LOCAL AND GENERAL

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 71, Issue 6138, 19 September 1945, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Assistant Overseer The chairman and executive officers of the Waipa County Council were appointed a committee on Monday to deal with applications received for the position of assistant overseer.

Building Permits That the Building Controller would not give a permit for materials until a local body had issued a building permit was a statement made at Monday’s meeting of the Waipa County Council. Butter Grading Competition

In a butter grading competition decided at the annual meeting and spring conference of the Auckland Dairy Factory First Assistants’ Association, Mr E. D. Missen, Te Awamutu, gained second place. Thornapple a Noxious Weed

The second schedule of the Noxious Weeds Act, 1928, has been extended to include thornapple or jimson weed (Oatura stramonium). While several plants have been discovered growing in the Lake Ngaroto area, the weed is not common in Waipa county.

Price of Grader The engineer advised the Waipa County Council on Monday that the account for the new grader had arrived, and it was for £3225, the tentative price quoted about a year ago. The figure quoted was for the complete machine.

Proposal Opposed A proposal by the Waipa County Council to take an acre of land at Paterangi for use as a sand pit was the subject of lengthy discussion at Monday’s meeting of that body. Mr S. S. Preston acted as a deputation on behalf of the owner, and Mr H. A. Swarbrick appeared on behalf of the Council. A sub-committee, composed of the chairman, Cr Germann, Mr Swarbrick, and the executive offi,-‘ cers, was set up to confer with the owner of the land. Failing a settlement, fhe land will be taken under the Public Works Act, and is likely to be referred to the Compensation Court. Tree-planting in the County The engineer in his memorandum to the Waipa County Council on Monday dealt with tree-planting operations for the months of July and August as follows: Pokuru sand pit: A small area adjacent to the Kakepuku drainage outlet was planted in pines, 500 trees being put in at a cost of £2ls 7s 2d. Puahue quarry reserve: About 5 acres of this reserve were planted ip, trees; there are 4100 pines and 300 gums, and the latter were used to fit in with Mr Richards’ gums. The cost of planting Puahue quarry reserve area was £133 15s. The Council confirmed the engineer’s action in having the planting done.

Meetings Of Sharemilkers Several meetings of sharemilkers have been recently held throughout the district in regard to matters concerning the Sharemilkers’ Union. The meetings were addressed by the Hon. R. Eddy, national president of the New Zealand Workers’ Union, together with Mr C. Hair, general secretary, and Mr W. F. Shilton, Auckland branch secretary. The speakers gave an indication of the steps being taken in the interests of sharemilkers. Those attending the meetings expressed their appproval of the steps being taken by the New Zealand Workers’ Union on their behalf and unanimously agreed that all sharemilkers should support the Sharemilkers’ Union.

Army Huts As Dwellings “It seems to me that the housing authorities are taking a distorted view of these matters at the present time and are not adopting a practical view at all,” said Mr W. C. Harley, S.M., when the Whangarei Borough Council proceeded against a Whangarei resident for erecting a building without a permit. The defendant, an elderly man, had been living in a house which was condemned and he had then secured an army hut and re-erected it as a dwelling for himself, without securing a permit from the Borough Council. Regarding the offence as a technical one, the magistrate imposed a fine of ss, stating that what the army authorities regarded as sufficient for a soldier in peace or war ought to be reasonable living accommodation.

Footpath at Ohaupo It was stated at Monday’s meeting of Waipa County Council that the Main Highways Board had agreed to provide a £3 for £1 subsidy on the cost of sealing 7A chains of footway leading to Ohaupo School, estimated to cost £2OO, on the understanding that the local authority would carry out improvement work on the old roadway and the piece of land lying between the old roadway and the existing sealed road. The cost of the latter work was estimated at £5O, without assistance from the Highways Board. The county engineer said the Highways Board would be ( doing some re-sealing work in the locality of the proposed footway, and he would endeavour to have the work done at the same time. Ohaupo Town Board will also be asked to contribute to the cost. Paradise Ducks In view of the fact that paradise ducks are making their appearance in the Waikato, the following description is of interest of local sportsmen: — These birds are easily distinguished from the grey or mallard ducks by their size and colour markings. The female bird has a white head and neck and reddish-brown body with a touch of blue and white on the wings. The male bird from a distance looks to be almost black but is really a blueish-green. Both are slightly larger than the mallard. Usually found in pairs and frequently seen feeding in surface water round paddocks, becoming quite tame when not chased. When disturbed these ducks utter a series of short, sharp highpitched notes, changing to a long, drawn-out note when on the wing. Paradise ducks do not mix with grey , and mallard ducks.