PROVINCIAL NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 19, 17 October 1907, Page 2

PROVINCIAL NEWS.

» s ' PALMERSTON. ' I Mr. George Martin, a surveyor, fell • ofi' n 7 carriage platform oil the Woodville trail between Palmerston and Terrace End yes- _' torday. Ho was taken to a private hospital -where it was found that his spine was in jural, and that there was a contused wounc m liis head. Mr. Nathan has opened the cheese fac tory at Stoney. Creek. There arc forty-nin< suppliers, and it is anticipated that the supply will reach 4000 gallons daily, ilo Merchants state that there are good presto pects of a substantial rise in the price o ny potatoes here and at Feilding. It Tlic weather is fine, but farms are stil lie very wet. of Six weddings took place here yesterday, id Mr. Lane, Secretary of the Manywatu A cd and P. Association, has secured a numb® to of extra entries while at the Hawkc's Bai or Show._ "■ 11- It is probable that the A. and L. Leia fert Flax Dressing Company will opci li- their new mill on November 16, when Mr Wood, M.H.R., and the .Minister for Agri culture,, will, bo invited, besides a liiimbei of flax-millers and prominent residents o ]y tho district. e- A meeting of tho Flaxmillers' Associatior c- will 'bo held on October 29, when the pro r- posed holding of an' Exhibition iri connec st tion with the flax industry will be discussed to It is probable that an exhibition will be hole rv ill Wellington. It will be an excellent thing [] and will give flaxmillers an opportunity o to seeing the different kinds of fibre that ..an lc produced, also of seeing and discussing anj id new invention that may bo brought forward 3 . Tho anniversary of All Saints Children': 3 t Home will be celebrated to-day, the gatherii. take place in the afternoon. s > . > : . G t j . MASTERTON. 3 / The Hospital Trustees yesterday declinec 3 j to alter the personnel of the' hospital inedi 1( ] cal staff by including the names of two medi lt cal practitioners not oil the medical staff The application (says a Press Associatioi message) was made-by a deputation repre sentiug local friendly societies. A Press Association message states thai Lord Plunket, the Premier, and tho Min . ister. in Charge of Hospitals s,re to be in vited to attend the opening ceremony at the 't new jMastorton hospital. A thunderbolt fell during last' Friday': ■J storm near Mr. Mark Wilton's residence, oi ■' the Upper Plain, a short distance from Mas ° terton, with tho usual accompaniment o: j iiamo and roar. A flock of ducks- in tin 1 vicinity were victims to the . shock, threi 0 succumbing and the rest recovering. A hol< 2 in the ground indicated where the thunder 6 bolt? struck the surface. ,- 0• : . 1 ' PEILDING. . The fine' weather prevailing yesterday en abled the Feildiug Bowling- Club formally t( ® open its season, although the green is no! yet fit to play upon: ■ '' A local Chinese fruiterer on Tuesday hac on view a cheap lino of apples marked at = lJ t d. Ib.- Mr. O'Brien, Health Inspector '• had a look at tho fruit yesterday, and ucndenmed the lot as unfit for human consumpc tion. 0 The Committee of the Feilding District ! High School received yesterday a cliequc for £5 from Messrs. Johnston and Co., Wclr lington, as a donation to the fund for-en-s larging the playgrounds. , | Mr. S. Standen, of Aorangi, is in request again as judge of cattlo at the Northeri B shows. Ho is to judge next month at Harnil--0 ton and AVhangarei. , - ■ r JZ !, • ' MARTON. 1 William Heppy, convicted of sly grog sel f ling at Utiku, has been sentenced to im 3 prisonmont for a month. A large ..quantity o: a liquor was found on tho premises. 