DISTRICT NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 52, 10 June 1910, Page 2

DISTRICT NEWS.

(From Our Own Correspondents). RAHOTU. RIFLE SHOOTING. The West Coast Association meeting was held on the Rahotu range on June 3rd. Owing to complications over the holiday, the clubs at the extreme ends of the district did not participate. The clubs represented were Pihama, Warea and Rahotu. Last year's runner-up (Rifleman Fred. Jenkins) headed the score sheet for the day, Rifleman J. Guy being second, and the Opunake veteran (Mr. C. A. Trotter) third. Rifleman L. Harrison (a tyro) also shot well. A very trick rear wind upset most of the competitors, hence the low scoring. The management left nothing to be desired, everything passing ■off without a hitch. Scores:

No. 1 MATCH. 200 500 TI. F. Jenkins (Warea).£l 5s 32 34—<S6 C. A. Trotter (Pihama, £1 .. 33 32—65 J. Guy (Rahotu) .. .. 34 31—65 A. Thomas (Okato), 10s .. 33 30—63 L, Harrison (Rahotu) 10s .. 28 32—60 J. Pettigrew(Pihama), 7s 6d 28 32—60 J. Shepherd (Rahotu), 7s 6d 30 20—59 P. Kivell (Warea), 7s 6d .. 31 28—59 Counted out, E. Harrison (Rahotu) 59.

Tyros W. B. Smith, R. Julian, T. Julian (Warea) and Dan. Rothery (Rahotu) bs each.

No. 2 MATCH. • 500 600 Tl. F. Jenkins (Warea), £1 5s 34 31—65 L. Harrison (Rahotu) £1 .. 32 30—62 J. Guy (Rahotu), 15s .. 31 28—59 C. A. Trotter (Pihama), 10s 32 27—59 J. Pentelow (Rahotu), 10s.. 27 28—57 J. Pettigrew (Pihama) 7s 6d 32 25—57 J. Colmer (Rahotu), 7s 6d.. 27 29—56 D. Rothery (Rahotu), 7s 6d 29 27—56 Tyro P. Kivell (Warea) 5s 28 27—55 L. Eustace (Pihama), 5s .. 26 29 55 W. B. Smith (Waxea) ,5s .. 29 24—53 W. Julian (Warea) 5s ..25 23-48

AGGREGATE MATCH. P. Jenkins (Warea, £1 ss, Ist ~ 97 J. Guv Rahotu, 15s, 2nd .. ..93 C. A. "Trotter (.Pihama), 10s, 3rd .. 92 L. Harrison (Rahotu), 10a, 4th .. 90 A. Thomas (Okato)' ss, sth .. ..89

There is a cantata in preparation for the Methodist Church anniversary, w be rendered about the 22nd inst. The title of the cantata is "Christie, the King's Servant."

The Rahotu Domain Board has been reinstated, their first meeting to ibe held in the Parihaka Road Board office on July 4th. The school is still closed on account of scarletina, but will probably re-open about the 17th inst.

TIKORANGI. The members of the Clifton County Council have at last had the courage to face the position into which they had drifted, and now realise that in oriJer to carry on they must either reduce expenditure or increase their revenue. They have, wisely. I think, chosen the latter alternative* and at the last Council meeting the rate .was increased to l%d. , ,

In my notes of a few weeks back, 1 hazarded the opinion that whatever the merits or demerits of ex-Captain Knvvett's case may be, yet it was distinctly refreshing to find that the Government had for once taken a firm stand and were not going to 'bend to every little adverse breeze, but, alas! the Cabinet had not calculated on a bye-election in Auckland. So in abject fear, the .Hon. George Fowlds hastens to assure the Aucklanders that a Bill will be introduced enabling the case to be re-opened. It is very evident that Lord Kitchener, with that unerring prescience that marks his genius, at once realised the besetting danger when he so strongly and repeat-e-lly urged keeping the Defence Department absolutely free from party politics. ■

The reports of the meetings of the various local bodies are often dull reading but at times some member will, in a flight of oratory, and, in' a consciousness of the immense importance of his own position, give utterance to such extraordinary sentiments that, like the fly in the amber, one wonders • how the deuce he got .there. Two typical' cases have recently come under my notice. The first was 1 atf a. recent meeting of tjhe Tarahaki Sounty Council, when one of the members was .reported to have urged the infliction ;of fines of flteen or twenty .pounds' on i those unfortunates who had'aol feomplied with the requirements 'of v the noxious weeds inspectbr. Now, seeing that the inspector had occasion to notify the Council quite recently that their own reserves were badly infested with' weeds, it will certainly not be impertinent if I suggest that the councillors be prosecuted in a hody, when, no doubt, the. member already referred to would offer his services as an expert witness, and' his suggestions as to a twenty pound fine might be given effect to. • • . .

The other instance was at the provincial conference of delegates of the Farmers' Union just' held in Auckland, when a Mr. Co'lbeck,? who appears to be aa amiaible sort of crank,, moved a resolution favoring the formation of a farmers' political party. Speaking to the resolution, he supplemented his remarks (by saying almost everyone was .born either a Liberal, a Conservative, or a fool, art that they voted as they were born. That the Farmers' Union delegates are sadly deficient in humor was proved by fact that not one of them ventured to move the instant adjournment of the' conference, for if Mr. CoLbeck's peculiar opinion as to the hopelessness of inducing anyone to change his political views is "correct, what ever was the use of fie conference (prolonging its labors? |lt would, however, ibe extremely interesting to learn into which of the three clashes that lie divides humanity, Mr. Colb|ck himself claims to have ibeen born.