THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. FRIDAY, JULY 8, 1927. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5149, 8 July 1927, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. FRIDAY, JULY 8, 1927. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A young Englishman appeared before Mr W. Marshall. J.P., at the Police Court, Paeroa this morning. The charge of drunkenness in Belmont Road yesterday afternoon was preferred, and also a second charge of casting offensive matter in the stieet. Constable J. McClinchy gave evidence as to the state of the defendant when arrested. On the charge of drunkenness defendant was convicted and discharged, and on the second charge he was convicted and fined £1 10s, and costs 3s, in default three day’s imprisonment at Paeroa.

The work of. forming the new deviation road on the Waitakaruru-Pokeno main highway is almost completed, but it is unlikely that metalling will be commenced until next summer. The unmetalled section of the highway is standing up fairly well to winter traffic, and chains are only necessary on days when rain has fallen.

At the Police Court, Thames, yesterday, N. K. Evans, of Patetonga., was convicted and fined 10s and costs for having in his possession for sale 23 boxes of sporting ammunition without being the holder of a dealer’s license. He pleaded guilty, having neglected to renew his license. At the same sitting Benjamin Coromanddel. a Kerepeehi Maori, was convicted on a charge of representing to the barman of the Kerepeehi Hotel that he was 21 years of age, and of obtain- , ing liquor. The barman, W. Price, and the hotelkeeper, Frank Rogers, were also convicted and fined in con* nection with the offence.

The first of a series of social evenings held in the Centenary Hall on Wednesday evening and under the auspices of the Presbyterian Young Women’s Bible Class proved a success in every way. Games and competitions were enthusiastically entered into by the seventy young people present, and the dainty supper provided drew forth favourable comment. The proceeds of these evenings go towards the. hall fund of the Presbyterian Young Women’s Bible Class.

Among the* remits to be discussed at the forthcomng conference of the Power Boards’ Association is one from a Taranaki board to the effect that authority to cut off consumers on default in payment of accounts, for electricity supplied should be extended to cases of default in payment of any other accounts owing to the board by such consumer. Discussing the matter at Tuesday’s meeting of. the Thames. Valley Electric Power Board, a member asked if the board had not already received authority to cut off power for failure to pay accounts. A smile went round the room when the manager (Mr R. Sprague) replied, "No, but we often do it.”

The Auditor-General has declined to accede to a request made by the Waihi Borough Council for a reduction in tlm fee of £95 charged by the department for auditing the council’s books for the financial years ended March 31, 1925, and March 31 1926,

According to the latest monthly Abstract of Statistics, the total populaion of New’ Zealand at April 1, 1927, was 1.437,980, inclusive of 64,234 Maoris. ' .With the inclusion of its overseas dependencies the Dominion had, in round numbers, a population of one and a half millions, the precise figure being 1,495,134. Since the census of April 20. 1926 ,the increase of population in New Zealand proper lias been 29,841. equal to 2.12 percent. Of this increase approximately 57 per cent. was due to excess of births over deaths, and 43 per cent, to excess of arrivals over departures.

Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure. For Influenza Colds.