LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ohinemuri Gazette, Volume XXX, Issue 4075, 2 June 1919, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Those interested in the erection of a memorial to the late Nurse Penne'Jl are invited by His Worship the Mayor to meet at the Coronation Chambers on Friday next at 3.30 p.m.

A small farm at Whakaronga, Paimerston North last week changed hands at £116' per acre.

The death took place at his late residence in Corbett Street, Paeroa, last evening of Mr James Donnelly, at the age of 64 years. Deceased had been* ai'ing for some time, and his death was not altogether unexpected. He had resided in Paeroa for many years, and leaves to mourn his loss a widow and grown-up family to whom we extend sincere sympathy.

The town clerk of Waihi has received official notification from the Minister of Public Works that a. magisterial commission will shortly sit in Waihi to consider the proposal of the Waihi Borough Council to resume under the Public Works Act certain areas of land at Waihi beach for a health resort and camping purposes.

The Mission conducted by Father O'Leary, S.M., at St. Mary's Church, Paeroa, was brought to a close last evening. The day had been devoted to Solemn Exposition, large numbers attending throughout the day. There was a very large congregation at the evening devotion, every available square foot being occupied. The subject of the final discourse was Faith, and was listened to with rapt attention by an eager audience. At the conclusion of the discourse the Renewal of Baptismal Vows and the imparting of the Apostolic Blessing took place.- Then followed Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Thus was brought to a close a mission that will rank as one of the most successful ever held in the district. All express great satisfaction at the results achieved. The Missioner proceeds today to Karahgahake to open a mission there,

A cutting is .taken from a Sydney newspaper, which goes to show how reports gain magnitude as they travel until, in the; end, the latest story bears but the remotest resemblance to its parent The paper referred to. evidently as .an encoui'agement .to Sydneyites to "keep up their pecker during the influenza epidemic visitation on that city, says: "But as things are bad here they have not yet reached the stage of fright attained in New Zealand. The shops are closed and abandoned, and were _ not reopened until the virulence of the plague had exhausted itself. The principal vehicles seen in the streets were horsepropelled hearses driven by men win called out as they passed : "Bring out. j'&ur dead ! Bring out you dead !' "

"There are many public bodies that have power to do things and refuse to o'o them," the Hon. G. W. Russell remarked at the Town-planning Conference at Wellington on Thursday evening, "and the public health of the Dominion suffers in consequence. One of the tilings that must be put into our. lr.ws is that where any public body refuses to do its duty there must be compu'sory powers for the General Government to establish machinery uruler which the work will be done and the entire cost be paid by tha local body."

"There is a wrong impression nmongst many employees," said Mr S. V 2. McCarthy, S.M., in dealing with a • ■ ase in the Magistrate's Court at Christchurch, in which the defendant vvas charged with assaulting a fellowworker who had reported her to her ' mployer on /account of an alleged hrefich of duty. "It is a bounden duty, if one employee does wrong, foe the o'.hor to tell the employer. When the employee, with a sense of duty, makes such a report, be is called a 'blackl'g. 1 etc., whereas he has only done his duty, and sometimes unpleasant reprisals are taken. The Court must protect the employee who '"oes his duty,"

Describing his i-ecent tour of Marlborough. Nelson, and Westland, the Hon. \V. D. S. Mac Donald informed a Christchurch "Press" representative that whist at Nelson he had visited the fruit farms at Tasman and other places, where the Government had been advancing a fair amount of money, and he had then gone on to Motueka. There was no question, ne said, that the people were working hard, trying to make a success of the fruit-growing industry. They seemed to be of the opinion that now the peace negotiations stage of the war had been reached there would be impossibility next season of their being able to export fruit to America, and probably Britain. Much of the fruit had been used for vinegar-making, find, of course, owing to the blight in Christchurch, the Nelson growers had been able to secure a good average price. Ail seemed to be generally satisfied. All they asked for were shipping facilities. It was very interesting to sec the large number of trees which had grown up since he had last visited the district three years ago. As the fruit farms were coming into bearing more people were going to reside in the district every year, so that unless some epidemic came along ,the .future of fruit-growing in Nelson seemed to be assured, that was, from the commercial point of view.

A soldier coming down the gangway of a returning transport was heard .to say: "Thank God I have returned to New Zealand single." Then, after a pause, ""And 1 have been iv Scotland, loo.."

The best creamery cheque in tha Waiuku district in a month of this season was over £500, issued by the Aka Aka Cheese Company to Messrs London Bros, who milk nearly 200 cows on two farms. Another very fine return was a cheque for £33 173 to the owner of nine cows.

A start is to be made shortly with the first building in Christchurch to be constructed in reinforced concrete (says the "Press")- It will be a large warehouse and factory for the Wellington Woollen Company, will consist of four floors and a basement, and it is estimated to cost about £40,----000.

