Provincial News.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 6, 2 October 1907, Page 2

Provincial News.

OTAKI. A mooting of the Otaki Tennis Cluh was held on Monday night. Mr. C. L. Hartmann was in the chair, and some twenty members attended. The offer of Mr. Byron Brown to sell a section of land for tennis purposes was accepted, and Messrs. Penu, Jones, and Swabcy were appointed a Cpmmittoo to finally determino tlio purchase. It was also decided to lay down a now asphalt court as soon as possible. Some sixteen new members were clected. The local tennis and golf clubs arc amalgamating with a view of holding a social, and already a strong and influential Commit-too has been appointed. combined meeting will be held during the week, when definite arrangements will bo made. Sickness is. still very prevalent iierp, and among the latest victims, is Mr. J. J. Curtis, well known ' in 'Wellington. Mrs. M'Beath, now in tho Palmerston Hospital, continues to improve in health since her operation, and it is anticipated that sue will be out . of the institution within the next'three weeks. Cricket this year seems practically dead, and last season's champions are unable to get together tho club... A meeting was called, hut only members attended. At Manakau two meetings have been called, but loth lapsed, only the secretary attending. Tho Ohau Club is also in its winter sleep. Very little interest was manifested at Te Horo over the proposal to borrow £2000 for forming and metalling "a road through tho Gorge, and enly a few voted. It was decided by a majority of six votes that the money be borrowed. Mi'- Hugh Johnston has accepted a position in one of the leading drapery establishments at Taihapo. The members of the Golf Club who journeyed to Palmerston on Saturday to meet th echampions there speak ii; high terms of tho treatment accorded them. Despite the fact that Otaki were minus several leading players they managed to make a draw of tho contest. At a meeting of tho stewards of the Waikanao Hack Racing Club, Messrs. Howell and Watson were appointed auditors. PAHIATTJA. The Domain Board met on Monday night m thn Council Chambers to discuss the damage done by the recent floods to tho Council's reserves. Several suggestions wero made as to tho means of'preventing a recurrence, but nothing definite was arranged. ' A billiard tournament being hold in a local saloon is attracting considerable intorcst, several good games having been played. i>\ Fulcher boat W.vatt in tho second round , in the afternoon, and was'in turn beaten by P. Park'es in tho evening for the third round. <. PALMERSTON NORTH. The annual meeting of tho Palmerston Bowling Club was hold on Moilday night-. The balance sheet shows the receipts to be £191 3s. 6d., of which sum £134 was received from subscriptions; tea sales, otc., £30 2s. Id.; receipts from Tourneys, £21 15s; games, £5 16s. Of tho expenditure, totalling £191 13s. 6d., £98 3s. lid. was paid to tho Bowling Green Company. Supplies absorbed £26 6s. and trophies £15. Tho balance was- paid away in small amounts; unpaid subscriptions £19 16s. A new green had been laid down, providing ample room, and will bo ready'for February. The opening takes placo on October - 23. Mr. W. Reid was elected president. Judging from tho booking for accommodation there will bo a large influx of visitors for the Manawatu Spring Show., .

Improvements to our Square are now being forged ahead by tho Beautifying Society, and some useful work in levelling and removing trees has been accomplished. Tho artistic work of laying out the plots and paths has yet to bo taken in hand, but if the present is any indication it will not bo long before it lias been accomplished.

