COUNTRY NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23107, 5 February 1937, Page 12

COUNTRY NEWS

EASTERN southland ] e Mortgagors’ Relief Applications 3 Applications by mortgagors for a r review of their liabilities under the Mortgagors and Lessees Rehabilitation ' Act, 1936, are expected to total 300 ‘ at Gore, this figure being the original r estimate for the whole of Southland. * With practically 1000 applications e lodged at Invercargill and 300 at Gore, *■ the Southland commission, which conj sists of Messrs Eric Russell (chairman), “ R. P. Meek and J. J. Lynch, will have n a very long task ahead of it. Solicitors ‘ have different.opinions concerning the y length of time the disposal of these e cases will occupy, but the most optij mistic estimate appears to he two cases a a day, which promises the commission f rather more than two years’ work. d Requests to Mr Semple J? The Gore Borough Council proposes “ to bring several important matters ’* under the notice of the Minister of Z Public Works (Mr R. Semple) when he visits the district next week. The „ first question is that of electricity „ charges. Prior to the electrical under- „ taking of Southland being taken over by the Government a few months ago. the council was negotiating with the j Power Board for a reduction on the r ; grounds that Mataura consumers were !_ allowed certain concessions not avail- _ able to Gore consumers The issue was - referred to arbitration, Mr F. B. Adams, of Dunedin, being appointed p arbitrator. The matter has been held e up owing to the change-over in con- .. trol to the Public Works Department, J: and the council is anxious to have “ the matter settled. A reduction of a _ halfpenny per unit in lighting charges • and the elimination of meter rents L have already been made since the Government assumed control. The .p council will also request the Minister to expedite the erection of a new .p traffic bridge on the main Dunedin|p Invercargill highway over the Mataura u River at Gore. The present bridge has , r been in use for 40 years, and some time ago engineers of the Public ,t Works Department estimated that its ,g future life was not more than five tf years. Building Trade Active ;o The returns of building permits for Gore reflect the increased prosperity i- of the trade, and there is every indi,e cation that for the financial year end>r ing March 31 next a new record will d be established. The permits for Janur- ary amounted to £6372, bringing the n total for the 10 months to £49,177 t- compared with £39,700 for , the same i- period of the previous year. With two il months to go. the figures are only y £2823 short of the previous record of is £52,000, established in the year il 1929-30. MILTON Personal Miss Veda Russell, the youngest daughter of Mr T. H, Russell, of Milburn, who has been visiting her sister, Dr Mary Russell (formerly of y Christchurch Hospital) in England, is •- returning to New Zealand by the n Arawa, which is due at Wellington, via >f Panama, on February 27. i, Mr Alexander D. Woodhead, who has a been connected with the staff of the is Milton branch of the National Bank of g New Zealand since he joined the bank's service 10 years ago, is under orders 1- to transfer to -the Paparoa branch (85 d miles north-west of Auckland) He will leave for his new appointment as I- second officer on February 15, and will ;- be succeeded by Mr D. C. Piper, from the Gore branch office. o i, Hospital Reports ‘I There are at present 12 patients in the local hospital—seven males and five d females. Four of the inmates are victims of local accidents. Inquiries at the local hospital yesterday afternoon elicited the information that the three victims of the motoring accident on Thursday evening of last week at Caudletown are still inmates at the hospital, and are all progressing favourably towards recovery. The latest report from the doctor yesterday afternoon states that Miss 3 t Phyllis Andrew, the young woman who ie was seriously injured late on Tuesday ■ night through being struck by the en- " gine of the Milton-Roxburgh goods train whilst walking homewards along ; the railway line, had recovered con- ‘ sciousness and her condition was im-

