COUNTRY NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9714, 9 January 1895, Page 6

COUNTRY NEWS.

[from our own correspondents.] Hamilton, Tuesday. The many friends of the genial and popular Mr. Harry Kerr now in the hospital will be glad to learn that he is making a rapid cure under the skilful cure of Dr. Kenny, who expects that he will be able to leave the hospital, convalescent, some time early next Mr. Adams' concert at the Waikato hospital has been fixed for Friday next, and is being looked forward to with great interest by the patients for whose amusement it has been projected. At the meeting of the Waikato Hospital Board on Thursday last a letter was read from Mr. H. N. Garland, secretary of the Auckland Hospital and Charitable Aid Board stating that an application had been made for admission to the maternity ward Auckland by a young woman giving the name of Mary Ann Cronin, of Huntly, stating that she had arrived in the colony about a year ago from Sydney, and had been in service with an old couple named Smithers at Huutly, who had both died without paying her wages. The secretary to the Waikato Board stated that he had communicated with Constable White at Huntly, who informed him that no such young woman had been kuown in Huntly, and no old couple of the name of Smithers had resided or died there. Ngarcawahia. Tuesday. It will be remembered that a sum of £750 was placed last sesssion on the Estimates for the Waingaro-Ngaruawahia, or, as it is better known by the name of the Firewood Creek Roai\ Of this sum £300 is to be at once expended in five contracts of £60 each on the co-operative principle, and Mr. Cogswell is now engaged in laying the work off. The work should afford a considerable amount of employment fonthe surplus labour of the district, unless thai Government take the not unusual method of porting labour from pet localities. Considering, however, the number of struggling settlers there are in the i district and the boon such a demand for their labour at their own doors would be for them, such a course will not, it is to be hoped, be resorted to. The road will be taken in hand none too soon, and the whole £750 should be expended this summer. Good roads are the great want of the district. Between 100 and 200 bales of wool have been clipped in the district this season, but there is the greatest difficulty in getting it to market. It has to be packed considerable distances in some instances, and even from the best-situated holdings can only be carted on wheeled sled?es, so bad are the tracks to the head of the navigation. What is needed is the completion of the track to Ngaruawahia for which this money is voted, when wool and other produce could be sent direct by railway to Auckland from this place, instead of being left, as is even now the case, lying for a fortnight together at the stores erected by the settlers at the head of the har* bfeur.

Te Awamutu, Tuesday. On Saturday Mr. W. J. Hunter sold at his weekly sale here the privileges, etc., of the Waipa Racing Club's Meeting on Anniversary Day. The grand booth was sold to Mr. H. Lewis for £14, and the gates were passed in at £27, the club having placed a reserve of £35 upon them. Arrangements have been made for an excursion train, the fare being only Ss 6d, from Auckland on the race day, calling at intermediate stations at correspondingly low fares. Alexandra, Tuesday. Mr. E. Aubin, who as your readers are aware was injured on New Year's Day by the bolting and upsetting of the buggy in which he was driving to the polo meeting at Kihikihi, is rapidly becoming convalescent, and will soon be about again. Mrs. Aubin and Miss Aubin, his sister, who were also thrown out ot the buggy, were fortunately only a little shaken and bruised by the accident, but not really hurt.