PAPATOETOE.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 9, Issue 509, 27 February 1920, Page 4

PAPATOETOE.

A grand social tendered to the visiting bowlers was held in. the Palace Hotel on Friday night, at the conclusion of the tournament. Mr. Hunt, secretary of tthe Rotorua Bowling Club, was in the chair. The toast of the country clubs was proposed by Mr. Ben Myei;s. The toast of the city clubs was proposed by Mr. Jury, of Karangahake, the skip of the rink to win the Dominion tournament. Mr. E. S. Pegler, of Papatoetoe, in responding, touched on the progress of Auckland. Said the speaker, "It was only a few years ago that Papatoetoe was referred to in the city as 'down the Waikato."' There was possibly no suburb of Auckland that had made greater progress than Papatoetoe, and this was largely brought about by the facilities afforded to retired merchants and farmers in the healthy outside recreation of bowls and croquet that the club had provided. Continuing his remarks, Mr. Pegler said that Mr. Ben Myers had advocated that the working classes should have State subsidised bowling and croquet clubs. What with the shorter hours and better pay, the working man had now more time on his hands. The present social unrest could, he believed, be considerably lessened if all classes were better provided for in our healthy outside sports. Commenting on this statement, Mr. Pegler said that as a means of good government he belived the bowling club at Papatoetoe was an important factor, and served as a good illustration. He said every member of the Papatoetoe Town Board was a member of the bowling club. He had heard knotty problems freely discussed on the green, and before reaching the board table, the members met one another socially, they understood one another. His experience in other centres had thoroughly convinced the speaker that an important factor in the good government of a district was that it was necessary that the members should constantly meet one another socially. Considerable applause followed these remarks, which was renewed when Mr. Mvers jumped up and said he had accepted the hospitality of the Papatoetoe Bowling Club, and he advised all intending visitors to that district to "abstain for a week before hand." Mr. Myers paid this club such a high compliment that Mr. Jury and several visitors from other parts of the Dominion have promised to visit Papatoetoe on their next visit to Auckland.