PROVINCIAL NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 552, 6 July 1909, Page 3

PROVINCIAL NEWS.

(fiiou oon sr-KciAt, comtEsroNssiTS.)

PALMERSTON.

Jno. Hunter, a painter, was proceeded against at the S.M. Court yesterday morning by Mr. Culver, Inspector of Awards, on a charge of employing an apprentice without having the required proportion of workmen. Defendant pleaded not guilty, and conducted his own case. Called as'a witness by the. prosecution, he stated that he was a party to the award, arid he employed a boy named Simpson, to whom he paid 10s. per week. At that time he had two men employed, in addition to himself. One of the men (M'Laggan) had been working for liim from January till June, but; he admitted that his name did not appear in the wages'book. He produced the time-book, in which M'Laggan s name and time appeared, and explained the omission in the wages book by stating that M'Laggan was engaged on outside work m different parts of the district, and he kept his* own time-book. The inspector maintained that, as the boy had not been indentured at the time the men employed by defendant were discharged, he was entitled to a convictj°n; -In giving judgment, his Worship said that he considered that' Mr. Culver was justified m bringing x the case. Defendant had remarked that he was desirous of keeping within the award so far as he knew it/andY m this connection he noticed that Mr. Culver was always willing to help the employers. Evidently defendant had two. men employed beside himself on March 19, and was entitled to take on an apprentice, and, having taken him legally, was entitled to keep him. The case would be dismissed.

MASTERTON. The adjourned meeting of'creditors in the bankrupt estate of Henry George Carpenter was held at the Masteftok' ■'courthouse yesterday, before .Mr. W. B> Chennells, District Official Assignee. Mr. C. A; Powhall appeared for bankrupt, Mr. P. L. Hollings for petitioning creditors, Mr. Lavery for Mr. Phillips, and' Mr. Robinson, for Mr. F. G. Wayne.: Mr.. Chennells stated that the meeting had been adjourned in order (that, an attempt might be made to sell the Te Ore Ore property, but the position now was that the Te Ore-Ore property was mortgaged; with principal and interest, for close, on £800, and the property at' Lansdowne for £400, with : a reckoned mortgage/over the Te Ore Ore property. Mr. "Robinson stated that, if creditors were prepared to hold a sale of the Te, Ore Ore property, and pay expenses, his client .was willing to sell'under his mortgage, and would'allow £400 to remain on it* at six per cent. It was" resolved that Mr. Robinson's offer to sell the Te Ore Ore property ; be accepted, subject to a guarantee of £13—the cost of the sale— being lodged with him by noon to-day. The Reys.' ,H. Watson and W.': Rake will leave for Wellington/this morning, to. attend the annual Synod of the Anglican ■Church. >;...'..,,:

St. Matthew's Club held a very successful social and smoke concert in St. Matthew's Schoolroom last evening. Songs, recitations, and musical items were rendered by various members, and the general 'attendance' Was a laree one. ' ; : , ■■.} , - ( •The old technical school, which is to be used as a museum at,the Masterton School, was removed to its site .yesterday. The structure is to be thoroughly/renewed, arid ntted up on modern lines. : - -.■•.'. :--:,', ~, .Dr. Cook will deliver; a .lecture on "Home ■Nursing ' before the of the at. John Ambulance Nursinj? .Guild ,pn Wednesday' evening, when a good '■ attendance is anticipated.,. ~ ■.'■'

. -^he- numerous water faces on the main road between Masterton and Carterton, have heer } '?,V ,verted -" This'improvement to'the road will be greatly appreciated by motorists who,have been agitating for the improvement for some considerable time.

:.■/,:;: EKETAHFNA'. ;,■_-;/; At the quarterly meeting of Court Makakahij ; A.O.i)\, th&iollowing >officers. were elected:—P.R.jßrb.rW,' Crocker. P.C.E.; S!W.,:Bro. W. Anderson ; J.W.;'Bro. French'; 5,8., Bro. Duff; J. 8., Bfci. 'Hall;secretaryi Bro.: Wise: treasurer,. Bro. T. ; Knight;-auditor,'; Bro. Pitta-, dine. i,.-,' ..''■■ ,'.- ■ : -■ ■; ■ ,: : " ■■;> ;.';.' The vital statistics, for "the district for the month of Juno were as follow:—Births-, 6; deaths,, nil; maYriages, nil. The ICketahiina 'Borough. Council proposes to raise'a special loan'of £2300., in excess of .£3OOO 'already 'authorised, for the :completion.'of the electric lighting scheme. '.[The- rainfall registered'in Eketahuna' for the month of June was . 5.99 ' inches, as against 3.86 inches : for the corresponding month last year v ; . 'T' ■ . \ . -, The JSk'etahuna '■ TJiter'ary "and" Sfr h .as drifted somewhat. :from itheVform whichi its t maugurators intended'-that Mt vshpuld.take, and has practically developed .into_ a, social club,' ;;at. which the ladies predominate.. To the, experienced ; debater a mixed;audience makes'no difference.- 'Not so, however, to the novice, ; for whose'.benefit the. society was formed, arid' who. is now conspicuous by his absence at all debates. But always the .golden rule-r-the greatest good for the greatest: number—should obtain:: ■ .; •;:..:•:. :■:..•,': ■'■■:'' ,• „.--:

)In connection, '.with ''.the 'cppference'-«f W-.] bodies, to .be heldt at Masterton on "WednesX 7 ™ V,'- thc W* st i° n °f seceding from the,' Wellington ■■-arid.' Wairarapa. United District Charitable Aid Board, and creating a -.separate district; figures.shovevttiat.-. during the, past-ten v the ; Eketabuna County Council-contributed"'-.£923 10sT Bd.' to the board,, and-jn j-returni;. received" £41i: lis. lltl. for. distribution m charity,.' -squad'of :\the v :Eket a huna Mounted- Rifles, which is in charge of Serinstruction from' Staff Sergeant-Major Browning. ; The squad .has 1 already obtained proncieflcy rbadges;.; .v... . ~'■ '< .'" . _ •

monthly.meeting' of"the-Otaki, : Road Board was held on'.Satiiiday. afternoon/, there being present:-', .Wardens, Rollo (chairman); Meads;vlreemanV Jones, 'Jiidd; arid D'Ath Oqn-espondence: was received from' Mr. Grirh- ™? wi«n-r«feren.^td: a.ldrain; in /the: vicinity : ot-the,railway-station,.-ahdi also as -'toi-secur-lngljarrah-timber for future use in making culverts,-: etc;,, in -.the- board's':' area; • R. L Bacchus;applied;'for''bomperisation ■ (£2),: cost ofa-emoving.a boundary, fence, but this mat , tov was, held, over.',. The tender of -Mr. Geo. Hanlon for; maintenance metal was accepted: the rejected tenders: being: those of Messsr J. Ropata, J. Power, and Pi. Hansen. ; The;weather; in this-, district 'on Saturday' ■was far from favourable; for outdoor games but-footballers and hockey players all fulfilled: their 'engagements;,' The: senior Rugby, players, journeyed < to Shannon, .and won-;by fiwpoints;to nil'on the first spell, the sec-' .end half; lapsing on account 'of the weather The juniors suffered defeat at the hands of Koputaroa., The school hockey team jourP M y -frJ?' Te , Horo > and w «n -by five goals to schoolgirls turned up r to meet the local ladies' club,•;■ but the, rain.prevented the game .from,commencing. \! .. : It is understood- that'..metalling of- the following.;roads','in.the Otaki Road Board's' district are (mdre or less) under consideration:—Otaki streets, 60 yards; Riverbank Road, 30. yards; Waerenga Roady 50 yards • Rangiuru, 35 yards; New Otaki, 15 yards' Te Roto, 40 yards; Lower Rahui, 25 yards • Upper Rahui. 25, yards; , Ringawbati, 15 yards; VVaitohu, 30 yards;"Awahohuna, 15 yards; Manakau ; streets, 40 yards; No roll Manakau, 40 yards;; South Manakau, 30 yards; Waikawa, 50 yards; Forest Lakes,.2s yards. - : ... >... : ■ *■ ■V ; LEVIN. '■'■.','• . :.'■_.;'- The rainfall recorded'at Wereroa'Experi-; ment Farm for the month of June was as follows -.—Total rainfall, 5.96 in.; maximum fail (on June,26), 1.56 in.'; 'number of .days.., on which .rain fell; 21/ > ;'■; :.'.. ,' ' , i; ; \ Polling'took.place oni Saturday on the proposal to raise a loan of £4000 for the construction of the Koputaroa-Buckley Road, when'the proposal'was rejected by the rateLpayers. Thovpting was as, follows'.T-For,the proposal, 107; against, 267; informal, 6.',':". I In the senior competition under the Horol.wlienua Rugby Union on Saturday „Levin Wanderers boat Hui Mai at Manakau by 5

points to nil; Kia Toa beat Shannon, by 5points to nil. In the junioT competition; Levin Wanderers beat Waikanao' by 13 points to nil, and Koputaroa beat Kia Toa by 8 points: to 3. ■,-....'.; ■y'.V-. ' ■:'■■• '■" ' '■■■;■'■ ■ Constable Bagrie, Levin,effected a smart: capture on Monday morning near the railwaystation, when be arrested the young man) Nye, wno is alleged to have snot his father in Foxton. It is stated that Nye had walked from Foxton to.Levin, and intended to leave by train.' ;.;','■ .':''.' ','/''■,' ; '.'•"•'■' ' ■■..'•.' _, * { 0n- Sunday 'evening Divßoranoff' re-deliv-ered , his • lecture, in the .Century Hall...Levin, on ''Christian' 1 Martyrdom in Russia.' .to; a largo audience! /'. :..,,..'.. '. :.

