PROVINCIAL CENTRES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 726, 27 January 1910, Page 6

PROVINCIAL CENTRES.

■" (From Our (Special Correspondents.)

,:.'- : ',-' ; ..".■■'■•■'■'■-OTA'ICK. ;>" ■■■■'■■ ';'■; ' An acoident of ti somewhat serious nature .occurred on : ! Mr.' G; H. Harper's farm af.the Gorge on Monday evening, when a young man named Leo' Warren was found in an unconscious condition. It 13-thought:that he was thrown from his horse.. He. was removed to the hospital, where -he has now recovered consciousness, but- is unable to account for the accident. .; ■ ; - .Air. Bassett, engineer at the Otaki hos-' pital and sanatorium, is at present on .furlough, and his place is being filled by Mr. England, of Wellington. , ' Mrs;: Jennings, who is -in charge of a school in the Wanganu; district, is at present on a visit to- OtaM. ; -. .;•:,'.:, : /Arrangements are .being made to play a :match.. -between the Otaki', "B" ' lawn ■tennis - club and Paraparaumu. The former will also playtevin "B , ' at'an early date. V ''Next Saturday the Levin and Otaki first -teams meet at Levin. '..'■'■ .

' ,There. are at present, only nine patients in the local, hbspitalr-five males and four females. The nursing. staff deserve the well : ear'ned rest. ./■ * '-~:..

.Thanks, to / Warden Judd,- the.' Jocal road board are about .to, consider ways and: means of making .better provisions for pedestrians, besides giving the town a much .more up-to-date appearance. ;;At present the footpaths'are, like Napoleon's ' • after." Moscow—"not fine to look iUpon." Warden Judd's proposal .to have, them asphalted is a step that should havo been taken years ago.- ' Unfortunately, - however, .the.main street, in/the -.town is /governed by the. Horowhenua County .Council, on which Otaki has but hvo representatives.:, .An/effort.nevertheless.is.to be made'to .induce that body ! to ,'improve:tlie : .townkhip.' . ■ '.'■■. ;;. Another item that should be considered by..-the local'people,.is : ..the matter of/an .■adequate water: supply .and drainage. In caso-of fire thfere are not. even pumps, and, ; wells 'have to' be depended: upon, though:it is, a well-known-fact that the supply ; from these .is very. limited.' A 'high-pressure supply,-to >serve, the, needs ,ai the town, could be, obtained from the Waitohu at a cost, of"about £a<M. .-' -:

; FEILDING., ;

'■'. The Awahuri sports held, yesterday w.ere a great success. ~ ".'■:■■ .'■■•■ . :■'-.'•.- Mr. ,'W.;.Orr, one'of .our largest milk suppliers in: the Beacdnsfield.. district, contemplates taking a , trip to the Old ..Country .'next;. inonthl-; ;....;. .:.•' ''■': Mrs. Pearson; ■of Waituna', who: has lately returned from, a .holiday in,th« Wairarapa,: comments, on- .the- 1 dried-up and parched appearance of the whole of the Lower Valley: . '.. .'..• : * .." '.The following/were, the; prices paid out at the Beaconsfield creamery'for. the month of-December during the last seven years:—l9o3::and'l9oi,/8ja:;5;1905,-9d. ; ; ,1906, 9Jd.;,1907 end 1908, 10d:; 1909,-9Jd.-"'. '. A very eDJoyable picnio was held at the Marten Block Bridge.'on Monday by some of the', business, people of Apiti and theirfriends. ■" "• .:~'}^:- J -. -:V ;; ,■■'•■?; :---.:''; /■' :

,'" The Manchester "Band's. gatden '•. party; held, l at. Feilding yesterday, was. favoured with the best' of weather, although the morning in'a", rather unpromising ,way./; ■- • J r-.-■■■'.'>'.. ' ,'/' 1." ,"./■ •"■'., ■'■■-''.'