3 A man named McGurched has died fron s the effects of an accident in the ..railwa; 5 ballast pit at.Waiouru-.on- Tuesday.:. A fal 1 of earth buried him to. tho waist',. and In 3 (lied on''the train on Tuesday evening jus' ! before reaching Hunterville. The decease! ' is supposed to have relations ill Masterton A largo number of Freemasons assemble! " at tho Bulls on Tuesday evening when tin installation of Bro. W. J. Croucher as W.M. and the -investiture of officers took place Lodges F'eilding, Rongotea, Rangatira (Hun terville), ltuapehu (Alarton), and St. All I draw's, Kilwinning (Wanganui), wero wel I represented, and the ceremony was ably con s ducted, by the Grand Superintendent, R. W ' Bro. R. Fletcher, W. Bro. Thos. King actin< • as director of ceremonies. , ! HASTINGS. \ ■-- ' I A private meeting of those interested ii i the return of an' Opposition candidate fo: : Haw'ke's Bay was held on-Tuesday evoning Air. W. C. Maddison presiding. : Mr. R. R 1 Martin, political organiser for the Opposi i tion party, addressed the • meeting, and i< : was decided to form a branch -of- the ..-'Political Reform League. Air." W. C. Maddisoi was elected lion, secretary, pro -tern.. i committee was formed-to make preliminary arrangements, and it was decided to call i further Meeting. ■ Mr. P. Sheridan, of 'the Native Lands Purchase Department, has returned to Wellington, but ho will arrive here again towards the end of tho month. . . The business of defining the Crown interests iu .the Waimarama blocks has been postponed, and Judge Johnson, of the Native Land Court, is engaged in making additional purchases in ; Waimarama, ;Okaihau, Waipuka, and Pukekura (East and West), in order to round off" the areas already acquired by the Government ,and thus to facilitate tho work of allocating the-Crown-in-terests. When these pin-chases are completed tho Government will have acquired abont 12,000 acres'of these lands at £7 per acre. PAHIATUA. • ' Roads in several parts of the-district are blocked by slips. A-Press Association. message states that a big slip occurred on the Makuri Road, and communication between Pahiatua and Poiigaroa is interrupted. Mails are being conveyed by packhorses over tho hills in tho vicinity of the slip, which is expected to be cleared in a couple of days. At tho fortnightly meeting of the Pahiatua .Municipal Fire Brigade on Tuesday night, tho secretary's action in writing to Mr. -11. li. Boss, member for the district, objecting to clause. 4 in the new Bill, debarring towns of under' 5000 inhabitants from benefitting, was approved, lt was resolved also'to write to tho local lire brigade committee asking for its co-operation in opposing the clause. The weather cleared to-day, and is now line. I HUNTERVILLE. ■•_ - Tho mooting called for tho formation of a racing club at Hunterville was. largely attended.. Mr. W. Meldruni presided, aiid in tho courso of his opening, remarks said he was of opinion that a racing club would, do well for the placc, and, if-proporly conductod, would bring a great number of .people together on the day of the meeting. Of course, a totalisator permit could not bo thought oi. They would have to depend on a gate, nominations, and acceptances, and sale of privileges, for revenue. It was unanimously decided to form a Club. Mr. M'Manawayj proprietor of Argj'le Hotel, and a well-known sportsman (being owner of .Mahutq and others) said ho did" not see why Hunterville could not run a most successful club. Places with oi much smaller population had been able successfully to conduct meetings. He gave instances of half a dozen racing clubs iii the Wairarapa, whicli wore without the totalisator, and were doing well. It was pointed out that a smtablo course could bo secured on Messrs. Walker Bros.' property. A strong committee was appointed, and tho membership fco was fixed at £1 Is. Twenty-live enrolled in tho room. , OTAKI.

