LOCAL AND GENERAL

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 52, Issue 3771, 19 June 1936, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A detachment of 50 men under Captain E. M. Mackersey and Lieutenants R. S. Sinclair and A. G. Simms will represent the Waikato Regiment at the review of territorials to be held in the Domain at Auckland on the King’s Birthday. The detachment will be accompanied by the Waikato Regimental and Hamilton Municipal Band. The new colours, which were presented to the regiment by the Governor-General, Lord Galway, on 4th May, will be carried. \ Following a lengthy re-trial at the Auckland Supreme Court on a charge of murder, Eric Mareo, musician, of Auckland, was again found guilty and again sentenced to death when the jury returned with their verdict last Wednesday evening. Public interest in the case was most pronounced on the final day of the trial, and early in the evening the crowds grew in numbers so that by 7.30 o’clock the police found it necessary to close and guard all entrances to the Court. The eighth of the Rural Intermediate Credit Board’s agricultural bulletins, which has been prepared by the Fields Division of the Department of Agriculture, has for its subject “The Manuring of Crops.’ Twenty thousand copies have been printed and a distribution is being effected with the assistance of dairy companies, co-operative rural intermediate credit associations, and branch officers of the board. The bulletin will also appear in some of the leading farming journals, which have offered to co-operate in bringing the information contained in the bulletin before as many farmers as possible. At the monthly meeting of the Rural Intermediate Credit Board, held at Wellington recently, the commissioner, Mr E. O. Hales, presented a comprehensive return showing the financial position of the Co-operative Rural Intermediate Credit Associations operating throughout the Do minion as at the end of their last individual financial years, and the volume of business transacted by them. The return showed that the 40 associations now engaged in lending operations had a membership ol 2134, and there was owing to the associations by their members the sum of £199,181, a small reduction on the amount for the preceding year. Approximately 4000 natives from all parts of New Zealand, the Chatham and Cook Islands, will visit Manukorihi Pa, Waitara, at the end of next week to attend the unveiling of the Sir Maui Pomare memorial statue by the Governor General, Viscount Galway, and the official cere ing of the carved meeting house, Te Ika-a-Maui, by King Koroki. The associated tribes, from White Cliffs to Waitotara and the Taranaki Maor. Trust Board will be hosts. The dis trict tribe, Te Atiawa, is making the entire preparations for the event. Many natives from the Waikato and Northern King Country intend being present at the unveiling ceremony. Permission to Cook Strait Airways, Ltd., to raise its,fare between Wellington and Blenheim from 25s to 27s 6d has been given by the Minister of Transport, Hon. R. Semple. The fare was fixed by the Transport Co-ordination Board after repre sentations by the Marlborough Pro gress League and the Blenheim Borough Council. The company has al ways maintained that it was fixed at an uneconomic level, and that the service was being conducted at a loss as a result. Its original application for the right to increase the charge was made in February, but consideration was delayed till the Transport Coordination Board was abolished and control placed in the hands of the Minister. "New Zealand and other outposts of the British Empire will have to look after themselves if an outbreak of war , occurs before the Mother Country has re-established her naval strength,” said Mr W. J. Broadfoot, M.P., at the local R.S.A. reunion on Monday evening. He went on to assert ’that the eyes of other nations are on this Dominion, and it would be well for everybody, irrespective of political convictions or leanings, to weigh well Colonel Hargest’s words of the need for preparedness. Every encouragement should be given to the young men of the Dominion to join the Territorials, so that, in the event of aggression by another nation, this country could be defended by men with a knowledge of arms and discip line. Military training is an asset to every man, physically and morally, and he could not understand the viewpoint of those fellows who would not assist.

