COUNTRY NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81899, 10 December 1906, Page 2

COUNTRY NEWS.

(From Our Own Correspondents.) 1STRATr'ORD. An outbreak of lire occurred this t (Saturday) morning at 4.1 o'clock, in > the premises, occupied by Mr Finite- e more, bootmaker, and Mr Price's bin cycle shop. At such an early hour the p ll'anies got a- good- hold of the build iugs, which are both very old, but the g brigade soon had the,' five under con- v trol. It appears that the tire started in a small passage at the back. Both r premises will rei)uirc rebuilding. It 1 was fortunately calm at the time, or i else the whole side of Broadway would ( have gone. Mr McKcown's fancy r stock got slightly damaged by water, but he was fortunate in not being a t heavy loser, as he has just got his < Christmas goods in. The insurance ( on Mr Einneuiore's was £SO on stock ( and £oo on building, and he will be a i very heavy loser. Insurances on i Price's bicycle shop were £2OO on the i building and £2OO on the stock. There ] is to be an inquiry. The many friends of Mr Sain Rob- | inson, of Midliirst, who was seriously hurt on the Midliirst sawmill train by being run over some nine months ago, will be pleased to hear that he i(i home again. The New Plymouth doctors tried hard to save his 'leg, but it was found necessary to amputate it. KAHOTU. The annual concert in connection with the Kahotu Public school took place on Tuesday evening, and proved most successful. The weather was very rough during the day, and up till about 4 p.m. it was thought the concert would have to be postponed. However about that time the weather brightened, and it was decided to proceed with the concert. There was an excellent attendance, and all were pleased with the programme presented. The various items by the children were exceptionally well performed, and reilected great credit on the teachers as well as the scholars. The first part of the programme was devoted to 1 the children, and was as follows: Song, ! and ehosus, (in costume) "Red White ' and Blue" by senior pupils; Dumb Bell exercises by junior pupils; Song ' and chorus, "Jack's the Boy," Senior ; pupils; Pianoforte-Duct, Mrs and Jlas- '■ ter Hood; Song " Nursery Rhymes," ' Junior pupils; Indian Club exercises • senior pupils; Song and chorus, "Sol- : diers of the King," senior pupils; Song, "Lullaby" junior pupils; Bar Bell exercises, senior pupils. A very pretty item, "Red Riding Hood," was ; nicely rendered by the children. Little ' Miss Lavionia Peters gave a rendition of a solo in Maori and English. The latter portion of the programme, which was rendered by adults, was as fol--1 lows: Solo, "Anchored," Air Kelly; 1 Solo, Out on the Deep, Mr Gordon; x Solo, Miss Olive Wright; Recitation, ! ilr Gordon. Misses liouau and Dempscy ably played the accompani- ; meats for the children's items as did l' -Mr Knowles for the adults. Mr J. P. ( ' ilughson presided. At the conclusion ' of the concert supper was handed ,_ round and partaken of by all present, " after which the llall was cleared and [• dancing engaged iu until the early ' hours. Mr Knowles provided the . music, whilst Mr Gilmore made a capable M.C. ■ The entertainment was promoted in aid of the children's prize fund, which should receive a substantial increase as the result of the effort. The Rev. White, who was the first Wesleyau Home missionary to reside here, paid Rahotu a visit'last week, and was welcomed at the Wesleyau "• Church. There was a very large ate tendance of all denominations, as the is Rpv White was very popular on the ts Coast

Air Fred Kahul met with a painful accident on Saturday last He was using an axe when it slipped and cut his foot, indicting a very nasty gash A gang of men are now employed forming a track from the Kaliotu Mountain House to Bell Falls. A contract is also to be let for clearing the Wircmu Koad, between the Kahui and Newall Koads. This will ultimately form part of a main road between .New Plymouth and Opuuake via the Harrington Koad. The Cricket season is well advanced, but so far the local club has not made a start. The approaching visit of the iinglish Team to ..New Zealand has not given much enthusiasm to local cricket, OPUXAIiE. Owing to inlliieiua being so prevalent the local school has been closed for a week. For the same reason the -District Schools' sports meeting, which was to have been held on Wednesday, is to be held on Wednesday December 10th.

