WHAREROA.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 25 May 1926, Page 6

WHAREROA.

(From. Our Own Correspondent). THE SEASON. Winter Ims now set in in this locality and the cows are drying oil: fast. It is expected that the local factories will be closed about the .middle of June, and it has been running on alternate, days only for some time past. Some farmers arc already feeding hay to the herds, and probably most will be doing so next month. A considerable amount of top-dressing pastures withi fertilizers has been done locally this .season, many believing that an autumn application shows better .results than drilling in the spring. Much', of course, depends upon tne variety of the stimulant used. MANAWAPOU ROAD. There is a strong feeling among local ratepayers over the state of the Manu~ wapou Road, which the County Council expressly promised to attend to “before tlie winter.” The condition of this mad front JVloAlpine’s Lane southwards is a positive disgrace to the council, whose own lorry traffic has been mainly responsible- for cutting it up. The barring of the sides of the road to wheel traffic was also an arbitrary act, which was taken all too calmly by users of the road, who are entitled to passage over the full English chain. As there is again talk of the council putting the road in order, we can only wait to see what the -coining weeks will bring forth, as it is evidently a waste of time, deputationising. RAILWAY STOCK-YARDS.

There was a rumour recently that it had been decided to erect the railway stock-yards at Whareroa, when the removal- from tlie present site at Hawera is decided on. Whareroa. would probably be quite as handy as Turuturu Road for the purpose, and there is 'already a considerable reserve alongside the station here oil which to erect the yards and necessary buildings. It would probably be necessary, however, to take some of the adjacent land to supplement tlie existing reserved area, if the project were decided on. In that case, it is deemed to he .necessary to open up a road alongside the railway line on the eastern side to connect with the Main South Road near Lovell’s crossing. FARM SALES.

The recent sale of a small farm here at £74 per acre demonstrates that investors are fully satisfied with freehold investments in dairy lands at current prices. This is the second sale in our immediate neighbourhood lately, and in the latter case it is understood that a substantial advance on the purchase price has been offered to the successful bidder since the sale. The general impression is that .prices are now down to bedrock pre-war rates, and -to buyers with a fair amount of capital to. command there is a good 15 per cent, per annual obtainable on local lands bought at current prices. DANGEROUS GROSSINGS.

The decision to eliminate the dangerous railway crossing over the South Road will be welcome news to all local residents who go to town by that route. Many years ago the writer outlined in the Star <an idea for making this crossing safe for road traffic, and it will be interesting to watch whether the suggestions then conveyed will be acted upon. Incidentally, I may mention that for over a quarter of a century I have advocated the cutting out of the two Level crossings at the Waverley racecourse, and it is a pleasure to notice that this work hasi a.t last been accomplished. Other dangerous crossings which might be. eliminated without excessive. cost are thfo.se at the Normanby railway .station, at Alokoia, and at St. John’s Hill, Wanganui; in each case taking the road traffic under the nails. I do not profess to be an engineer, but these possibilities of improvement in transit seem patent even to the layman. In Canada, by the way, level crossings ar e , made comparatively foolproof by means of falling spars, released by the on-coming train and .springing vertically back after its passage; but whether the device would be. feasible here is a question. Canadian whisky is not so strong as those supplied here!