COUNTRY NEWS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 7, 3 October 1919, Page 10

COUNTRY NEWS

NOTES FROM VARIOUS CENTRES From Our Special Correspondent!. , WAIHARAPA The Wairarapa South County Council has decided to apply to tlw (State Advances (Jllico lor a loan of <i3OOO for iho metalling of Admiral lload. Steps nro Ireing taken to obtain the ratepayers' written consent for a special rate to cover the interest and sinking fund, and so do away with the necessity of a poll, A golf match between Tnkapu and Waipukurau was. won by the former by 5 gnmes to 3. Arrangements havo been made for the erection of a church in concreto at Wliotekura. at an estimated cost of .t'soo. At t\j annual meeting of subscribers to tho i'eatherston Literary Institute the committee was elcctc-dMes-dames W. Benton and A. Clark, Miss Cox, Messrs. Alfred Matthews (retiring chairman), George Fonwick, 11. Diion, A. Clark, r. L. Combs, and 31. W. Ayre, nnd Kov. J. G. S. Bartlett. The balancesheet showed tihat the credit balance 011 the working account amounted to ,£2l i*. 3d., whilst .£IOO (Crawford bequest) was on deposit. Tho Minister of Education, Sir Francis Bell, will shortly visit Mastortuii in connection with tiie proposal to erect a high school in the town. It is understood that the Director of Education has favoured the utilisation of the site offered by Mr. C. 10. Dnniell, together with the ten acres adjoining. Hc-cently the Masterton hatcheries have dispatched a largo number of trout fry to various parts of the North Island. It is understood that a piece of land between Worksop Itoad and Smith Street, Masterton, has been acquired by the Knox Church authorities lor the purpose of extending the church buildings. As an outcomo of the r<ecnt. severe rains in the Wairnrapa, the majority of tiie snow-fed rivers in the district are in heavy flood. The Carter! on-Grevtown lioad in the vicinity of Hie Black Bridge crossing thn Waiohine Hiver is submersed under a foot of water, and the Te Ore Ore Eoad adjacent to the UuamaIninga lliver is covered with water six to eight indies in depth. The trustee in the estate of the late Hon. Walter Johnston .have disposed of 9, r )fio acres of their Castlepoint Station— 3500 acres to Mr.. D, H. Speedy, -1000 acres to Mr. H. W. Bellisn, and 2000 acres io Mr. S. Scliofield. The following soldiers returned !o Mauterton last evening and were accorded the usual civic reception2nd Lieutenant Dormvell, Sapper J. Beckett, and Driver A. Perry.

MANAWATU While, the troops were in Palestine General Allenbv presented a handsome silver cup to the Mounted Division, to be won b'v Hie best-looking, bpst-groomed horse, tho animal to win i\ raco ovei a mile. 'Hie cup was secured by a horse ■belonging to a' member of the Wellington Mounted TCilles, and handed over In Lieutenant-C'olonel A. Ilatchelar, who brought it to Palinerston North, and on Tuesday evening presented it at a. srathoring of old members of the litli (Manawatu) .Mounted Itifles. It will now rest with other (ropbies at tho headqunrtors of tho regiment. Tho <Dtaki branch of tho N'ew Zealand Dairy Union distributed .£5114 this week as a bonus on the past season's suppl.v Tor that season the company paid out .£7164. A complimentary dinner -vas giv.-n to Lieutenant-Colonel BatchoU l- at Palnierslon North on Tuesday nijrht by tho original members of the 6th (Manawatu) Mounted Itifles. Representatives were present from a.s far north as Auckland, Mnnaia, and Whansarci, nnd as far south as Invercargill. Tho cnaif was occupied by Major Dunk, t!io bad lw l n tho first commanding office:: of the old company. Colonel Pringie, who proposed the toast of "The Gnrst," referred to the fact that Colonel Bntchelar lim! joined the old corps as n lad, and ho was the first man of the company to volunteer for service in Hie.South African War, When the late war broke out lie .immediately offered his services, and went away with the Main Body. His father, Mr. -T. 0. Batchelar, was to be congratulated, for ho had sent five of his sons to the front, alt of wiliom had acquitted themselves well. Major Tat urn endorsed what the chairman had said. Such men as Colonels Meldrum and Chavtor and Lieutenant-Colonels Be.tehelar and Dick and others bad worthily upheld the traditions of the old corps. Colonel Whvte, whi was «wond in eommnnd of. the Wellington Mountods at tho front, and who served with Colonel BateheW. highly eulogised the services rendered by him. Colonel Batcholar replied in a modest speechi ITe said that the men under him "had behaved splendidly. and ho never wished to be associated with a finer or braver set of fellows. M.r. ,T. 0. Batah?lar also responded on behalf of Ms