v .SHANNON.'' : ■',:'' A football '., match, played on Saturday be* tween Miranui and Ross and Redshaw's employees, resulted in a win for the former team by,six points to nil.. A smoke concert was afterwards held in-the Town Hall. The match between Kia Toa (Otaki), and the local club," had to be abandoned on account of the boisterous-weather: :> ;.:;.;;r.; V,, 'The; local lodge of Druids held a-success-ful social'and'<lance in their hall" on"'l''riday nigh't.'l.'ißro. .K.earsley ■ the l : music," and Bros. Batchelor and . Gardner. acted as M.C.'s. •.-.: " O ": ■ :■-/■.;. ' ' ; ,■■■ ■'';■■:■ '■''■ "A violent easterly gale swept this on Saturday. A; number of trees-were blown down, and', some damage was dona' to pro T perty. ' ■'■""_-... '',:-• '.. ■ ■'. Messrs; .A. Saunders, (chairman)," M. Newth, W: Dudson,: and A. Wallace, were present at a meeting of the Moutoa. School Committee on Friday night.. The/chairman reported that necessary improvements to out buildings bad been parried out. ' After , consideration it was decided, that- there were not" sufficient'school, children; to.. Warrant granting a subsidy for their conveyance over the .'prescribed distance from. school. It was decided to observe Arbor'l)ay'this\vea'r> Mr; Galland, the headmaster, expressed willing: ness to;'arrange a concert to "meet the expenditure occasionedby a mimber of required improvements., Mr.- Galland .'will also train' the children for a juvenile concert, to, be held later.

NAVAL, ENTHUSIASM. ; •/-... '''■■.. ■'•'■■; ■'-■■■'" .'■'.*, '■'" '■' > .SP^AD' : OETEBiNAVY LEAGUE.'.■•>, •Letters received recently by,.the secretary of; the local: branch .of the Navy< League- (Mr. C. W. Palmer) show/that intense interest in. the question of. Imperial" defence is still being taken .by'.the people of aE parts of the Dominion. .. - ■'■-.'■■■', ; ' . >V • 'A leading at Wairoa. Hawke!s Bay,, writes:—"Would, ; you be % so; kind/as to furnish me with 'sufficient information-to enable those interested to determine whether it' is : advisable to form a. branch of the Navy League or' in any- other way' to utilise. any probable enthusiasm, here?" ' Similar letters have been received from Gisborne, Feilding, and other places. ' Mr. Palmfer has been kept quite busy attending to -these" inquiries■'■'-. , • A settler at Matamata, Waikato, who sends applications and cash for the enrolment of himselfi and six others as "associates" of the league,*;writes:—"We are not blessed with much; .'money--all working men (milking cows), and we get about 14 hours'a daySunday - and all—and, I am nearly 70. ;I rented in Gloucestershire under old Admiral 'Berkeley,-who bombarded St.' Ilan'D'Arc in the Thunderer; and many a good; run have I had with Sir Harry Keppel and; Lord Charles Beresfbrd with the.Berkeley;hounds. I shall do my. best to get a-few more recruits, if you will send any papers' to us. . ... W,e]l, sir, wishing the league every success; and.if the worst comes I hope to see the day'when Germany will-get.an infernal thrashing." '. Lieutenant Knox, whose work for the Navy League during his visit to New' Zealand is still fresh in memory,, says in the course of a letter to Mr. Palmer I had 48 hours in the, day I could not possibly get through all my work. I have been-in Scotland for two weeks and had splendid meetings at Inverness, Falkirk, Aberdeen, Dundee, arid Edinburgh. There'is ho doubt the country's waking up a little. .' . ;, Wo have our meetings allovcr the country, arid members, of Parliament on both sides speaking for us every/night. The league is.simply booming, and in the last few weeks wo' have got in, I think, 800 members, and any, amount of money. The; Women's Section, with the Duchess of /Somerset, Duchess of Hamilton, Lady Cromer, etc., is going to-'be a very. powerful adjunct."