FEATHERS7ON,

The Katherston Volunteers are initiat■ing a ■series, of week-end camps. Various grounds around here will-be used,'and it is expected that some really' useful and pleasant work,will takeplace. On Saturday , week: they will :camp at Tauheri-' nikau. ■" •■:'■.' ■'.-/ '.'■.. ■- : ;•' ■'. ■. v '■■ i; ■;

\ The .Wairarapa RacingV Club have decided: to hold seven .races on each day attheir Easter meeting, instead of .eight, as has been formerly the custom. .The races-cut out have been the hurdle races on both. days. ■■ This will ■bo no '.. loss, ■as there -are /very-few/hurdle,.horses in or around here that enter, and, the outside entries do not. ; warrant the • race 'being kept on the. programme. /^'

The Boy' Scout movement has.'reached l!'eatherstoiy'and it is to bo hoped that it has come .to stay. The.movement has taken on. wonderfully, wherever'it-has been.introduced and there, is..'no doubt that the boys receive." much benefit from ■it.;.■Mγ. H. A. Bagley is acting-as scoutmaster,, and all. boys who would like-'to join aro requested. to hand, in their names/to him ; at once.,; .The patrol leaders : are to..meet' Mr. Bagley: this , week;- and, .afterwards, intending scouts will fall iin,in front.of the Town Hall and hold a meeting. Parents.are studying the best interests of the boys.if they ;give. this movement all the , 'support in their power. . : . / ■'."■■ -•'■■',

CARTERTON

The Carterton Borough.Council has decided to remove the site of the public pound;from Holloway Street to another :site yet to be-selected.,. / -'■"'.' .

•At a. special. meeting of the Borough Council, held on Tuesday evening, Thursday was appointed as. the day for the statutory weekly half-holiday. . '" -.'.'- The main road through the. Carrington Estate is at present passable on.a bi-cycle.-It'has .not yet been, metalled, but it is understood that ..the work'is to,be carried out. before the winter/ :: '

A notice board, giving the: regulation speed for motors,, is to be placed-at. each ■end of the ; borough. : ' .. . -■

{-Some signs of a movement in favour of the , establishment of public, swimming '.baths', are ;in evidence here just now. '■.'..'

EKETAHUNA.

■ The question of a high-pressure. ■ water supply .scheme has *.'"-. Seen before ' the "borough fathers" for a number;of years, and; various reports have been obtained and plans submitted by i-experts. In the days when the destiny.of the town' was guided by the County Council, Mr. Leslie lieynolds was engaged to report on alternate ; schemes, 'but nothing.'further came of thorn. Since the creation of tho Uorough Council; Mr. \Dobson visited various sources, and submitted a scheme .which was estimated to. cost. ',£12,000, aud, ;for..his services, .he received : 5E150.:'., The council lias again caught the ."water fever," and. this time it has decided to engage the services of Mr.Laiiig-Meason, provided that terms can. ! be arranged.. In the, meantime a considerable'sum is being expended in preliminary expenses, 'and-finality appears as far off. as ever;

Eketahuna is afflicted, with . a> town lagoon, the water in which is stagnant, and emits . unhealthy odours in hot weather. Besides being;, a menace to health, the lagoon, which is in the centre of. the town, and unfenced, is a rather idangprous'.thing ,for' children. . A few tnont&s back the Borough Council obtained a report from the Health Officer, who unhesitatingly: condemned the lagoon as a poril to public health. At. the last .meeting-of the 'council a motion calling upon the owner to fill in ! the lagoon was iost by a casting vote.- ■ ' ■' ■ : A daughter of Mr. P. A.- Petersen, of Hastwell, who has been an invalid for some time, passed'away at her .home on Monday evening. •

:':■• Anniversary services in connection with ■the Eketahuna Methodist Church will be conducted on Sunday next, when the services will be taken by the E'ev. T. Pee, president of tho conference. ... . Captain Prendeville, of'the Eketahuna Mounted RiHes, has been presented with a. twelve years' service medaL .