LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Waikato Times, Volume 104, Issue 17586, 15 December 1928, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Bishop Cherrington will speak by request on the subject of Sunday observance at St. Peter's Cathedral tomorrow morning.

The annual prize-giving of Hamilton Technical High School will be held in the Winter Show Hall, at 2 p.m. next Tuesday.

What is considered to be a record price for property in Symonds Street, Auckland, £17,000 has been paid for a two-storey brick block at the corner of Svmonds street «nd Hoepere Lane.

Between Matamata and Walton there are three short clay stretches of road which motorists found difficult to negotiate after the heavy rain yesterday Most of them got through in second gear without the use of chains.

Why do benzine trucks have chains dangling on the road at the rear? This question was asked by Cr. S. H. Judd at the Matamata County Council meeting yesterday. He referred to the damage done to bitumen roads through these heavy chains chafing the surface. It was decided to write to an oil company asking for an explanation.

There is no police constable at Arapuni and recently the Matamata County Council wrote the Government •urging that an officer be stationed there. Replying yesterday, the Minister of Justice said it was not considered necessary to station a constable there at present.

A shaft of satire from Mr J. R. Fow was appreciated by the audience which witnessed the Dandy Dozen performance in Hamilton. "If you want to make a contribution to the Camp Fund," he said. " You can come down to the Mayor's office —you know, my office, in the big, new Town Hall." (Laughter.)

In order to honour Dr. G. J. Blackmore, who has been medical director of the Cashmere Sanatoria for the past 19 years, more than 200 patients of the sanatoria, past and present, gathered at the middle sanatorium. The doctor was presented with a cheque for £145 from the former patients and with another cheque from the staff of the sanatoria.

The Motor Traders' Association look the children of the Nest Orphanage for a motor run to Cambridge this afternoon. The cars left at 12.30 p.m., and after the children had been served with refreshments at the Cambridge Domain, the party returned home. The trip was so successful that the Association intends to make it an annual event.

" Quite enough," was the comment of a Tirau fanner to a Walkato Times reporter who visited the district yesterday, in referring to the heavy rainfall. Haymaking, he stated, had been hampered to a certain extent. Enormous benefit had been derived by the pastures, but as the ground was thoroughly sodden a few weeks' dry weather would ' produce the best results for the advancing season.

' In order to obtain funds far the completion of the Huia dam and pipeline the Auckland City Council resolved, at a special meeting yesterday, to apply to the Local Government Loans Board for sanction to raise £200,000, the balance of the waterworks extension loan of £400,000, authorised by the ratepayers in 1926.

The signlng-up of wheat-growers representing 120,000 acres, the objective set themselves by those interested in the formation of the wheat pool, was attained on the first of the present month, the date arranged. As a matter of fact, the total acreage was 124,248 acres, and there are still some more returns to come in. It is likely that this total will be increased, as the canvass of growers will be continued in those districts which seem to warrant that step.

The silting of the Waikato River as a result of the diversion at Arapuni is likely to have serious consequences, in the opinion of Mr J. Barugh, the well-known farmer and company director of Hamilton. The roads in the neighbourhood of Mercer are now being raised, as they are subject to Hooding, but as the bed of the river is also being raised by silting, further expensive works will probably be required. Moreover, considerable damage is being done to farms by the backing up of the water on to the low levels. ,