OTOROHANGA NEWS

Waipa Post, Volume 45, Issue 3252, 8 November 1932, Page 5

OTOROHANGA NEWS

TOPICS OF THE HOUR. (Own Correspondent.) The hiking club held their first hike during the week-end, travelling by cars along the Waitomo Valley. The new caves at Te Raumauku were the objective. A distance of three-quar-ters of a mile through the beautiful caverns was safely traversed, although there are numerous dangerous spots. Torches and candles were freely used, and when the centre of the wide and spacious caves was reached, lights were extinguished and community singing indulged in. Gloworms were in evidence, and these together with the beautiful stalagmites and stalactites and the lovely virgin forest at the exit, make these, caves worthy rivals to those of Waitomo. The next hike of the club members will be to the top of Kakepuku. Despite occasional showers on Saturday three cricket matches were played locally with the following results: ■ —Otorohanga defeated High School by 18 runs; Retailers beat Kio Kio by 53 runs, and Natives beat Honikiwi by 12 runs. A Hupmobile truck, driven by a young man named Craw, of Palmerston North, left the road near here on Saturday evening and capsized into the gully below. Craw received injuries to his chest and many abrasions, but two lads travelling with him escaped without serious injury. Dr De Castro, of Te Kuiti|, was soon in attendance, and ordered Craw's removal to hospital, where he is reported to be doing well under the circumstances. COUNTY ENGINEER'S REPORT.

In his report to to-day's meeting of the County Council, the engineer (Mr G. Jackson) said:— Tht Main Highways Estimates are very far from satisfactory. Before the estimates were framed we were instructed to keep applications down as low as possible, probably only for bare necessities, and this was done, but the estimates as now issued show that cuts have been made up to 50 per cent in some instances. For Wharepuhunga, M.H. the full amount applied for has been voted, while Honikiwi M.H. application has been cut 60 per cent. It is noted that on the Auck-land-Wellington M.H. toward the cost of which this council is paying £45 per mile the M.H.'s is only providing 33s to each pound, provided by the council. Re relief workers, the position is very much as it was and there is no prospect of this council obtaining any men for camps. Inquiries made go to show that some local bodies can obtain all the men that they want. Apparently this county is receiving specially unsympathetic treatment from the labour authorities. We are advised of a considerable reduction in our allocation for scheme No. 5 workers. For some time it has not been possible to give the men full time and now the time that has been given must be very much reduced. At a sitting of the Native Land Court at Te Kuiti on th© 3rd inst. the matter of the deviation of Gallagher's Road and Henderson's Access Road were put through. I also attended to oppose an application for a public road to be run through M. Anso's farm to give access to part of P. Barton's land. The objection was based on the ground that. Barton's block should be systematically roaded by the construction of a road through the centre of the block from Awatane through adjourning farms. The county solicitor appeared on behalf of the council, and the court gave no decision, but practically dismissed the application.