LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 29 December 1924, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The State Forest Service has recently increased the'royalty on rimu and oeech to the Southland sawmillers bv tfd per foot. ‘ The Hon. Gordon Coates predicts that New Zealand with its natural resources would be one of the greatest electrically served countries in the world and the cheapest. At a recent meeting of the Piako .County Council a new Tanger was Appointed. The engineer at the next meeting reported that the pound-keep-er was a live man—-for he had already impounded the Council’s horses. _ The Salvation Army from Patea to Plymouth is holding a monster picnic at Stratford on New Year’s Day, under Major Macaulev. The Hawera corps has during the week-end visited Rainie road and Manaia, where carols were played. When fishing recently at Lake Hawea (Otago), Mr. R. Bretherton and Mr. George Moodiej of Lowburn Ferry, landed on the spot were able to identify them as belonging to that species and, a portion of one of the fish sent to Dunedin was also declared to he an Atlantic salmon by a local expert. ■ This;is the first time that any Atlantic salmon have been taken in the Clutha-river or its lakes . Some anxiety is felt for the safety of a youth, the son of Mr J. Aitkeh, porter at Te Roti railway station. It appears that he went out shooting on Saturday, and failed to put in an appearance for tea on Sunday, hut not, till late that evening was there any' anxiety entertained for his safety. A Star reporter was informed this morning that the lad is. still missing, and a search is being made. At the time of going to press no further information is available. An action greatly appreciated meriting being chronicled was that of Mr Fox, conductor of the Hawera Municipal Band, who at the request of Mrs Wells, of Wanganui, took the band a l° n g to M p Wells’ shop in High street on Christmas Eve and played several items. Mrs' Wells, who is the mother of ,Mr E. W ells > i & 99-J years of age, and not, having heard a band fOr some time made the request to Mr Pox, which he was pleased to accept, to the great delight of the old lady. Ministers of the Crown occasionally receive peculiar requests, but on his recent visit to Ohura, the Hon. J G Coates (Minister of Public Works) received a stranger one than usual when he was approached by a deputation asking that better facilities be provided for th©, carriage of beer over portion of the line under ,the control of the Public Works Department. - .-A- whirlwind struck Westown in-the vicinity of David Street (New Plymouth) o,n Saturday morning. The visitation, which arrived with dramatic suddenness, lifted some- loose iron and sent it whirling across country, while it also levelled a few.iron fences, gates, ©tc., but fortunatelv did not damaero any builidngs.—News. ' In giving some impressions of his recent visit to Auckland, where l:e sat on the commission of iViquiry in regard to the Western Wharf, Mr Cyrus Williams told a Christchurch interviewer, when referring to roading, that while the concrete streets in Auckland were very pleasing to run on, he saw enough to satisfy him that the concrete road could not be treated as a permanent structure and would require an ‘allowance for depreciation like other roads. Experience had not gone far enough yet, however, to enable one to state wliat amount should be* estimated for this. “People need no,t hug themselves in the delusion that once having built a concrete road there is,an end to the matter,” said Mr Williams. The big locomotive which was derailed near Paekakariki by a landslip during the .stonn last week is still lying beside the track, rather perilously near the precipitous descent 7to the beach. There was a rumour some days ago that the Railway Department, fearing that the engine could not be saved, had tipped it over the Dank, but this i*untrue; the Department’s experts hope to be able to- put the big machine on the rails again. Owing, to the small amount of room available and the great weight of the engine—something like 60 tons —the work will not be simple or easy. Owing to the.rush of holiday business the attempt to salva'ge the engine will be deferred to an easier period. Our Mangamingi correspondent writes; —“It is with very great ltgiet that I have to record the death of one of our oldest and most respected settlers, in the person of Mr E. Forrester, which sad event took place early on Christmas morning. His end, although not unexpected, was rather sudden. His surviving widow and family will have the sincerest sympathy of a large number of friends and neighbours in this and other districts. The deceased, who had been in this district about 20 years, originally came from Australia, where, owing to the ravages of drought, he was forced to leave a home he had there for many years. Landing in New Zealand with a large family and with little capital, ' he eventually purchased the property of Mr J. Boddie, which he has held ever since, and although at that time it meant the shouldering of heavy responsibility by his industry and careful management he built behind him one of'the nicest homesteads in the district. The funeral, which took place on Saturday, was largely attended, showing.the esteem in which the deceased was held. When ordering Fluid . Magnesia always specify Sharland’s —the finest on the market. Larger bottle; lower prices.—Ad vt. Barraclough’s Magic Nervine for that aching t ( ooth; 1/6. —Advt.