DISTRICT NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 208, 7 October 1909, Page 4

DISTRICT NEWS.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) TAHATA. The tolbiate question has been verv fully discussed in the Tarata district. Tile general conclusion is that the Taranaki County Council will do a very foolish thing indeed if it puts up a gate and in this way places a tax on the peopiv in this district. The position is something like this: There are' twenty <>.• thirty families who hitherto have used file road to Inglewood, but if a gate cuts off the poor baokblocks pioneers tliey must look out for another outlet. Waitara is almost as near as Inglewood; a beautiful road leads to the former town, and the railway fare from Waitara to New Plymouth is as low as s or lower than, that from Inglewood to New Plymouth. The settlers cast of Taraca will be directed to the railway nearest their place of business will be Stratford. Cattle will all go to Stratford or Waitara. Coaches or waggons will load goods in Waitara at least during the summer months, and always when our Council metals the road ill through. Everyone knows that the land 's most valuable near the towns, yet on every hand the happy .owners of valn ; able properties near towns, wealthy men, are proposing to tax the poor pioneers—the people who are struggling with bush farms and who have to slave for an existence. One proposes that they should build and maintain - bridges; another that they must pay for the use of . the city roads; and so on. It strides me that the right policy for the wcaltiy city men should be to in every way I make it easy for the people in the back country to .send in their produce and take out their stores. Perhaps it w.\s a similar policy that let Auckland secure the trade 'of the backest blocks of Taranaki. We arc all anxious to s-e the Vow Plymouth harbor a success. Our direct means of communication wilk New Plymouth is tliroiiirli lnglewimil, but if we in, that way we may be taxed. 'k.i Inglewood loses our trade' a,nd Waitara must supply us with shipping. Perhaps when the raihvav joins the Alain Trunk we can dial dircctlv with Auckland. However, there are any number of farms for sale, and if tilings g..j worse everyone will wi.di to go elsewhere. There are some who think that !)••• spite of one council against another unv ruin us all. At any rate, there is ju'st. one other consideration, and it ought to clinch the question—that is, a gate will not pay.

TARATA KTFLE CLl'lS. After a very dose contest, the valuable silver eup presented bv Air. C. Martin. representative of John Burns ami Co., Auckland, lias been won Jiv R. Allen, of Pnrangi. There were six compelitioim over the 2110. 7M. and fiOO yards ranges, seven shuts each 'onull competition: the highest five results hi decide the winner. The main feature iif these compel it ions was the marked improvement in the Jiooting of the vountr members. T send von the totals of the scores:- li. Allen 4711. 1. Drunmmnd 477 V. I). Dewar 47(i, 11. Silk 474, 1.. Pennington 11X 1. I'aterson 472, 1). Paterson "475. C. ISnxler lllli, A. Harnett 4114. \V. Pennington IK). \\\ Dowinan 447 I: Powell 420.