TOWN AND COUNTRY

Dominion, Volume 16, Issue 178, 16 April 1923, Page 11

TOWN AND COUNTRY

NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE PROVINCES

After’ burning already since the beginning of February, a peat fire in a swamp on the property of the I’ukekohe Technical High Sohool is still smoking (states an exchange).

The Nelson Automobile Association (states the “Nelson Evening Mail”) is offering a reward of £5 for information leading to the conviction of a callous motorist who collided with and badly injured a girl cyclist in Trafalgar Square, Nelson, last Saturday evening, and who proceeded on his way without stopping to assist the girl.

A motor-ear driven by a Riverhead resident, while returning from a dance at Waimauku, near Auckland, with a number of women on a recent evening, went over the side of a bridge into about eight feet of water. Nona of tFe party (states, an exchange) was seriously hurt, a! th ouch even inc ntothes suffered from* tho immersion in the not very clean water.

At the great port of Westport, which has cost some millions to construct and equip, there was not a tangle steamer berthed a few days ago (states the “Westpo’t News”). There must bp something wanting somewhere when such a state of affairs exists. The interest on th? cost of construction has to be paid and every idle, day »rtds interest charges on to working days.

“The New Plymouth harbour is going to take the whole of this district's butter and cheese from its wharves to the markets of the world,” oaid Mr. D. J. Hughes to the “Mania Witness” recently. “I am more optimistic on that point than ever before.”

The exceptional return of 19 tons of onions to the acre has been secured by Mr. Hector Goodwin, Harwell, from a. five-acre field (states an exchange). The nrop was free from blight and presented a good illustration of what intensive farming will do where the soil permits it. The present Drice of onions is low —£3 2s. 6d. par ton—but even at this figure the five acres have yielded a value of £344, or over £6B per acre.

The harbourmaster r.t New Plymouth, speaking to a “News” reporter, said: “I bpiieve, speaking, as a private citizen, that the expansion of trade not only justifies the works in hand, but that before the now wharf is finished we. shall ha ve to. consider the site of another one. Under the pressure of trade New Plymouth must awaken to the r act and keep ahead of shipping requirements.”

Mr. T. Seddon having taken exception to the statement by Mr. Julian Grande that the West Coast was “the most depressing, neglected, and dirtylooking place he had seen in New Zealand,” the latter replied (states an exchange) that he had no intention of belittling the Coast, the object of his comment being rather to rouse the inhabitants to the "possibilities contained in their beautiful surroundings.

While being entrained for Napier on Wednesday two young thoroughbred horses became startled at an engine whistling, and bolted through Masterton (relates the “Daily Times”). One slipped on the frosty asphalt near the New Zealand Clothing Factory corner, and collided wtih the window, breaking a big plate glass pane. The frightened animal then careered r'jng the footpath to near Hoar and Permam’s premises.

It is understood (says the Wairoa “Star”) that a trial survey is now being made from Waikokopu to Gisborne for tho East Coast railway line and a survey party is now camped near Bendall’s property. There should be- something doing one of these fine days, and our ahti-Waikokopu friends will probably wake up and find that the much-abused branch line is nothing less than a main trunk line, and will be one of the most payable lines in New Zealand.

It would bo interesting to know where a letter that has just been returned to a resident of Christchurch has been during the past eight years (says the Christchurch' “Sun”). It was addressed to a member, of the Otago Battalion who was believed to be a prisoner of whr in Turkey, but who was subsequently posted as being l killed in action. The letter bears all the stamps of. the various censors which were familiar during -war time. Despite its long sojourn abroad, it has been returned to the sender in an excellent state.

A Gisbornite has received from abroad fourteen Russian bank notesthe total sum represented being 581,601 roubles (states the “Poverty Bay Herald”). The notes are somewhat like our own bank notes, except of course that the language is different. The largest note is no bigger than the small ten-shilling bank note in circulation here. In pre-war days tho sum mentioned above would have been the eeuivalent to a considerable amount in English currency, but now, of course, the amount it represents is infinitesimal.

The Mangahume correspondent of the Onunake “Times” savs: “While exploring the hush at the base of Mount Egmont, above Clement’s mill. Master Gordon Hansen discovered a human skull lying near a large stump The skull was in a perfect state of preservation, the teeth being intact From all appearances it is the skull of an adult. Although search han been made around the stump and the ground upturned to a considerable depth, no further remains have been discovered.” A bullet had passed through the' skull.

“There’s nothing doing in that connection,” said a member at the meeting of the general committee of th" Masterton A. and P. Association relative to tho report that showmen were desirous of purchasing Mr. C. F. Vollance’s “freak bullock” (states the “Wairarapa Dailv Times”). It was stated that would-be purchasers wer“ prepared to put about £lO down and relv on the proceeds obtained in exhibiting the bullock to pay the balance of the purchase money—a proposal which resulted in “no business.”

The Hou. A. Davey passed through Auckland this week in the Makura. en route to Vancouver, on a combined business and pleasure tour to England and the Continent. Mr. Davev (states an exchange) is an old resident of Queensland, having spent the past forty-two years of his life in the land of his adoption, and the greater part of that time in the North of Queensland. He was for fifteen years a member of the abolished Legislative Council of Queensland, and his long term of office entitled him to retain the title of Honourable, together with some half-dozen other members who had served on tho Legislative Council for more than ten years. Referring to tho prospects of the General Election to be hold in Queensland early in May, Mr. Davey said that there was a good prospect of the present Labour Government being defeated and the National Party getting back to power.

Twelve decrees of frost on Tuesday night gave a seven; shock to the French neans and other later crops of amateur Hardeners, in Masterton (states tho "Ago”). Considering the inclemency of the season since the New Year, gardeners are congratulating themselves that they have got off so well with their late summer vegetables.

