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Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 15459, 2 March 1921, Page 2

Close on 150 men are employed on the - various contracts and . formation work on the Waikari ; Mohaka deviation—on the Napier-Wairoa road, now being-car-ried out by the Public Works Department- V ohe Waikanae Beach .Society having redeemed its promise to provide Gisborne with a bathing pavilion, has now directed its. activities towards the little folk, and in time our beach will be graced by a paddling. pool and . sun shelter, both of are badly needed. For the, encouragement, of such enterprise it is hoped all the citizens will combine to make the Easter carnival an unqualified success. An inspection of the Government-ex-perimental area at Hexton was cpiidueted yesterday by Mr M. Davey, orchard instructor for the : East Coast He states ■ that the trees are 1 doing exceptionally well, and although., only seven years old, haye made excellent growth, carrying heavy cropsyiand clearly demonstrating the. suitability of the Gisborne district for the production of first-grade fruit- The testing area ' .contained about. ICO trees, with only two varieties of each. The - apple and pears may how be seen in -fruit, and there is a fine crop, particularly' of apples. Mr Davey will be on the treting area all day to-morrow (Thursday), ana will be pleased to meet orehardists Q£ intending growers to discuss the suit- } ability of the different varieties. •_ This should afford . prospective, planters ah opportunity to select suitable varieties. I An inspection of the fuuitj grown in 'the experimental orchard will also ' demonstrate the benefits of pruning •as -advocated by the, orchard instructor, last winter. ■ . ' : Several of the Public Works 'Department’s men from Gisborne are at;present engaged on the to Lake House, Waikaremoana. The work, which is urgently needed, has just, been commenced, and 'will provide much needed improvements to; the- kitchen and sanitary arrangements now very much out of, date. A septic tank is being installed to enable modern sanitary , con*, veniences being provided. Up to the present time Waikaremoana has been an unknown territory; to the great' bulkof the residents of the Domifiioh;-'but as a result of the Government- taking up the development Of the national’' scheme Waikaremoana is bound to attract a great many visitors in ever' increasing numbers. It is essential, there* fore, that whilst the present improvements are of merely a temporary expedi- fent, the accommodation at Take House must be greatly enlarged. Even now the present house is quite inadequate and out of date.. Representations on this subject were made to the members., - of the Parliamentary party, who were urged to support the request ■ for rqore ■ extensive and modern accommodation. "'

A young man named Albert William' Mercer appeared before the Magistrate's Court this morning for the purpose,of I the continuation of the hearing bf a . charge against, him, that he,; aid; • on * December 6th, steal .from one Frederick Wickstrom, the sum of £2o* in money. • ' Inspector: Cassells" stated that • accused had been charged, and had pleaded guilty, and that the 'evidence of the arresting constable liad been heard. 'The hearing had been adjourned in-order to , make possible enquiries as to accused’* . , antecedents. It, had since besn Useertained that there was nothing previously known against accused, who l had .: a wife and family, and had apparently / in this case committed his first \offence. His Worship remarked that he would convict accused and would inflict a‘light v * sentence of imprisonment. It was, 'in his opinion, necessary to do this, ns the prese'nt state of .public morality Sh respect of theft cases, particularly such a case as this, had gone beyond the point where probation was considered a "sufficient* deterrent. Accused' *- was ■ sen* | fenced to ten days’ imprisonment! A i second reason for the sentence was that lie thought it we}l that accused be kept (under supervision for a short time. Good progress is being made with the measures instituted in the Opotiki die- . triefc for the eradication of fire blight. ; I The owners of all the' hawthorn, hedges j throughout the district are under (notice to reduce their hedges with a view to prevent the same blossoming, as , the blossoms are subject to infection. Hawthorn hedges' arc'cxtensivelj’,‘grown throughout Opotiki; there being]approximately 150 miles of these hedges, somo owners having as much as three or four ~ miles of them. The infection Of the hedge rows is geperal, some badly.; Mr." . M. Davy, the district instructor, who is recently, back, from. Opotiki,. stated to a Herald representativeto-day that the farmers throughout ’-Opotiki were entitled to much credit for tho way they were taking, the matter, up in the public interest-', realising that "it was not only in the interests- of all fruitgrowers, but afforded n means of 1 saving the hawthorn hedges throughout‘ the district. About 50 per cent, of the'-fjip-. fruit trees had been cut down, pruning being elective where only portions of the trees were slightly affected! ‘The whole district was now under’ supervi- V sion. Questioned as to the probable _ spread of the fire blight southwards, Mr. Davy said an inspection showed ' there was no sign of.infection south of Opotiki, there being no evidence of it in the ranges. The Gisborne ’district was exceptionally, well protected " by nature with . the high mountain! tknga that intervenes. Mr. Davey’s district has now been extended to include both ' Opotiki and Wlinkatane. Referring !to the _ complaint voiced by the returned soldiers at Nuhaka, on the occasion of the Parliamentary party, the instructor said he was looking to the time' when he could devote more attention to ‘fthe requirements on this side o:f the ranges. W. E. Gladstone used to contend ‘.‘that the object of all legislation should be to muko it easy for people to do right and difficult to do wrong.” As easy in : fact , as it now is for thrifty housewives to play “Home, Sweet, Home” oti fho violin while “No Rubbing” Laundry Help does the weeklv washing.—9. .. "V X The alterations at Pettie’s are! gradually progressing, and workmen will Soon be busy in the downstairs departments of the store. Placing several girders in position necessitates closing the store aIL day on Thursday and Friday,' reopening for business with bargains in all departments on Saturday.* '' ' :

