LOCAL AND GENERAL

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXII, Issue 4639, 13 May 1938, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

According to an announcement in a recent issue of the "Raglan Chronicle," that paper, which has been in existence for about 35 years, will cease publication on May 26.

The combined King Country Rugby League team journeyed to Taneatua to play the Bay of Plenty on Saturday last. The game was fast and interesting, and resulted in a win for the home team by two points, 21 to 19. The visiting team were in the lead with the score at 19—16 until the last minute of the game, when the Bay of Plenty scored a try and converted it.

The importance of the railways to the coal-mining industry was referred to recently by the Minister of Railways (the Hon. D. G. Sullivan). He said the coal used by the railways for the financial year ended March 31 reached, the record total of 511,850 tons, and that the Department used over 20 per cent, of all the coal mined in the Dominion. In the year ended March 31, 1937, a total of 1,606,227 tons of native coal was carried by the railways, exclusive of that required for the Department's use, and the quantity conveyed during the current year would probably be considerably higher. Another fact of interest was that only New Zealand coal was used by the railways, which had imported no coal since 1931.

The registration of motor vehicles and the payment of the emergency income charge and levy fall due this month. To avoid the congestion and delay that inevitably occur toward the end of the month, the public are strongly advised to deal with these matters as soon as possible. Not only would this greatly assist the Post Office officials, but it would save people unnecessary delay and inconvenience.

An urgent appeal for two more doctors to be sent to China from New Zealand was received by the joint council of the Order of St. John and the New Zealand Red Cross Society, in a cablegram signed by Dr. R. Gray and sent to the council from Hankow. It read: "Send two doctors, urgent." The secretary of the Far East Relief Fund Committee, Mr. C. Meachen, said that applications for volunteers from the medical profession who were willing to go to China were to be called immediately.

Cries of "Hear, hear" greeted a suggestion by Mr. Josef S. Zaba, guest of honour at the luncheon of the Christchurch Rotary Club, that young Czechoslovakian farmers should come to New Zealand and settle on the land, states the "Star-Sun." "A lot of our young farmers are going to South America to settle, and it struck me it would be a good idea if they came out to New Zealand," said Mr. Zaba. "They are a good type, hard workers, and don't grumble. Your high standard of living and high wages would certainly be a big inducement. We naturally want to settle our young men in places where they will be most benefited, and where they will be best received."

The exceptionally dry summer and the absence of snow on the heights near the Homer tunnel has enabled work on the tunnel-driving contract to proceed longer than was anticipated, and it has not yet been necessary to consider withdrawing the men from the tunnel for the winter, states the "Press." The district engineer of the Public Works Department (Mr. W. G. Pearce), who visited the tunnel last week, said that there was still practically no snow in the Hollyford district and there was no immediate danger of avalanches. At this time last year the snow was very deep on the peaks, and last week the anniversary of the second fatal avalanche at the tunnel mouth occurred.