WAIKATO DISTRICT NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6832, 10 October 1883, Page 5

WAIKATO DISTRICT NEWS.

[moil OTJR OWN COEBESPONDENTS.]

Hamilton, Tuesday. A meeting of the Waikato Cheese Factory directors was held last night, but with the exception of instructing their solicitor to sne for the amounts of Nos. 1, 2, and 3 back calls, the business waa of a purely routine nature.

The architect of the Education Board returned from Raglan yesterday, and left for town this morning. The new school-house at Raglan is now nearly completed. Since fine weather has set in, the road between Hamilton and Raglan is fairly passable for wheeled traffic. The worst portion is a half mile on the to? of the range on the Waipa side, which for about £20 could be put in a passable state for summer traffic; and as there is plenty of metal close by on the top of the hill, could be permanently made for about £200. There are two other bad places farther on towards Raglan, but these could be made fairly good for the summer at the cost of a few days' labour. The work should be taken in band at once, or, as the fine weather fairly sets in, the stream of traffic will be diverted to other watering places. , What immigration has taken place to the colony of late does not appear to have affected the labour market. The truth is, the more plentiful the labour, the greater the scope of work entered upon by reclaimers of land and settlers generally. As an instance in point of the scarcity of labour in this district, the advertisement in to-day's Hekald, of Mr. Coates, for forty meH at 9s 6d per day, may be referred to. After considerable delay in application, the Borough Council received a telegraphic order yesterday from Wellington, for the money borrowed under the Roads and Bridges Construction Act, for O'Neill's culvert.

' NgabtjawAhia, Thursday. A painful accident occurred with firearmß here, on Sunday afternoon. A lad named Hutt, in the employment of Mr. Davis, storekeeper, was cocking a revolver, when one of the charges exploded and lodged the bullet in the base of the forefinger of the left hand. Mr. Laing tried for nearly half-an-hour to extract it, having enlarged the wound for the purpose, but without success, and then sent the lad on horseback to Dr. Carey's residence, near Hamilton. Dr. Carey found' that.it could not be removed through the original wound, and had to cut down upon it. The ball had been a conical ore, but was so impacted in the bone and battered that'it could only be extracted with the greatest difficulty. The patient bore it pluckily, and rode back pleased to think that the bullet instead of being in his hand was in his pocket.

OnAtrpo, Tuesday. The building for the Ruknhia Cheese Factory is now quite completed, and the large vat and some of the machinery have been received. The directors are now waiting for Messrß. Ingram and Co., who' are engaged this week in putting up the new machinery at the Te Awamutu factory, to come and do the same for them. The company will probably be able to receive milk towards the end of the • month, nor considering the season would it have been any advantage to have been ready earlier. At any rate in the new building (the old grand stand), they will have the cheapest, most convenient, and most substantial cheese factory yet erected in Waikato.

The Pukekura Highway Board has called for tenders making of the approaches to the Mystery Creek bridge on their side the stream, and the Hamilton Highway Board have entrusted the work of doing the same on the Hamilton side/which is a light affair compared to the other, to Mr. William Steele, who has engaged to do the work and maintain it for twelve months for the sum of £10. The bridge was much needed for the sake of the cheese factory.

Cambridge, Tuesday. An old offender, W. Ream, was brought before Major Wilson yesterday, charged with_ being illegally on premises, and with begging. He was sentenced to three months' imprisonment for the first offence, and one month on the second charge. ' The anniversary soiree and public meeting in connection with the Wesleyan Church, Cambridge West, will be held to-morrow (Wednesday) evening. A case of supposed suicide has occurred here, but probably the missing man may yet turn up. His name is George Spicer, who has been_ lately employed as book-keeper at the National Hotel, and has been drinking freely ; On Sunday he was found by some acquaintances sleeping on the river bank, near the old wharf, and, lest he should roll over the bank, '/ras taken to the National Hotel. Yesterday morning he got up early and went out, and on being missed Constable Brennan proceeded to the spot where he had' been found on the Sunday. There he found his hat, stick, and pipe, but nothing was to be seen of Spicer. The supposition is he may have fallen over the bank into the river, or 'committed suicide. Attempts to find the body in the river have been made, but fruitlessly.