LOCAL AND GENERAL

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 60, Issue 4235, 24 January 1940, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

. A. decision to impose the statutory penalty of ten per cent on unpaid rates was reached at Monday’s meeting of the Wiaipa County Council.

Advertisers and subscribers are asked to note that there will be no issue of Te Awamutu Courier next Monday (Anniversary Day).

Considerable interest is being displayed among local cricket enthusiasts in the Hawke Cup match, Waikato versus Manawatu, to be played at Hamilton on Saturday and Monday.

It was stated at Monday’s meeting of the Waipa County Council, during a report on dog registration, that Maori-owned dogs were the most difficult to register last year, the job (being to find acknowledged owners.

“ I know quite a number of farmerratepayers who deliberately do not pay their rates until the final day,” remarked a member at last Monday’s meeting of the Waipa County Council during a brief discussion on a motion to impose the statutory ten per cent penalty on unpaid rates.

Complaint was made at Monday’s meeting of the Waipa County Council by a Te Rore ratepayer, alleging that a dangerous roadway existed in the vicinity of his farm, and that three motor cars had recently come to grief there. The engineer was instructed to investigate and, if necessary effect repairs.

Wlhat appeared to be of ptomaine poisoning were experienced by a party of four local residents on Monday, after partaking of a meal in which it is said corned beef figured and subsequently came under suspicion. Violent pains and retching were experienced, necessitating attention by a doctor for one of the sufferers. At latest advice all have made a good recovery, but for a time one member of the party was gravely ill.

Motorists in Auckland province are disposed to accept philosophically and as a genuine war measure the decision of the Government to ration petrol from February 1. The atitude of most car oWners yesterday, following the announcement of the restrictions by the Minister of Supply, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, was that the sacrifice sought Was considerably less than that required in Britain, and that even with reduced suppies, private motorists would still be able to use their cars to a reasonable extent.

According to reports from Waitahanui, fishing at Taupo is improving. Recent catches include a 101 b rainbow trout and an BJlb brown trout, both taken from the mouth of the river. Fishing in the-same locality on Friday, a Napier angler took two fine fish of 6Jlb and 51b, and on Sunday evening Mr A. Ramsay, Taupo, landed seven fish, all in fair condition. Fishing on the lake was also good on Sunday, when conditions were ideal. There was only a slight ripple and the weather was overcast, though fine..

To_ ensure that his cat should not stray from his own premises, in compliance with the tenancy agreement which must be signed by those who are allotted State houses, a resident of one town has made use of a novel device by which he not only complies with the regulations but also gets a result of practical value He erected a clothes line arrangement over his strawberry patch, and with a neat little collar and a length of twine permitted the cat to walk, run, or walk up and down the full length of the strawberries. This had the effect of keeping the cat under control as well as acting as a stern warning to any birds with malice aforethought respecting the ripening strawberries.

About 700 men employed on public works in New Zealand have volunteered for the special body of 377 men called for from the Public Works and Railway Departments for service overseas in the construction of railways and other works, according to a statement by the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. R. Semple, at Christchurch on Tuesday evening. He said this figure did not include men who had volunteered from the Railway Department. “This body of volunteers includes men qualified in all kinds of occupations,” the Minister said. “They will be examined and those who are selected will go into camp immediately. I do not know where; that is a matter for the Army. This response is excellent, and I am highly pleased with it. There were no recruiting meetings; an appeal was simply made and the men responded.”

The chairman (Cr S. C. B. Macky) told the Waipa County, Council at Monday’s meeting that just before Christmas representations were made to him, through the local representative of the Department of Agriculture. for the transfer of £lOOO to the Council’s cash allocation for ragwort eradication to the Otorohanga County Council, which body had over-expend-ed its Government grant. After conferring with the clerk-treasurer and the noxious weeds inspector, he had advised Otorohanga that Waipa would make £BOO available for transfer as a gesture of goodwill. A reply had been received gratefully accepting the offer. Mi- Macky explained that Otorohanga’s weed eradication plan scheme was proving beneficial to Waipa, the adjoining county; the lessened funds had, however, entailed the dismissal of one gang of workmen in Waipa.

Office staff reconstruction was briefly referred to at Monday’s meeting of the Waipa County Council, and a committee comprising Crs. S. C. Macky (chairman' G. S. Clarke, J. T. Johnson, with the clerk and engineer, was asked to examine the situation and report to a later meeting.'

From remarks made during a discussion on rural housing at Monday’s meeting of the Waipa County Council it was evident that no applications for rural housing loans will be received until a reply has been received from the Minister in the matter of legislation to remove anomalies in the Rural Housing Act.

