COUNTRY NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9153, 7 September 1888, Page 3

COUNTRY NEWS.

[from our own correspondents. J Huntly, Thursday. It is to be hoped that the prosecution at the Resident Magistrate's Court at Ngaruawahia, on Monday, before Captain Jackson. Resident Magistrate, will have the effect of enabling respectable people to attend Divine service here without interruption and annoyance. Joseph McGlynn was charged with using bad language on the Sunday near the schoolhouse, where church is held, during the time service was going on. The evidence was not complete, and the Magistrate gave the accused the benefit of the doubt, and discharged him with a very severe reprimand and strong caution, inflicting on him the costs of the case, namely, i2. Owing to the strike of the coalminers in Australia and other causes very great activity prevails in our local mines here, and every miner is in full work, adding no little to the prosperity of the township. Large quantities of coal are being taken out of the Waikato Coal and Shipping Company's mine. The shaft of the new mine, purchased recently from Mr. Collins, the Taupiri Extended, is now being put down, and when opened up, this mine will add considerably to the output, as the seam averages between 40 and 50 feet in thickness. The coal obtained from it is of very superior quality. Hamilton, Thursday. Diphtheritic sore throat is somewhat prevalent in Hamilton at the present time. Dr. Kenny has one pronounced case of diphtheria under his hands at the present moment. On Commandant Booth's arrival there will be a complete change in the Salvation Army arrangements. Officers will be replaced at the various stations. Mr. French, travelling for Messrs. A. H. Nathan and Co., while coming over the track from Katikati to Te Aroha yesterday, had a narrow escape from what might have been a serious accident to himself, but which resuited in nothing worse than a mishap to his horse. The track is very bad, and at about ten miles from Te Aroha he was leading his horse, and in endeavouring to get round a tree which lay across the track his horse suddenly plunged, and slid over the edge of the precipice. Mr. French managed, with some difficulty, to disentangle himself from the bridle in time to escape being dragged down with the animal. He sent a Maori on to Te Aroha for assistance to extricate the unfortunate animal, if still alive, and for a horse to bring iiiin on to Waiorongomai, at which place he arrived during the night. Some idea of the state of the road may be gathered from the fact that it took the Maori four and a-half hours to get into Waiorongomai from the scene of the accident. Cambridge, Thursday. The following gentlemen were nominated to-day for the vacant seats in the Borough Council Messrs. Gillett, J. Webber, and James Young. Three being the number required, the gentlemen mentioned were declared duly elected. Whatawhata, Thursday. Settlers who intend to supply milk to the creameries are still dissatisfied, and justly so, with the terms offered as regards extra percentage of cream, namely, one farthing for every two per cent, above the ten per cent, the milk is required to yield at the price of •2id per gallon. At the latter price the creamery gives one farthing per cent, for the cream the milk contains. Why, then, give only one farthing for the extra two percent. ? The fair price would be a halfpenny. Why not give an extra farthing per gallon when the milk goes eleven per cent. ? If a man's milk goes within a traction of twelve per cent., is he to get no more than the man whose milk just yields ten per cent, of cream? This may seem a small matter, but it means a great deal. It means the difference often between profit and loss. It is unfair on the honest milk supplier, and will naturally lead to the adulteration of milk down to the regulation ten per cent, of cream. The milk from some farms and some herds will yield as high as, and higher than 14 per cent, of cream. Is the supplier of milk yielding 14 per cent, to receive a id only instead of Id tor the extra 4 per cent. ? Yet, this is the arrangement as it stands. A dairy supplying 60 gallons of milk daily of that quality would lose 5s per day, or 30s per week. The arrangement is most unjust and one sided. If ten 1 per cents, of cream are worth '24d, or ,|d per 1 per cent., then every 1 per cent, of cream over the standard 10 per cent, is worth id, and this should be given for every full 1 per cent, of cream over the 10, not by jumps of 2 per cent, at a time. In testing, too, care should be taken to heat the milk when tested to the required temperature, stated by Mr. McCallum at 90 degrees, or the result will not be a correct one. Te Kuiti, Thursday. The glory of Te Kuiti is lessening as the work ol railway construction shifts forward, but nevertheless, some little work still remains to be done, and Te Kuiti will always be a flourishing up-country settlement on account of the excellent agricultural lands, its limestone, and its being the headquarters of a considerable Maori population. It is expected that the principal unfinished portion of the railway contract, the viaduct, will be completed by the time the work of construction is finished, and one or two of our storekeepers are making arrangements to close up business about that time. The blue soapy clay, which is the general formation here, is giving some trouble with the cuttings on the lines and also on the roads. There is no getting it to stand at an angle of rest; and the old cutting at Hangatiki. on Coates' contract, which has given so much trouble, is now being faced with limestone. Anderson's utting, between Te Kuiti and Waiteti, is now continually giving way, and will probably have to be treated in the same manner. Rotorua, Thursday. It is perhaps worthy of note that during the Christchurch earthquakes we had not the slightest tremour here. In fact, Rotorua has been quite free from such ever since the eruption, with the exception of two slight ' tremours a long time ago. At Whakarewarewa Mr. C. Malfrov is laying out a number of tracks, and otherwise improving the place. OTAHUHU. Good progress is being made with the renovating of the Otahuhu section of the Great South Road, and from what I can learn it is likely to be made a good job of by putting down a good layer of proper metal, clearing and dressing the channels, &c. I understand that a proposition has been made to borrow the sum ot .£SOO to enable the Board to complete the work in a permanent fashion, and I hope the ratepayers will enquire into this, as in these days of retrenchment that would be ho joke, and we might as well wait a little longer, and until we are able to sing with one accord, "Oh hard times come again no more."—[Own Correspondent.] NEW LYNN. The school committee have had the playground ploughed and about 150 ornamental trees planted, greatly improving the look of the place, In a few years, when the trees grow up,' the school and grounds will form a very pleasing picture. The school being built, should encourage the owners of property in the neighbourhood to come and settle on it, especially as it is so near town. Omnibuses running through daily, give it most of the advantages pertaining to town with none of its disadvantages. Fruitgrowing should pay very well here, and several people have tried it in a small way with very good results.—[Own Correspondent.] WAIUKU. Messrs. A. Buckland and Sons held a large sale of cattle here on Saturday last. There were about 300 head yarded, nearly all of which were sold, fair prices having been obtained, particularly for steers and good graziers. Springers were a shade lower than last sale. Beef sold fairly well. Pigs were scarcely represented, only a very few being yarded. 1 here were a lew tons of potatoes offered, but the greater portion of them were forwarded to Auckland, as the price did not ] (lease the vendors. These monthly sales have now become an established institution, and are looked forward to with a good deal of interest by the settlers here and surrounding districts. There is a considerable amount of wheat being sown in the district this year, and Mr. G. Bennett is kept busy with his Champion drill. I was informed about a week since that he had then sown 70 acres, and he has been kept going, and is likely to be so for some time. .The Hour-mill is in course of erection at Mr. E. Hockin's, Waitangi, adjoining the bucket and tub factory, o this seems a step in the right direction. There is a large amount sent out of the district every year for Hour, and if all goes well the greater part of this outlay will be retained in future. Major Hamlin returned home on Saturday evening by the s.s. Manukau.[Own Correspondent, September 4.J