PROVINCIAL CENTRES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 803, 28 April 1910, Page 4

PROVINCIAL CENTRES.

(From Our. ..Sosicial CorredDondeati.j — MASTERTON. There was a good , attendance at the annual meeting of tho parishioners of St. Matthew's Church on Tuesday evening. Tho' balance-sheet" showed ail in 7 creaso -.in every department, the ' total revenue for the year beihg..£lslo 17s. lid., or. ncarl.v double . that of . tho .previous 'year. Tho chief factor in tho increaso, was the fund raised (£597) ou behalf of the new church building, and £12G for tho organ extension fund. Tho assistance which, had been given by the parish' to Homo and Foreign Missions also showed a substantial increase. The following wero elected'as vestrymen:— Messrs. J. L. Murray, S. Inder, J. D. Cruickhanlr, W. H. L. Galwey, W. T. Mansfield, : J. B. Henry, T. -Permain, W. B. Chennells, R. E. Jones, .and'J. lirown. ...The vicar nominated Mr. E. H. Waddington as his. warden, and Mr. J., W. Blackmau was, unanimously reelected as people's warden.' It was resolved to recommcnd the vestry to prepare plans for tho proposed new church. A motion to the effect that tho franchise with regard to Church affairs bo extended: to tho women members .of the parish was also carried. •

A run of the Wairarapa - Hunt will be held here to-day, when a krgi\ attendance is anticipated.

The building trade is, fairly, brisk in Mastortoii, and has been' so- for' some' time past. Apart from the work going on at "the" Waingawa Freezing Works, a number of substantial residences are being .erected, and two have just been completed . in. tho vicinity of Solway. Building are also -fairly brisk at Larisdowne, several residences being in course of erection. This week a commencement was made with the foundation work of the new fire station in Queen Street, and the new building .— a (jno two-story brick one—will be a decided acquisition, to-the town. Tho new gasworks at the railway station .are nearing, completion, and ..when the boiler is . installed ftho : manufacture .of T gas caii bo proceeded with.- Tho.construction, ' or, -at least, -the reconstruction of the Waipoua bridges will also be an important contract. At .the meeting of the Borough Council on Tuesday evening last tho Public Works Department notified the council .that the construction of these two important bridges, had been authorised and approved. '~-, /.'■■■ • ■

: • CREYTOWN. At the annual meeting of householders, held at Greytown on Monday evening last, the following .were' elected a School" .Committee:—JVfossrs. C. .J. Beard (chairman), .M', .i-Bruntpu,,.. .M. Maxton, T. Fisher,, ; .-H, K-WaldeiV; .(treasurer),' HL Humphrios,:B;{W-vTate, H. .Mr.-W, ...S. Maxtoii' was -.again'.,-appointed. secretary. An address 1 was'■ given • by the ■ Rev. H. S. Woollcombe to an audience of about forty men in tho Foresters' Hall on Monday-evening' last:. Dr.' Bey was in tlie cliair. The address was very interesting,' and was attentively listened tQ. It set out, the aims of the Church of England Men's Society, and stressed the desirability of better Church attendances.' " ,' ; . WOODVILLE. '• Mr.' J. Harding' l was''tho' ; _successful purchaser of 'the 1 estate yof -the - late Mr. Campbell! . The -prico' averaged about .£26,'.ppr'acrc:'' That the authorities should invariably insist'upon : those'iising,:raotor-ears, having the number of I the car. affixed, was evidenced • here this week. A party of young men driving out.of. town ran into a v ,to. : ;a vehicle. ...CRnsiuc"ral>le damago was done. The, driver naturally 'wanted to kriow tho motorist's .name, but. not diviilge .it, or tlie .iiuriiber of his nia-; ■chine which was'ript'visible 1 on-it;Ho lias consequently very little charice of recovering tho costs -of 'the damago done, for none of th'o. occupants' of tho car are known here.'

CARTERTON. An oat'stack belonging, tti Mr. Frank Shutkowski, -of- -South 1 ; Carterton, ■ was badly damaged by .fire on .Tuesday morning soon after seven ,o'clock.. The, fire brigado.was brought-from tile-south' end shed, and tho .fire suppressed, before it had time to really penetrate ; tho stack, tho &imago.. done being chiefly to the outside.--■ The. stack was; uninsured, and had recently been disposed of by sale to a Wellington firm. ■ , .

