LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Waipa Post, Volume XXIV, Issue 1396, 24 May 1923, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Information has been received that the Rev. A. M. Niblock, recently vicar of St. John's, Te Awamutu, has been appointed curate of St. Augustine's Church, Stanley Bay, Auckland, and •is to take up his new duties early next month. The next ordinary meeting of the Waipa County Council is set down for 2nd July. This date is a few d>ays after the polling for the Kakepuku riding loan of £ISOO. and thus the general rates for the current year will not be struck until the Kakepuku ratepayers have indicated their intentions. The chairman of the Waipa County Council, at Wednesday's meeting, commenting on the commissioner's award in respect to the upkeep of the RaglanFrankton Road between the county boundary near Frankton and the Wha'awhata, bridge, expressed bis [borough accord. It was a very fair decision as regarded Waipa county. The councillors concurred in The opinion. One of the representatives of Mangapiko riding, Cr McCarthy, was informed at Wednesday's meeting of the Waipa County Council by the engineer that timber carters between Pirongia saw-mill am! Te Awamutu paid a royalty of 9d per 100 feel for damage done to the road. Not much of this class of carting was being done ai present, but the riding had 'already received nearly £IOO in royalties.

The inauguration of a new shopping service in connection with .Mr E. J. Taylor's hardware and crockery business in Te Awamutu will/ afford the people of this district the opportunity of buying on most advantageous terms in their home town. Mr Taylor a few months ago arranged for the importation of regular shipments of hardware and crockery,'and as these goods come to hand be will offer them to the public as "week-end specials" at prices which are sure to attract thrifty purchasers. Telephone ami mail orders cannot lie entertained; indeed, the prices for 'weekend specials" will allow no margin for other than direct shopping. Every Thursday Mr Taylor will announce 'the specials in t ! bi« paper, the lirst announcement appearing on page S of to-day's issue." 53 'fhe representative of the Kakepuku riding (Cr C. M. Alexander), commenting at Wednesday's meeting of the Waipa County Council on the proposal to raise :1 loan of C 9500 for rnadingim-provemc-n - ;n his riding, said the re I'erence al last meeting to the Council'., intention to strike the maximum general rate over that riding if the Kakepuku ratepayers did not sanction ihe lo'an proposal was no; taken seriously by several with whom he had conversed, ile added that hi' had no; been " bluffing." and was confident his fellow members had no misconceptions about fhe position. The condition of Kakepuku riding's finances was interfering materially with the affairs of other ridings which had been generous and tolerant in the past. Kakepuku must now assume its full responsibilities.

At yesterday's meeting of the Waipa County Council Cr McCarthy asked the ' Council's opinion respecting the shifting of fences nearer the centre of roadways on some oi the iittle-used roads in Pirongia. These roads were fairly wide, and if settlers could fence in portions of them fronting their properties the gorse and other noxious weeds could be belter kepi in check. -The chairman said thai the Council would not give authority lo ' fence in. but if settlers did so in rea- ' son—the Council was not likely to object. Perhaps settlers desirous of ! fencing in frontages would he wise to confer with the riding members and the engineer. If accidents occurred through the fencing the person placing il there would be liable for damages—not fhe Council.

A humorous touch was given to the 1 debate on the question of teachers' appointments a t the annual conference of the New Zealand Educational Institute at Wellington on Friday by Mr [-1. F. Penlington, who related the experience of a certain rural school committee, which desired to till a vacancy , on the staff of the local school. There were five applicants, and from these : was selected a comely young woman who, within a short time of her arrival, was carried off by a young farmer of the district and installed as mistress of his abode. The position was again advertised. This f'me there were fifteen applicants. The now appointee was a good-looking specimen of her sex. and within a few months she in turn fell a. victim to the matrimonial lure of another young farmer. Again there was a vacancy. This time there were tvtenty-'eighi' applicants. The same thing happened another marriage in the district. The chairman of the committee, in desperation, went to the Education Board office, and said, "For goodness sake, send us the , oldest and plainest applicant you can ' get. and be hanged to the grading list." The latest issue of the Xew Zealand 1 Gazette contains an Order-in-Counci! j prescribing regulations under the 1 Vabbit Nuisance Amendment Act,, 1920, relating to the destruction of rabbits in the Mangapiko and Kawa West rabbit districts. The regulations are as follow: (1) Notwithstanding any other means adopted by him, every owner of land upon whom a notice to destroy rabbits is served in terms of section 6 of the Rabbit Nuisance Act. 1.908. shall adopt one or more of the following means of destroying rabbits, namely, the laying of poison, the fumigation of burrows, and the filling in of burrows; provided that if an owner is of opinion that none of the principal means prescribed is the most it able in his case, be may apply to W?e Board for permission to use some otber means, and the decision of the Board shall be final as to the means to be adopted; (2) not later than seven days after the service of such notice on an owner of land trapping on his land shall cease, and thereafter for a period of six months from the date of service of the notice the owner shall not. except with the written permission of the Board and subject to the conditions specified therein, trap rabbits or allow rabbits to be trapped on his land; (3) every person committing a breach of these regulations shall be liable to a fine " ot exceeding £lO.

