COUNTRY NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9254, 7 January 1889, Page 3

COUNTRY NEWS.

4, [from odk own correspondents,] Hamilton, Saturday. A meeting was held last night at LeQuesne'a Hall to consider the dismissal of Mr. D. Lees from the office of poundkeeper, ranger and dog registrar by the Borough Council. About 20 persons were present. Mr. C. J. W. Barton was voted to the chair. Mr. Lees made a statement of his case, and on the motion of Messrs. W. A. Graham and T. Kelly a motion was carried, "That the Council be requested to allow Mr. Lees to be heard at the Council, and be given a reason for his dismissal." / , The month's religious revival services, held during December, though it somewhat raised the collections at the time, has unhappily done little to put St. Peter's financial aitairs on a sounder basis. There are no funds from which to pay the clergyman's last month stipend, and other debts are pressing. The weekly offertory collection needed to meet current expenses now that the retrenched scale of expenditure has come into operation is about £5 Gs, or £276 10s for the year. On the five Sundays of last month, even with the revival attractions, the average takings were only £4 10s 2d. These matters are only of interest as showing the working °, ufc T° ™ le s y st ? m °f abolition of pew rents. bt. Peter's, having adopted the experiment, m commemoration of the visit of the English missicners some two years ago. The result will serve as a warning to other churches. At the Kirikiriroa Board, yesterday, the j engineer, Mr. T. G. Sandes, drew attention to the state of two bridges in the district which needed immediate attention, the one at Hinton's Gully, where the decking requires entirely replacing, the other known as Martin's Bridge, on the road leading from the Hukunui Road towards the Waikato Land Association's estate, which is unsafe, and almost needs to be replaced. Owing to there not being a full quorum of the Board, no business could be done. The question of putting the bridges of the country districts into repair is a very serious and necessary one at this season of the year, when very shortly the heavy travelling machinery for threshing will commence its round of the district. The compensation for injured machinery through the breaking-down of a bridge, might easily cost more than the erection of a new one. Tamahere, Saturday. A most enjoyable picnic, got up chiefly for the amusement of school children, was held here under the willows in Mr. C. Dey's paddocks, near the Narrows, on New Year's Day, and followed in the evening with a dance for their elders in the schoolroom. The children had saved the cost of cleaning out the school during the year, and a sum of £4 was subscribed by the residents_to_be competed for in jarizes at various picnic' "vcSl etc at tne N»w Year's-Day's Wheeler, the ct&h^™ a lβ?* o P u by Mr. mittee, who was ably IS., 0 * * he School Comout by Mr. R. Salmon, Mi?",," 1 carrying it others, and by those ladies whW'H'.^ s , and vided ample refreshments for young'ai?!P ro " The children appeared, to enjoy themselVk: immensely, and New Year's Day 1889 will be for months looked back to as a red-letter day in their calendar. Cambridge, Saturday. It was reported yesterday that a large totara bush at Waotu, containing nearly 2000 acres of this valuable timber, was on fire, which nothing but a fall of rain, so much needed throughout the district, can save. • Paterangi, Saturday. Messrs. N. T. Maunder and R. Millar, who were appointed to audit the affairs of the Paterangi Cheese Company for the year 1888-87, sent in their report to a meeting of milk suppliers held on Thursday last. Mr. ' Macky occupied the chair. The report stated that the books were in a very unsatisfactory condition, showing that no accounts had been kept until wanted for audit, and are not even now correct, owing to the irregular mode of keeping them, while they are to a very large extent, unsupported by vouchers. No account of the number of cheeses made is recorded, ;. so that there is no means of tallying that number with the number of cheeses sold. In allocating the debt among milk suppliers (suppliers had been drawing a larger sum for their milk month by month than the sale of cheeses afterwards warranted) the report recommended that the following method be adopted:—"ln the first place we have calculated the net proceeds per gallon of the whole season's business, and credited each, supplier with his share, as no advance had been obtained from the bank. We have then taken the whole amount of bank accommodation, plus interest to September last, and distributed it over the whole supply of milk up to the date when you ceased to apply to the bank, in proportion to each supplier's quantity. The difference between the two is undoubtedly the true amount each, milk supplier should refund." The report goes on to snow that the net profit pur gallon made on the milk (the Factory Company 13 a co-operative one) was only eight-tenths of a penny, still further reduced to one halfpenny per gallon, owing to accumulation of interest on bank overdraft, so that as the suppliers drew 3d per gallon, the refund will be a heavy one, and they are responsible both individually and collectively for the amount due, some £200. The balance-sheet and report were adopted by the meeting. Mr. Millar, declining the office of secretary, to collect the money due, stating, that he had already spent too much time over the company's affairs, the position was offered to Mr. F. Germann, ana accepted,, —