The Ohinemuri Gazette. AND UPPER THAMES WARDEN WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 1903. Local and General.

Ohinemuri Gazette, Volume XIII, Issue 1083, 1 April 1903, Page 2

The Ohinemuri Gazette. AND UPPER THAMES WARDEN WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 1903. Local and General.

The County Council, moots at two o'clock to-morrow afternoon. '

Mr W. Thomson, contractor, advertises for a few men for road work on the Kaimanawa Eoad.

An alarm of fire was given i a Paeroa- tin Monday ■ evening about nine o'clock; 1 the burning building proving to be a barn at the racecourse, farm. Lieutenant Casley and a

couple of other members of the Eire Brigade turned out, but as there was no water laid on,.they could not extinguish the flames; However, they managed to confine the fire to thi building in which it originated. Tho building contained a quantity of hay and farm implements, and was'owned by Messrs Francis and Hennah. Tho damage was ove £100.

- Mr James Bishop, of Komata, advertises notice of an application imuleby him for a lease,' under '-The Mining Districts • Laud Occupation Act, 1894;"-. > ■

The Bradford Memorial Fountain Which is" to be .erected on Kakaipo hill in the Paeroa Domain, "arrived in Auckland by tho Westralia on the 30th March, from Italy. • Messrs F. Harris and Co., who have the contract, for its erection, expect to have. £t oreeted in about three weeks' time, when it should form a handsome and valuable addition to the Domain, It is probable that later on there will be- some public ceremony in connection with the erection.

Upon the occasion of his leaving Paeroa to take~ charge of a .country school, Mr Goosman was on ..Monday last the recipient of a handsome pair of gold sleeve links as a momento of his stay, in the school and a mark of the esteem in which he is held by Hie teaching staff. Mr Goosman also received a very complimentary testimonial from the Paeroa School Committee. He l< jft for Waiomio on Monday evening, ami the vacancy .caused'by his removal has been fillod by Miss A. J, Fawcjtt, oH To Aroha.

' Sometime ago tlu< Q-ov.oi'ii'Uviit called in all the Martirii-KnlLeld iiiies in the hands of tho volunteer force and issued Magazine. Lee-Eiifields iv their stead. Months u.!'fcerwar;la the volunteer corps wore astoni; hed to find that heavy-charges had buen made against them for damages to those recalled rifles through neglect,,- Owing to the long period that had elapsed bo^tveen the return of tho rifles to sUjiu and the'claims'for diimagos it was an impossibility to,say whore tho noglect occurred and protests wore made against the charges from all parts of the colonies. The Government have now intimated that; the claim for damages will be withdrawn.; ;

'For laying water on to . the Waihi Hospital, the tender of Mr Hutchison, at £219 10s, has been accepted.

A monster sunfiawor plant is on view at G-oro. It, stands 14ft high, and trie bloom has a diameter of Ism.

The -warm weather of late, following the cold damp summer, appears to have deceived at least one wattle tree in Timaru (says the Herald). It is .breaking out into bloom again, as if it wore spring. , ■ ■ :■

A number of .Now South Wales agriculturists who are now in New Zealand express their .admiration of the crops they have seen in the South Island. The prospects there exceed their best expectations.

Saturday last, was llio forty-third anniversary of tlio buttle of Waireka, the -first action fought by colonial troops, many of : 'whoui were under twenty years •of age. Tliey were under command of the lute Sir! any Atkinson (then Captain Atkinson). Their behaviour elicited;the a>Jmir-

ntion of the whole colony, as -well-as of the Imperial troops, they l»eing the fivst under fire und the lant toleave.the field.

The following is an extract from the "Yorkshire Daily Ghroniclo " of 'the 16th January, of a speech delivi evcd by Mr J. L. Wanklyu, X.'! y, at. the* Bradford Century Club dinner : — " finally lie earno to a man of world ■ wide renown, Mr Reddon,. qoranionly k:iown as 'King Dick.' - He ■ knew My Seddon very, well; lie bore aiuoxtiaordinary physical resemblance to Mr Fovster. "*Wo)V he .had invited I ]Vi r Seddon to attend the annual dinner of the Chamber, but it was suggested that he should be-accompanied by.Sir Gordon bpsigg. Mr Seddon, however, told him that Sir Gordon was a man who had sold his" birthright for a mess of pottage, (Laughter). But, further,' there was a aec? tion of the -Chamber who did not up-. prove-of Mr tSeddon because he had • told them a homo truth. Ho was constrained—Eadic'al, Liberal, Socialist, as he was-Vto rise and say 'chat if parties here at Homo had shown decent self-restraint, aud reserved their criticisms until the conclusion of the war, those reiuforcem.onts which the little" island was a's]kqd for. would never havo been.wanted. Mr Meddon, in spite of the action of tl»p Bradford Chamber of- Commercfe, remained one oi the greatest ineu of ourtime.'^

Irj the eourso of /Ins spoach at tho opening of the Feilding exhibition, the Premior said it was plain to him that we ivero wasting thousands of pounds year after year where, with appliauces. machinery and ex pert : knowledge, fanners' wives, with their orchards, could easily mako fivo per cent profit m* tho total, value of the farm. ■ Every favaiGr's wife or family could do. all that was necessary. Tl;oy did not -renuiro factories at all. Espor(s could go round and toach t lie people how to do; the work. New Zealand was importing; -.fruit' U) the value of £-10,0011 or '£;30,000 each year from Germany awi America which could very well be grown hero.

The following is a gem clipped from -a Magistrate's Coiu-t reporc in a West Coast exchange:— '• Police v. R. Jackson. Drankc-miegp. ''Defendant a-lmitted the charge, and Implored his Worship for the love ■ of Grod.and man to pass over the offence this time. He had had a drop too much, but justice ' was a timdamental .law of nature, and he would be eternally grateful if the blessing of God would open His Worship's eyes .«and incline his heart to mercy. (Laughter). A jino of 2s 6d was imposed. Heyon pen-sion-claims and four prohibition orders against Lyoll residents were granted."

A ]ocal constable (says the Wairarapa Age) had rather an amusing experience the otlior morning-. While, waiting his turn in.a barber's shop, tho customer occupying the chair casually remarked that the forthcoming races were already increasing the commercial activity of ■ Mastorton. After tlie customor retired, the tonsorial artist knowingly remarked j <l That's our. of the ' guas ' here on race business" The constable, -keenly' 1 on' the lookout for " crooks," made it his business, upon meeting the <( gun " in the street to enter into a conversation with him. The individual was apparently evasive in his replies, and in order to assure himself as to-the object of the stranger's visit, the constable was reduced to the necessity of asking point blank what he was doing in the town. "I, sir," the i stranger replied, "am the travelling representative of tho Prohibition Parly, and am h&ro to ascertain what progress is being made with the temperance movement in Masterton." The constable has "not yet recovered from the shock.

At Corwen a petitioner who recently failed in his suit for divorce has been ordered to pay the co-respondent's costs, £120, at the rate of 6s a month. It will take him over 33 years.

A party of American ladies, who have just .concluded a tour of the colony which has extended oyer four months, express themselves in glowing terms regarding the resources, and scenery of New Zealand. In almost every respect they found their expectations surpassed.

A Christchurch firm has just supplied to a client, through the Transvaal Government, a large consignment of agricultural machinery for South Africa.