The prospects of new railway workshops being erected here are being discussed, and there is a good deal o: speculating as to where tho workshops will be located when the Main Trunk Lino has been completed. Palmerston can put forward its claim as the most important' distributing centre. Feilding also has a claim, on the ground that thero is plenty of accommodation adjacont to the station. It has further been indicated that if the workshops are to bo transferred to a more cen' tral and convenient position, Martou will also put up a'good fight. Tho various schools in the district are preparing gardens for tho coming season. During the past year . useful work was accomplished by tho young people. , At the Holiday Association meeting yesterday morning it was decidod not to observe Labour Day. Tho Association was anxious to know whether Dominion Day will be an annual fixture, but a letter from Mr. Wood considerably relieved their.minds. Hotel proprietors are expressing,indignation at the halfpenny rise in moat all round by the butchers. Tho subject will be.discussed at tho next meeting of licensed victuallers. Some proprietors suggest getting a supply through the Feilding abbatoir. At tho Borough Council meeting last nigbt several complaints wero received regarding properties being flooded during tho recent heavy rains. It was decided that councillors sliou.) visit the localities concerned today. ■ ' Mr. Williamson's company wrote pointing out tho disadvantage of not having clcetric light installed at the Opera House, but 110 action was taken. ■ Mr. . C. Christonsen, who was admitted to tho Palmerston Hospital from Shannon about two weeks ago. and who attempted to commit suicide, improved for a time, but is in a critical condition, with little hope of recovery. MASTERTON. There wero no bankruptcies in the Wairarapa during the month of' September. There have been no cases sinco July last. Ono hundred ladies and gentlemen conncctod with tho Feathorston Cooperative Dairy Company farewelled Messrs. M. J. Jackson' and J. G. Bicknell, two members who aro learing tho district after a residence-there of many years. Mr. W. Fuge, chairman of directors, occupied the. chair. Amongst tho speakers were Messrs. J. W. Card, G. Donald, and A. J. Toogood. In tho courso of liis speech tho Chairman said the Feathorston chccsc factory, if not tho largest-, was second to liono in tho Dominion. Tho factory had sent one consignment to the British market and had found it profitable. The sum of £15,000 had been cabled out to thorn by agimis to conimonce tho year's work. So far, thirty-ono licenses have been issued by tho Acclimatisation Society agents for trout fishing, tho season for which opoued yesterday. Authorities consider that some- good lishing should be availablo in and about Mastcrton this' season. Latterly there has iiot been a great number of fish in local streams. Fine, though overcast, weather is now prevailing. - Rain would not be amiss, _as the ground is becoming [•arched quickly. Tlio retiring borough ongineer, Mr. Douglas Dobson, has commenced private practice in Masterton.

Work has been commenced at-the railway station on improvements which are estimated to cost, when completed, nearly £5000. The clearing of the various slips on tho line northwards of Mauricevillc has retarded the commencement of the work somewhat.

Good support is being shown the movement to present the retiring 'J own Clerk with a purse of sovereigns.

EKETAHUNA. The report read at the annual mooting of shareholders to the Eketahuna Terminating Building bociety showed that the total amount appropriated since tho society s inception was £1200, of which £*3 15s. had been repaid. A pn £"4 ss. had been made owing to forfeited shares, and the profit for the year was £106 6s. lOd. Two appropriations of £150 each were offered for sale, tho sums paid beinc £30 2s. Cd. and £32 15s. 6d. The country around Mauricevillc is said to be studded with coal seams, but whether payablo quantities of marketable coal can be found is so iar only a matter of conjecture. Tile opinion-of a mini rig expert was recently obtained, but his investigations proved that tho seams wero too 'green, and he docs not advise the expenditure •of capital in further digging. Tho formation of the country around Mauriceville is suggestive of coal-bearing qualities, and thero is a likelihood of a syndicate being formed to sink shafts to a greater depth than hitherto in an exhaustive test.

A poll as to whether Eketahuna" snail go m for an electric lighting scheme is shortly to be taken. There seems small chance of the proposal being carried. roads in the back-blocks froin Eketahuna are in a worse condition this winter than for some years. J.he excessive rain of last month has been responsible for many slips, and .access to a great number of properties is impossible. It is stated that tho Government is to l:o asked to render relief in several cases. -n

The total rainfall for the mouth of September was 13.74 inches, whish easily constitutes a record. It rained on twenty-two days, and the heaviest fall was on the 25th, when 3.41 inches were registered. Rain fell on lime days on the corresponding month or last year, and 3.77 inches were registered. ■

LEVIN. ~ s , a r result of the recent flooding on the Manawatu the water in the swamps along the railway line above Shannon is still very high. The ball given by the ladies cf noraroa to the Levin and Wanderer I'ootball Clubs last Friday evening proved a great success in every wav, and all who participated l spent-"a enjoyable evening. n ith such a splendid stretch uf water as the Horowhenua Lako ; t is difficult to understand why the Levin people have indulged in boating so little during the last year *.T so. However, a strong club lias now been formed, arid it intends to purchase now boats, and do all it can to foster rowing in the future. \ strong committee. of energetic workers has been elected, and everything points to the coming season's' being a memorablo one.

