COUNTRY NEWS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 251, 17 July 1919, Page 8

COUNTRY NEWS

NOTES FROM VARIOUS CENTRES WAIRARAPA Councillor Perry has been appointed reuruseutative of the jVlnsLertou Borough Council ut the forthcoming Municipal Conference, and Councillor S. J. King has been chosen as representative at tne conference of local homes to he held at Carterton on July 23, in reference to the Kiuiulaka Hill road. Air. ,i. B. Henry, late manager of the local iSajik of .New Zealand, leit Masterton ve.sterda.y- to' take up the duties of bank uisuectoi. Tho nostal letetr-box at Lansdowne School was broken open hist Sunday. The uolico are making investigations. Mr. W. 13. ISidwill, president of the Wairarapa Baring Club, has been reapnointed to tho Stipendiary Stewards' Committee eet up by tho l\'ew Zealand Eociii" Conference. .Ho has also been aDDointed a member of the Dates Committee. 'Kiflomnn J. A. Torrance, of Lansdowne, arrived in M'astorton by the late train on Tuesday night. Ho was met at the station l>v the Mayor (Air. W. H. Jackson), and driven to his home.

Tho capital value of tho property in tho Hketahuna county, as the result of recent valuations, is set down at .£1,836,373. and the unimproved value at ■£1.002.01)0. which is an increase of about 50 per cent., compared with the previous valuation. About 10.30 o'clock on Tuesday eveniuir the Mastorton Fire Brigade received a call to Te Ore Oro State School, which was discovered to be ablaze. Nothing could bo dons to save the building, which was soon razed to the ground. When the lady teachers and pupils left the school about 5.30 o'clock in the afternoon everything appeared to bo safe. How the fire occurred is a mystery. Tho building, which was erected some years oeo. contained six rooms, and was valued at _CGOO. It is understood that an official inmiirv will be held, by the Education Hoard as to the causo of the tire. The townspeople of Carterton last nirht tendered n 'complimentary social to Mr. and Mrs. .Gordon Hughan, exMavor and Mayoress, in appreciation of their services to the borough during Mr. Himhan's term as Mayor. The gather, ins was most enthusiastic. Feeling reference was made by Mr. W. Howard Booth- (Mavor) and Mr. J. T. M. Hornsbv. M.P.. to Mr. Hughan's loss in -last week's lire. The -Mayor then handed the auests of the evening an illuminated address, afternoon tea service and tray inscribed, and a silver manicure set for Mrs. Hughan. Mr. Hughan, m reply, thanked the people for their valuable rifts, and appreciative remarks. Iu reference to his recent loss by fire, he stated that bo had received many letters and teleirrams of sympathy and offers of holn from all parts of the uiovince, but he thnudit he would be able to win throueh. on his own. (Applause.) Mrs. Italian also briefly thanked the citizens for their kind remarks and gifts. MANAWATU Tho Palmerston North Borough Council has in view the formation of a garden suburb, if possible,' in connection -nit], a municipal bousing scheme .or the benefit of borough employees. The first step in thiß direction was taken on luesday night when the council adopted a resolution moved by Councillor Ji. H. orabb, chairman of tho ltcservos Committee, that the committeo be instructed to report on the reserves available for the purpose of erecting nouses for tho use of borough employees, and tho possible method and cost ol tho same. Mr. Crabb pointed to the activities of the "Wellington Gas Company m connection with tho proposal to house its employees, and suggested that the council might formulate a scheme on similai lines.- Councillor, S. K. Lancaster mentioned that the lvairaiigu. County Cpuncil had embarked on a scheme tor 'housing its employees in different .parts oi tho county. One house in brick and concreto had been completed at a cost ot about .£7OO, and seven more were, it was proposed, to be built on similar lines In tho course of a general discussion, tho necessity was . stressed- of providing a comprehensive scheme for al iuiunicip.il employees. Tho possibility of having to purchase land in different parts of the borough, in addition to tho borough reserves which would be available, was also mentioned. •. Tho objection on the part or the Kairanga County Council to the suggestion of tho Land's Department that a ha tchain road be constructed tnrough tho M'Kenzio Soldier Settlement, adjacent to Palmerston North,, has, been sustained. The Department lias jiow instructed a local firm of surveyors to take the levels for a road, a full,chain wide A meeting of the British Bed Cross Society (Palmerston North sub-centre, was held this week. The statement ot accounts showed a credit balance ot .£350 17s. 6d. In reply to a letter irom the Internal Affairs Department, it was decided to intimate that it was intended to allocate a portion of tte.iunds avajtablo ■to buy a motor-car tor the benefit ot convalescent soldiers in the facers on Hospital Soldiers'.Ward,, and thai the balance would- be: necessary for tho upkeep of local operations ol the society; andblso to notify the Department that ftis course was within tno powers of the local centre as epnslituted. Sneaking at a meeting of the Palmerston North Returned Soldiers Association this week the. president, Mr. B. J. Jacobs, stated that there was another i,ody "who would like to lay feon hands oh th soldiers" clubhouse." The reason for their wanting to acquire it was because the club was not made much use of by soldiers. The president went on to an extension of tho social lite ot the association, and the establishment ot a library. The nieoting set up a subcommittee to promote tho social end of the society, and a recommendation was carried that concerts free to soldiers be held at the club every month. The president also intimated that ho was endeavouring to arrange a series of lectures to members so that they would understand the regulations under which the association was working. One subject lie had in mind was tho Pensions Act. Tho Palmerston North Eetailers' Association has decided to observe both Saturday and Monday of the Peace celebrations as .full holidays, and to close as usual on the Wednesday afternoon. \This will not apply to caterers and butchers. Tho question of early closing on Saturday nights will bo discussed at a meeting'of the association to bo held on Wednesday of nest week.