DISTRICT NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1891, 28 October 1913, Page 10

DISTRICT NEWS.

JOTTINGS FROM PROVINCIAL CENTRES. (rrom Our Special Correspondent,.) PALMERSTON. The retirement of the stationniaster, Mr. H. C. Smith, who has been a popular citizen, wns recognised yesterday by a gathering of business men at " the Council Chambers, to present him with a gold 'watch. Tho presentation was made by t-lio Mayor, who said that Mr. Smith, though filling an onerous position. had always been courteous, and easily approachable. Ho had consistently maintained harmony between his office and townspeople. They knew also that ho was retired with credit to himself and tho Department. Ho had spent 40 yeaTS 111 the railway service, including fourteen years as stationmaster hero. He understood thatj after a brief sojourn in tho South Island, Mr. Smith intended to settle in Palmerston. The Mayor on the same occasion welcomed Mr. Smith's successor. Mr. 0. F. Day, of New Plymouth, pleasantly reminding him that ho had a hard tow to hoe. Other speakers were: Messrs. W. A. Eliott, J. M. Johnston, T. R. Hoddcr, J. Wallace Aitchison, M. Kennedy, S. T. Hunt, and H. T. Flyger, all of whom endorsed the Mayor's remarks. Nominations closed yesterday for tlie Drainace Board's elections next Monday. Tho following nro tho candidates; —Manawatu, seven seats—Messrs. John Collis, P. F. Garrity, W. B. V. Pcarce, P. J. Small, C. Voss, E. Wood. Makara, fivo seats —X Ligpins, H. Greig, Georeo Shaw. Sluggish River, five seats —W. . Amon, S. Mncauley, J. Thomson, J. Mntlford, R. Murphy, E. Talbot, and JLucas. , Aorangi, fivo seats —E. L. Broad, (i. Green, P. R. Henry, H. C. Mellsop, A. A. Mitchell, S. W. Mitchell, R. A. M'Kenzio, W.' B. V. Peareo, W. . Seifert. The Manawafcu branch of the Post and) Telegraph Officers' Association lias ai> •pointed Messrs. R. H. Carter and H. T-remewan as delegates to tho Wellington Conference. Glorious weather marked the holiday, but some remark was audible on tho lukewarm nature of its observance, most, of the shops being opon. '« MASTERTON. Labour Day was not observed in Mas- • terton yesterday, other than by tho closing of banks, schools, and public offices. 1 A pigeon race was flown from Wei- 1 lington on Saturday last by tho Mas- , t-orton Homing Pigeon Club. Fifty- : fivo birds competed, and tho first bird to reach homo was Messrs. Drake Bros.' Intention. A vory successful joint social of tho Carpenters' and Joiners' and Drivers' . Unions was held on Saturday evening. ■ Representatives of the whole of the 1 kindred unions in Masterton wcro pro- ! sent, and a lengthy toast-list was lion- : oured. A return recently published by the Freight Reduction Committee, which I had its origin among the settlers of j tho Wairarapn, shows that sinco tho ' committoc was formed a saying of over 1 £2,000,000 in freights on wool has been ! secured to tho producers of tho Bomin- ' ion. < The best card handed in for tho bogy competition, played by tho Masterton ! Golf Club on Saturday, wa3 that of Mr. : A. R. Sclanders. ' At a meeting held yesterday, it was * decided to form an Anglers' Club in ! Masterton. 1 ■ i PAHIATUA. ! An important scheme is afoot for , the erection of a block of business pre- ( mises on a vacant oorner section in the centre of Pahiatua. ( An accident occurred fit Ilukanui ] en Friday to Mrs. Turner, wife of- Mr. j Geo. Turner, a well-known settle. ■ From tho brief particulars to hand, it appears that Mrs. Turne rslinped on j t'he floor at her home and dislocated i her thigh bone. Tho bone was set by : Dr. Dawson. ' The members of the Foresters' A 1 team, tho winners of tho second Pahiatua card tournament, which was concluded on Wednesday, wero presented with cash prizes last evening. They also received trophies donated by Mr. L. W. Longmoro. Tlrj team has been challenged to a card competition by the boarders at tho Troeadero Private Boardinghouse, a trophy- having been presented by Sir. H. W. Biggs . Tho match will bo played next Wednesday. 1 * ] DANNEVIRK'E. ( Daring a discussion on the subject < of the storage of explosives in the I borough, a couple of coufcjillors at Fri- ] day night's meeting of-the Dajinevirke 1 Borough Council reforred to the casual 1 and indiscriminate way. explosives of a : dangerous nature wero stored at some ' premises. Tho Mayor stated he had seen "tons of it stacked up in jnirds i for weeks! " i Dannevirke 'Bowling Club intend < sending a team to Palmerston North I on November 1 to compete) in the Dixon t Cup Competition. This is a healthy I sign for tho prospects for the local 1 season, which is comencing in .earnest £ shortly. 1 I Mr. W. Johnstone wrote to the Dan- * nevirko Borough Couucil at its meet- t ing on Friday night expressing pleasure in accepting the. position of the Council's representative on tho Dannevirke Technical School Committee. t The Brigade Signalling Troop intends f challenging tho Woodville Territorials c for the Bolton Cup. In the rifle match I Between the local Territorials and tho t AVoodville Company at Pahiatua c-n j Wednesday last, it is stated that a number of the local men displayed a f certain amount of inattention and care- t lessness in handling their rifles, other- £ wise higher scores would probably have t been registered. Tho thanks of the F 1 Company (Pahiatua) aro duo to Mr. H. M. B. Marshall,.for taking charge of a the trenches, and to Lieutenant L. T 3 Herbert, of tho Brigade Signalling s Troop, for the use of the field tele- a phones. 1 a MANCAWEKA. y At tlio ratepayers' meeting on Wed- 1 nesday evening the chairman stated that if it was tho intention of the Railway Department to only use the board's J water supply when the station well was i dry, it would bo cut off altogether. He j said that tho board could not afford T to pay over £500 to extend tho mains r to tho station just for the Department t to use- tlio water. sometimes. ] { In answering questions on the pro- j t posed Town Hall on Wednesday night, ! s tho chairman (Mr. J. Georgetti) said I g that tho ratepayers should get the bene- t lit of their own money, instead of go- h ing out of the town. By having a J municipal hall and their own picture show, this cmtld be done. It was pay- h ing well in other towns. r li TAIHAPE. c Very heavy rain fell on Wednesday Eight and continued throughout the folding day and night. Numerous slips oc- E 3urrcd on the roads in all parts of tlio jj district, and vehicular traffic was dis- & Kganised. Landslides on tho banks of g the liautapu River caused an accumula- 0 , iion of silt at tho borough dam, with jj ;ho result that tlio tunnel through vhich water is conveyed to tlio turbines a] n the electric power-house was almost j,, icmpletely blocked. No power was ob- g ( finable at eight o'clock on Thursday tl irer.ing, but tho town lights were kept ;oing. Messrs. Burgis (electrical engineer) and Innes (linesman) had an Anxious time in clearing tho mouth of ,lig tunnel, as they had to work in the louring rain. The road loading to tho . xiwor-house was bloclcod, and a good £j loal of damage was done between the q iridge and the powor-bouse. The foot- tl laths in some parts of tho town suffered, m

