LOCAL AND GENERAL

Waipa Post, Volume 32, Issue 1786, 24 July 1926, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Puahue public school had, to be closed on Wednesday and Thursday of this week owing to the prevalence of influenza. A big percentage of the scholars Avas absent, Avhile Mr H. Dare, the teacher, Avas also a sufferer. The school re-opened as usual ydsterday.

“ Denmark uses five tons of manure to the hundred acres, Avhile NeAV Zealand uses cAvt. Is it any Avonder that NeAV Zealand dairymen are frightened of that 'little country’s competition?” asked Mr J. W. McCullough at the farm school at Masterton. From as far afield as Dannevirke and Te Aroha public-spirited citizens are rendering assistance to the neAvlyopened ;Hutt Valley High ‘School (states the Evening Post). Mr Graham, of Dannevirke, has intimated that he is prepared to give to the school upAvards of 150 named varieties of NeAV Zealand shells, and Mr L. W. McCaskill, of Te Aroha, hals promised a fine collection of New Zealand veronica plants for the school grounds. It Avill be seen from these donations that it is the intention of those in charge of the school to interest the pupils in their own country. All the plants in the grounds will be natives of NeAv Zealand.

(Mr F. W. Edwards, of 'Auckland, handicap per to racing and tr'otting clubs for twenty years past, died last night (states an Auckland massage).

In future local authorities are to be consulted by the Railway Department before advertising hoardings are erected by the Department within its boundaries. A statement to this effect wals tabled by the Prime Minister in ithe (House, in reply to a question by the member for_ Auckland East, Mr J. A. Lee.

“And how did you measure the distance, constable?” asked counsel of a witness in a recent Court case in the south. “With my boots,” was the constable’s reply. “And bow much do you allow for your feet?” pursued .counsel. “About a foot and a-half,” was the astonishing answer. He did, not say whether that included one or two feet!

“Denmark is full of foot-and-mouth disease; 200 fresh calses a day were being reported while we were there,” remarked Mr P. ;H. Cox on Wednesday on his retu'rn to Wellington. “It is a fearful curse, and now South America has it very badlly. We should do all in our power to emphasise the importance of keeping it out of New Zealand.”

Cows to the number of 56,010, tested under the New Zealand Herd-itesting Association, have averaged 232.021 b. butter fat for the past seafeon, according to the statement of Mr 'C. M. Hume at Hamilton. A total of 8945 two-year-old cows tested by ithe association averaged 190.411 b. butterfat over a period of 235 days, 8353 three-year-old cows 213.241 b. butterfat in ‘241 days,. and 28,712 matujred cows 245.281 b. butterfat in 242 days. '“ I wish more of the wives were h'ere this evening,” said Mr Gorringe, the Government swine expert, in the course of an address to farmers in the Wairarapa. “ They remember wliat they hear better than you. men do, and they would see that what they were told was put into practice,” he continued. “Men'often slacken in itheir methods, hut a wom'an doesn’t; and she keeps her husband up to scratch,” he concluded amid laughter. Figures occasionally repeat themselves under unsuspected ci.rcucstances. Mr S. <G. Ramsay, a wellknown Pahiatua dairy farmer, this season had an experience of ithe sort. For the months of December, 1924 and 1925, his butter-fat production was exactly the same, and the factory pay-out being- at the same rate his cheque was the same. For the month of January hiis butter-fat production this year was one pound in excess of that of January last year.

Interesting information was available at the Eketahuna Borough Council meeting respecting regulations governing bowser pumps in various boroughs. In Auckland and Palmerston North they are not allowed; in Carterton there is an annual charge of £5 and the itanksf have ito be on private property; in Greytown there is a fee of £5 yearly and indemnity insurance; Pukekohe charges £8 annually; Levin, £5 ss. with a. restricted area; Shannon £3; Featberston and Te Awamutu, £5; and Pahiatua and Woodville, £l. The observation made by a visitor that the street name plates of Wanganui badly needed a coat of paint caused a doctor to throw out a useful suggestion to a Chronicle reporter last week. The speaker claimed that the street names should be set in lines on toe pavement, as were done in Napier and other progressive towns. The City Council had in view a new policy of roading. and it was suggested that the inset street names could he added to the programme.

