COUNTRY NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9720, 16 January 1895, Page 6

COUNTRY NEWS.

[FROM OCR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

Hamilton, Tuesday. Ax adjourned meeting of the Borough Council will be held this evening to consider the application made by Mr. Atkinson on behalf of the projected gas company for permission to open the streets for the laying of pipes on certain conditions, before the Act to enable them to do so shall have been obtained, thus saving unnecessary delay. The Borough Council would have granted permission at once but had doubted their ability to do so. They have now ascertained their power to do so, and will to-night grant the request. The projected company are having the necessary plant made ready in Auckland, and are prepared to make a start on the ground here at once, and to erect the buildings in Clarence-street, Hamilton West. A start will soon be made on the repairs of the traffic bridge over the Waikato, and in converting the land spans into a solid embankment. The Government having given £400 towards the work, have had to be consulted about the plans, and hence the delay. The last delay has been caused by » their wanting to know why the sides of the embankment were not faced with stone or brick to guard against the effect of floods, and the engineer had to provide plans to show that the embankment was above flood mark, even that of the great flood in December, 1575. The papers are expected up from the Government to-day, and if so tenders will be called for by the Council at its meeting tonight. Mr. T. G. Sandes estimates the work will take four months to complete, but as has been already stated, that it will not have to be closed for traffic for a single hour. The first stone building erected in Waikato was commenced in Hood-street, Hamilton West, for Mr. J. R. E. Hatrick on Saturday, and yesterday the walls were np above the foundations. The building is 42 feet by 24 feet, two storeyed.the basement to be opened as a drapers store by Mr. Hatrick, and the upper floor used by him as a dwelling. The building stone is limestone brought from Te Kuiti, and the lime used is Waikato lime manufactured by Mr. W. Cannell, who is employed as foreman of the men engaged on the work, who numbered some eight or nine yesterday. Carters are busy carrying the stone up from the Frankton station, to which place fifteen truck loads, or about seventy-five tons were sent down from Te Kuiti on Saturday. Mr. Hatrick is his own architect, but the work is being carried out under the general supervision of Mr. T. G. Sandes. The limestone being in the form of slabs, requires little or no trimming, and though in pieces of various sizes, is easily worked up, and with quick despatch. Mr. Sandes estimates the cost as quite as cheap, or cheaper, than brick, and cheaper than kauri. The building is being erected between Mrs. Muir's dressmaking shop aud Monkman's blacksmith's smithy, nearly opposite the Bank of New Zealand. At the rate the stone is being built the containing walls of the building will soon be erected. Messrs. L. D. Nathan and Co. have purchased from Messrs. Ehrenfried Bros, the opposite corner to that occupied by Mrs. Crowley's refreshment rooms on the Frankton Road, outside the railway station gates, and intend to make it the site of their new hotel, instead of that at first proposed. It is not only more convenient to the station, but on the direct line of general traffic. Te Awamutu, Tuesday. The Town Board has accepted the tender of Mr. Howard, £470, for the erection of the new Town Hall. The other six were as follow H. Warr, £515; W. J. Cameron, £595; Wrigley and Matthews, £580 17s; C. T. Ricket, £581 : John Davis, £625; Lovett and Payne, £629. At a meeting of the Town Board, held a few days since, it was unaniI mously resolved to go to a poll of the inhabitants for leave to borrow a sum of £200 for the purpose of supplementing the money in hand for the building. The,money can be borrowed at a low rate, and it need not be feared that a rate will ever have to be struck to repay either principal or interest, as the rent of the Hall will, it is expected, meet debentures issued at five years, and leave a sufficient margin for all expenses in connection with the maintenance, etc., of the hall. Kihikihi, Tuesday. The missing man Sautleman, who suddenly disappeared from here one morning about a fortuight ago, leaving all his personal effects behind him, and who by so doing gave rise to most alarming and wild reports has, it seems, turned up all right at Cambridge. '.■'..., The return cricket match between the Kihikihi and Te Awamutu Cricket Clubs came off here on Saturday afternoon, and resulted in favour of the latter. The success of the Te Awamutu team on this occasion was largely due to the splendid playing of Hampton, who is a first-class all-round man. Waitoa, Tuesday. Messrs. McNicol and Co. held a large and successful sale of cattle and sheep here on Friday last. The following prices were realised : Eighteen-months-old heifers, £2 3s 6d to £2 5s ; yearling steers, £2 7s 6d to £2 12s ; yearling heifers, £1 17s 6d to £2; forward three-year-old steers, £5 6s ; weaned calves, £1 7s to £1 14s 6d ; fat cows, £4 5s to £5 6s ; fat heifers, £3 153 to £4 ss; fat steers, £6 6s to £7 : fat wethers, 83 to 10s lOd ; fat ewes, 7s to 9s ; fat lambs, 63 to 6s lOd ; fullmouthed store ewes, 2s to 2s 6d. Favourable reports have been made by the pi lice on the condition of the ■ several slaughterhouses within the county by Constable Wild for Waitoa and Te Aroha, and by Constable Brennan for Patetereand Matamata, <ind licenses for the ensuing year have been issued to Messrs. Wood, Batt, and Roberts (Te Aroha), Marshall (Morrinsville), Rose (Oxford), S. Kelly and Thomas (Wahoroa), and Rowe ( Waihou). : ' !