According to a computation placed before the Waipa County Council at the monthly meeting on Monday, the sum of £229 will require to be collected this year from ratepayers in the Tuatuamoana special rating area, principally in liquidation of debts incurred when the area was under the control of the now-defunct Tuatuamoana Drainage Board.

Already quite a number of intending competitors at the Te Awamutu Amateur Athletic and Cycling Club’s huge Centennial sports meeting at Albert Park on Saturday and Monday next have secured accommodation locally for the week-end. Many other competitors will be accommodated at Hamilton.

The only stake money gained by a Te Awamutu horse at the Thames races on Monday was that for second place won by Mr J. G. Smith’s Ora King in the County Handicap, seven furlongs. Ora King, ridden by R. E. Horne, made a gallant effort to win, but Te Hai prevailed by a very narrow margin.

“ Many ratepayers appear to be under the impression that a current year’s rates cannot be collected until the expiry of six months and fourteen days,” remarked the clerk-trea-surer at. Monday’s meeting of WaipaCounty Council. Actually, explained Mr Grant, rates could be collected fifteen days after the date of striking the rates. The reference to six months and fourteen days was misunderstood; really that term referred to the period from the date of striking the rates when the statutory ten per cent penalty on rates unpaid could be imposed.

Relative to the subject matter of correspondence in to-day’s issue about the water supply Interruption last week-end, our inquiry goes to show that the works foreman was absent from Te Awamutu until Sunday afternoon, and that three other employees, Messrs J. Biehler, R. Cunningham and T. Close carried out the remedial measures to restore the supply of water. The foreman went to the headworks immediately on arrival in Te Awamutu on Sunday afternoon. As the matter will be the subject of reports and discussion at next meeting of the Borough Council, it need not be continued in our columns at present.

At a sale of thoroughbred bloodstock at Trentham yesterday, Mr J. Sklenars, of Mangapiko, paid 95 guineas for the four-year-old bay mare Lilibet, by imported Siegfried from Blue Maid, and mated with imported Lord Quex. Other Auckland provincial buyers were Mr L. S. Otway, of Cambridge, who paid 100 guineas for the chestnut mare Teremai, by Tea Tray from Taiamai, and Mr J. Clothier, of Matamata, who secured the chestnut mare Golden Hair (Limond —Lady Cavendish), with a bay colt foal at foot by Mr Standfast (Mr M. H. Tims’ imported sire) and mated with Ringmaster, for 650 guineas. !

When dog' registration was under brief discussion at Monday’s meeting of the Waipa County Council, Cr. D. B. Livingstone asserted that (several dogs dosed last year with arelcolene were adversely, affected, after only one dose. Similar reports had come to hand from other districts. He thought that if the dosing was not fairly universal the system of 'registering should be discontinued. He did not think there were many useless dogs in Waipa County. The clerk said that very few dogs escaped registation, and it was felt the system was beneficial in the effort to combat hydatids by dosing with arecolene.

It is pointed out, in connection with the coming petrol restrictions, that motorists anxious to make their allowance of fuel drive their cars the longest possible distance can gain a distinct advantage by travelling steadily at a reasonable speed, never in excess of 40 miles an hour, by avoiding sudden acceleration and fast travel on intermediate gears, and by making the minimum number of stops and restarts. It is also possible on occasions to gain greater economy of running by inflating the tyres slightly higher than usual, and by sacrificing a little power and using smaller jets in the carburettor.

A cheque for £5O has been sent to the Consul for Finland at Christchurch, Mr Waino V. Sarelius, by Mr F. W. Burley, of Hamilton, as a token of his admiration and respect for the bravery of the Finns in the war against Russia. “In these dreadful times of war, one’s heart goes out to your great and brave countrymen,” stated Mr Burley in his letter. “Some of us older men know what privations have to be endured in times of peace in most of northern Europe, and also that among the intellectual people of this generation, Finland is among the first. Now they stand for freedom. That they may prevail is my very earnest wish.”

The stoppage at the Wallsend mine, near Greymouth, on Monday has extended to the Dobson mine nearby, the men intimating to the management yesterday afternoon that they would not be working to-day. No immediate extension to other mines in the district is anticipated at present, the Blackball, Paparoa, Old Blackball and James, Liverpool and Strongman State miiners having decided to continue work until the meeting of the Grey Miners’ Central Committee on Saturday. The Wallsend stoppage arose over the management’s refusal to pay holiday wages to all workers employed for more than three months, it being, contended bn behalf of the owners that the men must work 181 days or continuously for 12 months before becoming qualified for the holiday pay of one day for each 20 or part thereof worked.