At a meeting of Hautere residents 011 Tuesday night it was decided to form a rifle club, and a strong committee was appointed to work up matters. The success of the club is assured, and already a very largo-member-ship is promised. . Tho golf match, Karori v. Otaki, to liavo been played yosterday, was indefinitely postponed owing to tho inability of the Karori club to bo represented-.

ill 1 . Les. Atkins, recently secretary of the Otaki Dairy Co-operativo Company, and also of Messrs. C. R Daniells and Co.'s. staff at Alasterton, has accepted a position „wit-li tho Lanipbcll Land and Timber Company. Mr. Atkins's many friends will be glad to welcome linn back, and in cricket circles lie will bo doubly wclcomo, as he wan one of the leading cricketers on this coast. • \ Mr. D. Nees,.contractor for Mr. Byron JJrown s now promises 'at' Manakau, is making good progress with tUo work. Tho building, when finished, will be the b'iEEest business house in Manakau. Lieutenant Phillips, who has boon in charge of the Otaki corps of {jhe Sulfation Ar;uy for some time past, has been promoted to the rank of captain. Captain' Phillips will, however, be leaving Otaki, and retiring from tho service within a month's time. • - FEATHERSTON. ! ' The Goyornmentls free grant of 2400 rounds of ammunition to tho Featherston Defencs Rifle Club has been received. ■ • Tho Featherston Town- Board 'has 'inspected' tho head waterworks and had improvements l effected. ■'-A good 'supply of water is'how coming into the intake., '. ' On ,Tuosday night the local squad of th# E Company. Huahine Battniion travelled ; to Greytown, . where they, received their, uniforms. Mr. T. C. Webb, who has teen transferred, from Wnii'oa to Nelson, was at one time, inspector of stock .in.'this part of the Wairarapa. '• .' ■ UPPER BANGITIKEI. vRain continues incessantly, and-the besS of the roads are being rapidly affected.,, Mill--ing operations are seriously retarded, ; .th«. bush being now too wot to aliow of logs being brought in. Should the spell continue, it is-, feared that tho output will he greatly shortened. Bush-felling is also impeded, and grasi is scarce, so that stock is in poor condition. From appearances, it is thought-unlikely that fine weather will bo experienced for -soma time.' All works in the district and borough of Taihapo are handicapped, and,, to-add to this,, labourers aro hard to obtain, so thatmany necessary road works are hung up indefinitely.' Tho Chamber of Commerce of Taihape is ■ moving in the direction of having the towns of tho Warmarino connccted with the local .telephone bureau, and it is hoped that-their representations will have .the desired effect, as many residents have great interests in tlia north.- ■ , i . Tile Chamber of Commerce is also interesting itself in tho extension of the Taihape rail-: way station yards,, which aro by far too small to copo effectively and expeditiously with' the daily-increasing traffic.- : The matter of 1 making this a sub-terminal station between! Auckland and Wellington was also discussed, when' it was decided to bring both mattersunder the notice'of the member for the (lis- . trict. ■••• v. . / .- The vacancy on the Rangitikei County Council, caused by the resignation of Mr/ James Gcorgetti, has brought out two candidates so far—Mr John Johnston, of 'Manga-.• weka, and Mr. F. \Y. Beechey, a prominent and long-residing settler of Ohutu. ' , WAIMARINO. - : ' -

OHAKUNE PROGRESSIVE ASSOCIATION* .A'meeting of the Ohakuno Progressive As-, sociation was held on Monday. Amongst jtlier : matters the question of ,towii leases came up for discussion, and reference was made by the chairman (.Mr. Gould), to the recent Parliamentary .debate on the clause in .the Land Bill relating to the same... Protest, was made against the action of outsiue speculators securing all the town and suburban .sections, and m was resolved that the following motion be forwarded to the Minister:-^!'That this Association views with pleasure the passing of . clause. 28a of. the.JLand.'.Bill in. Committeo of the House, and., urgently. requests the Minister fcA-Lands, in. the event of the clause becoming law, to direct that all Ohakune town and suburban lands to be hereinafter offered to the piiblio, be offered for lease onlyj and thus prevent the grabbing of the sections "by outside speculation, as exhibitedat the .last salo of-Ohakune town sections and "also urges the Minister, if possible, to amend the Land Bill this (session in the direction' of-' enabling the ; local body to receive one moiety-.of the rents 1 of' such leases for all time; instead of for fifteen years."- ,• _. ■ . '. '; A committee was appointed to enquire into the matter of forming a town board,' a meet- ' ing to be called at an early--date./ ! r. In connection with the-Haetihi Road, it was resolved that the Minister be communicated, with regarding.its present state,, see-, ing that the m'ail coaches have now; ceased,: running. Referenco was also- made to the. dangerous state of tho "Mangawhero ford, whore a traffic bridgo is a pressing-necessity, in view, of tho- many narrow/ escapes from drowning experienced recently., It .was decided that tho member for the district bo telegraphed to ■ drawing his attention to the urgency of. the case and requesting that steps be taken to, have same erected.- ;; . • The exceptionally long spell of rain and' rough weather is causing* a serious shortage • in grass, one settler recently losiiig fourteen' :ows from that cause. Stock goncrally 'are reported to bo in poor condition! r The cessation of tho Ck. V and mail service between Raetihi and Oiiakune is expected io stir the Roads Department into activity. - For a week past coaching has only'been carried on by extreme'means; passengers all' laving to dismount and '• walk over several particularly bad spots. •; Tho mails will now 50 by way of Pipirjkj;'- '; Dairying is receiving ai severe set-back, tnd so far only 0110 or two suppliers are aking cream to the Ohakune, Creamery. -It s said that most of the cows will be in profit lext .month. •' .. - . ■' There is a likelihood of tip Ohakune post ■ iffice : being enlarged owing to the volume if business. This will meet-with the ap- ■ iroval of all here, as the present accommcdaion is extremely limited. : V • Despite tho bad weather, building' at Rae,ilii continues, and some private residences of ■ arge dimensions are now in tho hands of the milders. ' ' ' ■ . ' "