Stratford News.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 179, 27 January 1912, Page 3

Stratford News.

THE BURNS SUPPER " A BRAW SCOTCH NICIIT." A RECORD SUCCESSFUL GATHERING. The "nicht wi' Burns" was a glorioui success. Scarce tkree weeks since the first step was taken, the gathering together of a hundred and sixty-one men, mostly Scotchmen, in the Foresters' Hall last night, was something for the executive to be proud of. So was the management of the whole affair from start to finish. No detail had. been overlooked, and each had had due attention. From the opening grace, "Some hae meat but cannot eat, "Some naa meat that want it, "But we hae meat and we can eat, "And sae the Lord be thankit," right down to "Auld Lang Syne" the guests were given a richt guid time. The haggis, the pieoei de resistance (if French is permissible at a Scotch gathering) was declared by several to be a perfect concoction, but it is an acquired taste. The "Address to the Haggis," by Robert Burns, was recited wondrously well by Mr. T. Smith, of Stratford, formerly s resident of Forfar. When the crowded tables no longer gave forth the rattle of knives and forks, and the chink of glasses and popping of corks succeed-; ed, there was still the same successful tone, the Scotsmen lustily applauding all things Scottish and 'ither guid things as weel. 'lt was a "braw Scotch nicht," declared to be a record gathering for Taranaki, and, it was hoped, .the precursor of many more.

THE CHAIRMAN'S ADDRESS. Mr. Kennedy, who was greeted with applause, made a comprehensive and interesting contribution to the Scottish nature of the gathering. Scotchmen, he said, whilst perhaps the most übiquitous race on earth, were also the most patriotic. They never forgot the land of their birth, however humble may have been their heritage therein. Their yearning for their native land was shown by the Caledonian and Gaelic societies, Inglesides and Burns clubs the world over. The idea of a Scottish society, which was proposed to be formed, did n«t imply simply that a few old topers should meet together on special occasions to " get fu\* but they desired a society where Scotsmen and descendants of Scotsmen should be banded together, actuated by that which had actuated Burns'' from his early boyhood, as expressed in one of his early poems. "That we, for poor auld Scotland's sake,

Some usefii' plan or book could make, Or sing a sang at least." Meeting together from time to time they would keep alive in their breasts love for the "land of our sires," for her traditions and history, and cultivate a fuller knowledge of her literature. Younger generations in these far-away lands were apt to forget the rock from which they were hewn. But they must be taught not to forget the strenuous life of their) forefathers, the .Spartan upbringing, and at what sacrifice they obtained for us the glorious heritage of civil and religious liberty. Three fundamental truths went to. the upbuilding of the Scottish people —they loVed their God, they loved their country, and they loved to be educated. Reference was made to Scotia's proud place in the realms of literature, in the field of science, and in building up of nations. During the last century and ! a-half Scotland and risen and shaken off the torpor engendered (in so far as knowledge was concerned) by the trying times politically, religiously and economically that she had had to pass through. The poems of Burns had helped to awaken chords in the breasts of all, and to indicate that a new era wa ; ? in progress, "When man to man the wide warld o'er, shall brithers be for that." j The first and chief object of the gathering that night was to do honor to the j glorious memory of him who hjid left us such a heritage. .He himself had told how the Muse found him at the plough, and, Elijah-like* threw her prophetic mantle over him, and taught him to sing of his native land, to sing of her loves, to sing of her sorrows, her trees, her birds and flowers, Ayr, Bonnie Doon, and many other places were impressed on our hearts because he liad described them. Short and stormy was the life of Burns, but how much richer our literature because of that brief life. The night of his birth—ls3 years ago to-night—was cold and boisterous. He was ushered into the world in a howling gale. As he himself wrote afterwards,, "There came a blast of Januar wind, blew Hansel in on Robin." It was recorded that the end of the hut blew in. and mother and babe had to be moved to another hut. Great things were predicted of the babe. A 1 gipsy woman told his future thus: "He'll hae misfortune great and sma', But aye a heart aboon them a'. J He'll be a credit to us a',

