LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Northern Advocate, 6 May 1914, Page 7

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Sir Joseph Ward, leader of the Opposition, is.expected to deliver a political address in Whangarei in about three weeks' time.

The shoot for Mr II Bray's trophy, which was to have been held by the Whangarei Gun Club to-morrow at Kamo Springs, has been postponed owing to the reason that at present the majority of the members are away from "• the district shooting.

The Weather Bureau reports:—The indications are for land and sea breezes, but easterly moderate prevailing. There n a prospect of fine "weather, days bright and nights cold. Barometer shows little movement. Sea smooth; tides moderate.

Messrs Williams and Woods have just completed the following sales:— Mr Muiiro's farm, Maunu Valley, 215 acres; Mr Williams', farm, Hora Hora,. 294 acres; Mr Ruddell's house, shop, and two sections, Maunu Road; Mr Woods'private property, consisting of a house and two acres of land, Nell Street; and two sections in Dundonald Street.

The Whangarei Senior Cadets will parade at the 'drill hall to-morrow at 2 p.m., when the uniform which arrived by the Kanieri this morning will be distributed. The boys will then march to the High School ground to go through review drill. Next Tuesday the cadets (leave for Auckland for the inspection /parade which is to be held/there.

.■ The compilation and printing of the ) Marsden electoral and supplementary / rolls have now been completed., A total of 1607' persons have been struck off for the usual reasons —dead, left district, etc. x It is interesting to.point out that \vhen the Premier recently spoke at Warkworth an elector complained that the Marsden roll had not baen purged. Such, however,'was, not the case, and the statement was obviously made.in error. A number of improvements are about to be carried out at the Whangarei Magistrate's Court. It is proposed to build a room for the Magistrate at the ' rear of the present building, and to make some internal arrangements so that the room which is at present used by the inspector of factories may be used for a witnesses' room. The,proposed improvements are very necessary, bat nothing short of a new building' will meet the growing requirements of the town.

Pheasants are not very numerous this .year in the Maungaturoto district, which has long had the reputation of being one of the finest shooting districts' in the North. A fair number of sports-

"i en have arrived in the district ddring the last few, days, but their bags have not been as large as those in previous years. .At Maungaturoto at the end of l:i3t week, the Hon. Mr Hcrdman, who i-; <a keen sportsman, did a little bird footing. He and his party bagged «. fair number of pheasants, which were in splendid condition. Mr G.- Alban King, observer, reports as follows: —The rainfall at the Aponga station for April totalled 3.52 in., the heaviest fall occurring on the 26th, when .76in. was recorded. The winds were generally light and from a . northerly direction, .and .the days were Warm and close. On the 26th and'27th . thunderstorms passed, which lowered the' temperature, the thermometer registering at 9 a.m. on the 28th 52deg. Fahr., the lowest reading for the month. The month was exceptionally good from a settler's point of view, as the country shows growth;, which compares -.favourably with any autumn for the past four years. , • ■ -To any one who had not visited ■ Hikurangi for some months, that progressive township would present some very unfamiliar sights just now. Over fifty meni under the direction of Mr Metcalfe, are busily engaged in breaking up the streets, laying watermains, and (as one resident puts it) "playing the dickens in general." 1 However, it is all to a good end. Hikurangi, once upon a time dependent on tanks, springs, creeks, and other less ideal sources of water supply, will shortly have one of the best systems; in the North. For the first time, water was turned on in the principal mains, yesterday, and it re-r fleets great credit on the engineer and foremen' that there was notn-a single "blow-out"'br misadventure of any sort.'