LOCAL AND GENERAL

Waipa Post, Volume 32, Issue 1784, 20 July 1926, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

IMr J. J. Anderson has been elected unopposed to a vacancy on the Kihikihi Town Board. The Te Awamutu branch of the Returned Soldiers' Association is contemplating a concert at an early date with a view to augmenting its funds. Private advice received in Te Awamutu to-day states that the death occurred recently in England of Mrs Chamberlain (wife of Mr E. A. Chamberlain, at one time a member of the Waipa Past staff and later manager of the Empire Theatre). The news of the resujlt of the football match in Sydney on Saturday, .between the All Blacks and New South Wales., was received in Te Awamutu very promptly for a local wireless enthusiast tuned in to 'the broadcasting station on the football ground. He distinctly heard' the cheering and thi successive scores announced. Right until the last few minutes the scores were even —six all —but in the closing stagels the AH Blacks secured a try, which was converted,, giving them the winning points of 11 to 6.

Constable P. J. Doyle is one of the latest Te Awamutu residents to develop an attack of influenza, and in consequence has been off duty for several days. Another sufferer is the Rev. 'W. Butterworth, of St. Andrew's (Presbyterian- Church. That even the apparently inocuous game of basketball is not without dangers w as demonstrated the other day (says the Wanganui Chronicle) when a girl named Fay Moffatt, a pupil at Miss Currie's school, broke her right arm on the basketball court.

Arrangements are being made for a mionster entertainment in Te Awamutu next Saturday evening, in connection with 'the local Orphans' Club members' night. We 'understand that the New Zealand Quartette,, a talented party of Auckland vocalists, has been specially engaged for the occasion. A fracas occurred* in the De Luxe billiard saloon last Saturday night that will probably have an aftermath in the Magistrate's Court. It appears that during the temporary absence from the room-of the proprietor some patrons created, an argument, which from hot words developed into fisticuffs in which more than the pair of chief disputants took part. Four-handedl play was indulged in at last assembly of the Te Awamutu Cribbage C'lub, when there was a big attendance. Nine games were played, and the winner proved to be Mr E. Webber, with 'eight wins. The following tied for second honours, with six wins: Messrs F. Hinton, M. J. Wheatley, T. Lidd.ell, S. W. McMillan, and R. Clarke.

There was great excitement round the ropes of the rival 'football match which was being played in a farm field. A few minutes before time the visitors notched the leading goal and the homesters' chances of even drawii g seemed poor. '"Ere, Bill," said the farmer who had lent the field fo r the occasion and who was watching the struggle with bated breath, "we've only got one chance. Turn the old b; 11 loose."

There is one thing that parents and teachers should specially impress on children, and that is the danger of interfering with, or playing near, hightension electric wires. In the Te Awamut udistrict 'lately a blow-out was caused by a string with a nut at the end thrown over a high-tension wire by a. boy. Had the string been wet at the time the boy wouUd have been 'electrocuted. High-tension wires must be left strictly alone. iSome diversion was caused in the Magistrate's Court at Hawera the other day (says the Star) when a witness who apparently had been called against his will, said, "Excuse me, but what about my expenses in this case?" On being informed by the Magistrate that it was a citizen's duty, if summoned, to give any possible information bearing on cases brought before the court, the witness proceeded with his evidence.

" A party of motorists from Arohena endeavouring to journey into Te Awamutu via Ngaroma last Saturday found the road in a particularly bad state, so much so that they did not complete the journey until Sunday afternoon. Trouble was experienced before reaching Ngaroma, where help in hauling the car out of a particularly bad! muidhole was obtained, all to no avail. The party had to spend, the night at Ngaroma, and the trip was continued next day. In one of the Ne\v Zealand towns the postmen who clear the street pillar boxes noticed that there were often several stones among the letters, papers, etc. .This was ascribed to playful children, until a postman saw a man drop a stone into one of the boxes. "What are you doing that for," said the amazed postman. "Well," said the man. "I drop a stone in to see if I am in time for the mail. If it hits the bottom of the box I know you have been and cleared it. If the stone lands on something soft I know I am in time."

The "Summertime Bill" was the subject of a discussion between members of the police and the bar at the Greymouth Courthouse the other morning (says the Star),{being introduced by the remark of one legal gentleman, who noticed that the court clock had stopped. It was subsequently pointed out that the "summer. time" or daylight saving principle had been in operation on the West Coast for years, at most of the sawmills and some of the coal mines, while the' re-cently-started dredge at Maori Creek also works to a clock that is 35 minutes ahead of Greymouth time. Last week it was stated that all the principal roads in the Waipa county are four-ton roads in respect to motor lorry transport. To remove misapprehension on the score it may be pointed out that in the latest classification, as approved by the MinSster of Public Works, the Great South main highway, the Hamilton-Raglan main highway, and the Te Awamutu-Pirongia main highway are classified in the third class so far as the Waipa county is concerned. Therefore these are available for the use thereon of any motor lorry which, with the maximum load it is licensed to carry, weighs not more than s ix tons. All the other metalled roads in the county are classified as in the fourth claals, with a four-ton' limit.

