CENTRAL TARANAKI NEWS

Taranaki Daily News, 10 December 1928, Page 10

CENTRAL TARANAKI NEWS

I , Telephone Nos. j I; Stratford Exchange , 552 Office I i 718 Private •

Telephone Nos. i Stratford Exchange 552 Office 718 Private

(FROM OUR RESIDENT REPORTERS)

ELTHAM COUNTY AFFAIRS MONTHLY MEETING OF COUNCIL. ENGINEER’S REPORT RECEIVED. The monthly meeting of the Eltham County Council was held on Saturday, those present being Crs. C. J. Belcher (chairman) A. McWilliam, A. V. Messana, W. W. Barker, A. L. Campbell, W. E. Carter, C. E. McGuinness and E. J. Gifford. The county engineer (Mr. F. Muggeridge) reported for the month as follows: South Riding.—General maintenance consisting of scrub cutting, filling in wheel ruts, lowering culverts, and watertabling was attended to on the old Rotokare Road. On the Fraser Road one side track was metalled, and clay blinded. Bitumen patching was also attended to on this road.

Mangatoki Riding.—Watertables and culverts were cleaned on the Skeet and Hastings Roads. On the Hunter Road one side track -was filled in and watertables cleaned out.

Omona Riding.—The tractor and grader were-used to clean the sides of the Rawhitiroa Road, and the metalled portion of the Mataiwhetu Road. Eightyfive yards of maintenance metal were carted out from the Mangatoroniire stream. On the Rawhitiroa Road slips were cleared, metal patching was done and watertables and culverts attended to. A considerable amount of work has been done in clearing up the Moeawatea track and the valley road. The work of clearing the Moewatea Ridge road will now be attended to.

Kaponga Riding.—Bitumen patching was done on the Auroa, Eltham, and Mangawhere Roads. Metal patching was attended to on the Palmer Road. One set of 12in concrete pipes was put in on the Neil Road. Clay blinding was clone on the Opunake-Stratford bridge on the Opunake Road. Eltham Riding.—A start has been made io widen the third mile of the Rawhitiroa Road to 15ft. About 80 chains on one side have been completed to date. Slips were cleared off the Mata, Mangawhero and Tirimoana Roads. Metal patching was done on the Rawhitiroa and Rotokare Roads.

The Public Works Department at Wellington advised that there had been a movement, promoted by the owners of heavy vehicles, with the object of ■inducing the Government to discontinue the regulation which authorised local authorities to charge heavy traffic license fees. In order that the matter might be properly considered at a conference to be held in the new year, the department asked for a statement showing tho amount the council had received each year si :e the heavy traffic regulations came into force, together with a short indication of the uses to which the money lead been put. The department also wished to receive any information that might be available as to the conclusions that the council or staff had come to as to whether the damage caused to the roads by heavy traffic vehicles was greater than that which would be caused by a number of motor-cars using the same amount of petrol.

“I think it would be disastrous to meddle with the regulations,” said Cr. Messana. Other councillors supported Cr. Messana, the general opinion being that a number of cars would not do the damage to the roads that would be done by heavy traffic using the same amount of petrol.

The clerk was instructed to advise the department that the council was not in favour of the discontinuation of the heavy traffic license fees. The diversion of traffic, during the height of the season, from portions of roads which might be under repair, was mentioned in a letter from the Taranaki Automobile Association. It was thought by the association that the local authorities might request their engineers to see that, as far as possible, the diversion of traffic by the erection of barriers was reduced to a minimum, especially during the Christmas holidays when the motor traffic was at its height. The association brought this matter forward with a certain amount of diffidence, having realised that the local bodies and their officers had always done their best to protect the interests of the trav elling public.

ELTHAM FARMERS MEET. AGRICULTURE FOR PROFICIENCY. ■ The Eltham branch of the Farmers' Union met on Saturday, Mr. J. Cocker presiding over a fair attendance. The chairman brought up the matter of including agricultural science as a compulsory subject for the school proficiency examination. He gave an instance of a girl at Okaiawa who had taken first prizes in calf-rearing, mangold and carrot-growing. This girl had sat for her proficiency but had failed to pass owing to being weak in spelling. A boy 'who secured, only competency marks, but who showed special excel lence in woodwork would be able to have a free place at a technical high school, but excellence in agriculture counted for nothing. Although very good at agriculture, the Okaiawa girl could not have a free place in a technical high school because she had been weak in spelling. Mr. Cocker’s motion that the branch considered it necessary that agricultural science should be included as a compulsory subject for proficiency examinations tvas carried.

Following a discussion w danger of putting cattle into a paddock with a consequent likelihood of disease being spread among the . farmer’s stock the following resolution to be sent to the provincial executive of the Union was passed: “That this branch of the Farmers’ Union desires the support of the provincial executive to have the law amended so that no beast may be turned into farmers’ paddocks without permission of the occupier of the land.” lu the opinion of the branch this was the correct time of the year to deal with the prevention of the spread of noxious weeds. The attention of inspectors was drawn to the necessity of dealing more severely with offenders and to the advisability of transmitting to landowners any available advice, regarding the eradication of noxious weeds. “Slide, Kelly, Slide,” the new Metro-

