LOCAL AND GENERAL

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XXVI, Issue 7903, 17 September 1929, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The monthly meeting of the Waihi Hospital Board will be held this evening.

One good thing that Sir Joseph Ward’s double tax on rural land has done is to awaken many farmers to the desirability of an universal income tax-—resolutions in favour of which are being passed in most unexpected quarters. The birth rate steadily declines. There were 27,200 births for a population of 1,390,084 in 1928, and there were 11,811 deaths, the difference of natural increase being 15,389 persons, or 1.1 per cent, only of the total population. Back in 1870 the natural Increase was 3.1 per cent. Telling lies about land is about the worst possible assistance that can be given to settlers. Land companies appear to rely on hard lying, more than upon anything else, to sell land.

They usually employ a professional who is worth more to them than their whole capital. What he is worth to the settlers is another matter. —Farming First. No other industry can produce more revenue than the pig, declared Mr K. W. Gorringe, instructor in pig husbandry, at a meeting of MidCanterbury farmers. He stressed the importance of proper paddocking, water and shelter. There were 4 0 varieties of pastures that could be grown for pigs and six varieties of grain. Portable houses were advocated. The speaker stated that 10,000' pigs came from Ashburton last year, but the number should have been 200,000. Mr Gorringe warne,d tlie breeders against top much grain feeding, because it produced fat, but strongly advocated the grazing system. In reply to a question, Mr Gorringe strongly favoured tbe Tgmworth-IJerkshire cross, which producer! the quality that was wanted on the Home market.

Messrs C. H. Plummer and J. McMurtrie, school inspectors, are on one of their periodical visits to Waihi. They are staying at the Rob Roy Hotel. When the special sports train from Thames to Tauranga on Saturday left the Waihi station the passengers aboard numbered 390, Waihi’s quota being 30. Number 2 circuit of the Waihi Are alarm system is again in working order. The three boxes which were out of order and which have just been readjusted, are at the Golden Cross Hotel corner, in front of the gasworks and at the corner of Consols Street and Silverton road. The changeable weather of the past few weeks, mostly cold with cutting winds and an unexpected frost thrown in, has retarded growth and kitchen gardeners in Waihi and farmers on the plains would welcome a warm spell. This looked like settling on Sunday, but conditions changed overnight and the weather was again bleak yesterday. The Reefton district appears to be suffering from a dearth of competent quartz miners. The shortage was touched on by the chairman of directors of the Consolidated Group at the annual meeting last week-end and in to-day’s “Telegraph” the Alexander Mines, Ltd., is advertising for miners, at the award rate of 20s per shift for all surface and tunnel workings. Permanent employment is offered to good men.

With the alterations to the timetable advertised in the “Telegraph’ by the Railways Department last week, passengers from Waihi have the choice of five trains daily to Auckland. The times of departure, with those of arrival given in parentheses, are: 3 a.m. (9.34 a.m.), G.lO a.m. (2.22 p.m.), 8-55 a.m. (3.40 p.m.), 12.6 p.m. (6.30 p.m.) and 4.25 p.m. (11.6 p.m.). The running of the second train at 6.10 a.m. instead of at 6.40 a.m. also enables passengers to connect at Paeroa for the Thames at 7.10 p.m.

The hon. secretary of the Waihi Beautifying and Tree Conservation Society reports that the appeal for subscriptions is meeting with an encouraging response so far. The improvements to the western entrance to the town are, however, proving rather more costly than at first appeared probable and as the greater part of the £IOO granted by the Borough Council, plus the Government subsidy of £ for £, has been spent further monetary assistance will be required to complete the comprehensive scheme prepared by the society. It is therefore hoped that citizens will continue to help this desirable and commendable work of improving the appearance of the town.

In the statistical report in the Dominion’s trade and shipping, just issued by the Census and Statistical Office, a table is given relating to beer, spirits, and wine entered at the customs for home consumption, together with the amount on which excise duty was paid. There are no distilleries in New Zealand; hence all spirits are imported and, in the ordinary course, bonded. At this stage the goods are treated as imports and are shown as such in the statistical tables. But goods imported in one year may not be entered for home consumption and cleared from bond until a succeeding year. The amount of spirits entered for home consumption in 1928 was 500,267 gallons, as compared with 752,472 gallons in 1927. During 1928 the consumption of alcoholic liquor her head of the population including Maoris) was as follows; Beer, 8.817 gallons; spirits, 0.344 gallons; wine, 0,132 gallons.

Armed with a permit from the Waihi Borough Council to burn rubbish on his section in Haszard Street, Mr J. Anderson set fire to an eleagnus hedge of a height and density beyond that of ordinary growth. No doubt he considered Are was the easiest and quickest way to dispose of it, but he failed to take into account the effect the big blaze would have on Waihi’s fire fighters, and the subsequent action of the brigade sueprintendent. Aided by a wind of gale like force the flames rose high into the air, to be early noticed by Mr Roberts, who, after giving the alarm, ran to the scene, brigade members following. The owner of the section strenuously objected to the firemen turning the water on, but his protestes went unheeded. Had he perused the conditions of the permit he would, however, have found that to burn rubbish in a high wind is not allowed, also th,at a permit does not include the burning of hedges. The bonfire, much to the disgust of the principal, was soon extinguished, and later the superintendent informed a “Telegraph” representative that though the Convent buildings, ,in which direction the flames were being carried, were not in danger from direct contact, the sparks were flying thick and fast towards the premises.