The sharp decline in the price of owe mutton at the Ashburton yards the other day must have hit a few farmer-dealers very severely . (says the “Guardian”). For some time a number have been buying up Tape ewes at anything up to SC's, per head and more. A good few of these ewes made their appearance yesterday, in the fat pens, and of the 40 odd lines which were sold not more than a dozen brought over 20s. The nonular price was between 16s. 6d. and 17s. 9d,

A novel and inexpensive method of eradicating the blackberry pest has been adopted with success by a leading native of Rotorua (states an exchange). The procedure is to fence off a small area where clumps of blackberry exist and convert tho enclosure into a piggery. The eradication is carried out bv the pigs, who display a relish for the blackberry roots. The constant rooting provides an effective remedy, and our informant states he was shown a paddock formerly a mass of blackberry that now does not contain a trace of the pest, so effectively have the pigs done their work. When cleaned up a further area is fenced off and the pigs turned in there. . The. system might he tried locally with advantage, where blackberry has obtained a hold.

A saloon passenger who sailed by the mail steamer Makura from Auckland on Tuesday night, boarded the vessel at the last moment in a most undignified manner, to the amusement of the large number of people who watched the steamer’s departure (relates the “Herald”). He had stood on the wharf speaking to friends, until the gangway was lowered and he had to be hoisted on board with a rope tackle. At the first attempt the 'be : lated passenger’s foot caught in the rope and he narrowly escaped being taken up feet first,, He was then lowered ’back to"the wharf and - disentangled. The second attempt was more successful, and when the passenger .• eventually reached the steamer’s deck his. impromptu acrobatic feat was, loudly cheerfcd. by all on board, as well as by the. crowd du the whaff.

“This is a very solemn warning,” said Mr. E. H. Mann, chairman of the Gisborne High School Roarw, at a liieeting of the board as lie read a letter from the .secretary of' the Educa-' tion Department. The. letter was., a circular drawing attention to a. recent decision of the Supremo Court in; a case' in which the Auditor-Gen-eral proceeded against the members of the Wellington. College Board of Governorsij*; for having disbursed two sums of £2O and. £147 10s. without lawful authority, the money having been expended in the'printing, of a special number of the “Wellingtonian,” the oollogc magazine. Judgment was given against the members of. the board, who had been surcharged jointly and, severally with the amounts.- —- The Gisborne members resolved to take tho “solemn warning” to heart.

“On Sunday, the 4th inst., ai 10.30 a.m.,” wrote the borough inspector to tho Takapuna, Council in a letter rqad at 'the ordinary meeting last week (states an exchange), “I found a man basking on Milford Beach with his bathing suit pulled down to his waist, exposing the greater part of his body. I informed him he Was committing a. breaqh of the by-laws, and that he must desist; Twenty minutes after he was in the same position, and had not rearranged his costume, which was a one-piece' costume with a ‘V.’ This is the first opportunity 1 have had of. detecting anyone basking on the beach, in this manner, but I understand it has been a fairly frequent occurrence lately.” .The council decided that tho person alleged to have so offended be prosecuted.

The new road following the Awakino Valley, officially opened by ‘ the Hen. J. G. Coates, Minister for Public Works, recently, has just been traversed by two Auckland motorists (states the Auckland “Herald”). They describe it as. a better thoroughfare than the road, over the Taumatamairo hills, where tho Jewett car was bogged during , the attempt to. lower the speed record between Wellington and Auckland. On the new road there are three bridges, one tunnel, and five gates. Of the 15 miler,,, approximately four are metalled, the remainder of the road comprising mud. Motoring through iust after rain had fallen, the two Aucklanders were compelled to use chains on all four wheels of their car, and to get through the ■ slush, which was up to the axles, most of the travelling had to be <lono on low gear. “Fortunately,” added the returned motorists, “several gangs of men are engaged in metalling this road, and by the end of the year this work may be completed. Then we will have a good road, exoellently graded, running down a beautiful river valley.

For the year ending March 31, 1923, the European rates struck over the Raglan ’ County amounted to £17,776 10s. 6d., and up to March 31, £17,467 Is. 6d. has been collected, leaving a balance of £299 9s- outstanding. This amount (states the Auckland “Herald”)* is owing by some 27 ratepayers only. During the year over £27,000 has been expended in various works. Some 11 miles of new metalling has been completed, about 46 miles of clay roads widened and reformed, and 16 bridges cither newly erected or rebuilt. In no year has such a. great volume of work been carried out. The cost of tho engineer’s department is under 4 per cent, on the actual amount expended on the various road works. At the end of the year a sum of £5740 stood to tho credit of the county fund account, and balances to the amount of £27,800 to the various loan accounts. Various new loans for road metalling and formation purposes aro now being 'raised, and the coming year should see further progress.

The question of encouraging the tourist traffic to Lake Monowai by permitting private enterprise to provide a launch ~pn the lake was discussed at a recent meeting of tho Southland Electric Power Board, when a letter from Messrs. Murrell Bros., of Manapouri, was under consideration (says tho “Southland Times”). The chairman pointed out that the road to the lake put down by the board for its own use was very lightly constructed and if the motor traffic was unduly increased it would mean. that the board would have to face additional expenditure to possibly widen the road and maintain it. Several, members suggested that the provision of a toll gate near the board’s office at tho lake might ensure sufficient revenue to meet any additional expenditure’incurred na a result of allowing vehicular traffic to use the board’s road. . However no definite decision was arrived at on the matter, as it is proposed to allow it to remain in abevance for the present.