PROVINCIAL NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 399, 7 January 1909, Page 5

PROVINCIAL NEWS.

. . (?ROII oun Sl'ECliti COanCSCONDENTS.) ... . >"•— ' PALMERSTON. ' A Pohangina Valley grass-seed growar : ■states-.that -his crop will be so. seriously af» fected' by the' continuous wet weather that ha estimates that his loss- will be fully' £400. i The extraordinary holiday trame.'on.-«<sthe -.■ ;i railways shows littlo-sieris of easing off,.and ■ ■tho.'mail train'again-lert'.Palmijrstojliha.lß.an hour;-lata.; The through-train "from-:Auck-land on Tuesday night was . crowded ;, to , such A.pv'j ■ : an,exteht'that.ithi3''grea , test difficulty'w'as "ex-'. 5 •perienced by somfe of the.passengers- iri; ob-.; ■' ■--] .taining seating accommodation. Sleep for the majority, of the adults was an impossibility, I'' v-i j while children were lying:about in.all direo- : ' S -tioiis oil. tho floor of. the /carriages, their / mothers' arms being too tired to nold them. . * At Tatimarunui it was stated 'that 'about- 1 50 passengers had slept in-railway carriages on ;' the previous evening:' Mr. Warner, the newly-appointed Superin- " tendent of'the Palmerston Jnre Brigade, has v ; > expressed himself well 'satisfied 'with : the efficiency 'of the men, whom he'considers-well , up to their duties. He was especially pleased .with the'promptitude ,and^the number ; who especially when it , membered that.'the; men did not. live the station, -arid' we're.all engaged; in -''different' ~ vocations. He considered,, however, that the . - fire appliances should be brought up to date, MASTEBTON. , Tho number of infectious -diseases reported, to'tho .borough'.authorities, duringjie year just ended ' were '.as ' foliou*Scarlet \ -fever, ~22; enteric jfever, - : 4phthisis,- 2;, ; •erysipelas, 1 : ; saprAeinia, 1; leprosy, 1; dtph.'theria, 1. .The:leprosy.caso was reported to-. ■wards :the end-of-last .January, but the fact ' j /;: was never, made known to tho local press.. The patient was . a Chinese' resident.-of .. . .., Akiira, and as soon as-tho' disease was dis- ';:v : covered the unfortunato victim was,-remoyed. Vi:. frOm. the-town by the.Health Department ' , and shipped to' China. , Every precaution was : taken to,prevent any recurrence,of the dtsease,, and the house where tho sufferer wa? located was destroyed-bv fire.- -; - Scour arid-sluice valves- for-water,- are -nofl- ; . ;i'./ being installed by the Borough Engineer in J various parts of tho . town.The.tfonner; . ! be .used for effectively cleaning!, ' thp- j mains- ab-regular -periods,; and tha latter foi / obtaining a more complete, system', of jsoncep', / . tration in' any- part of . the. borough in cases / of outbreak of fire. ' / - ' The Hibernian Society has elected the foi-/ ; lowing officers; for the ensuing - year ;—-Presif. , %■; .dent," Bro. J. Connor (re-elected) ;• vice-pre^': "; ; ' :dent,-;Bro.'L.''Richards;'set!reiaryi Bro. 5.7O'Regan; treasurers, Bro.-J. Waters aid Bro. G, Price; auditors, Bros. Richardsvna Dunn; sick visitors; Bros. H. O'LearW B. Chapman, and-G. Price.- - , -f.,, , Local'labour agents report that-un|filieQ . ; labour is becoming a littje more;plenttul in -. and around Masterton jflst now, bit, - tho.number of persons, inquiring for ,wor? is lar " It is /reliable', %uthp%-tna® thousands of pounds' worth of rye/rijss have : been 'lost to this: district throug) : i;; -'; this- Beason.-/ Farmers also /fear /hat ,ir the, weather does not mend very so-U the rapo ,crops' will ;be' completely.:.sijoilt/ .The other. crops:htive now received, plenty of ram, and . ' falls, hoavyplosfcs to_ farmers will bo'thp -feiult-. It was stjl raimng, last % ; :- Jvoriinfc/stnd' seemed likely contmu i e ' :

■ ' ' ' 1 Mr. H. A. " Lamb, terfernment; Auditor, •is visiting Feilding'offlciijJy.tlus week.: The fame, of Feildiirg district scemß to be - extending oven than - the _ local Chamber of Commerfce-anticipated,; • Messrs. Prior arid' Henrifedy ,'ygtoday received a let-t-er.fromvLiaboni-tlp^P of Portugal, applying for the firfnfcatalgouo . of : smaU ■ dairy farms for sale/ ... • , Matters in copmction wiUi the timber trademre. be in a bad, way. Little building is gomg/on,' and almost allttio ; sawmiUs have fefi closed indefinitely. Work has been io slack that at the beo. TBartholomew 'Tinher . Company's, factory in • Feilding• the - h;nibex.of/hands has been, re-; duced' "The bottom nas fallen out- of "the * .tiinber. indU3t>i'," remarked a timber .mer. ;cliarit*to a ?'Star" representative yesterday.

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■ Tho vital, >statis"tics ~for Featherston in ■ 2; mar-: I; 'A°drtfikOa man picked up in Feathers ton the otlor' evening had over £30 on ,him. ' Luckily for himself-he fell into/the. hands • of th^,-police.-,; - - ■ Thc( local volunteers purpose holding'/e weekend Jencalnpmerit at an early .■ date. .: ■ •' :.1 ........., v ,-,

l 7 OTAKI.

Johti'Catriei-oirwas. in.Otaki ycsterdaj ii. connection with the: Aiti-Asiatic :League. jnd is desirous of forwarding the! movement liere. : -He exgeots. : r to return "at an early 'date, and place his'views' beforo_ the public. ? ■ The 'Key.' Williams, ,of Wellington,' "will conduct Divine services in the' local - Metho.dist. Church ■•on.',Sunday..next^''wh'en>.special appeals wilL.be;made for' fiiijds,for.the re-, feeat addifi^^aßd,alterations.. to the church • building'. • Yesterday the weather was still most -unseasonable, and rain has been plentiful. The advent of a few fine days would be gladly : welcomed. .'. ■ ' .' ■ A meeting of the Druids' Lodge was held on Tuesday, Tiicht,- when .th'o rules/.itb rbe .'lullyV^'sid'ei-Mt^'.^latW'pe'riod'-by.idWe-..