Although Charlie Chaplin kf;s iet hie studios at Hollywood, /California* for a year, he has no intention, he states, ox retiring from film production. The lad Gordon Frank, of Stout street, who had his thigh fractured on Saturday 4>y a fall. from a tree, is making good progress towards recovery at the Cook hospital. A Maori lady litigant, _on leaving the wairoa Court on Thursday, addressing her successful opponent, said! “In this court I fail, but in heaven he knows I should succeed.’’ President-elect Warren G. Harding will use an automobile for his ride from , the capital to the ‘White House during the inaugural parade, March 4, instead of a carriage, the type of conveyance used by every President, with the exception of Andrew Jackson, who rode horseback. . In regard to the civil case of J. Chambers and Son v. Charles Talyor, £52 4s Id, in which judgment was givei for plaintiff, it is explained that of the amount sued for only £l7 was in dispute, and an application is to be made for a rehearing on account of the defendant. The experience of the Public Works Department in connection with the letting of a contract for road formation work at Waikaremoana was related by the district engineer, Mr Armstrong, during the recent Parliamentary visit. He stated that tenders were called in the usual way, and particulars of the quantities were given. Une contractor tendered for the job, but on going out to look at the work turned the contract s down as. being, too difficult for the L money. Subsequently a Maori came to * light. He had had practically no experience, but secured plenty of Maori labor from the* l Urewera country, and they were all making good'money. The contractor was paying £1 a day and “tucker.” At the civic reception at Wairoa, Mr. H. G. Gibson referred to the main roads of the district, which required a straightout grant and not a £ for. £ subsidy. He always thought local roads compared favorably with those of other counties. •'He pointed out that the Wharerata road was not in Wairoa district, but in that ’of Cook County. From Morere to Wairoa the road was all metalled and again out to Mohaka, giving a stretch of 50 miles of metalled road. Mr. A. Sinclair, iyho alsq dealt with the same subject, said that metal cost 20s per yard, and road-making in Wairoa in consequence was an expensive undertaking. He hoped' that the visiting politicians were not .making promises they would not be prepared to fulfil. Reports of “The Come Inside Revue” held at Wliangarei under the auspices of the Whangarei Queen Carnival Committee, show that Miss Gwen Teat, daughter of Mr. F. J. Teat '(formerly of Gisborne), took a leading part. “One of the delights of the evening,” states the report, “was the daintiness and charm of Miss Gwen Teat as Suzette. With no previous stage, training whatever, Miss Teat was an unqualified success. She pleased everybody, and rounds of applause greeted her appearance every timq. Her costuming was all that could be desired. ‘The Quakeresses’ and ‘Chong’ (sung by Miss Teat and chorus) and ‘l'm Climbing Mountains’ (sung by *- Miss Teat)' were delineated by Miss Teat with an artistry all her own. In the ‘Mighty Waltz,’ with its excellent mounting, she was at her best.” The •young lady, also took part in several charming duets, described as being as popular as any items on the programme, .and had a leading part in the episode, “A Tooth for a Tooth.” The Wairoa C-ounty Council prides itself upon the possession of no less than'so miles of metalled road extending from Mohaka, on the south, to Morere, towards the northern end of their boundary. Speaking to a Herald representative during the recent Parliamentary tour, the chairman, Mr. 11. G. Gibson, pointed out that Wairoa was not so backward ip the matter ofr its main arterial road. With tho aid of motor lorries the council wap now extending . the shingling of the road from the top of The Morere hill towards tho county boundary* a. distance of seven or eight miles, and . this would bo completed as early as possible. It was then intended to top-dress the Morere hill, which is now in a rather worn and rough condition, with a good coating of _ shingle, being the best, method of dealing with that class’of. material. Two lorries are employed hauling the shingle from gravel pits on the .beach towards Nuhaka. The council is fortunate in possessing unlimited supjplies of shingle for its roadmaking. The monthly meeting of the Plunket Soeiety was held at the Women’s Club. Present,: Mesdames Aitken (in the chair), C. Matthews, J. Blair, J. R. Kirk, Goffe, A. Pufiett, F. deLautour, Bourgeois, Rowley, R. Johnston, R. Gunn, Matron Clark, Mrs J. Wauchop (bon. treasurer), and Mrs W. A. Smith (hon. secretary). Apologies were received from Mesdames G. Wilcfish, Nolan, A. GrahaSn.LH. Gpeve, D. J. Parker, Sidebotton, Packe, C. J. Thomas, and Miss Morice. A letter of thanks for sympathy was received 4 from Mrs A. Cuthbert. A baby welfare scheme is being organised in Wellington by Dr. Truby King. Reference was made to Gisborne having, the lowest death-rate in the four metropolitan and nine suburban areas, and it was consideresd - that much of the credit of this i3.due to the Plunket Society. Miss Pattrick- has 'been appointed matron of and director of Plunket nursing. . -As the expenses of the past year have been great, and funds are needed to continue the work, it was arranged to hold a garden party on the vicarage grounds kindly offered by Mrs Packe, on April 7th. It is hoped all friends will help all they can in this effort. The nurse’s report, was satisfactory except for the hot weeks qt Christmas and New .' Year, which caused a deal of infantile trouble. Visits to homes: December, 137: January, IJ>l. Visits to office: December, 161; January, 177. Humanised milk was made and delivered to a travelling mother. Thanks were accorded to Mr C. J. Bloore for the loan of a horse to drive the Plunket nurse on 3ber rounds. , ' A start has been made by the Public Works Department with the straightening and widening of the FrasertownWaikaremoana road in preparation for the heavy .traffic in connection with the development of Waikaremoana. At one point about half-way to the Lake a large gang of men is employed widening the road, which passes round a high sandstone cliff, immediately above the 'it river. Red flags on either approach to the cutting give a warning to traffic, and when the Parliamentary party reached the spot, en route to the Lake, the lone line of cars was held up for a short tiifie whilst the workmen removed the debris off the road to let them pass by. The rock at this point rises about 100 ft. above the road, and the work of widening is of an expensive and somewhat dangerous nature. Safety ’ ropes have to be used by the men working on tho face of the cliff, which rises almost perpendicular. A considerable amount of work requires to be dono in straightening the road at places to permit of the heavy traffic entailed, whilst the majority of the present bridges will •'•" have to ; be replaced with new substantial structures, designed to take a load of no less than 30 tons. The preparation of plans of the various bridges is in progress. Two comparatively short roads are necessary to provide access to the site of the power station and to the intake respectively. The formation of these is now well advanced, but bridges will be necessary in both instances to span the big stream that comes down from the Lake. There is also a considerable amount of metalling work to be carried qut before tho roads are suitable for constant traffic. Mr. F._ B. Ovenden has special announcements in this issue relative to the value of painting, which will be read /? with interest by property owners.* M By advertisement Mr. G. K. Miller draws attention to the fact that he has of the lease of his business premises} and requests That all outstanding accounts he paid in by Saturday next, the stb in*t» *■ v--

