COUNTRY NEWS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 183, 1 August 1908, Page 8

COUNTRY NEWS.

: WAIHi. 1 (By Telegraph.— Own Correspondent.) WAIHI, Friday. i Mr Manning, coach proprietor, sustained . the loss of a valuable horse this evening, ' the animal having suddenly dropped dead s in Main-street, whilst being driven to the , train. At the Primitive Methodist Church last . night a valedictory social was accorded to ' Mrs and Miss MeCarthney, who are on the ■ eve of their departure for Te Aroha. Dur--1 sng the evening Mrs MeCarthney was preI sented with a silver mounted biscuit barre!, and Miss MeCarthney with two hand- '■ sornely bound volumes of music. The pre- > sentations were made on behalf of the ■ church by the Rev. Woollaxall. The fire alarm rang out this evening, but 1 the fire was confined within a chimney at the Wa'hi Hotel. 1 A rather sudden death occurred at the | hospital between 12.30 and 1 this afternoon. ' Mr R. Hunt, a well known carpenter and ', builder, having suddenly expired. Death is , supposed to be due to heart failure. An inquest is to be held. Deceased was 53 years of age, and leaves a widow and family ' of boys and girls to mourn their loss. '• At the Police Court to-day, Alexander H. . Calder was charged with taking 93 clay fire , bricks, valued at 12/. the property of the . Waihl Company. Accused, whilst admitting , the fact of taking the bricks, denied erirni- • nal intent, being under the impression from what he had heard, that the company did not require them. The bricks iv question, he thought, were abandoned, otherwise he would never have touched them. Mr Barry, superintendent, said that he did not wish to press the charge. A fine of £1 was imposed. PASBOA. PAEROA, this day. On Thursday afternoon a meeting of the Oliiuemuri County Council was held. Mr A. C. JBellingham asked for a footpath on the roud off Thames-road. The matter was left with the engineer. A letter from i Mr. H. McDonald, asking for repairs to the I footpath from the Waihi Company's bridge Ito the railway, was left with the engineer I for attention. Cr. Strange complained that ! one of the contractors had defied the engiI neer when instructed not to cart over a road (luring wet weather. It was resolved to demand an explanation and payment of £2 15/, cost of repairs to the road. It was resolved to call tenders for a bridge over the Ohinemuri River at Waitawheta crossing. Several other matters were referred to the engineer for report. At a meeting of the Iti.ver Eoard it was resolved to ask the County Council to c.ill i tenders for removal of willows in the ' Ohinemuri and Waihou Rivers, and also I that Mr. Ncpean Kenny, late county clerk. be appointed to classify land ou a gradu- ! ated scale. A tender for the supply of hay from Hubbard Bros, at £4 15/ per ton was accepted. Word wna received in Paeroa yesterday that Mr. Roy Quick, of the Post and Tele- ' graph Department, is to be transferred to 1 Glsborne. He is to be replaced by Mr. Miller, who has been out of the Department for some time, but re-appoiuted to this office. WAIHI. WAIHI, Friday. Mr R. Rli'Chie. a carpeuior employed in the Grand Junction mine, had his fingers crushed nn Wednesdny. A meeting of the Kinance Committee of the Borough Council was held on Wednesrecommeuded for payment:—General, £85 1/7: Water. £100 0/10: sanitary. £79 G/10; pus, £22n 11/0; abattoir. £23 ISA'S; recreation, £11 of); total, £1300 5/10: district ftind account £2(1,130 1/5: total. £-'1,400 0/5. Gold duty outstanding. £17tU 18/. At the fortnightly meeting of the Loyal Waihi Lodge 1.0.0. F. very favourable reports were received as to the position of the lndge. It was announced that Auckland district officers would visit Walklno lodge next lodge night, and a cordial invitation was extended to Wnihi members to attend. The position of secretary to the Waikino branch of the Miners' Union is to be contested on Saturday, the candidates for office being Messrs C. Powell and J. McOormaek. The fire prevention council of the Waihl Borough has agreed to recommend to the Borough Council thnt an electric system of fire ulnrra be installed, the Telegraph Department having intimated its willingness to connect various parts of the borough with nine alarm boxes, nt all estimated cost not to exceed £145. The maintenance of sump Wiis ostiiuot<m] *it £I'J per a uduid. WAIHI MINERS" VNION. The annual meeting of the Wallii Miners' Union was held on Wednesday night. The balance-sheet showed a credit of £322 !). 4. The principal items on the credit side were as follows:—Contributions. £1220 19/: building levy (including £27 from Waiklnol, £311 0/; hall rent, £'.)(> 1/6; fatal accident levy (2>, £70 IS/: Blackball levy (Including £10 from Waikinoi. £201 3/; benevolent fund annual sports, £45 :s/3; total receipts (including balances from last year of £251 4/5), £2337 "/S. On the expenditure side the chief items were:—Accident pay. £03;'.; Waikluo building account, £2n2 7/11: secretary's salary. £156: fatal accidents, £75: delegates nnd travelling expenses, £5S 16/ D; Blackball Union. £115: total expenditure. f2OU 13,4. showed an estimated excess of assets over liabilities of £1616 18/8. It was agreed to hold n special meeting on the 15th August to deal with certain recommendations from the Canterbury fell-moiia-crs - Association, that Legislature be asked to provide a standard wage for the workers of the Dominion. A proposition to vote £10 towards the hakers - strike fund at Wellington was ear I ried. It was resolved that it be a recom niendation to the incoming executive that £31)6 be put aside on fixed deposit for a building fund. The following political pint form was adopted, in view of the coming election-—(1) To oppose unreasonable consolidation or lenses. (21 to secure the six hours' shift for miners in places where the temperature exceeds SO degrees, (3) to secure the lißht to put on check Welshmen as in the Coal Mines Act. (41 a royalty in gold for a miners' sick and accident fund. (5) the minimum rate of wages to be paid to all workers underground, (6) statutory rate of wages and hours of labour for miners. (7i unionists. Mr Dnve Johnson moved. "That this union ask the co-operation of the Thames Miners' Union to try and get some conditions iv the Gold Mining Act. as In the Coal Mining Act. relating to gold duty for sirk and accident pay." This was seconded by Mr Cotter, and carried. The president moved. "That a committee be set up to discuss the Arbitration Amendment Bill, and report to a special meetinc" This wns seconded hy Mr lufrram. and cartied. The following committee were appointed: The President and Messrs Davies, Johnston. Glllct. and Ingram. In view of the election on Saturday. Mr Armstrong tptesldenti gave a brief address reviewing the work of the past year. A vote of thanks to the outgoing committee was carried. It was nlsn agreed to Increase the salary of the secretary (Mr J. Scanlon). WAIHI BOROUGH COUNCIL. At a meeting of the Borough Council last night a grant of £10 was made towards the Salvation Army Band Fund. An application was made by the Waihi Band to hold sacred concerts after church hours, but as a regulation is on the books prohibiting Sunday entertainments, notice of motion to d»al with the matter is necessary. It was decided to assist the Railway League in securing a vote for the East Coast railway. Intimation was received from the Post-office Department that a savings bank centre had been established at Wnihi and that money could be withdrawn ou demand. It was resolved that an' effort be made to get n mail delivery over counter between 7 and 8 p.m. A big discussion ensued over the proposition of Mr Clnrk that borouch works be done by contract, but the motion was lo3t by one vote, five voting for and six against. It was agreed to proceed with the erection of swimming baths forthwith.