In proposing the toast of “Our Guest” at the R.S.A. reunion on Monday evening, Captain J. Oliphant referred to a coincidence associated with the guest, Colonel Hargest, the present M.P. for Invercargill, and commanding officer of the Otago Infantry Battalion on active service. Mr Oliphant said he himself went overseas on transport No. 9, and while progressing towards the seat of turmoil as one of a convey of transports everybody was turned out one night to learn that a transport ahead was dangerously near and was in danger of colliding with No. 9. He said it later transpired that transport No. 8 was the offender, and he had only learned that evening that aboard that vessel was the R.S.A.’s special guest, Colonel Hargest, who then held the rank of sergeant. That Colonel Hargest had singled himself out for distinction was proved later, and the speaker mentioned that among the decorations won and awarded were the D. 5.0., M.C., Croix de Guerre of France and Belgium, and even the Legion of Honour. Thus the Te Awamutu R.S.A. was honouring ' a most distinguished soldier. (Applause.)

An extensive group of fair-sized sun-spots has just come round the eastern limb of the sun, and will be favourably placed for observation at the week-end, reports Mr G. V. Hudson, of Karori. Arrangements have been made by the local branch of the Farmers’ Union for Mr J. H. Fumiss, vicepresident of the Auckland provincial organisation, to deliver an address in Te Awamutu on Tuesday next (the King’s Birthday) on the subject of guaranteed prices or compensating prices for dairy produce. The Te Awamutu Cribbage Club held their second of a weekly series ofi games in the ’Oddfellows’ Hall last night. A most enjoyable evening was spent. Single-handed games were indulged in, the honours .of the evening going to Mrs J. Irwin and Mr H. Taylor. Supper was served by the ladies. The New Zealand Dairy Board has fixed minimum prices for f.o.b. and c.i.f. sales on the basis of butter 13id per lb., a reduction of id, and cheese 6 id, unchanged. These rates are subject to agents' selling commission of U per cent, and are equivalent to butter 108 s Id per cwt., c.i.f.e., and cheese, 55s 4d per cwt., c.i.f.e. Several motorists, after attending at the Kihikihi Cemetery last Wednesday afternoon, essayed to return to Te Awamutu via what is called Park Roat or the Kihikihi flat road, which is the alternative route to the Great South Road between Te Awamutu and Kihikihi. Part of the flat road is unmetalled, and recent rains had caused the surface to be cut up, the result being that motorists experienced difficulty in getting through. The reconstruction of the Great South Road, between Te Awamutu and Kihikihi, to be put in hand shortly, will mean that the flat road will be increasingly used, and we understand the Waipa County Council intends to metal it for its whole length beforehand.

" Despite the statement of the Prime Minister, the Right Hon. M. J. Savage, in the House of Representatives, many employers do not seem to be aware that the restoration of all wage cuts to the 1931 level is to operate from Ist July—a fortnight hence. They regard it as more or less of a rumour.” The foregoing statement was made in Wellington on Wednesday by Mr A. E. Mander, secretary of the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation, who said the Federation was continually receiving inquiries about the so-called “ rumour ” that wage cuts were to be restored as from Ist July. Inquirers were being informed that the Prime Minister had made a positive declaration that wage rates were to go back to the 1931 level as from Ist July. If the increase was not given on the next pay day following 17st July arrears would accumulate and would have to be paid in due course. Mr Savage had said that legislation would be_introduced when Parliament met again in July and that the restoration would be made retrospective.

In detailing the questions to be taken into consideration in fixing the price for dairy products after the first year of operation, the Minister cf Marketing, Hon. W. Nash, at the National Dairy Conference at Hastings on Monday, said it was the aim cf the Government to treat everyone fairly. If there was something not net out in the Act, and that ought to be legitimately taken into account in determining the price to the farmer, that factor would be considered. Referring to the present rising price level for butter on the London market, Mr Nash said the position showed the necessity for watching the market with the utmost care. Actually there had been a fall of 1 per cent in butter imports into Great Britain, but that had resulted in an increase of 18 per cent in prices. Another point of importance was that the retail price had been more or less stabilised at about Is per lb. If once the price went much above Is the demand for the product immediately decreased. The incomes of the majority of the British people were comparatively so low that too high a price would naturally result in a drift from butter to margarine.