Advice was received from Wellington to-day stating that Mr. nisseil, Government electrical engineer, is leaving w'eiiington for Gisborne on Thursday to report upon the Waikohu hydro-electric development.

The road to Here is now in good travelling condition, in the fine weather, a gentleman who had recently been over it 3tated to a tleraid reporter. A large amount oi metal is being carted ready for putting on the road. The local Railway Department i 3 at present experiencing a busy time. There is a large amount of stock being moved by rail, also timber, firewood, shingle, and rnetal. It was stated to a reporter to-day that every wheel was turning as hard as it could go. The Poverty Bay branch of the N.Z. Farmers’ Union is making arrangements regarding a \isit to the district of Mr. G. lv. Uorronge, instructor in swine, husbandry. Air. Gorronge is now awaiting a letter from the local branch telling him when to come. The Gisborne Mandolin Club will visit the Matawhero district on Thursday evening .next, giving a full instrumental concert in the Maknraka-Mata-r'whero hall, assisted by Miss M. Dalrymple and Mr F. G. Murphy, two well known residents of that district. This will give residents of those districts an excellent opportunity of hearing this clever combination of players on the mandolin and kindred instruments with which it has been so eminently successful heretofore in its town appearance. During the war the British Admiralty began the construction of a large graving dock, 750 ft. long, at Falmouth, Cornwall. This enterprise has since been taken over by private interests, and it is expected to be completed during the summer of 1921. Some of the repair shops are already in partial operation, and are able to deal with the requirements of large ships. This dock is part of a comprehensive scheme to make Falmouth a new gateway of the Atlantic. An ambitious scheme is also on foot for developing Poole harbor for ocean-going ships. The proposals include a full-tide dam and a half-tide dam, together with tho dredging of the channel to a depth of 26ft. Eighteen thousand feet of new] wharves are conterirplated.