severely, owing to wash-outs. The rainfall was the heaviest experienced for many years, Entries to the number of 115 were received for the railwaymeu's handicap at the Taihape sports meeting yesterday. This is claimed to bo a record entry for any adult running event in New Zealand. WANCANUI. A boy named Lovegrove had a miraculous escape from death yesterday atternooii. He had scrambled somo way up Shakcspcaro Clilf after wild flowers growing on tho face, when ho slipped and fell some distance. Those who witnessed the occurrence expected him to be killed and were greatly relieved to find that ho sustained nothing worse than a broken collarbone. A Law Society has been formed for the Wanganui district-, extending from Waverle.v to Marton and inland to llaetihi. A meeting, at which 40 legal men were present-, elected Mr. Jas. I'. Watt president, Mr. A. L. Arrow-smith (Taihape) vice-president, and Mr. W. 11. Cunningham secretary and treasurer. The following council was elected:— Messrs. J. H. Mills (Marton), W. 11. M'Lean (liunterville), G. W. Currio, C. E. Mackay, G. Marshall, W. J. Treadwell. The president was appointed a delegate to the Nc-w Zealand Law Society. A motion was carried congratulating the Right Sir Joshua Williams, P. 0., on his recent appointjnent. NAPIER. Tho weight-guessing competition at tlio recont Jubilee fcliow resulted as under:—Bullock, 11. .! 1. Fairey and J. IN. Campbell, Hastings, tie; siieep, M. A. il'Leod, Pukctapu. The annual firo origade competitions held this morning resulted as under:— Napier Brigade, three men, wot event, W. Euuor, T. liedsliaw, and H. Holder, 38sec., 1; three men, dry, J. PlestedJ A. Bourgeois, and A. Berry, 30sec., 1. Smglo man: W. Watts, 31 1-osec., 1. Pori Ahuriri Brigado—One manual messenger : I l ', Lucas, 1; Union, three men: •J. Bain, G. Johnston, and V. Johnson, 1. Hose and ladder, three nieu: J. Bain, G. Johnson, V. Johnson, 1. Napier Fire Police, two men evenf: Captain E. Hyde, and Messenger Bachelor, 1. At a special mooting of tho Napier Borough Council last night to decide to. tako a poll of ratepayers on tho proposal to raise £16,000 to erect public conveniences and extend tlio elcetric 'lighting mains and complete. tho'tramway and electric lighting undertaking, itwas also practically decided to extend tho tramway to Hastings Street South. Tho Borough Engineer and other officials wero instructed to prepare estimates of the cost of the work. CARTERTON. Mr. William Joseph Berrill, a wellknown settler of the Wairarapa, passed away at his residence on Sunday evening, after an illness oxtending over sov- j eral months. Deceased was a native of Melbourne, and came to New Zealand in 1866, living at that time in Dunedin, where lie attended the High School. Ho afterwards removed to Wellington, but in 1883 returned to Carterton where he was engaged in tho Bawmilliiig business. He subsequently started a grocery store, which he sold out, and went back-to sawmilling, later establishing a cooperage factory. A year or two ago ho disposed of this business to Mr. T. J. Rathbono, and promoted the local Electric Picture Co. Deceased was a lover of music and established tho Carterton Brass Band, in addition to assisting to promote bands in neighbouring towns. He was for some timo a member of tho Carterton Borough Council. . A sharp shock of earthquake was experienced in Carterton at 1.55 on Monday afternoon. At a meeting of the Wairarapa South County Council on. Saturday afternoon Mr. G. Laing-Meason reported that he had completed the plans of the proposed Waiohine Bridge. > District orders issued by Colonel Chaytor state that Lieutenants F. W. Roydhouse and'A. S. Judd, of tho Senior Cadets havo qualified in their examinations in the A subject.