COUNTRY NEWS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 190, 13 August 1928, Page 19

COUNTRY NEWS.

ROTORUA.

At the meeting of tile Rotorua County Council it was decided to strike a geueral rate of 1/11 l-6d in the £, and o-Sd special rate for the redemption of loans. l'his means a redaction of 3-16 d in the a as against last year. NETHERTON. The election of the newly-constituted Nethertou Drainage Board, set down by the returning ofßcer for August lt>. has been cancelled, as the necessary procedure cannot be completed prior to that date. Ten candidates have been nominated for the five vacancies, and an election will be held at a later date. TE AROHA. At the annual meeting of St. David's Presbyterian Church the following committee wag elected : Messrs. H. Harris, W. C. Kennedy, H. Jewis, 3. Loughlan, W. McCullay, F. Schell, R. Woodroofe, V". Hamilton, Currie. and W. Williams. The local branch of the St. John Ambulance Association will benefit to the extent of £120 as the result of the recent citizensball, organised by Mesdames Wilcox and J a com o. i TAIHAPE. r A three-geater car driven bv Mr. Len. Floyd, of Wainui, crashed into a concrete bridge spanning the Moawhango River, on Wednesday. The driver was trying to avoid striking a dog, which crossed the path of the car. The bridge is at a difficult angle, and spans a river which runs about 150 ft below. Had the accident not occurred on the bridge the car would have been precipitated over the precipice. Mr. Fiord escaped serious injury, but the car was damaged extensively. TE PUKE. Mr. A. S. Boyd, commissioner for the Bay of Plenty district In connection with the Boy Scouts movement, with Mr. I). P. Lloyd, who has been scoutmaster in Tauranga for a uu-nber of years, visited Te Puke on Wednesday. Mr. Boyd explained the movement to several interested parents and outlined its workings. It was decided after some discussion, that a public meeting be held at an early date to appoint a cllsens' committee with a view to inacguratir.g a troop of Boy Scours in Te Puke. FAEKOA. The thirtieth annual meeting of the Haurakl Agricultural and Pastoral Association was held on Wednesday. The profit for the year was £51 10/, and the balance of assets over liabilities was £162 4/10. Officers for the ensuing vear were elected as f Ilows:—Patron, Mr. A. M. Samuel. M.P. ; president, Mr. P. R Hubbard ; viee-presidpnts. Messrs. G. Buchanan. A. J. Andrews, D. G. M«Millan and B E Veale : auditor. Mr. S. . Allen : secretary. Mr. Edwin Edwards. Executive and general committee were also I HAURAKI. At the first meeting of the newlv-formed Hauraki Plains West Drainage Board. Mr. C. W. Parfitt was unanimously elected chairman. It was decided that the engineer to the Lands Drainage Depart- j ment be recommended to instal flood-gates I at Hopai, Piplroa, and at the bend in the I road near Miles' holding. The Ramerame I roadside drains were stated to be the board's greategt problem. It was resolved to inform the Lands Drainage Department that flooding bad been caused by water crossing Pouarua Road, and to ask that steps be taken to prevent a recurrence. The Public Works Department advised that a free grant of £250 for work on the Waitakaruru Morrinsville Road had been recommended for favourable consideration. The clerk, Mr. E. A. Mahoney, reported that the Local Government Loans Board had sanctioned the raising of loans for £5000 (N'gatea riding), £5000 (Patetonga riding), and £900 (Ngatealpua Road), a: | interest at 5J per cent. OTOROHAN G A. At the monthly* meeting of the Chamber of Commerce a letter was received from the Auckland Education Board stating that a grant bad been made for an additional classroom on the new site, and that the architect had been instructed to call tenders and have the work completed, along with the four new class rooms now being erected. This will enable the whole consolidated school to be accommodated in one building on the new six-acre site.

Inquiries made by the chamber show that considerable work is being done by public works relief men on the Orahiri Road, where 30 men were recently drafted. This road provides the shortest route going south to the Waitomo Caves, and effects a saving of over three miles, besides avoiding two railway crossings. The road between Otorobanga and Kawhia requires two and a-half miles to be metalled, and this work Is being completed before Christmas, and will then give a metalled surface over the 39 miles from Otorohanga to Kawhia. Fifty farmers attended a meeting yesterday, when Mr. A. E. Robinson, secretary of the Auckland Provincial Farmers' Union, appealed for more support and a larger membership for the union; pointing to the loss of 13,500 land workers in the past four' years, and the drop in assessable incomes from 25 per cent in 1916, to a little over 4 per cent In 1927, as factors in the critical position of the farmir.g industry. Any increase in production, he said, had been brought about with fewer men on the land and with herd-testing and manuring. The results of the music examinations under the London Academy of Music t;how that four Otorohanga pupilß, Lilian Quinlan, Ngalre Alexander, Gladys Wade and Phyllis Rhodes, gained gold medals in their respective classes. Miss Rhodes also passed for her licentiate. Lan Black, nlso of Otorohanga, secured 100 per cent of marks, the highest in New Zealand. Jack Briggs passed with honours, and Phillip Phillips passed. Miss J. McGettigan was their teacher.