Preparations are being made for a very large , attendance on Monday evening at" Mangapiko, the occasion being a concert and dance to celebrate the opening of the new public hall in that district. The (settlers in the district are proud of the new structure, for, besides being erected as a community undertaking, it is one of the most commodious and best-appointed halls of the kind in (he Avhole Te AAvamutu district. There i<? every indication at present that the attendance at the opening celebrations will be noteworthy.

Sheep do not take tuberculosis. This statement was made by Mr HoAvard. a veterinarian, recently. Avhen addressing a meeting of the Farmers’ Union at Timaru (Isays the Timaru Herald). He added that he had examined hundreds of thousands of sheep, and had not we't found one Avith tuberculosis. Members expressed surprise at. this information. and a hearty laugh Avas raised Avhen one member shoAved £* look of great regret Avhen he recounted lioav lie had throAvn away the carcase of a sheen which he had killed for eatin a because lip thought from the look of it .that the sheep had tuberculosis.

The folloAving nominations have been received, from four wards for directorships of the New Zealand Cooperative Dairy Companv, one renrepentative for each Avarcl:—Northern: George Parvin (Pukekohe). •HenrvPerrw Favland (Aka Aka). James B«l----lent.ire (Ofaua). John Luke (Whaka.tiri. Clevedon), Joseph Barley McK'nnev (.Rnmbav). Christopher J Leathern (Pokeno). South-Avestern: Thomas Crosby Blaekett. (te KoAvhai). Southpastern: William Hem-v Allen (Tirou), Sam.'uel Charles T,ve Gale (YoAvstoadt. Joseph C’ark (“Riverlea.” Hamilton). Paeroa: George Buchanan (Paeroa). A very happy evening Avas spent at the Oddfellows’ Hall last Wednesday evening. Avhen the’ local Druids’ members .entertained Ihe OddfellOAVs to a progressive euchre evening, about fifty players taking part. Winners were Mesdames Skinner and Izod and Messrs Manoury and E. Findsen. During ,the course of the evening Arch Druid Bro. F. O. Aldridge extended a hearty Avplcome ito the OddfelloAvs, and' hoped that the happy relations existing betAveen the two organisations would continue. The evening had been arranged Avith the purpose of further cementing the existing goodfellowship. (Applause.) N.G. Bro. G. J. Arnold acknoAvledged the Avelcome and .the appropriate remarks of Bro. Aldridge, Avhich all OddfelloAvs heartily reciprocated. After a couple of hours’ play tasty refreshments were served, and at the conclusion of the evening there Avere very many present keenly in favour of these inter-club assemblies being continued.

Customers oftlhe Te Awamutu El'ec-’ trie Power Board should note: (that the power will be out off to-morrow (Sunday) afternoon from 1.30 o’clock, for aboult an hour, to allow the public Works Department to carry out some special alterations. , . Messrs J. T. Johnson and D. McArthur, chairman and secretary-man-ager respectively of the’Te Awamqtu Electric Power Board, have been attending the fourth annual -conference of power boards" delegates at Wellington this week. , ■ ; \ While carting a load of hay yesterday morning at Mr M. H. Tims’ farm on Frontier Road', a young Maori had the misfortune to fall off, suffering injuries to his spine. After medical at. tention the native was' removed" to the Waikato Hospital for further treatment. J : ; ■.?>

An after-church rally is being arranged for to-morrow evening in ,the Town Hall, when Mr A. H.. Brown, of Auckland, will deliver an address, taking as his subject, “ Revival in. Te Awamutu: is it possible.?” The subjest should be interesting, while supplementing it will be bright singing,, with instrumental items. ,

“ I think it is the best price obtained for fat sheep of the same, quality this season in the Waikato,” commented an habitue of most Waikato stock sales when mentioning the fact that'Mr J. Middlebrook, Te Awamutu’s wellknown butcher, had paid 35s 6d per head for a line of fat wethers to Mr W. Morgan, of Cambridge district. It would seem, from the inquiry, for the plans of the new two-storey premises to he erected! in -Te Awamujtu shortly, that there will be keen tendering. The building, when completed, Will have accommodation for two' commodious shops on the ground floor, while the upstairs portion will be fitted out as an updo-date dental surgery for the owner, Mr S. A. Empson.