Genera] Andrew, acting chief commissioner of scouts, arrived in. Te Awamutu to-day. and will inspect the local boy scouts this evening in the Wesleyan school-room. The ballot for an appropriation of £4OO at the meeting of the local Terminating Building Society last night resulted in favour of Mr T. B. Brown, of Waiotira. The death is announced from Auckland this morning .of .Mr Graves Aitken, aged SI. He took a prominent part in local body affairs, and was a staunch supporter of the Reform Party, though he never aspjred to political honours. The fact that oftentimes a goodly portion of the county engineers' time is required for supervision or inspection of roading work being carried out by land holders, particularly adjoining Hamilton, prompted <a member of Wednesday's meeting of the Waipa County Council to stress the advisability of requiring an inspection fee for the engineer's services. Councillors approved the idea. As the outcome of a recent controversy in Wanganui in connection with borer being found in heart of totara timber (says the Chronicle), specimens of infected timber were, by request, sent to interested parlies in other parts of New Zealand. One Auckland linn interested in totara has now expressed the opinion that the borer is only found in the sap of totara as the result of logs lying on tihe ground. This opinion, however, does not coincide with some of the observations made locally. t'r Alexander, who represents Kakepuku riding, pointed out at Wednesday's meeting of the Waipa 'County Council thai the road between t'he Tokanui .Mental Hospital and the Te Mawhai railway station, which thoroughfare was originally metalled by •the Government, was in need of immediate repair, for present heavy traffic had so worn the metal I hat the road was being very much damaged, it was proposed lo spend £SO of the county raies on repairs, and he suggested chat, the Government might well bo asked to subsidise Ibis by £SO or even £I.OO, which total would make n much more lasting and satisfactory job. Speaking at the special meeting of h • Waipa. County Council on Wednesday, on the condition of some parts of the roads in his riding. Cv A. Livingstone (Newcastle) said the recent wet weather had been the chief cause of the trouble. In elaboration be told his fellow members that be had been approached a few days ago with an inquiry as to whether the Council's barges on the Waipa River could be borrowed. lie inquired why, and had boon told thai one was wanted for use on the Te Rapa Road and the other on the Horotiti Road for tnanspor'ing wayfarers! (Laughter.)

A conference of delegates representing the Te Awamutu, Otorohanga. Te Kuiti. Manunui, and Taumarunui Fire Brigades was held at Te Kuiti yesterday afternoon for the purpose of revising conditions for a shield competion among the brigades. The shield is to he a handsome one, made of specially-selected totara knot, with a circular panel of silver embossed, and eighteen smaller silver shields grouped round it. The name of the winning team each year will be inscribed on a small shield. Some details of the competition were not decided upon, and if was arranged to meet again at Taumarunui some time next month.

On the suggestion of Vv Alexander al Wednesday's meeting of the Waipa County Council a committee, comprising Crs Reid. Reilly. Livingstone, and I'eacocke. with the engineer, was set up lo determine applications affecting the cutting up of lands in the county adjacent to Hamilton borough for closer settlement. Cr Alexander said too much time was occupied at ordinary Council meetings in deliberating on these matters. The Council had by-laws preventing congested areas, aiid requiring certain widths of access roads. Applications should be dealt with by councillors representing the ridings' affected or adjacent thereto. They had the local knowledge, and therefore were well aware of the position.

Last evening a party of Te Awamutu lire brigadesmen. under Foreman Narbev, and accompanied by Cr J. W. McCar'roll and Mr J. H. Bums (honorary member), journeyed to Te Kuiti to attend the annual meeting and smoke social of the fire brigade in that town. Ot'her visitors present were representatives of the Otorohanga. Taumarunu.i and Manunui brigades. The Mayor of Te Kuiti (Mr H. Rothery) presided, and a very convivial evening was spent in music.'song. a nd story, interspersed with the usual toasts. A feature of the evening was the. hearty welcome accorded the visitors, everything .being done to assure their enjoyment. The Te Awamutu men returned by the north-bound Main Trunk train this morning. An authentic, disclosure of the recent I ratling losses of the Commonwealth Government line of steamers is expected to be made at an early date (states (he Melbourne Age). The balance-sheet for the year ended June ■.O, 1022 will be published as soon as possible alter Cabinet has considered the future policy with regard to the line, in the light of information now being prepared by the general man'ager (Mr Larkin) for submission to the Crime Minister. V. is significant that according to a published intimation by cable the similar shipping en. terprise conducted by the Canadian Government made a trading loss ;•!' C 2.000.000 in the financial year. If Commonwealth taxpayers who have provided the money and guarantee} for this impulsive enterprise escape with half such a trading loss on the last financial year they might derive some consolation from the more disastrous experience of Canada. Nearly two years have passed from the date up to which balance sheets of the line have been published, and an enormous sum of money, estimated at several millions will have lo be written down owing to depreciation of capital value. Upon this and other heads detailed information and calculations are being made by the general manager, who is not in a position to publicly discuss the affairs of the line.