The twelfth-annual sweepstake pigeon match, for tho- championship of New Zealand is to bo held underline auspices of 'the New -Zealand Giin'Club Association at Wanganui on May 27.- - The winner, in addition;'to receiving' sixty per cent, of tho- sweepstake; is, to be awarded tho championship ,'medal :presonted by Mr. W. Duncan, president-of tho .Wanganui'Gun jClub.. -.The - match will bo' a twenty-one-bird, contest, with twenty-eight yards rise, and thirty-five, yards boundary. -It .will he : shot under the rules of the. association. The runner-up will receive; twenty-five .per cent, of the sweepstake, and the third place competitor fifteen por cent. The Wanganui Club has arranged to hold a £100 match two days before the big event. The amount is divided into four, prizes.' and the Nobel Company, of Glasgow, nave donated a silver cup, to bo won three times. The conditions are ' fourteen : birds with' a-'.thirty-five yards boundary. It is anticipated-that Several prominent shots from this portion of tho district will compete.-' .

The; high price 'rilling. here, for,' eggs at the present time is: attributed to'exportation to Mother markets;' Daily,' large ;quantities are dispatched-.fi'bm the local station,- and private people with only a limited number of fowls, have_ been induced'by tho better prices obtainable in Wellington, to consign on their own account. A good quantity of Wairarapa poultry also'finds its way to the oicy. market.

The -Wairarapa- Terminating Building Society's, annual report is now .being distributed among shareholders, and .'states, that the society-has experienced a very successful year.. Shares alloted to date total 516, of which 187 are under tho amended Rule 25, leaving 84 shares unallot-ed. During tho period 97 shares valued at £216 7s. were forfeited, although every facility was given the holders-to meet calls. The profit and loss account, shows a credit of £453 10s. Bd., an increase, of £241 15s. - Six appropriations, two by sale and four by .ballot, each .of £300,. were made during the,year, the promiums oil sales amounting, to £112, which is £52 less'than, last year. Tho total amount on mortgage to date is £6900, of which sum £1126 10s. has been repaid." Tile retiring directors aro Messrs. J. Baillie, W. T. Mason,and J. Moncrieff. ...

The local borough staff on Wednesday completed the asphalting of tho footpath on tho western sido of High Street- between Victoria < Street and Clifton Avcnuo'; ■ Tliq first' portion of tho work has been under test for somo days, and has enabled one to gain a vei'.V fair idea of - the quality of the work. That the 'men havo made good work of it goes without saying, and tho ongincer (Mr. G. H. Herbert) and the borough staff are to be complimented upon "it. Tho concrete kerbing and asphalt path will add greatly .to tho appearance • of the town. 'Swimming figures among the best subjects that can' bo' taught the. rising generation,' " and "it is' therefore pleasing to hear. that'ono of our residents (Mr. J.; Callister) intends to provide- swimming facilities for tho children i attoiidflig • tho • '■ local High School. The proposed bathing place 1b

in a convenient locality on Mr, Callist'er's property, not vory far from the school. There was a movement here recently to establish public swimming baths, but it to have died away and one rather fears that tho children at present attending school will hyvc finished their education long before Carterton lias public swimming batlis. For several' years baths wcro kept up here by private enterprise, and wero well patronised.

: Mr. W. Bamby, formerly of Carterton,: is at', present on. a holiday visit to friends in this district. Since bis abseiico from Cartorton Mr. Bamby. has sjent three years in the Bay of Plenty district, and lias now come to the Forty-mile Bush district to reside.

FEILDINC. After, 25 yoars' : -servico, Mr. 6. C. Wheeler (chairman)' has retired from tho Stanway School 1 ' Committee, owing to ill-health. ; . Mr. Williams, ,B.Sc., a recent arrival from-England,, .who was appointed Instructor in Elementary Agriculture for tho secondary schools of the Wangauui Education district,, has 1 resigned tho position. The nett proceeds of the thrco days' fancy fair held by the St. John's Ladies' Guild last week, totalled £120. Tlie fair was in aid of . the funds of tho Parish Hall, which is to replace tho building recently destroyed by'fire. .Mr.' Charles Carr has. just returned from , a trip, to Southland,.. where .he purchased the whole of the purebred ilock of Cheviots of Mr. Barnhill.. Mr. Carr already has .the best _ purebred (lock of Cheviots in the Feilding district, having .won the whole of 1 tho prizes in the Cheviot class at tho last Feilding Show. OTAKI. Playing' on the Otaki bowling green on Saturday -for the final of the championship pairs, Russell and Booth, defeated Howell and Williams, 15—11. A .slight fall of snow occurred on the Taravuas during the ''cold snap," and,in consequence, tho weather now carries with all tho suggestion of Wolsey't. "killing frost" in Shakespeare. One cannot, however* quarrel with what is eminently, seasonable. . : , Wliile Mr. Stanley Russell,' jun., was ! driving along near the Jubilee 'Hotel-on Tuesday, -his horse- took fright and bolted. Tho driver, however, retained a good hold on the reins, and eventur) ally gained control of the 'animal before any danger was done. i Constable Satherley, returned to .Otaki on . Tuesday,'.evening from Wellington, where he recently 'underwent a further serious operation.- It is pleasing to be ■ able to state that he is how very much better,' and making steady progress. It is hoped and expected that he will now make a 'completo recovery., ... ■ ,-'The following.-, were yesterday, nominated for scats, on the Otakißoad Board Messrs. D'Ath, Tompsitt, Meads, Jones, Jndd, Noble, Skerman, Rollo, and Wilson. An election will take place 'on May 4, seven'members being required,

