MOUTOA HALL.

Shannon News, 11 December 1923, Page 3

MOUTOA HALL.

SUCCESSFUL OPENING FUNCTION

Moutoa was en fete on Friday evening, the occasion being the official opening oi the new public haii by tne member for ,the district, Mr J. Linklater. It was estimated tnat oyer 300 people were present, the seating accommodation proving quite inadequate. to the requirements Of those present, among whom were a large number of, visitors iroxn Shannon, Foxton, anil the surrounding neighbourhood. The hall was tastefully decorated with red, white and blue streamers from, which -rows or Cninesa lanterns and lines of flags were suspended, while the walls and stage were beautifully decorated with greenery, comprising ’palms, ferns, flax, etc., the whole interior of the building presenting a striking ap,pearance, which drew t forth loud pi aise tor the oommiittee. who had showed such excellent taste, 'and on which they are. to be complimented. During the evening selections were rendered by the Foxton Band which added to the enjoyment of the proceedings.

Mr W. Smith, chairman of the Hall Committee, in introducing Mr Linklater, said that on beha-lf of the Hail Committee and file people, of Moutoa he extended a hearty welcome fLo the visitors arid thanked Mr Linklater for coming to assist. He! said the erection of the building was not a new idea, as before, the war they fhad commenced to raise funds for tfie purpose, but finding that money was required for assisting ,in the work of the Red Cross during the war, the money then collected had been given for that purpose. However, after the late slump it, was- again, decided to make another effort with the result that the hall was now an established fact. (Applause).

Mr W. Bowe, secretary of the committee, said it was a, red letter evening tor Moutoa. In May, 11)2.1, the movement to secure a hall had been revived, the prime mover being Mr Uptqn, who was ably assisted by Mr Gotland and Mr Kelly, anti he was pleased to see both Mr Upton and Mr . Galiand present tfiiait evening, ,bo|iJh since having left the__district. ' Mr Aitken organised the ‘•Merry-makers,” who gave several entertainments and were responsible tor assisting the fund considerably, while Irom darices and donations received it was n-qft long before they were able to make a start, Messrs Upton, Pickett, W. Barber and Gregory going as guarantors tor the balance of the money. The erection, of the building was carried out .by day labour under the super-» vision of Mr Alexander, while Mr W. { and Mr R, H. Barber kindly gjavie the J site, which showed the fine public spirit of these- gentlemen. (Applause). Mr Linklater, .who- was received with applause, -expressed the pleasure it gave him to__open such a. line hall and he congratulated the committee who had worked hard for so many years - with this purpose in view. The opening of this building had a particular interest for him as he came from a district where the people had the same object in view. A building of this kind made country life more popular for the young people as now-a-days the trend by them was toward /he cities. As an instance, some years ago the percentage of population was: Country 60 per. cent., town 40 per cent. To-da.y it was vice versa. .The aim should be to keep tlie population in the country. He thjm, referred tjo, thief present day comforts to be had in the country as compared with a few years back. The settlers of Moutoa were fortunate-; they had' some, of the finest land in the Dominion, although they Were troubled cit times with the. flood mem ace, but he felt that when the'proposed cut was made to divert the river this would be -Overcome. He thought the cut would be a fine thing and prove more beneficial than banking and hei hoped it would have the desired effect. He said the finances of the country were improving rapidly and we would soon be on a good footing; and when fanhers got big cheques the people in the- towns also benefited. In conclusion he thanked them for the fine reception they had given him and hoped many happy times would be spent in the hall, which would prove a blessing to Moutoa. He then declared the hall open. -Loud applause)

Mr (..-a/.land, late schoolmaster at Moutoa., hut now of Newbury, thanked the, committee for the hearty welcome extended to him and hoped the hall would prove a pleasure to the district at the same time complimenting them, on getting it so soon. Mr M. Perrieau, on behalf of the Foxton people, extended congratulations- and said they were all pleased to see the money given had been used in the right channel in securing such a fine hall. He also complimented the committee on the beautiful decorating of the hall. Mr Bergin also congratulated the Moutoa people on the erection of the hall, which would he a boon to the people and they would now be able t-o meet on social terms. He said they were assured by Mr Linklater that the finances of the county were in good order, which would be good news to the guarantors. The result had made the task worth while and tlie people who used the hall would feel gratified and -appreciate! the effort of those responsible for* its erection. Mr Alexander, who supervised the erection of the building, thanked the I committee tfo'r the privileges givipn him. When the idea was mooted to raise £7OO or £BOO t-o build a hall, it appeared to he almost impossible hut they tackled it, and succeeded. The chairman and secretary proved themselves business men by the manner in which they had! financed it. When they received tenders for the! work, the lowest was £770, which was considered too much and the speaker had advised the committee to have the work done by day labour, as a result of which 'about £IOO had been saved. He- hoped the young people would appreciate the Hall and trusted

it would help to prevent them from drifting to the- to-wns. He suggested the hall should he let practically free for children’s entertainments, so as to help, them to. enjoy living in the country. Mr Walter Barber heartily congratulated the ladies on the part they had taken in assisting toward the erection of the hall and for the excellent ar-ra-ngeiiijents they had made for the enjoyment of those present that evening. If it gave the folic the same pleasure in the future as it gave him to see them all there that evening, his wish would he fulfilled.

Mr Upton, late chairman of the committee, said during the time he had resided in the district! it had giVjen, Ihinij great pleasure to work with the Hall Committee. They had their ups and downs, but he was pleased to see the hall was now an established fact, which he trusted would be a great benefit to the district.

Following the opening ceremony a fine concert programme was given, items being rendered by. the following:—Piano- duet, Mesdaines Davey and Halley; songs, Mesdaines Hall, McDonald and Davey, Misses Uptom Messrs Aitken, Quarrie, Linklate'r, and Colder, and Highland Fling by Miss Campbell.' Mrs Davey acting as accompanist. After supper, which was under the supervision of Mesdames Tregill and Alexander, assisted by a large band of assistants, tbe hall was cleared for dancing which was indulged in until the early hours -of the morning. Mr tV. Barber officiated, as M.C., while the music for the dance was supplied by Wall’s Orchestra from- Foxton, ahd a. most enjoyable time was spent by all. , The hall is a fine building, 'being 30ft x 71ft in length and. includes two dressing rooms and a. stage 12ft x 30ft, the staging and acoustic properties of the building making it- one of the best for concert, purposes; aud reflecting the- greatest credit on the settlers of Moutoa. i h A*-. .t' -■ in *\h