We'll a' be proud o' Robin." Then the speaker briefly traced the story of the poet's life, his hard toil. little time for study, his popularity upon the issue of the Kilmarnock edition of his poems, which were read' by the lads and the lasses by the light of the peat fires, sung at the plough, in the dairy, and in the streets. Then followed his marriage, his loss of fortune, his appointment as exciseman, his failing health due to the excesses of his life, and his death on July 4. 17(Hi. at the early aire of 37 years. It had been said that '•Lowland Scotland as a distinct nationality came in two warriors. William Wallace and Robert Rrucc, and went out with Robert Hums and Sir Walter Scott. The first two made the history. Tin- last two told the story and sail" the song." The writings of Burns were thought of. composed and written all al once. They came from the heart and went straight to the heart. They never failed to charm peer and peasant, in palace and cottage, among learned and unlearned. The effect of higher education on Ruins might have been grievous. Had he been wealthy we could never have heard such strains. The passion thath blazed out in his song was the passion that wrecked his life. Rums lived the best life that he could have lived to produce the results that he did, but that life, by reason of his wild and tumultuous passions, was the vi ry meaii9 of wrecking a. constitution that was j naturally Titanic. He quickened the love of country in the breast of every Scotsman who had read his poems (who worthy of the name had not done so?) He quickened the love of man for his brother man. He taught us kindness to dumb animals. These merits outweighed his faults, even as tlie great quantity of fine gold in his work- outwriuWd the little dross which they might wish had not been penned. SCOTTISH SOCTF.TY FORMKI). At this stage, Mr. Alev Henderson, the •ecretary, outlined the objects of the

* From Our Resident Reporter. * T T * Office: No. 3, York Chambers, Stratford. * * * ♦ ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

proposed Taranaki Provincial Scottish Society, and, as already reported, a society was formed. A hundred and ten members were enrolled. The toast of "the King, Queen and Royal Family" was honored. Mr. F. H. Wilkie, in proposing "the Army and Navy, and Auxiliary Forces," was commendably brief. Captain Lampen replied happily. He referred to the loyalty of the Scotch, to their fighting qualities, and to such men as Sir Hector Mac Donald as shining examples. Then the naval engineers were mostly Scottish, too, and even Japan had had to requisition a couple of hundred I Scotch engineers for her navy. Coming to the auxiliary forces, he said that by the new defence scheme it was hoped to train the young New Zealanders to do their part, and to be ready. He appealed to all present to support the scheme, and not to belittle the movement, instancing the fact that a citizen had jeered at a lad going to parade. AN ELOQUENT TRIBUTE. Mr D. Maxwell, in the speech of the evening, proposed the toast of the eve* ning, "The immortal memory of Robert Burns," whom he designated Scotland's national poet and Scotland's national ) hero. Mr Maxwell said it would be said that a Scotchman's prayer was "0 Lord, give us a good conceit of ourselves." An English critic had said the prayer was unnecessary, for Scotchmen already had all the conceit they needed, and more than they were entitled to. (Laughter). So if during his remarks he was inclined to lavish undue praise on Scotland and her people they would know that he was merely a victim of the Scotchman's prayer. (Laughter). Continuing, he said that when he mentioned Burns as Scotland's national poet it might naturally be asked, Had Scotland no other poets? She had had many, and many of a very high order of merit. These he named, j concluding the list with the name of Sir Walter Scott. How had it come about ; that Robert Burns, with no adventitious aid of birth or wealth, or education, had become enshrined as the national poet? He had attained his immense popularity by the fact that he sang the songs of ( Scotland in the "braid Scotch tongue," which still gave delight to Scotchmen the wide world, over. _As to the title of "Scotland's national hero," he had given the matter some consideration, and was convinced that the term wajs fully justified. This gathering to do honor to his memory went to justify it. There were Burns clubs everywhere, and the anniversary of his birth was celebrated wherever there were Scots, and Burns was always with us. "No person is so deeply seated in the affections of the Scottish people as Robert Burns," he declared amidst enthusiasm. He mentioned "Auld Lang Svne" as one of the most simple of his writings. It was sung in every part of the civilised world. Wherever a couple of Scotsmen were gathered together, with a bottle of whisky, they sang "Auld Lang Syne." (Laughter). Another thing that commended Burns to Scotchmen was his sturdy independence, : and also his assertion of the sturdy in- • dependence of the Scot. It was accepted by some people that the Scotchman was a.sly, pawky, mean, miserly, grasping man. He - wasn't. He couldn't be when his national hero was Robert Burns, an open, candid, genuine, high-spirited I gentleman, a man who had put on record j the sturdy: independence of the Scotch people when he w,rote "A man's a man] for a' that." Then followed several apt J quotations from Burns' works, the speak-' er naming "Ther Cotter's Saturday Night" as the writing which in his opinion was the high -water mark of the poet's work. Further quotations were made to show' Burns' detestation of hypocrisy, a ruling vice even to-day. They had all heard' it said over and over again that Burns had conferred a great honor on Scotland. The speaker would like, however, to call attention ,to the ;i greq.t honor that Scotland conferred on Burns. If some insignificant nation selected one of her poets and made hero, that would be worthy of note.. B.ut when a nation like Scotland—a nation which in law, in war, in medicine, in philosophy, •in theology, in agriculture, in commerce, in the arts and sciences, and in every phase of mundane activity had been in the forefront of the battle for centuries—he repeated that when such a nation selected a man for popular adoration and adulation that was an honor indeed. Burns had gained the esteem of the whole world. As to his life, no school of philosophy had ever decided what was the most successful l life, or who was the most successful man, whether this lay- in the pursuit and attainment of great wealth, of great wis- ■ dom, or of any objective for which men lived their lives, and for which men died; but if the attainment of world-wide fame , and the securing of the enduring affection of a grtat nation might be considered to comprise a successful life then Robert Btfrns' Bad liad a most successful life, and Was the greatest man who had ever been born in bonnie Scotland. In accordance with custom, tFe toast was drunk ih silence.