SHANNON. .The crests of tho.Tararnas are at present .coaled with snoTv., The Shannon senior football , team was defeated at Foxtail.on Saturday by 3 points to nil,, while the .juniors'were .defeated, at, Shannon by the, _ Foxtou second 'fifteen by. 9 poinfei.to' 3; The local seniors -hope to reverse the result next. Saturday, when the Foxton Club oppose them at Shannon. Tho Shannon learn, is.:—M'LeHari, Stevenson, _ .Royal, Henderson; Cootes, ; Pope, Gi;inist<jnb,' Smith, /Wriglit, Cole, Wood, Dalziell, Itapa,...Osborne,. 'arid Timms. _ t ' '"'On"Friday iiight,.;in.tho V; 6fiiids'''tii.all, ! a ouchre. contest took place between, the. bbtrfei/i aiid the Druids, tlia latter victorious: " A' .'. cribbago ! :.will shortly tako 'plaoo l betwcellT-the ■ -same competitors. '

During, "Powelka month;" the notorious one seems to liavo been, a fjlienfc of a local hairdresser here. It is creditably stated that he camo in incog, and got through his "shavo" without his identity being suspected at tho time.

: There was a; good attendance • in- the Druids' -Hall On Tuesday night; . when t)ie local Literary'and Debating Society held their first debate, the. 1 subject of which was: "Is Free-trade a' better! policy'for N<Sw Zealand tban : protection?" Mr. W; H: Gunning aud Mr. W. Clayton, the principal: speakers, took the affirmative and negative respectively. Messrs. Gulland, Gibb, and Exall supported \Mr. Gunning, and Messrs. E. J. Judd and Barclay spoke, ill favour .of Protection. On- a vote being taken, Free-trade .won by 25 votes to 11. At the conclusion of the debate, Mr _Gibb, who had acted as "speaker," delivered a 1 little homily 1 on ' debating, pointing out that the speakers were inclined to talk round about the motion,,' and failed 'to. properly bring out their' chief points. . '

WAIHOANCA. There has ,beon a small influx of new' residbnts iritb.'the Waiotauro Valley, during the past fortnight, some liihe individuals having cast their lot'-in this romantic spot. • Mr. Ray, ;of tho Uplands,- has recently had completed a line residence at the head of the valley, and several other new buildings ire now mentioned. No doubt they would be speedily commenced were the entrance into the valley improved. There is a small surii".of £30' which'.was allotted some time ago for tho improvement of part of the track. The Eorowhemia County Council.state.that they can get no one to tender for it; two of the residents ■ here. have offered to do, tho work, however, but their offer has been declined. . ' Once again tho Hautore Rifle Club has proved its superiority, over the Ngatiawa men, defeating them after a good contest on their own rango. Captain Beauchamp, of the Invisibles, has done some good shooting this season, and lie has finished up by winning- the handsome Hartill Cup out-right, and also' the Yardley Champion Belt. This, however,' Captain Beauchamp, in true sportsmanlike manner, has handed over to iholkutero Club for ■ The weather has been anything but pleasant here lately, strong .gales, and heavy rains being in evidence, yet .there is a wonderful growth of grass. The writer saw quite, an. extensive show of lovely violets at Gorge-Mount; this week in full'bloom..' ' Bush-felling is in full swing, and' the music of tho - axe is heard from early morn till night. , ' - ' : When is the proposed school going to be erected here? It is a strange ■state of things to see such a nnmben of children running about without anyone apparently 'giving a thought to their education.'; '' Our postal arrangements' are deplorr ably backward; sometimes it requires live days for j letter from Otaki to reach here —a distance of some fourteen miles, while a " letter posted here on Monday will not he delivered in Wellington before midday on Thursday.