DISTRICT NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 October 1918, Page 3

DISTRICT NEWS.

MOKAU. MOKAU HARBOR BOARD MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Harbor Board took place on the 10th hist. Present: Messrs H. Maine, A. G. Sampson, A. XV. Sole, and S. Whitehead (in the chair). Correspondence.—Mr N. G. G. Winkleman, New Plymouth, inquired as to a lease of the iron-sand deposits within the board's jurisdiction.—Applicant referred to the Marine Department. Mr W. T. Jennings, M.P. for the dis-

trict notified the result of his activity among the departments Concerned re the snagging punt. These were to the eliect that the plans first submitted were not considered quite suitable for the projected work, and that the alternative plans submitted would have involved an excessive outlay for the punt alone. Promises were made to assist in the completion of a, suitable design at fhe earliest possible date. —A vote of thanks was accorded Mr Jennings. The Lands and Survey Department, Auckland, forwarded a tracing of the foreshore and native lands in the vicinity of the wharf, showing there was no legal access to the structure. —Opinion of the board's solicitor to be obtained. The resident engineer, Publio Works Department, Stratford, notified he was working in collaboration with Mr Kelly, the board's engineer, in designing a suitable snagging punt, and they hoped in a short time to complete plans and specifications for same. / Captain Jas. A. Bysantson, signalman, applied for a temporary increase of salary or war bonus, owing to the enhanced cost of living due to war conditions.—The board recognised the request as a reasonable one and instructed the secretary to write to the Department of Marine stating the board was willing

to pay its proportion of the increase asked for if the Department would do the same Accounts were passed for payment.

PATRIOTIC COMMITTEE. An impromptu meeting of the above was held on the 30th unltimo., Mr B. Maine presiding. It was unanimously resolved to forward the sum of £l2 to the North Taranaki Patriotio League for allocation as follows:—To the Y.M.C.A. £5, Red Cross £3, Church of England fund £2, Roman Catholic fund £2; GENERAL. Fortnightly patriotic dances are still an institution here, and more than fulfil expectations. At one of these dances held quite recently the committee bad the unique pleasure of accepting a guinea donation from a non-dancer, Mr Charles Raynor. The committee will be pleased (with the assistance of the editor) to make other gentlemen famous on the same terms. As our Salvation Armv friends say, "Who will be the next?"

Mr Mac Donald, wharfinger at Mokau, had Tather an unpleasant experience a couple of weeks or so back. In trying to get a full fledged kawai from under a launch he lost his balance and fell into about ten fet of water. Luckily, he was able to keep afloat, until Mr Victor Sjohmd, tfhe proprietor of the launch, came along in his dinghy and pushed him into a mud bank about a hundred yards from the scene of the accident, from whence lie emerged very wet and ' muddy. Mr Mac Donald's troubles did not end there, however, for no sooner had he gone home and changed than a wire arrived summoning him to Pukckohe, where a relative lay seriously ill. Mr Mac Donald started off for Mahoenui at 0.30 the same night on horseback. Up, and over the renowned Taumata-maire mountain, with torrential rains beating down and hurricanes howling through the tree tops, he, and a trusty mate, Mr Keo Batley (at present in camp) went through waterholes deep enough to drown a horse. over boulders big enough to break his neck should he stumble, over half washed away culverts bridging bottomless pits, till they came to Stoney Creek, which was in 'high flood, the waters and i bouldeTs rushing pell mell from the | mountains at the rate of about 20 miles an hour. It was impossible to cross, so the weary travellers retraced their path for a couple of miles and put in the rest of the night with Mr Ben Loftus, county roadman. At daybreak, however, Mr Mac Donald and Mr Batley negotiated the creek safely, caught the coach at Mahoenui, the mail car at Pio Pio. and the express train at Te Kuiti, and the rest of the journey was plain sailing.

In summer time, trie road over Taumatamaire by motor car must foe little short of a scenic paradise. A most interesting road, with its wealth of native fern, its mile and a half dep gullies, its curiously colored clays, its mountains of marble, and its fragments of sedimentary rock strewn about like the ruins of ancient temples. In summer—a sylvan delight; in winter—a veritable nightmare.

Mr Colin Stewart is at present engaged in erecting a small experimental

foundry on the bank of fee Mokau River, 'there being lime, coal and ironsand all within a short distance. It is his intention to experiment in the smelting of the ironsand, and devise a process whereby the production of iron may bs made commercially payable. More power to him! A strange sight was witnessed a few evenings ago. One of our worthy citizens on horseback, one damsel fore and one aft. slowly wending their way by tlie sad sea waves from Awakino to i Mokau.

In one of Due Taranaki dailies the other day, when a case came before the Appeal Board of a man who claimed exemption on the ground that he was an area ted water manufacturer having clients in Mokau, "a s'mile went round the room." Do the good people of Kew Plymouth think we never drink lemonade in M'okaa? We do. We can't get anything else. Mokau is in the dry area. Can Hew 'Plymouth say tee same?

A sad coincidence occurred in connection with the journey of the Messrs Purdio Bros, of Mahoenui, to Waitara to attend the funeral of their late brother there. While on the home journey they had only pot as far as Tongaporutu when a wire was placed in t'heir hands announcing the death of another brother in f'ranee. It is said misfortunes never come singly, but the Purdies are an old ami respected family, 'and they will have the sympathy of all.