OPUNAKE.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 November 1920, Page 7

OPUNAKE.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) At the S.M. Court on Thursday, before Mr. T. A. B. Bailey, S.M., judgment was. given for plaintiffs in the following cases:—T. P. Hughson and Sons v. J5. Hotu, £l9 19s Id, costs .€3; same v. Hanatu, £5 6s-lid, costs £2 6s 6d; same v. E. Hill, £4 12s 9d, costs £1 5s 6d; »ame v. T. Inia, £6 12s, costß £1 6s 6d; same v. Rangi Dick, £lO 16s lid, costs £3 Os lid; same v. D. Bishop, £4 14s Cd, costs £4 2s. ' For refusing to leave licensed premises when ordered by the licensee, and being in possession of drink during the currency of a prohibition order (three charges in all), R. Murphy was fined £1 on each of two charges, D. Cross applied to have P. Walshe bound over to keep the peace for threatening behaviour when in possession of a gun. After a good deal of evidence (the parties concerned are relatives) the Magistrate decided to suspend any decision for six months. Solicitors' fees only were allowed. In the case Joseph Law v. Denham, evidence was taken up to the adjournment. Plaintiff claimed £B3 8s 4d on account of defendant not- fulfilling the conditions of lease of a farm on the Waiteaka road re cleaning out drains and keeping fences in reasonable repair. Evidence for the defence will probably be taken at Eltham or Hawera.

The Egmont County has had the following amounts placed on the Public Works Estimates:—Subsidy for Cape Road, £100; Okahu section of Wireinu road,*£47s; £IOOO on account of bridge over Waiau river at Wan and King's crossing; on account of various sections of Wiremu road, £ISOO. The amounts voted for Wiremu Toad, is passed, will mean that works on that road will need to be vigorously pushed on. Something like £IOOO is already in hand for contracts. Settlers on that particular road will need to interest themselves more than they have been, for the votes will lapse if labor is not available. The County Council is willing to do their part, as is shown by the fact that they have decided to subsidise the Public Works Estimate for day labor. The greatest benefit will accrue to the settlers on the road by the spending of the money. Consequently they should be the most concerned in seeing that contracts are taken up. The Domain Board has spent a few pounds in carpentering work at the grandstand. The Board might have lined and put in a floor in the building and rented the place. It would have helped towards solving the housing problem. The same thing has been done in other places.

The sum of £20,000 has been put on the Public Works Estimates for the Opunake railway. Out of that amount £IO,OOO hag already been spent. The line to Manaia will absorb it all. However, some work is being done towards Auroa, which is an indication that the line will come to Opunake in the sweet by-and bye. Some politicians call it a vigorous railway policy! , The country around Opunake is beautifully green after the recent rains. Feed is coming on so quickly that it will ran to head faster than usual. Butter-fat tests should not be so good as last season, for the substance will not be got out of the feed.

Ihe Town Board lias commenced well the preliminary work of making a road to the site of the Opunake public hospital. Wc hope to see the building commenced shortly. The site overlooking the sea is in the vicinity of the historic military barracks. It should pay the Town Board to build culverts according to the old-time method—with stone The price of cement, and the difficulty of obtaining it should about put concrete pipes out of order with small local bodies where material is handy and plentiful. * r

New potatoes, locally grown, were on sale at local shopkeepers this week The price, 6d per lb, is a bit high for the big family ma n. It i 3 cheap for the ordinary house, when the large amount of waste with old potatoes is taken into consideration. Blight and disease mean discarding half the potatoes. I„ fact there are a lot of foodstuffs on the market that would be condemned if the consumers of the Dominion were as well looked after as the consumers who buv our produce abroad.