LOCAL AND GENERAL

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3813, 25 September 1936, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Te Awamutu Borough Council will hold its fortnightly meeting next Monday evening. The following competitions were decided at the Te Awamutu Horticultural Society’s spring show on Wednesday of last week: Lawn mower, Mr James Martin; cake. Mrs Rhodes (Pukeatua); doll, Nanette Newton.

Te Awamutu and district sportsmen plan to be represented in full force at the Waikato Trotting Club’s meeting at Claudelands to-morrow.

The local Oddfellows’ Ping-Pong Club concluded a very successful season on Wednesday evening, with a large attendance of players. Mr A. L. Gilmore won the trophy for the men’s handicap (donated by the Misses Metcalfe), and Miss D. Gasson won the ladies’ handicap trophy.

The popular concert at the Empire Theatre next Sunday evening, organised under teh auspices of the local Municipal Band, promises to be just as entertaining as its immediate predecessors, which have attracted large and satisfied audiences. The entertainers include some new talent, and are regarded as the most capable aggregation to appear at a Band concert locally.

Reference was made at Thursday’s meeting of Te Awamutu branch of the Farmers’ Union to the published statement that the Labour Department has 600 men available under the placement scheme for employment on farms, and Mr Bryant said a settler in his district had applied a fortnight ago to the placement officer at Hamilton, and had received a reply that all available labour had been absorbed, but as soon as any such man was again available the applicant would be notified promptly. He added that so far no further advice had been received.

The annual report of the Farmers’ Co-operative Auctioneering Company, Limited, for the year ended 31st July shows a net profit of £42,526, compared with £33,385 last year. With £447 brought forward, £42,973 is available for distribution. Preference dividends of 6 per cent, less the statutory reduction, require £12,661, leaving £30,312. It is proposed to pay a dividend of 4J per cent on the ordinary shares, against 4 per cent last year. This absorbs £10,204, leaving a carry-forward of £20,108, subject to income and land tax.

We understand that rehearsals for the forthcoming Benefit Concert, to be staged at the Empire Theatre on Wednesday, 14th October, are proceeding very satisfactorily, and evidently intending patrons are to witness two and a-half hours’ entertainment of something entirely different from 'that which has previously been presented in this town. “The Ethel Mystery,” a short sketch, will keep patrons wondering to the last minute when a surprising disclosure reveals the solution. This is claimed to be but one of the sensations of the, programme. The special engagement of the “Yodelling Cowboy” is also announced.

Skilled tradesman, wharf labourer, harvester, builder’s labourer, ploughman, threshing-mill worker—and now, after eighteen years, back again to his trade. That is the “record of a man who enrolled at a southern placement bureau, after having been on relief since July, 1931. Similar cycles are being travelled by many men who started their industrial lives in important trades and gradually drifted into casual occupations and almost automatically on to relief. The placement scheme has in numerous instances checked this drift, and therefore men who have not followed their trades for many years need not give up hope of eventually getting back to them and making good.

An 11-year-old boy, William Golding, was accidentally shut in the Read with an air-gun when playing with his younger brother, aged 9 years, at Hastings. The pellet entered the head through the top of the left eye, shattered the bone, and lodged at the back of the eye-ball. The lad was taken to Palmerston North, where he was operated upon by Dr W. S. V. Bransgrove, but a second operation had to be performed two weeks later before the pellet was removed. The shot was flattened on one side, and it was remarkable that the eye had not been destroyed; even so it will take about two years for complete recovery, although the boy has now been discharged from hospital.

Thirty-six different trades and occupations were represented by the 92 imen who were placed in private employment by the Wellington placement office during the week ended 12th September. The list included barmen, blacksmiths, bakers, butchers, carpenters, chainmen, clerks, motor drivers, an egg-pulper, a factory hand, joiners, electricians, gardeners, labourers, a printer’s machinist, messengers, painters, a panelbeater, porters, plasterers, sailmakers, salesmen, seamen, storemen, a tramway conductor, a waiter, warehousemen, a window cleaner, and a wood-cutter. Several youths were placed as farm hands, and the work found for others was as a clerk, a delivery roundsman, an engineer’s assistant, a factory hand, a liftman, a message boy, and a storeman.

