LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Northern Advocate, 14 February 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

To-day is St. Valentine's Day

fc For imbibing too freely in the cup that cheers, Joseph Weston, a second offender, was fined 10s by Mr R. Thompson, at the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning.

Mr Steadman has received a private wire conveying important information in regard to the Borough Council's proposals respecting the Wairua Falls rydro-electric i ower scheme and consequently a special meeting of the Council has been convened for Friday at 11 a.m. to rliscuss the situation.

Mr J. S. Bond, who occupied the position of mayor for four years at Hamilton was tendered a complimentary social by leading business men last night, and a presentation was made on the eve of his leaving on a trip to England. Mr Bond was pre\iously four times mayor of Cambridge.

XUpon the question of starting school early during the summer months being put by vo:e to the children attending the Hora Hora school, the scheme received unanimous approval, and to further prove the popularity of the scheme, children reported *his jpi_rning, that parents, in nearly eveSrySjnsiance, were favorable. Very few case of unpunctuality have been recorded, and the r.uccess o£ the scheme at Hora Hora. is assured.

Plate-layers were put on yesterday by the Railway Department to lay the series of sidings for the Kauri Timber Company, who propose to erect a mill en the site, at Scoria Flat.. The scow Korora discharged a large consignment of rails at Opua for the work last week. About half a mile of railing will be entailed by the work, and lines branchicj off from ten sets of points connected by two lines from the main railway, will be laid down.

A particularly mean theft caused considerable annoyance to many school-children when discovered on the resumption of school last .week. The children i f the Hora Hora school have in a spacious allotment a very creditable garden in which all varieties of vegetables are grown. The vegetables were left in a flourishing condition in December, and last week il was found that a large number of onions had been pulled up, and their stalks left behind.

This morning the Union S.S. Company's Haupiri discharged 1815 sheep i" Onerahi. Oie-third of this number were taken over in Whangarei, while 11:00 will be ;oii\eyed by special train to Otiria this afternoon. The Squall i> due to-morrow morning with a further consignment of 500 sheep. Both vessels took their live cargo in from (iisborne. The majority of the sheep v. ill be offered at Wilson and Wilson's opening sale at Kaikohe on the 27th insl.

Tlie ««ntei-prise of .Messrs Dimock and Company. Ltd.. pig-dealers and I.neon eureiv.. in establishing an agency in the Whangarei district, has i.let with whole hearted support from local producer.. Weighing stations have hecu tmi!( at Wliaiiiai'i : [ikui'allki. Ot tii.i. \\ aipn, and Mangapai, and tiom ihe.e .iiiarters large supplies ot live pi-:-. li.-mc he.mi forwarded to the (ii in -. iiuy.e receiving - houses in AiicUl.uid The fanners and breed- .-!•;. ieeo :ui-.e the advantages gained in being able io .iispit.se of their herds without loss of time, and with little (rouble. The inconvenience of receiving returned condemned pigs is lessened, and the price now being obtained is equal to -1 '_tl per lb, or lV>d letter than that given a year ago, befor Dimock and Co. started business here. Ever., inducement, and encouragement is held out to the farmers of the North to breed pigs, and Unpractical advantages already ohtaine ' speak well for the future of the pigproducing industry in the Whangarei district.

Two quiet weddings took place in Whangarei to-day. Mr Charles Mackesy, youngest son of Mr C. R. Mackesy, was married to Miss Lily Came- * lia Mallindine second daughter of Mr W. H. Mallindine, the ceremony taking place at the residence of the I ride's parents, and Mr J. T. White, of Ngararatunua, was married at Christ Ciiurch to Mb s Maria Jane Cheeseman. The death took place at the Heads on Monday oZ - n olu and esteemed resident in the person of Mr Duncan Stuart, at the advanced age of 71 years. Deceased arrived from Nova Scotia in the early 'sixties, and settled at the Heads, where he became interested in the lime-manufacturing industry. For many years, up till about two years ago, the deceased was manager at J. J. Craig's lime works m the Heads. The late Mr Stuart &.u thrived his wife by only a few weeks. The interment took place to-day. During the first week of school for 1912, the roll number at the Hora Hora school w r as 189, and the average number 171.1. These figures show a slight decrease as compared with the attendance of last year, though this fact seems easy to account for. Twenty- six pupils passed the sixth standard last year, and passed through the school. Settlement at Hora Hora has not thrived in anything like the proportion it has in other parts of the town, and the children) of several large families who have passed through the school have not been replaced. Yesterday the remains were laid to rest in the Kaurihohore cemetery of Maggie, the nine-year-old daughter of Mr and Mrs Jack Dempster, of Opuawhanga. The death of this child, after only a very brief illness, has oeen a bitter blow to the parents, who have been called upon to undergo far more than the averags amount of human adversity, and to whom the general sympathy of the community is offered. The parents desire to thank the many sympathising friends who forwarded floral emblems and ether tokens of commiseration, and who otherwise did 1 \ hat they could to lighten the burden ot sorrow. The increasiag pressure of business at the local railway station has caused the accommodstion in the offices to become too rastricted, and the clerical work to be conducted under uncomfcrtably impeding conditions. A seriously felt requirement will be met when the extension work now proceeding is comt>letei.l. The main building rrd ladies' vaiting room tire being lengthened by 34 feet. A separate and commodious office is being built for the occupation of the foreman of %c workshops. Preparations are under v ay for the building of a refreshment room, extending from the front gate, facing Walton-street, to the northwestern end of the station building. Some time ago Captain Meyers of the Kanieri entered a protest against the action of the Harbor Board in proposing to erect the Busby Head light on the summit of the point, on the grounds that low-dying fogs would obscure the light from the view of mariners when they had brought their vessels within the danger zone. A petition signed by several skippers of Northern S.S. boats, has been subsequently, forwarded to Mr J. McKinnon, secretary of the Harbor Board, requesting the Board to erect the light at an altitude not greater than 40 feet from the sea level. Nothing will be done in the maiter until the nsxt ordinary meeting of the Board as the Engineering Company will not be ready to proceed with the work of erecting the light in the meantime. Rather an amusing incident occurred in connection with the opening of tenders at the Borough Council meeting on Monday. The first letter opened stated that the tenderer to Supply the tin license plates for vehicles wished to reduce an offer already made by him at £4 for 75 plates to £3 18s 3d for the same number. The request was a queer one and somewhat puzzling until the tender from £he opposition sign-writer was read. It was also for £4 and by putting two and two together one could understand why, in the first instance the contract price had been reduced by the large sum of Is 9d. However, the amusing point was that the opposition man's contract was for only 50 plates, and the first mentioned signwriter, who had undertaken to do 75 for the same money, could therefore have saved himself the trpuble of lowering his price to secure the job. A proposal to improve Kensington Park has been approved by the Whangarei A. and P. Association* and yesterday two men were put on, while ethers will be engaged later. The scheme is a rather big one, and when carried out the alterations will greatly enhance the value of the park as a racing track, football ground, and show ground. It is intended to clear away the obstructing bush, and to fill in the many ruts and hollows with soil taken from the hillocks on the property. This work of will be conducted within the inner area of the park. The Association has asked the Borough Council's cooperation in draining the area, but whether this is obtained or not, the Association will systematically drain the Park, -which is often flooded in winter. The stones and boulders which are accumulated in lpvge quantities will be used in the drains. The v ork will be p.ishcd ahead without delay, and thus an important improvement will be rffreled.