boards’ Association to be held in Auckland. The board has had 10 enlarged panel photographs of Tauranga and harbour framed and these are to be sent to the Tourist Publicity Department for distribution.

KAIKOHE AFFAIRS

The meeting of the Kaikohe Chamber of Commerce was held this week. Mr. Guy presided over a large attendance. Railway service and the visit of the “Commerce train” with the party from the Auckland Chamber of Commerce was the principal business of the evening. It was decided to invite the general manager of railways to meet the chamber during his Northern trip next week, when the question of improving the Oti-ria-Okaihau service will *be placed before him. The proposed itinerary of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce party was found not to include the southern portion of the Hokianga and Kaikohe district. It was decided to write asking the Auckland chamber to include these districts in the itinerary if possible.

HAMILTON INTERESTS

The following officers were elected at the annual meeting of the Waikato Winter Show Association yesterday: Patrons, the members of Parliament for Waikato, Raglan, Hamilton, and Rotorua electorates; president, Mr. A. K. Alexander; vice-presidents, Mr. J. Ballard and Mr. G. Clevely; treasurer, Mr. R. English; auditors, Messrs. Sanson and O’Meara; committee, Messrs. W. H. Baker, T. Barford, J. M. Baxter, A. M. Bisley. F. Bullock, D. Bruce, F. H. Claphani, W. E. Clark, H. H. Clark, F. J. A. Currie, F. C. Daniell, A. J. Davison, H. Dixon, D. E. Finlayson, J. R. Fow, T. Hinton, R. J. Johnston, R. Kay, D. G. Meredith. A. E. Missen, T. J. Mitchell, F. H. Pemberton. W. R. Roberts, H. C. Ross, W. Rothwell, W. Runciman, J. B. Sainsbury, G. Sing, J. T. Sharp, D. L. Smith, F. A. Snell, P. T. Snell, C. J. Stark, D. Teddy, J. E. Tidd, J. Treloar, M. Wallace, A. M. Wilson, and A. L. Yule. The five students who have been ac- j

commodated at Bishopscourt, Hamilton, during the last year, and who were studying for their matriculation examinations preparatory to qualifying for the ministry, have dispersed. Bishop Cherrington, who acted as tutor to the students at St. Anselm’s College, a school attached to Bishopscourt, states that he is no longer able to finance the college.

which has already cost him .€2OO. There was very little chance, he said, of getting more help by way of grants for the college, and as General Synod and the Diocesan Synod were not able to help, ho was forced to pause until he had saved some more money. The unsuitability of a marquee in which to hold pedigree stock sales was stressed by the president of the Waikato A. and

V. Association, Mr. W. J. McKee, at a meeting of the executive yesterday. Mr McKee said that during the combined breeders’ sale on the association’s grounds, at Claudelands last week the marquee was blown down by strong winds twice and was finally abandoned. A permanent structure was needed In which to conduct the sales. A committee way appointed to consider ways and means ot building a covered-in sale ring.