proving, although she was still on the dangerously ill list at the local hospital. The driver of the goods train was totally unaware of the accident until after arrival at Roxburgh next morning, when telephone inquiries were being instituted from Milton. Lawn Tennis After a break since prior to the Christmas holidays, the South Otago Lawn Tennis Association’s fixtures will be resumed to-morrow afternoon, witn matches in all grades for commencement of the second round. The fixtures are:—A Grade: Milton v. Kaitangata, on the latter’s courts; Balclutha a bye. B Grade: Balclutha v. South Otago High School, at Balclutha; Kaitangata v. Clinton, at Clinton; Waiwera v. Stirling, at Stirling; Clydevale a bye. C Grade: Milton 1 v. Tokoiti, at Milton: Milburn v. Lovell’s Flat, at Milton. St. Mary’s defaults to Milton II owing to inability to raise a team. An unofficial game between the Milton Club’s B team and Lawrence will be played on the latter’s courts tomorrow afternoon. LAWRENCE Cricket On Wednesday afternoon at Waitahuna the Lawrence cricket team defeated Waitahuna by 50 runs. Batting first, Waitahuna compiled 78 (A R Bateman 30). Lawrence replied with 128 (A. A. Sloane 49, A. Marslin 34). Bowling for Lawrence, J. Cavanagh secured five wickets for 12 runs, and for Waitahuna D. B. Perriam (four for 56), J. Black (three for 39), and R. Bateman, jun. (three for five) secured the wickets. ALEXANDRA Borough Council The monthly meeting of the Alexandra Borough Council was held on Monday evening, the Mayor (Mr W. Bringans) presiding over Crs W. Hewitt, J. T. Downes, E. Russell, T. G. Thow and A. C. H. Parsons. An application from Miss A. J. Campbell for a reduction in the rental of a borough leasehold section recently sold to her at public auction was declined. The Loans Board and State Advances Corporation wrote inquiring for further information, and plans and specifications of the proposed new houses to be erected.—The information was supplied. Mr H. H. Hull, lessee of the Town Hall, where he screened pictures, wrote concerning the seating accommodation and complaining that the seats were wet before a recent performance commenced. It was decided to inform Mr Hull that the council would have the seats covered in future when it was necessary to remove them from the hall. Messrs J. Percy and F. Varney wrote objecting to a sewerage drain running through their properties.—The clerk was asked to write stating the correct position and endeavour to have the objection lifted. The conditions of carrying out the drainage connections to houses were considered, and the council decided to undertake the work where necessary. Cemetery Maintenance At Monday night’s meeting of the Alexandra Borough Council, Mr W. A. Bodkin, M.P., waited upon the council and asked that consideration be given to a plan he had for taking care of the pioneers’ graves in the local cemetery. Mr Bodkin said he had often been asked if some such scheme could be undertaken. He suggested that the council form a trust fund, and that relatives contribute about £25, the interest of this money to be used by the council in caring for the graves of pioneer families wno had no relatives in the district. Mr Bodkin also suggested that a committee of the council be formed, including a few outside members, to obtain information in .connection with the location of relatives of deceased persons.—The council unanimously supported the suggestion, and the Reserves Committee was asked to represent the council, with the addition of Messrs W. A. Bodkin, C. E. Murphey, and C. E. Richards. Complimentary Social During the week the residents of Earnscleugh tendered to Mr and Mrs Cecil MTntosh a complimentary social on the occasion of their recent marriage. Mr E, J. Iversen (chairman of the Hall Committee) spoke in high terms of the services rendered the district, and the Hall Committee in particular, by Mr MTntosh during the past 15 years, and asked him to accept a cheque from the residents of the district. • Personal Cor. J. Patterson, who has been relieving Constable Sorrell, will leave for Lawrence to-day. Dr Cunningham, of Auckland, accompanied by Mrs and Miss Cunningham, has been spending a holiday in Al6Xsndrs< Messrs J. H. Hinton and W. Gladding, of Dunedin, are at present on a visit to Earnscleugh/ Mrs S. G. Paris, of Dunedin, is at

present the guest of Mrs T, E. Sunderland. Dr John Fulton, who has been acting locum tenens at the Dunstan Hospital, will return to Dunedin xo-mor-row.