LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Waipa Post, Volume XXIV, Issue 1425, 10 November 1923, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At a meeting this week ,of the Te Kawa Drainage Board, Mr Broadbent presiding, it was decided to offer no objection to the inclusion of several properties adjoining in the Board’s area, pi-oviding suitable arrangements are made. This was in response to representations made by Messrs F. C. Danlell and Perrin on behalf of the petitioning settlers.

It is understood on good authority that the Public Works Department has let a contract to Mr M. Henderson, of Putaruru, for the cartage of 40,000 superficial feet of Australian hardwood from Putaruru railway station to where required for the ei’ection of the four bridges on the new Putaruru-Arapuni access road.

A big pile of kindling wood for the railway engines is now in evidence at the engine shed at Putaruru. It is understood that it was trucked from Owhango, in the King Country, and comment is made on this to the effect that surely it could have been obtained from some of the local mills, say, for instance, the State mill at Mamaku.—Press.

Armistice Day occurs to-mori’ow, and the usual church services have been arranged to commence earlier than at the usual hour of 11 a.nx., so that a pause will be made in the service px-ecisely at 11 o’clock for the two minutes’ silent meditation. Those folk who do not attend the morning service will, of course, individually comply with the request for a nationwide silence at that hour. The matter of the call to Trinity Presbyterian Church, Cambridge, extended to the Rev Jas. Hay, came before the Waikato Presbytery on Tuesday last, when it was resolved that the call be sustained. Therefore the matter is now definitely settled, and Rev Hay succeeds Rev T. H. Roeeveare to the Cambridge charge. It has been decided that the induction takes place on December 13th.

“Healthy criticism is all right,” said Mr Clapcott, Invercargill’s town engineer, at a farewell gathering to himself, “but I remember a man coming to me once and saying that the workmen on a certain job were badly smitten with the so-called corporation ‘stroke.” As a matter of fact, the job in question was being carried out by a contractor and you can rest assured that I let this particular busybody know what I thought about him. Fair, criticism is a good thing for anybody because it is by that means that we sometimes learn. You never want to take any notice of the man in the street talk, because if that gentleman had something to do he would be too busy to worry about somebody else’s business.” “The Railway Department is not using our electricity in its stations,” said Mr Willey at the Thames Valley Electric Power Board’s meeting on Tuesday. He suggested informing the department that there was such a body as the Thames Valley Electric Power Board. The railway people, it appeared, would rather use American oil than New Zealand electricity. It was stated that in several stations the electric light was now being installed. A few days ago the Hon. J. G. Coates was deputationised in Canterbury on the same subject, and he replied that the lighting of railway stations came under the general scheme of lighting of railway property throughout the Dominion. When the local officers had obtained all the data required in regard to the lighting of the various stations,-he would consider the matter and act according to the amount of money at his disposal.

Some two months ago the Te Awamutu Power Board had before it correspondence from a southern agency firm recommending the use of tubu-lar-steel poles for transmission lines, it belly; claimed that these poles would lib- more economical than the Australian "hardwood and New Zealand silver birch poles used by several provincial power boards. The Te Awamutu Boards was unconvinced, but filed the correspondence for future reference. In connection with this subject the '' engineer to the Thames Valley Power Board reported to this week’s meeting of his board that he had invited tenders for the steel poles but of three tenders the quotations and information had been rather vague. Prom the information available' it was apparent that the steel poles would not pay the board, being about twice the price of the wooden poles unless they could adopt long spans. He had asked the firms to write Home for information. The steel poles would be cheaper to erect but he had allowed for that.

“ You will come back again, darling,” was the pencilled injunction on the back of a £1 note issued to a local tradesman yesterday in his weekly pay envelope. We wonder!

The Te Kawa West Rabbit Board has decided to permit trapping of rabbits in its area by individual ratepayers until December 28th, provided no trapping is done for marketing purposes.

Weather forecast: Northerly winds, backing by west to south after about 24 hours. The weather will probably prove squally and changeable.. The barometer has a falling tendency, but rising shortly.

July next is the month announced for the commencement of the electric power service for Auckland City and suburbs from Hora Hora. At the latter place the work of installing the additional transformers is making good headway.

At this week’s meeting of the Waikato Presbytery the Rev. F A. Thompson presiding, a special commission was appointed to visit the parish ot Te Awamutu at an early date in compliance with a request irorn the local session.

All classes of stock sold well at the Farmers? Auctioneering Company’s Te Awamutu sale on Thursday, though ox beef was slightly easier thau prices ruling at recent sales. Pigs were yarded in fair numbers, and slips made up to £1 12s. Fat ewes made up to £1 16s 6d. Dairy cattle were in demand, especially Jersey sorts, while cow beef made good prices. The sale was a very satisfactory one.

Rev. G. Budd reported to the Waikato Presbytery on Tuesday that the home mission committee had agreed to extend the term of both Messrs J. D. McFarlane and W. T. Brabyn at Otorohanga and Kihikihi respectively. The Presbytery agreed to forward a strong recommendation to the General Assembly that Mr McFarlane be received into the ranks of the fullyaccredited ministry.

Apropos a recent entertainment not one hundred miles from Kihikihi a correspondent writes: —'‘9ir, —Why should a member of the fair sex at a dance be termed a ‘Wallflower’ because she has as company rows of vacant seats? This term, to my mind, is inapt—it should be ‘Forget-me-not,’ to act as a reminder to the male sex that they should at least show some social instinct and act like philosophers. After all, beauty is only skindeep, and a plain girl with a depth of soul is a boon to mankind.”

