LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 December 1923, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ihe concert which was to have been held in Pukekura Park on Christmas night iu aid of the park funds was postponed on account of the rain until Saturday night. During November 117* men were employed' on railway construction at the east end of the Stratford Main Trunk line and 49 at the western end- On the Opunake branch line 15‘7 were employed.

By the Shaw, Savill and Albion Company’s At'henie, which arrived in Wellington on Monday from London and Southampton, there arrived a total of •j 15 third-class passengers. Among this list there was a surprisingly large number of youths, whose ages ranged from about 18 to 22 years. The Christinas season has been a very quiet one as far as the New Plymouth police are concerned, two arrests having been made. At Stratford, on Christmas Eve, two men were arrested on cl urges of theft and another on a charge of breaking his probation order. They will appear on remand at Stratford tomorrow.

The Cambridge Dairy Company will pay its suppliers Is 8d per lb on but-ter-fat for cheese, and Is fid for butter, Novemoer supply. This is a record advance papment for New Zealand this year. The company was also on Christmas Eve to hand suppliers about a halfpenny a lb final bonus for last year. A half-penny to some suppliers runs into £166.

The secretary of the Uruti church bazaar writes: With reference to your report of the Uruti church bazaar some names were omitted from some of the stalls. The error was caused through no fault of the reporter, but through our own. At the luncheon. stall the names of Mrs. Anderson and Miss E. Fugle were omitted. The nail driving and shooting gallery were in charge of Messrs. F. L. Boyes and Mr. W- W. Davis respectively.

The dance held by the East End Reserve Committee last evening was in every way a great success, eclipsing all previous functions held by the committee. The hall was prettily decorated with greenery- Over one hundred couples were present, and the floor was in excellent order. Orris orchestra provided splendid music, which was much appreciated. Messrs. R. Horsup and J. Sutherland made efficient M.C-’s. A first-class supper was provided, the ladies attending to this department being Mrs. Bennock, and Misses Parkinson, Bennoch, Woodham and Sefton. This evening another dance will be held, and there should be another large attendance of holiday-makers.

A good number of northern cars came through the Awakino gorge road on Christmas Day. Unfortunately heavy rain fell in the afternoon, making the Mahoenui end that is unmetalled difficult to negotiate for the heavier cars, though the lighter ones came through without trouble. The road from Mokau to Tongaporutn was in good order, this being of sandy formation and therefore dries quickly. The rest of the road, of course, is in first-class order. Two northern cars took the wrong turn at Mahoenui and essayed the Taumatamaire, with disastrous results, it being reported that both cars were stuck in the mud for the night. This suggests tne necessity for erecting a signboard at the junction. The Taumatamivira was always a bad road for motorists, but since nothing has been done to it for the past year its state is now worse taan ever, were that possible.

The facility with which the GovernorGeneral can raise a laugh or turn a laugh in his public speeches is something which many a trained platform speaker might well envy (remarks the New Zealand Herald). Even when the laugh is against him, he handles the situation with admirable sang-froid, as was exemplified when he made an amusing little slip in his address at the Giri Guides’ meeting. Dwelling impressively upon the very high ideals of the moment, and its training of young people in citizenship and service, His Excellency said, “There can be no higher ideal for anyone than this, be he boy or girl, and if he ” Then the ripple of laughter pulled the speaker up short. “Ah,” he said, smiling broadly, “I should have said be he or she boy or girl. Weil, your noticing that so promptly shows that you are quick and observant, as Girl Guides should be. That is what the movement teaches, and I am glad to see you have benefited already by your Guide training!” “I have been for over 40 years a member of local bodies,” said Mr. Gibbs, a member of the No. 8 Highways Council, at a meeting of the Patea County Council, “and the Highways Council is the biggest dud of a thing I have ever sat on. In fact, it is the biggest frost I ever saw in my life, and I hope I will never see anything like it again.” Mr. Gibbs considered that if the Highways Council did not make more progress it would die a natural death. However, he would continue to attend these meetings. He had suspicions that the Waitotara County Council wanted help to make some of its roads. They were not satisfied with the Government subsidy, but wanted something from Patea as well. It would be necessary for Patea to keep their eyes open and fight this question. Patea had the largest stretch of main highway, namely, 27 miles, as against 21 in the Waitotara County. He considered Patea was doing its fair share in the interests of the whole Dominion in the matter of primary highway.

“Wily don’t you good people advertise the beauties- of the run through from Te Kuiti to New Plymouth?” This question wan asked of a News reporter yesterday by a northern motorist, who fame through yesterday. “I have been all over New Zealand, and I can say without reservation that it is the most beautiful and interesting motor trip in the Dominion. There is only one bad stretch, and that is all right in fine weather. I refer to the Awakino gorge road, or that portion of it which has not yet been metalled. The contractor is making slow work of the metalling, and you and Te Kuiti should shake up the Government to complete the gap without further delay. What I wanted particularly to remark upon was the beautiful pieces of bush reserved along the whole of the route from Mahoenui to New Plymouth. I believe your people have had all these fine clumps and stretches reserved for all time. They were .ur-sighted men who did this. They could scarcely have done a better work for their province and their own country. This fact will be more and more recognised as time, goes on and the route becomes, as it must do shortly, the national highway between Wellington. Taranaki and Auckland.” The East End Reserve Committee 'acknowledge the following donations: Messrs. Weston and Billing £1 Is, Mrs. E. Dookrill IDs, Mr*. Woodham 10s.