Alexandra St, Te Awamutu 1937
In preparation for the influx of holiday traffic, which was always heavy in the Waikato district, the Public Works Department had several large gangs of men at work making considerable improvements to main highways.
It was hoped to have a dustless surface over the entire highway before Christmas. With the exception of a small length near the Mangapiko Bridge, the construction of the main highway between Hamilton and Te Awamutu, 18 miles long, was finished. Once that portion was sealed it would mark the completion of reconstruction and sealing of the 35 miles of the Great South Road between Ngāruawāhia and Ōtorohanga which had started three years previously.
The construction of state houses at Te Awamutu was about to begin after the government approved the purchase of 42 acres. The property would provide a total of 24 building sections. This land belonged to the Waipā Racing Club. The area acquired adjoined a reserve of approximately 3.5 acres bounded by Mahoe, Tawhiao, and Mangapiko Streets. This reserve had been set aside when the Teasdale Settlement was surveyed as it contained the graves of three Imperial soldiers who were killed in the days of military occupation. It was understood that as quickly as possible the Ministry of Housing would proceed with the first instalment of the housing scheme in Te Awamutu and as soon as the preliminary work was completed the construction of the dwellings would begin.
At the Wellington Musical Festival Miss Jessie Shaw of Kihikihi competed with distinct credit and the results were very gratifying. In the sacred solo she placed third; in the Irish national song, second; in the contralto solo class, third, and in the operatic solo was narrowly beaten into second place. In the Chappell solo the Kihikihi vocalist was very highly commended. She gained similar honours in the solo by a New Zealand composer, singing a composition by Myra Booth of Hamilton. In the classes for a Scottish national song and an African American spiritual she was very highly commended. The judge referred to her voice as rich and adequate with distinct possibilities.
It was not often that the mayor and borough councillors were prosecuted for an offence but at the Te Awamutu Magistrate’s Court these parties were defendants in a prosecution by Mr Webb, noxious weeds inspector, who successfully maintained that they, being the occupiers of certain lands in the Pirongia West district, had failed to clear the land of ragwort, and keep it clear.
Mr Swarbrick, the Borough solicitor, stated that the work of clearing had been commenced, and he suggested that the case be adjourned until next court day. This his Worship declined to do and recorded a conviction and a fine remarking that he must treat the defendants just the same as private landowners, some of whom were in very straitened circumstance yet were convicted of similar breaches.