At Monday’s meeting of the Waitqmo Power Board, consideration was giden to the possiblity of a small extension at Rangiatea—it was reported one of the men cited was not now ready to coma in—and at Tahaia, where, the guarantee of the two farmers was only £4 each. The engineer said he would investigate the possibility of reticulating Oparure before next meeting. The necessary guarantees have now been signed by the sdttlers on the following proposed extensions previously dealt with by the Board:—Kio Kio line, Hewer’s Road, Otewa, and Morris and Brock, Paewhenua. Preliminary surveys of the line routes had been made. The c>nonneer reported that the extensions and additional load had made it essential that the; load carrying capacity of the Mangaorongo line be increased by the replacement of galvanised wire instead of copper, if a satisfactory voltage was to be maintained. He recommended making a ring-feeder of the Mangaorongo and River Road lines, at an estimated cost of £BO, and the replacement with copper wire to the Ngahape-Mahiihi junction, at a cost of £4OO. This work was authorised.

The local Orphans’ Club will hold its final meeting of the 1936 season to-morrow evening, when Bro. Frank Moody will be the chairman.

Following are the total of people employed in all factories in New Zealand in recent years: 82,861 in 1930, 68,697 in 1932, 72,651 in 1934. Last returns of farm employees showed over 138,000.

In connection with the operation of the Summer-time Act the Railway Department inserts an advertisement in this issue regarding the express from Wellington on arriving at Auckland on Sunday morning next.

A reminder is given that summer time will commence at 2 o’clock New Zealand standard time on the morning of Sunday next (27th September), and will end at 2 o’clock on the morning of Sunday, 25th April, 1937.

Mr J. G. Holmes had the gratification of parading the winning bull in both divisions of the judging competition at Te Awamutu Jersey Club’s pedigree bull sale on Wednesday, besides gaining third placing in the yearling division. It was not surprising, in view of the judge’s decision, that Mr Holmes’ animals topped the list in each division in the sale-ring.

Mr D. H. Cavers, who has been largely responsible for details of the farm manager scheme, reported to Thursday’s meeting of Te Awamutu branch of the Farmers’ Union that the manager has been kept fully employed, and had given entire satisfaction. Those employing him had telephoned congratulating the branch on its arrangements.

The Licensing Authority for No. 1 transport district, Mr E. J. Phelan, has granted the following continuous passenger licenses affecting this district, there having been no objections lodged: j. S. Roigard, Te AwamutuArapuni; E. Glassey, Ngaromo-Te Awamutu, the operator to have the right to deviate between Tokanui and Korakonui, and between Korakonui and. Wharepuhunga; L. Hodgson, Rihikihi-Te Awamutu and Hamilton Pirongia-Tc Awamutu. The licenses in each case will have a currency of three years, expiring on February 28th, 1939.

Our paragraph in last Wednesday’s issue inquiring the correct spelling of a road often called “ St. Ledger’s ” brings the information from a settler along the road that originally the name was “ Te Puniu,” but when the Power Board was reticulating the district it was felt that “Te Puniu ” would be confused with the betterknown “ Puniu,” and so it was altered —apparently by the Power Board staff, according to our informant. The choice fell on “ St. Leger,” the second baptismal name of Dr Hugh St. Leger Gribben, superintendent of two State institutions in this district at the time.

Considerable interest is already being shown among returned soldiers in Te Awamutu and neighbourhood in the local R.S.A.’s “ ladies’ night ” next Wednesday in the Town Hall. The meeting will lie addressed by Commander Nesbit, D.S.C., R.N.R., on some of his Great War experiences, and as he is one of the most accomplished and interesting speakers at present in New Zealand “ Diggers ” and their wives can rest assured that they are in for an entertaining evening. It should be noted that in anticipation of a large attendance the Town Hall has been secured for the occasion.

A local business man, who has con sistently been an active worker for Te Awamutu’s welfare for many years, was discussing briefly the Borough Council’s proposals for re-erect-ing the town clock on some other site now it has to be removed from the post office to make way for remodelling and enlarging that public building. He advanced a suggestion that the small reserve at the corner of Alexandra Street and Rewi Street, where the big redwood tree now stands, is the ideal site. From there it will be seen by a majority of the residents ct the borough, and being on just as high ground as the police station section proposed by the Mayor it more than equals that site in attractiveness.

Te Awamutu branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, at the usual monthly meeting on Thursday, decided to write to the Government requesting full details regarding the steps to be taken in eradicating ragwort. Mr W. J. Hodgson stated that it seemed certain that discovery of an antidote for ragwort poisoning of stock would show a way out of the difficulty in controlling the weed. He asked if this possibility had been investigated by the Government. He advanced the view that if such an antidote were administered to stock .hey could eat the weed with impunity, and while they were clearing the land the farmer would be turning ragwort-infested areas into a good proposition. Mr Hodgson added that at present it seemed that little good was being done, for the pest was increasing steadily year by year. The meeting decided to seek information on this aspect of the problem.