“In 1914 the British Army loomed much in the eyes of the world, and !i achieved marvels; but please do not forget the Army and its needs now,” said Mr W. J. Broadfoot, M.P., at the local R.S.A, reunion on Monday night, when proposing the toast ol “The Army, Navy, Air Force and Nursing Sisters.” He went on to say that it was a pity the army in the war years was not three times as large—‘history might have been written differently. Th* speaker also paid a tribute to the worth of the Navy (the senior arm of the service), as the bulwark of Brltian’s defence. He was glad Britain is re-establishing herself, preparing to take her place worthily in the councils of the nations to ensure peace. The British Navy had, unfortunately, been reduced to practically the strength of a fourth grade natipn; the other nations had not co-operated in the plan to reduce armaments all round, and recently there had been evidences of the futility of expecting this desiraturn. The natural result was that Britain must re-arm, and thus be prepared to enforce obedience and respect where necessary. That would be more likely to prevent war than had disarmament schemes.

Interest has been evinced in the reference, in our last issue, to the late Mr W. G. Kay and Mr T. Steel being engaged in packing supplies into the King Country. The facts are that forty-six years ago!, and for some years afterwards, Messrs Kay and Steel had contracts for supplying the camps of surveyors engaged in mapping out the country south and west of. what is now Taumarunui. They at times had as many as thirty packhorses on the road —or, rather, on bush tracks. They were, it is said, the first white men to undertake packing work in the Ohura country, and in quite a number of the districts between there and the northern boundary of the King Country. At that time a train ran from Auckland to Te Kuiti once a week—on Mondays—and Messrs Kay and Steel would load their packhorses and journey southward into the wilderness, meeting and overcoming all sorts of obstacles in the bush and scrub. Oftentimes they were benighted, and had to sleep out under adverse conditions. But Mr Kay, in recent years, often referred to those experiences, and remarked reminiscently: “ Those were the good times. We were young men, strong and active, and it was an interesting life.”

The draw for basketball games to be played to-morrow locally as follows: Old Girls A v. Arapuni A, Otorohanga B v. Arapuni B, Old Girls B v. Otorohanga A, and Athletic A v. Athletic B. Stressing the need for an intensive campaign to educate farmers to bring about better farm management and more sanitary conditions, Mr J. Landman said at the annual meeting of New Zealand Dairy Factory Managers Association, at Palmerston Noilth, on Wednesday, that he believed fully 90 per cent, of the trouble experienced by dairy-farmers was claused by 10 per cent, of the suppliers. Cleaner sheds should be aimed at. Other speakers also urged a solid front in the hope of obtaining intensive farm instruction. The president said he understood the Government intended to appoint more farm instructors and they were still living in hope of that coming about. Advices from Auckland indicate that no action to secure a reprieve lias yet been taken by counsel for Eric Mareo, who was sentenced to death by Mr Justice Callan in the Supreme Court bn Wednesday night, after he had been found guilty at a re trial on a charge of murdering his wife, Thelma Clarice Mareo. The prisoner has not been interviewed by his counsel since the verdict was given. Senior counsel for the defence, Mr H. F. O’Leary, K.C., of Wellington, left for the south by train yesterday afternoon. Although long and involved the two trials of Mareo have not been expensive, as murder trials are judged, and it is estimated that £lOOO would cover comfortably the cost to the Crown, which has borne both its own expenses and a great part of those of the defence. “ We have discussed the possibility of making the guaranteed price known,’ said the Minister of Marketing, Hon. W. Nash, when addressing the National Dairy Conference at Hastings on Wednesday, “ but have decided for various reasons that the time is not quite opportune. However, when the price is known to the farmer, the value of his land will be determined. If the old procedure follows, and it will not if I can avoid it, every rise of a penny in the price will be added to the land. If a farmer who sells his land gets more for it than he ought to get, I would take every penny off him I could. Wie want to see no charge on the land other than that charge which can be sustained by the price which we are prepared to pay. Our objective is to help to the maximum every dairy farmer in New Zealand to be paid for the work he has done. We want to make it possible for him to pay hjs son, who may work with him, and we want to remove the necessity for his wife to go out and work in the fields.”