At the Town Board meeting the plans of a gallery in the Town Hall and of additions comprising a supper-room and PHinket Society's rest room, were adopted, and it was decided to make application for permission to raise a loan of £2200 for th« purpose of building them.

HAETjEr. At the monthly meeting of the Raetihi Borough Council, the secretary of the Druids' lodge advised that the question of providing an out-patients' department at the Raetihi Puhlic Hospital had been considered by the lodge, and it had been resolved to approach the Wanganui Hospital Board, aud the co-operation of the council was solicited. —The meeting decided to support the Druids' proposal. It was resolved that in the event of legislation being passed authorising councils to Institute daylight saving, a public meeting be called to discuss the matter.

The Marine Department, in amending the regulations for trout fishing in the Waimarino acclimatisation district, has made an error in regard to the price to be charged by the Waimarino Society lor week-end fishing licenses. Wnen the Society made application for permission to grant week-end licenses it stipulated the price at 5/-, whereas the price has been gazetted at 2/6.

A meeting of the Anglican Ladies' Guild was held on Thursday, the Rev. J. H. Datson presiding. There were also present.— Mesdames Green, May, Moorman, Heine. Gibson, Gibbins. Brown and Miss Harris. After the business of the meeting was conclid'd, matters in connection with the forthcoming rose and carnation show were dlfleusaed and certain arrangements made. During the afternoon a dainty afternoon tea was provided by Mrs. Gibbins. There was a large attendance at the Waimarino Golf Club's ball, <faeld in the Driuds' Hall on Friday evening. The function was a brilliant affair. The arrangements in connection with the supper room were carried ouf by Mesdames Murray, Feltham, Wylds, Pearson, and Misses M. Campbell and A. C. Campbell. The floral decorations were arranged by Mrs. Blacklock. Mrs. Pearson, and Miss I. Gower. Messrs. P. C. Murray and A. E. Urwin were in charge of the floor arrangements. The music provided by the Peerless Orchestra added much to the success of the evening.

TE AWAUUTU. Mr. D. S. McCarthy, a popular member of the local staff of the Union Bank of Australia, was farewelled by his fellow officers and presented with a fountain pen as a mark of esteem. Mr. McCarthy, who is resigning from the hank's service, is succeeded by >lr. Thompson, of Wairoa.

A large and representative gathering of residents assembled to bid farewell to Mr. and Mrs. Oldham and Mr. and Mrs. Lines, oil the eve of their departure from the district. On behalf of the Anglican Church, of which bodv Mr. and Mrs. Oldham are members, Mr. Trill asked Mrs. Oldham to accept a handsome crystal fruit bowl and a vase from the church members, as an appreciation of her services as organist. Mr. Trill also expresses the cHurcn's deep gratitude to Mr. Oldham for his generous gift of a beautiful corner section. On behalf of the district, Mr. 5?. C. B. Macky presented Mr. Oldham with a case of pipes and a silver-mounted walking stick. Mr. Oldham thanked the donors for their gifts. On behalf of the creamery suppliers and the hockey and tennis clubs, Mr. Macky asked Mr. Lines to accept a beautiful writing desk and cabinet, and to Mrs. Lines he presented a silver cake standard and crystal fruit bowl. Mr. Lines thanked rne people for their gifts, and especially for the kind sentiments expressed

TATJHANGA. The Harbour Board adopted the following resolution : "That this board, although of the opinion that sufficient data has not been made available by means of water floats, weather drifts, etc.. but now having: the a>surance of the medical officer of health that the proposals of the borough council regarding a sewage outfall to discharge into the Waikareao estuary will not be a cause of nuisance, will offer no objection to this proposal in the meantime, provided the borough council will give the harbour board a guarantee that if the result of such outfall should at any timp. in the opinion of the board, prove to be in any way detrimental, the council will, on receipt of notice to that effect, and within a period of one year abate the nuisance by constructing a more suitable outfall or providing other means of abating the nuisance as may be mutually agreed on; and provided that the council agrees to enter into an agreement with the board embodying the foregoing conditions. and any other additional conditions which the board may consider necessary to safeguard its own interests and tile interests of the general public."

The district engineer of railways, Auckland. advised that the department was prepared to build a footway on the Waikareao railway bridge, for the us-e of pedestrians only, provided the borough and county councils were prepared to pay the estimated cost, £Sf>o. The council decided to reply that it was not prepared to meet the cost as set out in the letter.

The engineer (Mr. F. A. Stevens) reported to the County Council that plans were being prepared for the new bridges on the Tauranga-Waihi lioad. It was decided that plans be prepared for tne reconstruction of the Pongakawa Bridge, and that application be made to the Minister of Public Works for a subsidy on the cost of one bridge. The chairman will interview adjacent local bodies with a view to one health inspector acting for all three bodies. The council decided to communicate with the Valuer-General protesting against delay in folding the fitting or the Assessment Court. The Public Trust Office advised payment of £661 of the Greertou special rating area loan. The Public Works Department intimated that il(K>. £l for £1, has been authorised for expenaiture on the old Tauranga Koad, Waihi Plains.