Goldwyn-Mayer production now playing at the King’s Theatre is unique. In the first place, the director, Edward Sedgwick, filmed the world series baseball games, took its crucial moments and wove them into a dramatic background for his story. Thousands of yelling fans in grandstands; the nation’s two foremost teams at death grips—this is the colourful atmosphere of the picture. In this is woven an intimate story of baseball; the story of a youngster who learns to play brilliantly, becomes a star, gets “swelled head” thereby—and then learns the greatest lesson in life. It is a thrilling and absorbing story told amid the surge and thunder of the great sporting game. William Haines, who played the hero of “Brown of Harvard” was the logical man for Kelly. His whimsical humour and inimitable portrayal do much to make the picture what it is, and Sally O’Neil makes a very piquant heroine. MONEY FOR THE MOUNTAIN. ELTHAM COUNTY VOTES GRANT. A deputation consisting of Messrs. W. G. Walkley and J. Bayly (Hawera) from the South committee of the Egmont National Park Board waited upon the Eltham County Council on Saturday and asked for a grant of £5O towards the committee’s funds. Tho local bodies in past years had made a grant but last year the committee did not obtain one from the Eltham county, said Mr. Walkley. The had agreed to subsidise, up to £5OO, any money the local bodies might grant. The committee wanted every penny it could possibly secure. There were 4 miles of road to maintain besides the many tracks which had to be kept in order. Improvements to the hostel were also needed, the accommodation for the servants being too small, while the sanitary system was inadequate. Already Waimate West County had voted £4O to tho committee, the Hawera borough and Hawera county councils having each voted £5O. The chairman (Cr. C. J. Belcher) moved that the committee be granted £4O. This was seconded by Cr. A. V. Messina “I am opposed to spending ratepayers’ money on the mountain,” said Cr. E. J. Gifford.

Cr. A. L. Campbell: I shall support a grant of £3O, but not one of £4O. Cr. A. McWilliam supported the chairman. “It would be a great pity to see this asset to Taranaki go back through lack of funds,” he said. . “I think the committee should supply, the contributing local bodies with its balance-sheet showing the receipts and how the money is expended,” stated Cr. C. E. McGuiness.

Cr. Campbell’s amendment that the committee be voted a grant of £3O lapsed for w-ant of a seconder. The chairman’s motion was carried. CENTRAL BOWLING FIXTURES... DRAW FOR SECOND ROUND. A meeting of the Central Division shield competition committee was held in the Stratford Club’s pavilion on Saturday, when dates for the second round were fixed as follow: December 13. Stratford v. Eltham, at Eltham. Avon v. “Kaponga, at Avon. Inglewood v. Tarki, at iuglcwood. December 20. Stratford v. Inglewood, at Stratford. Avon v. Tariki, at Tariki. Eltham v. Kaponga, at Kaponga. January 17. Stratford v. Kaponga, at Stratford. Avon v. Inglewood, at Avon. Eltham v. Tariki, at Eltham. January 31. . Stratford v. Avon, at Stratford. Eltham v. Inglewood, at Inglewood. Tariki v. Kaponga, at Kaponga. February 6. Stratford v. Tariki, at Tariki, Avon v. Eltham, at Avon. Inglewood v, Kaponga, at Inglewood. FRIENDLY MATCH PLAYED. A friendly match was played on the Stratford green on Saturday between Avon and Stratford. Four rinks participated, the result being victory for the home club by 33 points. The visitors were handicapped by the keenness of the green, which was playing very fast and drawing well. Results are: 1 — S. A. MeSecretary, Butcher, Rowell, Skoglmid (s) 27 Coleman, Wilson, Woods, North (a) 17 Parry, C. Martin, Allen, Davis (s) 24 - Mantle, C. Jackson, Roberts, F. Jackson (s) 22 Young, Walters, Coe, Amess (s) 27 BlamireSj Pearce, Betts, J. Masters (s) 26 Hickson, Woodhead, Sanderson, Ansley (s) 34 Clemow, Smith, Hardy-Jones, J. S. McDonald (s) 14 112 79 GENERAL AND PERSONAL ITEMS. On the occasion of his marriage, Mr. B. Seyb, of the Public Works Department, Stratford, was the recipient at the office on Saturday of a presentation from his fellow officers. In presenting him with an electric kettle and toaster, Mr. V. C. Curtis referred to the esteem in which Mr. Seyb was held by the other members of the staff, and expressed the wish that he and his wife would enjoy a happy and prosperous married life. Mr. Seyb suitably responded.

Ladies of the Stratford Plunket Society held a successful street day in Broadway on Saturday. Willing members took charge of the stall and good business was done throughout the afternoon, the public generally recognising this is the one day of the year when the society may appeal by means of a street day. Reference to the good work carried out by Mr. T. M. Ball during his term of office as district engineer of the Public Works Department in Taranaki was made at the monthly meeting of

the Eltham County Council on Saturday. Mr. Ball was congratulated on his promotion to the Dunedin office of the department. The reported action of the music committee of the Stratford Racing Club in passing over the Stratford Citizens’ Band and engaging for its New Year meeting a distant band at, it is alleged, three times the cost, has aroused a good deal of comment in Stratford. When approached on the subject Mr. D. J. Malone, a member of the racing club committee, declined to make any statement other than that ‘We have secured the services of the best band in New Zealand and that is all I am going to say.” MAK AHU NOTES. (From Our Own Correspondent.) Excellent climatic conditions arc now prevailing, and have proved very beneficial to the farmers who are busy ploughing and preparing for autumn and winter feed. Large consignments of wool have left the district, and prices obtained at recent sales appear very satisfactory.

Miss Kopke, wlm spent her annual holiday with her parents, has returned to New Plymouth. Mr. and Mrs. J. Yarrell and family, Kohuratahi, are spending a few days in the district, where in tho near future they will take up their residence. Mr. H. Dalgleish, who was recently appointed manager of Mr. Symes’ estate, has removed to his new residence. Mrs. Kopke, who lias been staying with friends in Kohuratahi, has returned home. Mrs. W. Cave, recently of Makahu, has been an inmate of the New Plymouth hospital.