At a poll of the burgesses of W.aihi, Saturday was chosen as the day for the weekly half-holiday. It now transpires that the provisions of the Act in regard to" 1 the taking of the poll were not complied with, and that Wednesday had been fixed by the Council and gazetted in the usual way. The borough solicitor gives it as his opinion that no change can be made until January, when the question, will .come before the Borough Council again in the usual course.

At a meeting of the Paeroa branch of the Amalgamated Society o£ Railway Servants held on Friday last the folloiwng resolution was passed:

"That this branch of Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants takes strong exception to the Minister of Railways in using his power of veto in the Longton appeal case. The finding of the Appeal Board was unanimous that the appeal of Longton should be upheld, and we view with alarm the attitude of the Minister in this case as liable to cause friction in all railway societies, and we earnestly request our Executive to take urgent action in this matter."

According to the latest official Year Book, the populations of the various boroughs enumerated below are as follows : Te Aroha 1802, Tauranga 168*5, Cambridge 1507, Paeroa 1376, Hamilton 7538, Waihi 4774, Thames 3273, Rotorua 2845, Te Awamutu 1064, Te Kuiti 1982, and Taumarunui 1875. The town districts of Morrinsville, Matamata, and Ngaruawahia have populations of 934, 505, and 755 respectively. The several counties are as follow: Piako 4663, Matamata 3903, Ohinemuri 4661, Thames 4690, Tauranga 3974, and Waikato 8009.

A returned soldier named Edward Parkinson, an employee of the Piako County Council, was killed on Tuesday last through a fall of earth in a pit at Motumaoho. It appears he was seen to drive a team into the pit about 10 a.m., and at about five p.m. the team was still there, so investigation Was made. Parkinson was quite dead when found. An inquest was held on "Wednesday, the verdict returned being "accidental death."

To aveid mistakes it is as well to make a note that Nyall's agent, Thomas, Chemist, has removed opposite Council 'Chambers, Paeroa.— Advt

A most unpleasant surprise awaited a Christcjhurch doctor last Monday night (says the "Press"). About 8.40 o'clock he left his motor-car standing outside a building in Worcester Street, between the Square and Manchester Street. Both head and tail lights were left burning. On returning a few minutes later he found only the wreck of his car. The near front wheel was torn right off, one of the axles was considerably bent, and the body of the car was badly twisted, while there were various smaller injuries. An examination of the tracks showed that another car had evidently crashed into the doctor's machine, then had backed and ultimately driven on : The matter is in the hands of the police.

In reply to a'question when the new long term territorial training scheme

would come into force, Sir James Allen said it would certainly not be in force until after Parliament had had an opportunity of discussing it.. He said the old plan did not make fo>efficiency, and intensive training would m-:l;o belter citizens and soldiers. The new scheme could not be. put into force until all the New Zealand officers were back from the war, and the strength of the territorial force and permanent staff ascertained. In the meantime nothing would be done. Sir James Allen -was asked if the Government will subsidise local bodies "and other organisations that entertain Admiral Jellicoe and officers and men of the New Zealand in the Dominion (says a Christchurch paper)". He said that the question had been carefully considered by the Government, which had come to the conclusion that it could not help, a<s it had no authority to do so. The Government, he added, would do some entertaining on its own account

The influence of the starling on ihe fishing in New Zealand streams was suggested at the meeting of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society last week. Before the starling hecame plentiful a few large trout would be found in the head waters of each small stream . These trout fel on grasshoppers and other large insects. But the birds greatly reduced the numbers of large insects, and the big trout lacked the food that had attracted them. The same member urged the need of a campaign against shags. These, birds did more to spoil* the fishing than any other factor. They hunted the trout out of the shallow waters. The systematic destruction of shags and. disturbance of shaggeries would greatly improve the fishing.

The British Weekly has the follow-

ing in a recent number: —The other day in a 'bus, a soldier with a red band round his wide-awake hat wa3 explaining io his neighbour how pleasant it was to be going back in a few days to "God's Own Country." Why, I didn't know you were an American," remarked the neighbour, in an accent that left no doubt on w which side of the Atlantic he was at home. "Who said I was ?" complained the other. "Well, you claimed 'God's ov.'n Country' as your home, and that's America, sure." "Yes, I daresay God had something to do with it, but New Zealand is His masterpiece, and don't you forget it."

An original note was struck by a delegate at the Congregational Assembly, ai Melbourne recently (says the Argus). He said the churches should "keep more to the truth." "In a hymn, he continued, they sang, "Take my silver and my gold, and not a mite will I withhold." What was really meant was, "Take this mite, and I will hold all the rest." Such hymns, he said, should be altered and made more'like those sung by the Mittle children. Also, the delegate added, tnere should be "more smiles from the ministers." He suggested that whenever a preacher saw a member of. his congregation asleep he should call for a hymn. Another delegate interjected that "the services would be all hymns."