LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Waipa Post, Volume XVII, Issue 963, 3 July 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Land set apart for sale or lease to discharged soldiers by Order-in-Coun-cil in this week’s Gazette includes 114 acres in the Alexandra survey district of the county of Kawhia. An area of 292 acres in the parish of Karamu, county of Raglan, being national endowment land, is opened by Gazette notice this week for soldiers’ selection. The tenure is renewable leajie.

This week’s Gazette contains an Order-in-Counci'l prohibiting alienation of native lands in the Pirongia survey district other than alienation in favour of the Crown. In all 628 acres are affected, and the land is situated in the Kopua block. In the Magistrate’s Court at Wellington (says a Press Association message received to-day) a charge against James Denis Foley of stealing a cash box containing £ll7 in cash and cheques Jrom the office of Johnson and Cooper, auctioneers, was dismissed. As indicative of the state of the road to Putaruru, past Arapuni, it may be mentioned that yesterday the Railway Board party which set out from Te Awamutu early in the morning was compelled to “ get out and shove ” over the Puketurua Hill. The mud was practically knee deep. Our Pirongia correspondent writes: “ Travellers on the Te Awamutu-Pi-rongia Road were recently surprised —and no doubt glad—to see three young men (car drivers) filling in the very had holes on the road, and if the ears of the members of the Waipa County Council burned at the time they will now know the cause. Between the Pirongia post office and Mr Lowe’s the road is in a disgraceful state, and it is time the Council commenced patching this highway. If a load or so of metal was put on the side of the road near places that get bad local car drivers would find time (o do a little work towards repairs.” Don’t hesitate to use Nazol very freely, especially by constant inhalation. It protects the mouth, nose, and throat against infectious Influenza Germs.

The fortnightly meeting of the Te Awamutu Borough Coilncil will take place next Monday evening. At the Te Awamutu Police Court yesterday, before Mr R. B. Brown, J.P., a first-offending inebriate was mulcted in the usual fine of ss.

The annual meetings of suppliers of the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company, Ltd., will be held in accordance with notice appearing in our advertising columns to-day. The works committee of the Te Awamutu Borough Council met on Thursday to confer with the engineer (Mr H. F. Toogood) op matters connected with the sewerage proposals. A copy of the Imprest Supply Bill which has been before Parliament, has been sent to the local Returned Soldiers’ Association by Mr J. A. Young, M.P. This measure makes special provision for the transfer of £500,000 to the Discharged Soldiers’ Settlement Account.

A Press Association message from Auckland yesterday stated that representatives of the Tramway Officers’ Union met the public service committee of the City Council in support of a demand for increased Fay. No agreement was reached, and the officers withdrew. They will meet to-day to consider further action.

A pleasant feature of last night’s soldiers’ dance at the Town Hall wasthe attendance of the other queen candidates and prominent supporters of the blue and black and the green ribbons. This came as an evidence of goodwill in the ,! contest; the only rivalry known is that in respect to the raising of money for a work of public benefit-.

Messrs H. G. Foster and Co. report having effected the following sales of property during the past week: Ninety acres at Helensville to Mr Rowell, of Kihikihi; H acres on account of Mr S. J. Fortescue to Mr J. Oliphant; two half-acre sections from Mr C. Bowden to Mr J. Ford; and Mr E. Adams’ house and 11 acres to Mr E. O. Spragg.

Complaint was made during the soldiers’ dance last night by many of those present that the annexe of the hall was not made available. The opinion was expressed by those whose past actions qualified them to speak on the subject that the annexe was provided by public effort for the purpose of. functions such as took place last night, and hence the locked doors were not welcome. The contractor for the Pirongia memorial hall, writes our correspondent, has the foundations prepared, and next week hopes to get the first lot of concrete down. He reports that while the concrete mixer was waiting in the railway yard for removal to Pirongia, some petty thief took some valuable and necessary parts off the engine, and so delayed, the use of the machine. Not the least efficient department at last night’s Soldiers’ Dance at Te Awamutu was the kitchen where a party of “ Diggers” had charge. The manner in which cups and saucers were manipulated through the washing -up process showed that military training had included more than the handling of other than the actual implements of war. They were a hardworking party, but it would be unkind to mention names for the simple reason that some of the good ladies might discover in their husbands a new quality and one which \ would help to relieve the problem of domestic help in the homes. A surprise awaited those who cleared the ' Queen Carnival ballot boxes last night, when intermingled with- the vote tickets, a bulky envelope was found. This was addressed to a well-known “ movie" ” actress, and was in course of dispatch to California. Perhaps the innovation of deposit boxes about the town was appreciated by.somebody who imagined a new form of postal activity, or is it that vote tickets were sent to the post office and the letter to the Carnival Committee in one of those fits of absent-mindedness that most people are subject to? In any case the letter has been dispatched to its rightful destination. That public estimation of values is erratic was shown the other day at an auction sale not many miles from Te Awamutu. A bag of sugar was offered, and realised just on 365, the controlled price of this commodity being less than 20s. The other day the Board of Trade intimated that the controlled price was not to be exceeded, and it would be interesting to ' discover, in the event of a prosecution. whether the man who bartered the goods, the seller who watched bidders profiteering amongst themselves, or the purchaser who fixed the price should be arraigned before the Court. This, surely, is another conundrum for the Board of Trade. In the House Mr J. A. Young, member for Waikato, has given notice to move, “ That there be laid before this House a return showing (1) the date of the appointment of the legal firm of Inder and Metcalf, of Auckland, to act as solicitors in connection with the Discharged Soldiers’ Settlement Act; (2) the amount of all moneys as at Ist June, 1920 (a) earned by the said firm of solicitors, and (b) paid to the said firm of solicitors under the Discharged Soldiers’ Settlement Act; (3) the total number of transactions placed in the hands of the said firm of solicitors since their appointment under the Act; (4) the number of uncompleted transactions in the hands of the said firm of solicitors as at Ist June, 1920; and (5) who was responsible for the api*)iiitiment of the said firm?” A correspondent who subscribes the name “ Ratepayer ” writes as follows: “ i would like to know who is responsible for the compilation of the roll of ratepayers of the Te Awamutu electric power district. I went to the booth to vote, only .to be told that my name was not on the roll. This seems strange, for I have been a ratepayer for the last ten years, and voted at the last election.” Complaints of this nature are not surprising, but the faultisnot with tlie Power Board. It was flfufeT clear months ago that trouble was being experienced in obtaining the rate rolls, and even when the list of voters was compiled ratepayers were publicly invited to inspect the roll ‘ and detect errors or omissions. Neglect to inspect on request has largely contributed to the complaints. 1