The following have been clected officers of the W.K.C'.A. Cricket Club:—Patron, Mr. M. Cas:.'.berg; president, Mr. A. Caselberg; vice-presidents, Messrs. M, I'Jlgar, H. G. Williams, D. Caselberg, J. Caselberg, P. Armstrong, V. E. Donald, W. Howard Booth, F. C. Tumor j hon. members, Messrs. 8. H. Ralph. W. Uren, V. J. Proper. J. E. CaldweM, E. Eich«rds, ami W. S. Jingo; general committee, Messrs. G. Whiteman, B. L. Richards, C. Oxcnham, W. J. Holder, 11, Iveisenbtirg, ft. Tin II; saertor, Mr. G. I'. Scandrett; d!ub captain, Mr. W. J. Hobner; secretary and treasurer, Mr. B. Williams. The iirst match of the season will be playitd on October 9 botween teams representing married and single members of tho club. Thirteen bui'.ding permits, to the total viiluc of .E5112 tin. 9(1., were irsund by the Masterton Borough Council during September. Mr. li. W. Shallcrass, general secretary of the Sports Protection League, is at present visiting Palmerston North with the. objcct of reviving interest in tho local branch of the league. An old age pensioner, named John Bunyan M'Kenzie, died suddenly at Palmerston North on Wednesday. Although ho hud not been attended by a. medical man very recently a certificate has been given which obviates the necessity for an inquest. M'Kenzie, who leaves n grownup family, was born in Nova Scotia in 1852, and landed in the Dominion fiyo years later, and has remained about this district over since.. Kairangu was en fete on Wednesday evening when a social gathering • was held to welcome home the men of that district who had returned from the front. There was an attendance of over tour hundred, and tho proceedings were enthusiastic to a degree. There were over forty men who had come back, and they were coch presented with u gold medal specially struck for the occasion. Mr. P. M'Hardy, in making tho presentations referred to the splendid manner in which tho young men of that district had re>sponded to the call of duty. He spoka of tho manner in which the boys of tho Dominion generally had dene their bit and emphasised the fact tlmt thejfev Zealanders were amongst the best lighting men on the Western front. He 6aid that the men having done their duty, it was up to the Government to see that they were equitably treated on their return, and the relatives of those who had gone "\Ve;t" should he properly provided for. He mentioned that in the Manawatu district alone over ,£30,000 had been collected, and he was satisfied that thosa who had the administration of that fund would see that it was spent to the best advantage in the interests of tho returned soldiers. The hull was most tastefully decorated by the ladies, who also provided an excellent supper. A concert party from I'almerston contributed a very good programme, and tho proceedings wound up with a dance.

DANNEVIKKE, Several of the soldier settlers are busily engaged in erecting homes on the Tirnii block, and some of them with their wives are living in tents until their dwellings aro ready. That town land values aro soaring in this neighbourhood is proved by the fact that a house anil section wlrch was sold three years ago for .UT.jO has just changed hands again at .£lsllO, thus doubling its value in that time. Tho house was ..erected about twelve years ago.