MASTERTON, NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1665, 4 February 1913, Page 10

MASTERTON, NOTES.

' (By Telegraph—Press Association.) ' Masterton, February 3. .An old resident of this district,'. Mr. John Colquhoun, died at 'Upper Opaki on Saturday last. Deceased, who hud been ailing for some time, was about sixty years of, age. Ho was formerly buyer tor -the Gear Meat Company, and had served a terrnyas a member of tho Masterton County Council. A company is .being formed here for the purpose of taking over the Town Hall. Another company is spoken of in connection with the erection of a, picture theatre, whilo there is some talk of a Wellington firm providing a continuous picture show.' , There are at present twenty-nine pa : tients in the Masterton Hospital, including three fever' cases. A start has been nlado with the erection of tho new fish hatcheries and. curator's residence at Solway. Tho hatcheries, when completed, will, it is said, be tho best-equipped in New Zealand.. Tho Masterton Municipal Band and the Caledonian Pipe Band have both been engaged for tho show to be held this month. A deputation from . tho Masterton A. and P. Association recently waited upon the Railway Department, and asked that better railway facilities bo provided than heretofore for the Solway show. The Departmental officers gave the deputation a good reception, and promised that the arrangements for the train service, both north and south, would be improved this year. ... At a meeting of farmers at Longbush it was decided to form a branch of the Farmers' Union. An interesting address was given by Mr. H. D, Hebenton, ,the official organiser.

' Mr. W. J. Prouse, Consul for Uruguay, has been advised by the Government ho represents that the regulation providing that all passenger steamers trading to Monto Video must be provided with wireless telegraphy has been superseded by a stricter regulation. This provides that no passenger vessel touching at Monte Video not fitted with wireless will be granted pratique, which really incans that there cannot bo any communication, with the shore by non-wireless steamers.

'Tho. guard of 'tho, Wellington bound train/ which left the Lower Hutt at 3.30 p.m. yesterday, reported to tho stationmaster at Ngahauranga that ho saw a mail, apparently lying dead on the beach between Petono and Ngahauranga. Tho guard described the man as being dressed in a light suit. The police were at once communicated with and Sergeant Foster, of Fetoiie, and' Mounted Constable Pearson, of Wellington were instructed to search the beach and did so thoroughly, without any' result, and it is thought that, either the,guard's eyes must havo deceived him or that a man was lying on tho beach and left soon after the train passed. Another -theory put forward is 'hat tho body might have been carried into the sea by iho outgoing tide.