MERCER.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 1, Issue 49, 6 December 1912, Page 2

MERCER.

j (B) ojr T aveiiin-jc K-presentative.) MILLING BUSY. Mr K J. Wilson's timber mill is exp riencing h:i i xceptionally uusy season. At this time of the year therf is an enormous demand lor fiuit eases. La it year over 150,000 cases were made, iut the present > prospects nr>ke :t clear that over a, quarter of a million Kill be delivered before the season ends. Con siderable delay is caused by lack of railway trucks. At the tim? of my visit 20 trucks cuu : d have been filled, but only half-a-dozen were availanl?. BUTTER MAKING. Another busy and progressive business at Mercer is ih? Wsukato Co-operative Dairy Association's factory. This is where gn;d butter is mads frcm home-separated cream, and julgirg from the Eamples I tasted it is excellent. It is evidently consid>red ?o by the Government grader, for I was allowed to examine the grade notes and foa- d 'the average for first grade to be 92£, no second grade hiving been turn d out this feasor, and on ?cm? of tie grade note 3 1 saw wriiten in the remarks, "a really exce'lent butter.'' The cream, on arrival at the factory, is lipped ir.to two laig? cream vats, 400 gallons each. From here it is led into the pasteuriser, a 400 gallon an hour machine pnd heated to 185 degrees. Alongside i 3 a large 6 feet circular cooler with 2 inlets, one fo: ordinal v water and one for ohi led water, o/er whnh the pasteurised cream flows and i 3 cooled to 64 degrees. From hreit is pump d into thri'2 lar2e cream vats, capable of hoidirg 1700 gallons. A Topli =s butter worker and char 1 , with a capacity of 14 cwt., and a Simplex ard Success of 8 cwt. capacity each wre bei g used and still more are neeiied. About 1700 gallons of -cream is received a day and over 100 boxes of butter is the daily out put. A itaff of ni: e.hands is kept cons ! a tfy i mployed, and under the careful c-r.trol of Mr Roberta everything >va t. the best rf order. The machin 1 is drivei with a newlyin^al!ed 2o h.p. sjction gas engine. By an up-to-dite tester and testina room, cr am, skim miik and herdtasting is carefully and accurately conducted, AT THE SCHOOL. A visit to th: tcliool showed the headmaster, Mr C. E. Eoward.-*, to have an extra h avy task. A few mora pupili would entitle bim to a second a sista. t, but at present the work has to be d ne by bimFelf ar d Miss Clark, both of whom take excellent care or the children. Mr Edwards has been stationed at Mercer for the past 26 years, ar.d judging by the high mariner "he is spok nof tiy the parents a r d re idents generally he will have to make Mercer his home for good. The Ech'.ol accorninodati n is totally in adcauate, and three children are compelled to sit to a riesk, which greatly hampers the staff and makes it difficult to get ths ncod results thit have been obtai ed. This is matter that immediate attention. From a sanitary point of view aline the herding of 100 children in o one room of this size is regrettable, to say nothing of tie inconvenience caused to the teachers. The com- \ mittee should insist that foma improvement is made riu ing the Christmas vacation, Thiee pupils L. Pickett, C. Elliott and H. Coleman—were sent to Pukekohe hst we:k to contest the schnlJtship examination, and a good re ult is expected. Mr Edwards carries on garden vork. Owing to the inferior quality of the land round atout the school there uitsso far have been indifferent, but by persistent working arid manuring something better n now expected. BUILDERS BUSY. The builders seem to be very busy, and sev.ial Lew CjUagea are in course of erection. Mr W. Go d, of Ngaruawahia, is just completing a pretty s ven-:oomed house for Mr Elliott. Hot and cold water is laid on, and all modern conveniences provided. A new front has just b.en put on to tt:e posi office, greatly adding to it 3 appearance. Private boxes have been provided, a bureau and exchange i 3 to be established, ar d altogether many signs of progress a:e in evidence. Mr F. W. Coleman's billiard room, where the best of taUes ate provided, is doing a fast - increasing trade. Toe siddlery an 1 harness business is right up to the mark ard a full stock of first-class goods i 3 on ha-d. Mr Coleman's horse covers are somethirg out of the ordinary, and the pries is right for a tip-tap article.

STREET LIGHTING. A large acetylene lamp, equal to 50 candle power, has just been erected in the main street, the gas havirg b en 1 irl on from Mrs Murray's boarding houie. A Ccmphte and satisfactory job, which is a great additio.i to the township, was carri.d through by Mr W. Russill, of Pukekohe, a master in this cUss of work. TOWN HALL.

The Town Hall, which has been talkelof so long, will shortly bean accomplished fact. The Hoard Board have received £IOO grant for this work and .£SOO has been borrowed, so a goid modern building shnald be erected.

SOLDIERS AN J S HOOTING. Sergeant-Major Leac'.i pud a visit to Mercer on Tuesday aDd put ihe Terrirorials through their facings. It is wonderful the rapid strides the boys have made, and the Sergeant deserves great credit. At t,.e shaoti'g to pick a team to represent Mercer at Hamilton scutes w. : re as follows Tom Lee 55, L. Barron 20, G. Ilaminert m, Roy Kelly and C. Bilderbecii 15, E. Selwood, J. Millc, W. Carter and S. Wright 10, John Coleman 7, R. Bilderbeck 5, F. An-old 4, E. Delaney and I Wiki 3. The shooting was really wonderful considering it is the fiiat time moit of the boys have used a rifle. Some of the little fellows were hardly able to lilt the weapon) to their shoulders. Sergeant - Major Leach was more than satisfied, and picked L. Barioa and Tom Lee to represent Mercer at Hamilton. Mercer is an

idual spot for rifle bitty to be erected, and in tlie iicai' future young and old will take an in'erest in Kifle shooting. PKKoONAL.

We are sorry to :ay Mr Gretnbrook, wiio has be.n such a great h Id to th° district generally, i i to Tamaki. Mr 'vic'Jili, who has eoI ) his farm to a >ou hern buyer, i;,tends tj retire and live at Pokeno. STONE CRUSHING.

The quarry re ...i ve has been lea-ed by two e.ite p-isrg m.n fr.;m Morrinsv lle, Tr.ev are pu'tiig a fine plant in, an 1 expect to crush v j-y shortly. ihn should be a good chance for fukckohe aid surrounding distsifts ti obtain the b2:t meial prccuiable in the North I&land at a moderate price. At the time of the war the rnilita y obtained fctane from this qjarry to maie roadi from Poke o to Wh ngam ;rino bridge. The r<jacl 3 oi tiis part are stdl very gcod, a d only patch work has been ■"arrie:! cu: -ince. WAIK ATO RiVER WORKS.

Surveying the Waikato river is still goirjg on. It is to be hip?d that tha £SOO voted by the present Government will be spent judiciously.