For a third offence of drunkenness within six months James Joseph Murphy, at the Magistrate's Court this morning, was sentenced to 10 days’ imprisonment. To a charge of having procured liquor during the currency of a prohibition order, defendant pleaded not guilty. Constable Campbell gave evidence that the defendant had been arrested last , evening in a drunken state, and smelt, strongly of liquor. Defendant declared that he had not had a drink yesterday, but declined to make this statement on oath. His Worship considered that on the evidence brought by the police, no evidence in rebuttal having been given, he was entitled to convict defendant. Murphy was fined £2, in default three days’ imprisonment, the sentence to be concurrent with that for drunkenness.

The injustice of the Government in handing over the road around the shores of Lake Waikaremoana to the Wairoa County Council to maintain was the subject of a complaint voiced by Mr H. G. Gibson, chairman of the Wairoa County Council during the Parliamentary visit. Tho road from the outlet at Onepoto to Lake House, he said, was handed over to the Council six or seven years ago. It was practically nothing else but a tourist road; the country was not rateable, and they felt that in handing it over to them to maintain the Government had not treated them fairly. It was impossible for the Wairc« County Council to keep this road in order, as they had no funds for the purpose, and all the Government had given them in tho way of subsidy was a sum of £2OO. Tho Council would be making a request for a straight-out grant, and he hoped the visiting members would support the application. The road was found to be in anything .but a satisfactory condition, and in wet weather must be quite impassable for cars.

Probably one thing that, impressed the visitors at Waikaremoana during the. Parliamentary tour morte than any other was the absolute importance of conserving the bush reserves around the shores of the lake. Several small clearings have already been effected at different points which are sufficient to indicate that Waikaremoana would greatly lose 1 its charm if- the country was.denuded of its virgin bush. Even the chopping down recently of the “second growth” in the stable paddock near Lake House was viewed with disfavor by the visitors. One thing is certain—the Parliamentarians will strongly support the conservation of this magnificent national reserve. Mr W. D. Lysnar, M.P., in the course of his remarks, warmly advocated conservation right to the skyline all round, but other speakers pointed out that it would be necessary to retain the whole of the watershed draining into tho lake in order to safeguard the national hydro-electric scheme. This fact was specially stressed by Mr G. C. Ormond, chairman of the Wairoa Power Board.

“As .an example of the Continental, ‘and especially German competition,” said Mr. F. W. Riach, in chatting to an Auckland Star reporter anent his recent visit to Europe, “one English manufacturer told me that he land his principal commodity into his warehouse from Germany at l£d per lb. less than what he could produce it for on his own premises. My own observations made it clear to me that the. resolve to keep German goods out of the Old Country as much as possible has broken down completely under the pressure of £ s. d. And ono of the chief causes is to be found in the lamentable circumstance that while the people at Home are squabbling about higher wages and shorter working hours Germany is getting her neck down to it in earnest, and her factories are running 24 hours a day in shifts. Fortunately the industrial disturbances were much less acute in the last days of the year, and when. I leif several trades were, already feeling the beneficial effect of a re newal of operations. The. hardware trades will, I think,, be the first to recover from the miasmatic effects of the pernicious igitator.” The Government wool instructor, Mr. J. G.. Cook, who has been lecturing in the district, paid a visit to Rere on Monday, together with Mr. W. M. Bayly. On Monday afternoon Mr. Cook delivered an address to a good attendance of farmers in the woolshed of Cooper’s Estate. Monday night was spent at Rere, and the following morning the visitors accepted the invitation of Mr. Chas. Matthews to look over his Te Kopae station. A portion of the station was once covered with ti-tree, but it has now been all cleared. In fact, it is said that the ti tree kept the people there in firewood for several years. One thing tilUt struck the visitors was the difference between Mr. Matthews’ place and other properties. One could pick out Mr. Matthews’ boundary quite distinctly, owing to the manner in which his land had been cultivated. A considerable ' area of flats and hill-slopes had been ploughed nnd put down in rape and turnips. In fact, stated one of the visitors to a reporter, it was marvellous how they had managed to plough, harrow, and sow some of the faces. The Jane! is at present needing rain.