• At the meeting of the Levin A. and P. Association held last Saturday, the question as to whether a two days' show was possible was discussed, but it was found that owing to lack of accommodation for exhibits the Association would still have to be content with a one day's exhibition. Sub-committees wore appointed to deal with tho different sections of the prize sohedulo. It was decided to hold tho next show on February 12, 1908. Messrs. John Devonshire and H. V. Fitzherbert wero elected members of the committee. Donations were niade to tho funds of tho Association, by Messrs. 11. S. Hadfield, John Kebbell, and Prouse Bros. (£5 ss. each), John Davies, and Levin' and Co. (£3 3s. each), Mr. W. B, Elder (£2 25.), Major Liddlo, and Messrs. E. M. Harris, J. M'Leavey, Hod. A. M'Donald, 11. S. Richards and John Saxons (£1 13. each).; The President, Mr. John Kebbell, occupied the chair. Constable Kirby, a popular member of tho local police force, has received his marching orders, and will shortly "go to his new homo in the Bay of Plenty. "Whilst hero Mr Kirby has made many friends, and is exceedingly popular with tho public in general, all of whom will regret his departure from tho district. Mr R. G. Makin, of Levin, has been appointed judge of dogs at tho A. and P. Show - to be held in "Wanganui in November next. FEILDING. The local members of the Fire Board last night selected a brigade of nineteen. The Chairman of the Board, Mr. Fred Pirani, is tho only occupant of such a position in the Dominion who is the holder of a United Fire Brigade's Association's medal for long service. Addressing the members of tho new brigade, tho Chairman said lie looked forward to the erection of a gymnasium connected with tho brigade station, to the establishment of a library, and .to the provision of comfortablo sleeping quarters at tho station for four or live firemen. This, with an up-to-date equipment to cope with any lire, would render work more congenial and results more ccrtain. There is somo feeling in tho town concerning tho Board's selection of brigadbsmen. To-night's "Star" says that several .malcontents invaded the brigade station and threatened all sorts of pains and penalties if tho gear was interfered with, and then went away in company with their legal 'adviser. _ Fourteen births, one marriage, and four deaths wero recorded her last month. A deputation from tho Pohangina County Council, consisting of the Chairman, Mr. It. "W. Brown, and Councillors F. L. Jackson and C. H. Handley, proceeds to Wellington at the end of this week for tho purpose of interviewing tho Minister of Public Works with the object of getting a subsidy for ropairs to the Pohangina bridge. A span of the bridge was destroyed by a big slip a few weeks ago. MARTON. The Marton Borough Council sat till 11.45 on Monday evening. Tho secretary of tho Marton Cricket Club applied for permission to use the Park for cricket* on tho usual terms, and forwarded dues amounting to £7 2s. Councillor Lyon objected to spending so much money on the park in interest and up-keep, and preferred that the ground should be given free to various clubs, and let them bear the expenditure of up-keep. He moved that the Cricket Club bo allowed tho use of the ground on a payment of a fee of £2 25., and that tho Council decline now expenditure on the cricket ground and that no workmen of the Council bo employed without the express resolution of the Council. Tho Mayor opposed tho resolution, and moved an amendment, which was not seconded. Tho motion was carried. An estimate of tho cost of improvements to streets and footpaths in Marton was put in at£ssoo. It was decided to raise a loan of £1500 for improving Broadway, High Street, and Wellington Road, and a loan of £4000 for making roads, footpaths, etc., ill tho back streets of tho borough. A deputation from the Marton Fire Brigade urged tho Council to provide a new iiro station; to appoint a fire brigado committee and an inspector; to supply a now hose-drying. Tho Mayor assured tho dr-nutation tho

matters complained of would receive every attention.—After payment of accounts amounting to £245 3s; Bd. jlq'J'o"!? ov , enlraft «'iH stand at xd,Ji3 2s. Die gas manager's report on gas sales during the past six months showed an increase of over per cent, on the corresponding months of last year. . . mention was carried consolidating the loans of £730 and £5000 fallnig due on October 1.

MASTERTON FRUIT-GROWERS. There was no quorum (telegraphs our jVlasterton correspondent) at tho annual meeting of tho Masterton i' ruit-growers' Association this evening U uesday), only thrco members out of fifty.being present. Tho report and balanco-shcct showed that during the Past season the Association had bought lo!r i ' )lv^'s C EB S > 470 nestlings, and 187 heads, at a cost of £11 13s, 3d. The greatest destruction was wrought among thrushes, of which were taken 8429 eggs, 426 nestlings, and 153 heads. The balance-sheet showed a ciedit balance of £3 Bs. Those present determined to continue the work of the Association, and make an oetlvo canvas for subscriptions. It was suggested that the Mastcrtou A. and P. Association be approached with a view to taking over the l Society's interests, With referenco to fruit-eat-ing and grain-eating birds, regret was expressed that Wairarapa farmers did not show more interest in connection the object of the Association and the destruction of birds in general.