LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLIV, Issue XLIV, 1 April 1924, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Mataura dairy factory recently sold 100 tons of its February-March output of cheese at Bjd per 1b.f.0.b. The Eketahuna Borough Council is making an experiment with concrete blocks for footpaths, which, if found I successful, will be used to a greater extent in the borough. In the back country in the Waitotara, a visitor stated, the effect of the recent southerly v and the salt spray could be noticed on fruit trees and

hedges fully 18 miles inland. A press telegram from Dunedin says that the drought-has become so serious that Waipori has only one storage lake left. The tram service is being reduced, street lightkig cut out, and the engineer forecast* the possibility of cutting off the power in some sections. The second social evening under the auspices of the Hawera Scottish Society will be held in the Foresters' Hall on Friday evening next at 8 p.m. A first-class programme has been arranged, and members are assured of a

very pleasant evening. The Government has engaged Mr. C. F. Newham as cinematographer to proceed to Milford Sound aboard the s.s. Tutanekai, which vessel will leave the , 'Bluff on ApriJ 2, to obtara a complete picture of the Milford Track, the most famous in the world. The membership of the Wanganui Automobile Association is now in the ■ vicinity of 160. On the principle that union is strength, the Association is making a move to .increase the membership, and it is hoped to bring the

roll up to at least 500. It is probable ' that in the near future branches of the Association will also be formed in some of the smaller centres near Wanganui. i A large boiling mud pool at Wairakei has recently commenced to play as a geyser. It makes a shot every 17 min- ' utes, varying from 10to 20 ft. in height, the column of boiling mud ejected bei ing a striking replica in miniature of j that sent up by the once famous Waimangu geyser. The new geyser is unique, the only others in the district ejecting water only. Very s ®on now the final work will, be done in lowering the Hutt road at the spot vvhere it passes beneath the ' railway bridge, and the way will be I clear for the Wellington City Corpora- I tion to commence its experiments with < the trackless tram which is to be given ' a run between Kaiwarra and Thorndon. I Negotiations as to the cost of the ex- ' perimental vehicle are not yet complete, but should be at finality at an early I date, and then the tram will commence its service.

In a letter dealing with the activities of the Meat Producers' Board received last evening at the meeting of the Matapu branch of the Farmers' Union, it was stated that the arrarigement recently made to deliver single carcases of N.Z. lamb to addresses in Great Britain had. met with very, gratifying results. Some 1200 carcases had been delivered, it being estimated that the prime article was thus introduced to over 7000 people. As the carcases were labelled "New Zealand," the scheme was regarded as a valuable advertising medium, and one which had succeeded in introducing New Zealand, lamb in quarters where it was probably unknown previously. The chief electrician at a paper works at Qrenorlf (France) met with a strange death. He was standing near a transformer in the works...and when he raised his hand to his head, without touching anything whatever, he was struck dead. He is said to have been a. victim of a phenomenon known as "electrio arc." The current was probably exceptionally strong and the transformer in such a position that when the man raised his arm he came within the compass of the "jump" of the current and received the shock. The new valuation of Eltham Borough has been completed, and the reslults will be known shortly (says the Argus). There is a section in the borough that has for a considerable time been valued at over £500, though the owners have long been willing to sell it for less. On this occasion the valuer was aprjroached by one of the owners and offered the section for £200, and was told that if he could find a purchaser for it at a sum beyond £200 he could keep anything he obtained beyond the specified amount. And now the owners axe wondering what the valuation is this time. . With the financial year closing yesterday, the traffic revenue of the New Plymouth borough tramways shows an increase of about £50 upon that for the twelve months which ended on March 31, 1923. In obtaining this figure (says the Herald) the revenue for Monday has been estimated at £70, slightly less than that for Monday of , last week. Up to and including Sunday, March 30, the traffic revenue had ■ totalled £19,215. Adding £70 as the ! estimated income for the closing day of the year (Monday), the total becomes £19,285. For the- previous year it was £19,233, and for the one ended on March 31, 1922, it was £20,510. A warning note relating to the ravage* of the dreaded rinderpest or cattle plague was sounded in a circular trom the Dominion headquarters at last night's meeting of the Matapu branch of the Farmers' Union.' Information was given concerning the enormous losses due to the disease in different countries. In South Africa it had, in 1897-98, resulted in practically the whole of the horned cattle of Cape ?°cX^ ei, ng wi? e<?' out ' no fewer th*n I.dOUjOOO losses being recorded. Though the scourge had been known to science for over 1000 years, it had not invaded Australasia until recently. k In order to prevent zts spread to New Zealand the department of Agriculture had forbidden, until further notice, the importation of animals from Australia, whilst to prevent further spread in Western Australia all cattle within a mile of the infected areas had been slaughtered. This had resulted in the total destruction of many of the finest dairy herds in Western Australia. A correspondent writes as follows:— In his contribution on Monday, "Lest We Forget" deals with the establishment of the Hawera public school, and | J" ot€s an authority for the statement that Colonel Haultain was instrumental in having it erected. At the time of the erection of the school (1875). Provincial Governments were still in existence, and as Colonel Haultain was a member of the General Government, and a Defence Minister at that, it is hardly likely h e would interfere. We have it on record that a tender for the school was accepted by the Patea Fducation Board in 1874,'and as the Abolition of Provinces Act was not passed until October 12, 1875, and did not come into full operation until November 1, 1876, it does not seem reasonable to give the Colonel credit for its foundation. Then, again, the Education Act, providing for free and compulsory education, was not passed vntil 1877. It was after this Act came into operation that the educational institutions of New Zealand came under the control of the General Government. Barraclough "fe Magic Nervine 9sops toothache.—Advt. Woods' Great Peppermint Cure, for coughs ,a»d .colds; never fails. —Advt.

The number of Post Office Savings Bank accounts open in Hawera now totals 2075. Last month 202 accounts were transferred from New Plymouth. The vital statistics for Hawera for the month of March just ended, together with those of the corresponding period of last year in parentheses, are as follow: Births 16 (17), marriages 3 (7), deaths 7 (3). At midnight last night Gonville and Castlecliff officially joined Greater Wanganui. The Gonville Town Board members entertained their staff and members of the Gonville Fire Brigade at a social ♦vening at the Town Hall. The passing of the suburban brigade and the fire control of the suburbs by the Wanganui Fire Brigade was marked as the hour of midnight struck by the ringing of the nrehell.—Chronicle. The Salvation Army Boys' Home at Eltham -is doing a splendid work amongßt boys who are in need of a home. At the present time every bed is full, and only yesterday morning four boys, whose ages ranged from four to ten, were admitted from New Plymouth. Commandant and Mrs Home will be pleased to show visitors over the home any day except Sundays, and will also be pleased to accept donations of old clothes suitable for making up for the boys, or gifts of any description will be thankfully received.