After an illness of several months' duration, Mr R. B. Brown, JJP., of Park Road, Te Awamutu, succumbed at an early hour on Sunday morning, in his seventy-fourth year. Deceased, who was one of the best known of the oldfer residents of Te Awamutu and neighbourhood, came to the district oVer thirty years ago, and for many years was in business here as a saddler and harness-maker. Some years ago he gave up business and I'ed a quiet and retired life, occasionally presiding at the Court and acting in a relieving capacity at several business placeis. He was a genial man, liked and respected by all, and his long and painful illness caused many friencfe to call and chat with him. However, it was apparent some we'eks ago that his brave fight was a losing one, and death ensued on Sunday. The late Mr Brown leaves a widow and family of two daughters (Mrs P. B. Bowden, of Bank Street, and Mrs Carpenter, of Auckland) and one son,, who will have the sympathy of the whole community in their loss. The funeral took place yesterday, the Rev. A. HarcH'e, of Paterangi, officiating at the graveside.

The 19125-1926 season wa s a bad on'ej for the dairy farmers of Hawke's Bay, drought and lack of feed causing a frig falling off in output.

The following paragraph, taken from the engineer's report to the borough works committee, and read at last night's meeting of the Borough Council, is of considerable interest: "A man from Auckland! visited the borough during the fortnight, and claimed Mr Mairs' new house on lot 136, Sloane Street. As this lot is borough property leased to Mr Mairs, a survey was made to check-Mr Mairs' polsition. The house is on lot 136, and therefore remains Mr Mairs' property." There lias been a good deal of agitation in the timber trade of late owing to the fact that several members of the timber merchants' association have broken away from the guild that was formed some time ago for the pur. pose of controlling selling rates (says the Dunedin correspondent of the New Zealand Building Trades Journal). In the meantime the builder is 'reaping the benefit as several lines nave been reduced fairly substantially in price.

It is rumoured in Te Awamutu that the main "shot" to bring down stone from the sides of the Waikato River to divert the water into the; large tunnel at Araputai will be fired to-mor-row (Wednesday) or Saturday next. The "shot" fired 'last Saturday was to bring down enough stone to divert part of the water, and by all accounts it was successful; but the frig " shot" this week will, it is anticipated, accomplish all that is desired. Several 'Te Awamutu residents who saw the display last Saturday are eagerly looking forward to this week's operations. "We all know at the present time there is a lamentable drift from the country to the towns in this Dominion," said a member addressing the Central Hawke's Bay Power Board at Waipukurau (reports the Napier Telegraph). He went on to urge that the Power Board could do notional duty in discouraging this tendency by making its charges' for country consumers of electricity as cheap as possible—at least cv. an equitable basis with the towns, rnd thus giving 'the country h-.-.us3whes the domestic advantages of electric cooking and thfl home comfort of electric heating, that were enjoyed by her city sisters. Mr W. G. Sim,' of Pirongia, who has been working at the hydro-electric construction works at Arapuni for some time, met with a nasty accident early last week that has put him on the invalid list. He was working at the river level, when a piece of scantling fell from above, some 120 feet up, the timber hitting Mr Sim a glancing blow on • the head, splitting the scalp open. Nearly a dozen stitches were required to draw the,scalp, together again. Though llie naturally lost a of blood, Mr Sim is now about again, and is regaining his wonted health and strength. New arrangements are being introduced by Railway Department- which it is claimed will be much appreciated by all customers of the Department. We understand it ils to be a unifonn scale of charges (including cartage at each end) from consignor to consignee 1 . The business agent of the Department -was in Te Awamutu. the other day making arrangements for cartage to and from the station of all goods. This ils an indication that the Department intends to carry out its policy of instituting business methods into its management The slogan of the Railway Department is "Service," and to '..his end it is endeavouring to inaugurate the above scheme. The delivery -of goods will be ufnder the control of the stationmafeter and the goods clerk, so that if a person has anything to be sent by rail he can ring up the station and the goods will be collected, consigned, and d/elivered to the store or house of the consignee. The co-oper-ation of all concerned is necessary if the scheme is to be Isuccessful. Another instance of the apathy of business men in this district to matters of vital importance to themselves and the town generally was apparent a few evenings ago. In response to an invitation extended by Mr Welch, business agent of tbe Railway Department, to the master carriers of Te Awamutui to meet him to discuss matters of interest' both to the carr-.rs and the Railway Department, a circular was forwarded to every carrier advising him that a meeting would be held at the Odclfellowfs' Hall last Friday evening. Out of twenty master carriers trading in the town only six were represented. Mr Welch desired to detail arrangements now ia band by the Railway Department for the handling of goods whereby through freight could be'introduced from the place of consignor to place of consignee, thus including, besides railway freight, the cartage at each end. This, ic be 'effective, could only be done if the carriers would submit a uniform scale of charges and form themselves into an association, so that the Department could deal with the carriers through the association and allocate the work amongst all of them. If uniformity could not be come to .bv the carriers among themselves the only other alternative, eaid Mr 'Welch, was for the Department to call for tenders for the removal of goods from the railway goods shed, when the whole business would be in the hands of one firm to the exclusion of others.