At the meeting of the Waikato Presbytery at Hamilton this week the Kihikihi home missionary, Mr W. T. Brabyn, presented plans of a new church building at Kihikihi to replace the structure recently destroyed by fire. The estimated cost was £IOOO, and it was reported that £SOO had been collected towards the cost of the new building, in addition to the insurance on the former buildnig. The plans were handed to the Presbytery committee for examination, with power to act.

A case of enthusiasm in the game of bowls, which is probably without parallel in the Dominion, was mentioned at the Picton Hospital Board’s meeting (records an exchange). It was stated that a local gentleman, who was handicapped by a contracted finger, recently went to his medical adviser, and asked that the offending finger be amputated, as it interfered with his game of bowls. The operation was accordingly successfully performed, and the patient is now progressing favourably. Members of the Board were highly amused at such a sportsmanlike action being undertaken, and one said “it showed what some sports would undergo for the sake of bowls.” Another suggested that the amputation would interfere with the bowler’s bias.

“If our young people are going to dance,” said Miss Jean Begg, speaking to the Otago district convention of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union a few days ago, “let them dance in front of us in a clean, bright, wholesome way. If you do not like them dancing you must find something else that is going to be a substitute for it. If every .other girl is dancing to-day and you don’t want them to do it, what are you going to do about it? Are you going x o send them home and tell them to sew? That is all right, but all the girls they are working with are dancing, and it is very hard for them. Clean, wholesome, healthy dancing I advocate and allowed my girls to do it with no bad consequences. But if this thing is wr,ong you must find a substitute and find it quickly.” These vigorous sentiments, a little daring considering the company in which they were uttered, met with restrained but quite definite applause.

The Dominion president of the Dairy Farmers’ Union, Mr C. Parker, has urged the Minister of Agriculture not to rush the election of the Dairy Control Board on the grounds that the time allowed is totally insufficient. Mr Parker contends that time should be allowed for conferences of bona fide dairy farmers to be held in every province to select and nominate candidates instead of a comparatively small meeting in Wellington selecting the “ticket” for the whole Island. He contends on behalf of the Union that dairy fanners should have been, and still should be, consulted before the “ticket” is accepted, and the Minister by ha6te is depriving the producers of their democratic rights. Mr Parker refutes the statement frequently published that the Dairy Farmers’ Union endorses the candidature of the announced “ ticket.” This is not so, and the Union will only endorse t'he candidature of men nominated by the producers themselves and combined in a “ticket” representative of all provinces. Mr - Parker adds that he does not know of any executive officer in the Union who will consent to nomination. The Union’s objection to the present “ticket” is not its personnel but its method of nomination. The Minister, ty rushing the election, denies farmers the right to select their own candidates, thus defeating democratic principles.

The Kakepuku Co-op. Dairy Co., Ltd., is experiencing a very busy time just now, what with increased supplies of mi’lk. On two days of the current week a total of 243 crates of cheese were shipped away from the factory. The congregational meeting held in the Paterangi Presbyterian Church on Wednesday unanimously decided to extend a call to Rev. Alexander Hardie, ex-chaplain at Trentham military hospital. Mr Hardie was for three years chaplain of the forces overseas. The induction will take place next month. The congregation of the Te Kuiti Presbyterian Church have extended a call to Rev. R. Miller, M.A., of Kaikoura. Mr Miller served 3| years as a soldier and chaplain with the New Zealand forces at the front during the Great War. His induction at Te Kuiti will take place toward the end of December. The native bird, the pukeko, is protected, and this fact was brought very prominently before Thomas Glover Ritchie at the Feilding Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, when Mr R. M. Watson, S.M., inflicted a fine of £7 and costs 7s on Ritchie, who was arraigned on a charge of having shot one of those birds. The acclimatisation society pressed for a heavy penalty in the case.

A tag to the Waikato Hospital Board balance-sheet queries ah amount put in for subsidy on behalf of the Sunshine League. The chairman (Mr J. P. Bailey) said it appeared to him that the Department was always trying to bump somebody who was endeavouring to do good. Discussion on the matter was deferred until the treasurer’s report is presented on the matter.

The Revaluation Board which is dealing with soldiers’ farms has been working in the vicinity of Hamilton this week. On Monday next the Board will move, to the Raglan district, and will be engaged there during the week. It is essential that soldiers seeking re-valuation of their holdings should make application in writing to the Board without delay.

During the past few days members of the local Methodist community have been very busily engaged in preparing for the Sunday school anniversary, to take place to-morrow. At the morning service (which commences at 10. 45 o’clock) the pulpit will be occupied by the Rev. F. A. Thompson, of the local Presbyterian Church, while the usual pastor (Rev. H. White) will conduct both the afternoon and evening services.

A Wellington Press Association messages states a deputation recently urged the City Council to purchase the large telescope at Meanee College, formerly used by Dr' Kennedy. It was under offer at £SOO and the deputation was anxious to secure it foi\- the Kelburn Observatory. The City Council decided yesterday to buy it at the price mentioned, the telescope to remain the city’s property for all time. Whether it will be placed at Kelburn or some other site is not yet settled.