PROVINCIAL NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 407, 16 January 1909, Page 13

PROVINCIAL NEWS.

(rnou our si'Ecur, connE3?ONDENiB.)

PALMERSTON,

An inquiry was openedby.,,Mr.,_ Fraser, coroner,, at Himitangi'i .yesterday, . into the origin of the fire .that destroyed the house occupied by Mr. A. W. Jones, on December 21. Evidence was given by Henry Hartley and William Meads as to being called out by an alarm of firoj and seeing the house in flames. There was no one about the placo,. Mr. Jones having gone away in the morning.,: Robert Spencer, also gave, evidenco as. -to the;, insurance on the place,: t aiid/an .adjournment was made till Monday: morning, when Mr. Jonos himself will bo "in attendance. . Tho election expenses incurred by Mr. D.Buick. 'M.P., at .the recent - election were£o9 12s. 6d. for the, ; ..first; ballot,, and . J843; 16s. 7d. for the second, making a total of £148 95., id. • w , Mr. Hopkins, Government. Apiarist, visits; Palmerston on his return from' the , South. Island,: for the purpose of, helping :.to,:form/ a Beekeepers' Association in this / . district'./ According to Mr. Hopkins, .the prospects of the present season so far are good, and the output in the Dominion should .be : large. ;

CARTEMW

A serious fire happened in" High. Street;' Cartertonj. at 2.50 ; a.m. .yesterday, and des-' troyed the business premises ... of;. Messrs. Afcenken,. Chew, .and Catt, while T. Foster's furniture factory was gutted. - The. brieade under Captain M'Kenzie. worked splendidly, however. The water "pressure was very, disappointing, and the manual .engine ; had to be employed to supplement .'the/main. tho work Firemen Ju'dd: 1 ' jnnming. from :H; Catt's/ verandah,. sprained , both. Jiis ■ ankles. The insurances on the block* are£1(1(1(1 "in the Phoenix; Mr. Foster £300 on building and:£loo.on stock.in the New Zealand.office; .Mr: Chew, £100 on the steck inthe Alliance office:,Mr: , Mee.nken' £400. on -the stock-.'in the Phoenix office; Mr. H. Catt was uninsured. ■ '■ ! :" : f • Word has iust : bepn received that Mr. W. Perry's .stock, of. chaff ,on. .the. Tarntnhi,. and Mr. W. J- Berriirs.snwmill .at.To Whiti were also burned on Thursday evenings No. further particulars are to hand. • Tho" Carlton: eleven defeated .Carterton .at cricket in tho Mastorton Park on .Thursday by two wickets. ■ ■'. :•. .: ■•, . , ;The branch school of St.'.Mark's/ n.t.:Pnrkva'.o held their annual , picnic: on .Thursday, A lareo crowd of picnickers were oresent, and n.n enjoyable timo was spent;, 'The .function reflects : credit. on the . superintendents,' and \ OTStnnisers: tho■. Misses) JSiwatds,- and,their small band of assistants. .;

V RKRTAHU^A.

,: The death occurred at the Mast'erton Hospital of Mrs. Fauvel, wife pf ; Mr. P.:,Fauvel, settler of. Kangaroro, after a short:.illness. Deceased, who was 'an .old resident,,of, ;the district,; leaves a . grown-up. family ;to moiirii her loss. . i,. , ; The Fikctalmna Rifles, aro holding a: ten' days' eVicampment. Tho company is under, the charae of Captain .Pncce,, tain Browne, oi the peismanoiiV staS v ',ls also present. V. . ; :.v. - O; ■, • ... Great, preparations are imafle by the congregation of the-Presbvterinn Church for the : annual bazaar, which 'is tp'; : be.held..at, the, ktter ond of nest month.; -

■ At the .ordinary - meeting of Court. Mahar haki,. A.O.F. j the; following officers -, wore; in- . stalled -for tho. ensuing, year :-^-f!'.R. : , : BroV.B.' Nicols;. S.C.K., ;Bro. Crooker ; .S-W.,' ' Bro. Cittadino ;' .T.W., Bro'. -W' Bro. 'Hunton; J.R.,-;Bro. F., Williams; secretary, Bro. F. Wise; auditor, Bro. T. Beddillg. . i,.; : V The, tender'-of- Mr., ; S. -Battlett, ;of.Maslet-1 ton (£521 10s.) has,,been,- accepted ( by the Borough Council for the .erection of a brick pdvw-house in cobncction . with' the, electric : lighting scheme.. The" main plant::is;expected I-to,arrive at .the latter. 1 A' nnmerouslyrsimnex?'. petition ,ia( to be forf, warded to : tho authorities'by .tlie' Chamhei- -of Commerce asking thatlai .telpphone' bo establishod. at,;Pnt'ara.o,'V' ~

:: S6me :littlo':whiie back the* member 'fof: the district. Mr; Hogg, :was Vesponsiblo' 'fnr hav-: ing £100, placed Estimates ior ex-, nenditiire -on a ; blind: thoroughfarG -between Hristwell: and Eketaliuna; and .■ known ' as "Smith's Line," the'gra\it:havirig been made on - representations bythe? Chamber '■(s'• Com;. merce.' The County Goimcil was notified-that the money was ready'foi-'expenditure,'.' but; considering it '.■wasteful"to' spend' tho . amouili on forming portion of a road which-w6uld,be idle and eventually slip ; away, ! rind cbntehding that the 'road.'was''no't:.n,eeded;' and informed ; would be costly,:to "maintain;' the 1 body de-.j cided at its • last meeting to. ask the; Minis-, ter for Roads and Bridges to.'divert,the, grant and utilise it for'completing tlio' on' Bowen Road,,'wliiclL'-funs ,-i ; panillql' with, "Smith's.Line." , Thtf local Chamber of Coin-' merco has' severely .censured tWs c'ourse, .'one I .reason amongst others being ,that it wbnld*be establishing a bad precedent" if money 'voted for a'.'specific purpose' 'was diverted because the controlling, authority did not. see eye to evo with the project'.: ~' The: chamber, has,: "therefore, decided to/'.prntpit against"; .the. diversion, and to ask tlio .Government "(if the < council fails in its duty) to expend the'money on forming the road. . In the meantime. the. public arc watching:'dDyelopments"';wii;li ::m----torest.

- It is stated that next-;' session strong . re-; presentations will. .bo;taado:,:to,have a.sum placed oil the Estimates for tlio EketanunaShannon track. The"'present'- Minister" .for Bonds and Bridges Ms'alirAy^' pathy with tho project: ' -. .The supply of .milk,'at. the. ,Rongokokakp Cheeso. Factory for :tlie moiith of December was 518i5001b. } for: ': feceived, £801 2s. lid.; being "at; the rate, of lOdi per. lb.-for butter fat. . .'/:

FEATHFi'RRT I ON

The heavy wind on lliiifsday, prevented the, local volunteers holding., shooting praotice/ : i , The young man Carpenter, who (broke"-,the small bone of his ankle in a motor accident recently, .is , progressing.satisfactorily.. " ; . . The Town Board has, n.ot. accepted,,any of. the tenders, for tho. extension /of the high-,; pressure water,/supply,', as' then! too high.Thursday has"been dccidcd oil/as-the day for the weekly half-holiday. . .

PMiiVP/vitAmra

The Paraparaumn Cricket', . Club , recently ' travelled to Otaki to play.a, friendly match, and the visitors -.scored ran,, easy,/ victory. Honry Lynch is certainly a good fast, bowler, while Messrs.; Nenl, . Jenkinson,, aiid Howcll Bros: aro batsmen of. whom any provincial club might bo proud. / :