LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Waipa Post, Volume XX, Issue 1243, 16 May 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

No further inquiries have been received from Australia for New Zealand butter, and it is possible that the demand from that quarter will die away.

The Maungatautari hills, between Morrinsville and Cambridge, are covered with a white mantle of heather, a New Zealand native shrub, and present a very beautiful appearance. Fresh eggs are still rather scarce in Auckland, and the retail price today was 3s 4d to 3s 6d per dozen. This time last year 4s '3d per dozen was the quotation. , Pickled eggs are now coming in more freely, and sell from 2s 8d to 2s 9d per dozen retail. The sewerage installation has apparently disclosed something of great historic value. When making the excavations near the saleyards l , the workmen unearthed a quaint piece of machinery which, though rusted and broken, was plainly of an unusual type. A printer's machinest in the employ of The Waipa Post was advised, and in his judgment the "find" is unquestionably the base of an oldlime printing press. This leads to the conclusion that it is part of the machinery used in the production of Sir John Gorst's newspaper, " Pihoihoi Mokimoki," over half a century ago. The old printing office was> in the vicinity, and the remains were found deposited in what was a valley near by.

Mr David Ormsby has been appointed a member of the /Maniapoto Maori Council, vice Mr Te Ngoi Marka.

Mr W. 'Brown, of Huntly, is a likely candidate for the Raglan seat at the general election. He will represent the Labour interest.

,'By order-in-council dated Ist May the Te Awamutu Borough Council is empowered to raise a loan of '£lo,ooo ■for sewerage purposes, and the Lower Mangapiko Drainage Board £2OOO for drainage work in Mangapiko stream. Empire Day will 'be celebrated on 3rd June, the anniversary of the birthday taf the King, and that day will be observed as a public holiday in the Government offices throughout New Zealand.

The Mayor (Mr L. G. Armstrong) left by the express last night for Wellington; where, during his sojourn, he will attend to various matters of importance to the borough of Te Awamutu.

The Postmaster-General, speaking at Pongaroa (Lower Hawke's Bay), said that the post office had had a very good year, and he predicted that it would he possible to give the public a slightly cheaper service, particulars of which would be announced in due course.

The Minister of Public Works has convened a conference, to which he has invited delegates from the Counties' Association and the Good (Roads' Association, in order to discuss the proposed Main Highways Bill. The conference will be held in Wellington, probably next week.

The monetary stringency does not appear to be very acute down south. Last week local body loans were effected in Invercargill at 4| per cent, while a recent issue of Che Otago Daily Times contains no less than twelve advertisements from 'financial institutions indicating their readiness to lend money at current rates.

A series of tenders accepted by the 'Government will enable the Hora Hora electric power plant, from which the Te Awamutu Power 'Board derives its electricity, to almost double its i capacity. The machinery and sluice gates necessary for this equipment have 'been ordered, and will be available for use in ample time.to meet the •increased load anticipated.

Thames seems to have Solved a phase of the cost of living problem in a satisfactory manner. At a sale of meat there the other day the prices realised were: Bee! 2d to 4d per Id, mutton 3d to 5d 'per lb, and corned round 4£d per lb. These low prices have ruled for weeks past, much to the satisfaction off thrifty housekeepers; but the growers' opinion is expressed in language which decency forbids publication.

An ordere-in-council has been issued validating the proceedings in connection with a loan of £1550 proposed to be raised by the Waipa County Council for the purpose of forming and metalling portions of Tawa Road and Mahoe Street, in the county. It appears that a subscribing ratepayer had. irregularly attested the signatures of other ratepayers to the consent, but as the ratepayers had not 'been misled by this it was necessary to issue the order to validate proceedings.

In the course of his remarks at the meeting in connection with the Salvation Army Congress in Wellington, the commissioner (Mr H. C. Hodder) stated that the Army was represented in 73 countries and colonies, and preached the Gospel in 46 'languages. It had 12,211 corps and outposts, and the number of officers and cadets fully employed in Salvation Army work was 19,276. Apart from these there were 5941 employees from the various departments. The Army had no fewer than 3*3,436 "bandsmen, seniors and young peopjle, and it published 83 weekly periodicals with a circulation approaching a million and a half.

An interesting ceremony took place after the service at the Kihikihi Presbyterian v Church on Sunday evening, when the pastor, Mr W. T. Brabyn, on behalf of the church, presented Miss Beth Anderson with a silver cake dish on her approaching marriage as a mark of the esteem in which she is held. Mr Brabyn paid a tribute to Miss Anderson's consistent work in connection with the church, and took the opportunity of wishing her every happiness and prosperity. Mr G. R. MeG'hie, as elder of the church, referred in fitting words to Miss Anderson's association with the church and district, and also added his good wishes to the recipient.

There is one question that the ratepayers of the newly-constituted county of Waitomo will have to decide at the election on 7th June, in addition to electing members of the new Council, and that is whether the county will, be rated on the improved or the unimproved value. At present the Awakino county is rated on the unimproved value, and the Waitomo county on the capital value, and consequently the combined county must decide which system will suit it better. The reason why Awakino is rated oh the unimproved value is that the ratepayers decided the question at a poll some seven or eight years ago, and decided in favour of the unimproved value. Waitomo, on the other hand, has not voted on the question, and therefore the matter has been settled by a clause in the Act, which states that in the event of the ratepayers not expressing their preference the rates shall be raised on the capital value.

Cheese is still being manufactured at the Norfolk ('Motomaoho) factory, but in view of the slump in cheese prices and the improved outlook for butter it is expected that all milk .e----ceived at the 'factory during the winter months, commencing within a week or two, will be separated, and the cream sent to the New Zealand Dairy Company's factory at Frankton. One satisfactory feature of the dairying industry in Waikato is that when the supply of milk slackens the big dairy combination is always prepared to buy the cream of the small cheese concerns. The arrangement suits both parties. The smaller concerns find that butter pays better than cheese. The big concern has ample accommodation, and can "deal ..with all the available cream at comparatively little extra cost, and is thus able to maintain its winter supply of butter for local consumption.