The foolish practice of “chain letter” writing has again commenced m Masterton, several persons having received copies of this letter' 'with rer quests to forward a copy of same to nine persons within 2 4 hours, when some good l fortune will .’.efall the sender (states the Age). The' ‘chain letter’ is being consigned by sensible people to its rightful place, the flames.

All the news of 'the week from local and overseas sources is comprised, in this week’s issue of the New Zealand Sporting and Dramatic Review. The centre pages are occupied with snapshots taken at the Wellington ‘Racing CluSb’s meeting at Treutham, hockey test match alt Auckland, and the Maori v. Auckland Rugby football match at Eden Park. Australians in cricket contests in England are the subject of a 'fine series of photographs.

A Wellington message states that whilst he was driving over, the Rimutaka Road on Monday, afternoon in a closed-in car? Mr H. F. Toogood, civil engineer ‘(well known in Te Aw am.utu), had the misfQTtUh‘&,;to, J cqlli j de with a cow which veered rather suddenly on to the road. The result of the impact was that the car. was completely capsized, and its sole occupant received a severe scalp wound,, which hais kept him in bed. ever since. Mr Toogood! is now doing a s well as can be expected, and hopes to.be about again next week. ,

A witness in the Assessment Court, which sat in Taumarunui the other day. to consider the objections to the recent valuations, stated that he considered the return from thirty cows would be £ls or £l6. Mr W. A: Gordon who appeared for theobjector, asked him if he was not optimistic. “Optimistic!” broke in Mr H. J. C. Coutts, officer in charge of the Valuation Department, “good Lord, they .must, be pretty poor cows.” Mr Gordon said the average price for cows in this district was about £ll. “Then I’m sorry for the ship,” said Mr Coutts. “That is the trouble,” said Mr Gordon, “your sympathy is all for the cows and not for the land.”

Sir Joseph Ward has apparently emerged from his political retirement with the object particularly in view of ■resuscitating the Liberal Party and preserving it as a distinct political group. He has disclaimed any intention to indicate that he expects to be its leader, but that is not a matter of any very great concern at the moment. What does concern ns is that his efforts are going to be in the direction of maintaining here the three-party system which has worked so tfSdly against stable and responsible government, and led to the vicious result of practical domination of a country's affairs by representatives chosen by a small minority of the electors—“rfawke’s Bay Tribute.” '

“When going about the country I find' that farmers are only too ready to talk and willing to accept advice.” said Mr R. G-. Ridling, agricultural instructor with the Taranaki Education Board. That was a new spirit, continued' Mr Ridling. Time was when agricultural instructors were considered parasites, but now the farmers were realising that instructors could help them and actually be of some use, and this feeling would develop still further. He thought, however, that many farmers preferred instruction to be given, on their own farms, and in this Mr Deem agreed in his remarks at a later stage. The department, he said, had had very large attendances at demonstration on: farms.

A Tara'ta farmer, who, after having lost his horses and 27 out of his 50 head of cows through ragwort .poison, ing, had 1 been forced to leave his farm, practically sacrificing the remainder of his cows, was an example .cited at a meeting of the Waimate West County Council, of the deadly results of the spread of noxious weeds (says the Hawera Star). It is not the King Country alone that suffers from ragwort. An eight-ton steam roller might be expected to have the best of a collision with almost any other vehicle. iNevertheless. when a motor lorry ran full tilt into the Waitomo County Council's roller on the Pio Pio Road the other day the weightier machine sustained injuries which will put ; it out of action for the next two months, while the lorry merely, backed off- and drove blithely away. The massive steel forks holding the big front wheel of the roller were broken clean through in two places, . while" the lorry’s only injury was a bend in its particularly solid front buffer.