LOCAL & GENERAL

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume VLI, Issue 3421, 18 December 1935, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL

At the recent pianoforte examinations held in Auckland by the Trinity College of Music, London, Master Tony Steward, of Paeroa was successful in passing with honours, gaining 92 marks.

Holding that there was insufficient evidence, Mr F. H. Levien, S.M., in the Pukekohe Court on Friday dismissed a charge of alleged negligent driving at Bombay on October 11, brought against David William Dudding, of Ngatea (Mr T. N. Holmden).

Advice was received at yesterday’s meeting of the Thames Hospital Board that £4 had been allocated from art unions Nos. 43 and 44 to be applied to the relief of distress generally on Hauraki Plains.

A request from the staff of the Paeroa Hospital to erect a wireless aerial and instal a radio set was received at yesterday’s meeting of the Thames Hospital Board. The matter' was referred to the Paeroa committee, Messrs P. E. Brenan and W. C. Kennedy for their consideration.

In former years the Thames Hospital Board has always granted a sum towards the provision of Christmas cheer in the institutions under its control. At yesterday’s meeting the Board authorised a similar provision to be made this year.

The chairman of the Thames Hospital Board, Mr P. E. Brenan, yesterday extended to members of the Board, the staff and the Press Christmas and New Year greetings. Mr W. C. Kennedy reciprocated the wishes on behalf of the Board members.

William McDuff, of Ngatea, for whom Mr F. E. Hammond appeared, entered a plea of guilty at the Magistrate’s Court, Thames, on Monday to a charge brought by the Hauraki United Drainage Board of cutting a drain to connect with one of the main drains controlled by the Board, and was convicted and ordered to pay costs 33/-. Mr C. J. Garland, appearing for the Board, said this prosecution was part of the first series brought by the Board against settlers, and only a nominal penalty was sought.

At the weekly meeting of the Paeroa Athletic and Cycling Club in the fire station on Monday evening arrangements were made for a working bee on the Paeroa domain on Thursday evening to commence, the preparation of the track for the sports on Anniversary Day, January 29. It was reported that arrangements had been made to secure 15'0 blocks for the chops at 1/- each. As the number was limited it was decided to delete one chop from the programme and to re-arrange the prize money.

Indicating that there are still some people who hoard up money and that Christmas is the one time of the year when they are most likely to broach their hoard, was a transaction effected by a Paeroa businessman on Monday. He sold an article for £9 cash and was paid entirely in trading bank notes. It was on August 1, 1934, that the banks commenced paying out Reserve Bank notes and withholding the trading bank notes. An hotel as big as the Hotel St. George is to be erected on the site opposite the new Wellington railway station by New Zealand Breweries, Ltd. Plans have been completed for a structure in steel and concrete that will cost approximately £lOO,OOO. The building will be seven storeys in height. The following letter has been received by the secretary of the Paeroa Women’s Institute from the DirectorGeneral of the Post and Telegraph Department, Wellington:—The Postmaster, Paeroa, has reported to me that the members of your Institute contributed very largely to the success of the special collection made in Paeroa on the 29th November in connection with the Health Stamp Campaign. The fact that £l6 0s lid was taken at the street stall and that Health Stamps and envelopes to the value of £9 15s were sold reflects most creditably on all concerned, and I shall be glad if you will convey to the members of the Institute my warm appreciation of the assistance they have given to this worthy cause.

The Coromandel Hospital Board owes the ; Thames Hospital Board a sum of £471 15s for treatment of patients from the former’s district, according to a statement made at the latter Board’s meeting on Tuesday by its secretary, Mr G. Tonge. He had written to the Coromandel Board asking for payment of the amount, he said, but had received no acknowledgment. Mr Tonge was authorised to take the steps necessary to recover the amount owing. The popularity of air travel among women was mentioned at the annual meeting of shareholders of East Coast Airways, Ltd., by the chairman of directors, Wing Commander S. GrantDalton. It was an interesting feature of the service, he said, that the number of women passengers was highin fact in the early stages of operation the passengers included a majority of women. There was no doubt travel by air was gaining the confidence of the public, many of the passengers coming from a group which, a few months' ago, scouted the idea of air travel. There was still some who would not leave the ground for any money, but he thought that before the end of the summer even those would be converted.

Mr E. J. Howard, M.P., described a ruling in connection with the election for a parliamentary representative on the board of governors of Canterbury Agricultural College as a ’ piece of gerry-mandering. To gerrymander is to reapportion the political boundaries of a State in such a way as to give one party increased strength. In 1812, while Elbridge Gerry was Governor of Massachusetts, the Democratic legislature, in order to secure an increased representation in the State Senate, rearranged electorates within the State in such a way that the shape of one of the new electorates was peculiarly irregular. This was indicated on a map hanging in a newspaper office. An artist who saw it added to the outline a head, wings and claws, and exclaimed “That will do for a salamander.”