The annual meeting of the Opunakc Horticultural Society was held last Thursday, when there was a very fair attendance: Mr Harding presided. The balance sheet was very satisfactory, showing a credit balance of JLI3jfc lUd. Ollicers were elected as follows: Patrons, Messrs S. Forsyth and W. C- Dudley; President, Mr W. A. Harding, Vice President, Messrs T Hickman, G He Hardy and J Judson; Committee, Mesdumes Cassi'Uy Gmv, Harding, Hickman, Moore, Morrison, liogors, OMJsien, Bartle, Misses Mcliardy Pettigrew, Warner and Bent, Messrs Bocock Gray, Loouey, Morris Kogors, Head, It Warner, C. E. Warner, Armstrong, G. Meara, Markham; Auditor, Mr Mason; Secretary, Mr J. Pettigrew; Assistant Secretary, Mr G. P. Armstrong. JJ u ri„ g the evening Mr Harding presented Mr J. Pettigrew, on behalf of the Society, with a porcelain salad bowl suitably inscribed in commemoration of his recgut marriage. My Pettigrew, who was completely taken by surprise, suitably replied. It was decided to hold the Autumn Show on Wednesday, February 13th At Aaontii on Friday the «"--:,\ school concert. WM ;-- " tJ , ;-j----was crowded. An excellent pro,, "'<■' ™s provided, the first halfbim .enderc, by the children and the nt° tu by the leanng e i ngL . rs 0 f Oaonui Opunakc and liahotu. The usiui dunce concluded a splendid evening entertamment. During the evenim" :'' *"»""<•. on Ichnlf of the Oaonui eo°' Pic, presented Mr T. E Parsons with a travelling bag inscribed as as.' «*og...t on of the manner in wdiic ° t >eUiy of the euchre and dance parties At a meeting „f the Farmers' Un on »» Sa unlay, the Branch voted £lO

aitioiml lo in the room The Annual meeting of the Egmont C unty Gounci, w-as hW last wS J,,-. Ll - Wennug was re-elected Mala Hospital Board. TOXGAPOIiUTU. Thorois nothing startling to renort , Zt , 1W ? " me i "" 1 others arc ..... commg r . Vir)l ~0 L, .< n sh - ; ,, lp ea„ng a , considerable V,!,.. 1.-. ','" J" lt(, own( his spring. If, ''f ," ! "' s ,loile >" I'oadin.. OMinment to keep the people quiet but onc-lhird of it will not be sp™ He spring and 5,,,,,,,,,,,. ], V excellent The roads «, ~, „ " b,,t when the slmrtd" 1 '™;,;;; U"*« will be nothing but mud.' There n n l iTT , ' , ' n i- of,lc,v ' ipnpcrc,,r "' ,, ' ,o »- ' -ice in I.ruti over mud, or, as thev « ""it, bog." It is not easy' to make . >gut mul-summer but when mid»••iUi < nines then it will be a bog lie b| ton Cnuay Council made, V V l ":?"' m "" °f h.st winter i„ It has never since been started Mr Uakeley, of I'rcuiii. had teams eirtiiv* ■>ver .Mount Messenger and had ai.v "mun.t of loading. The Minni 1,,, - .. I.owovcr, stopped him. am! ),e is slill -topped. Mr Williamson of W'-iil-n-i "". kl| i ,(l with his „n')„„'„;,; mil saved longaporutu from starvi .1011.

_ Now it is reported that ilie launch 's l.ottoiu upwards at Kawllia, and that the owner had a narrow esrine What will Tougaporulttdov will soon he 1,,.,-,, and neither the Covernment nor the C.0.0. have done anything. The Government had some firewood eel on .Mount Messeiiges to burn pa pa but there is 110 sign of it beiii" hunted. The Council have sent r, deputation to Wellington—that is all. The Council have some five miles of the Putiki Okaw, JJangorao road, under their control which is a misfortune to the settlers as they do nothing t. it, Uvat year they got £SO from the Oovenuuoat. They spent til? money:

This year they have got £IOO.. Tint "thirds" lire considerable, but iio one seems to know what bceomiM of them He would require to be a mathematician to trace the "thirds."

Public opinion hath it "that very little work is done North of L'ruti, and that none is done beyond Glcnford" Not satisfied with taking rates, thirds etc., and giving nothing for it, we cannot go to the railway station without paying at Joll's toll-bar. No settlements can thrive without |good roads, and ours are the very worst.

Messrs Riley Bros.' term for .the mails expires the end of this month. They performed their work in a workmanlike- manner, mud or no mud. Mr Crawford, late of Uruti, takes their place.

The Education Board will Hot grant the Okiui settlers a school. They are entitled to a school. They "have enough to contend with, without their children being brought up more ignorant than their parents. The road is impassable for school-children eight months in the year, and five to seven miles too far away in any case. New separators keep coming in, grass or no grass. Settlers with three cows have their separators. What would they not do if they had a good road!