Mr. Artluir Morton, in responding, said that was. closely associated with the dairying industry, -but for which they 1 would not. .be enjoying themselves as blithely at, the. moment. The dairying industry .had. brought to Taranaki a large measure of prosperity, and this would be exceeded, for in the near future more intfyisixe. cultivation would double, perhaps, treble. the output of the soil. Apart from the.money circulated by the dairy companies, in payment for butterfat, dairying industry was the root of other industries, one of which was ' The.-co-operative box company, with its works at Eltham, had paid out X3p,000 in wages alone in the last throb"' years, and paid £SOOO an- [ nually in. freights to the Railway Department.' ' Then there were the freezing works at Moturoa. and Patea, bacon-cur-ing companies at Inglewood and Elthain; and other industries were springing into existence. Mr. Morton then referred to the necessity that existed for having faranaki's produce shipped direct from the port of New Plymouth. This he fully believed would be accomplished before long, and in his opinion the development of our oilfields was going to be of great assistance in making the New Plymouth harbor one of which Taranaki, and all the Dominion, might well be proud. Mr. Morton also proposed the unscheduled toast of "The Secretary," and paid high tribute to Mr. Henderson's 1 ability and energy, describing him as a man without whom this gathering could not have been such a distinct success. In the past, as far as he could remember, there had been only one similar function in Taranaki, and that look place in New Plymouth about 20 venrs ago. He trusted that Mr. Henderson and his co-workers would see the crowning success of their efforts in a flourishing Scottish Society,

with branches right throughout Taranaki. < Mr. Henderson, replying, modestly ascribed most of the credit' to his fellow committeemen, mentioning particularly Messrs. And. Mcintosh, F. H. Wilkie, and Hugh Camifron. Mr. Mcintosh had been j enthusiastic almost to excess, and had given veocian service. Mr. "A. D. Mac Donald proposed "The Town and Trade of Stratford" in a pithy speech, in which he eulogised the progressive spirit of Stratford's people, and the management of her local affairs b7 the Mayor, councillors, and town clerk. He traced the rapid progress of Stratford from the stage of an obscure township to that of one of the leading towns of Taranaki, and predicted that being the centre of the dairying industry, a place with a bracing climate, there was a great future in store.' I Mr. J. Masters, Mayor of Stratford, in the course of his reply, said he was one of the oldest business men in Stratford, the oldest, in point of fact, with the exception of Mr. Newton King and Mr. George Smart r He had seen the growth of Stratford from its infancy. He had come here when mud was the rule and metal the exception. Then the place where they transacted their postal and railway business was in a place little bigger than a washTiouse. He contrasted all this with the state of affairs to-day. Stratford had progressed steadily, not by leaps and bounds, but steadily and surely. He enumerated the many advantages that residents en- ' joyed to-day, mentioning the go«d roads and footpaths, water supply, and everything that went to make it an up-to-date town. Mr. Masters said he had been on the Borough Council for thirteen years, so he had actually seen Stratford grow. After quoting some figures, the speaker said that Stratford' was not growing one whit too fast, but just keeping pace with the population. It j was one of the best inland towns in the j Dominion. He predicted that'in ten or t fifteen years' time there would be very few inland towns that would surpass or even equal Stratford. The town must grow. He combatted the statement made in some quarters that people buying town land at present prices were unwise, and gave his opinion that they were. investing wisely. Mr. J. McAllister proposed the toast , of "The Industries of Taranaki." The time was coming when other industries would take their place with the dairying industry, and the mention of the name Taranaki would conjure up other great industries. What were they?( They had oil now. It was coming in] greater quantities. They had the iron-: sand. Not much had been done with it yet, but the time was coming when New Zealand would be famed for its iron and Taranaki for its steel. Then Taranaki had some of the finest pottery clay in the world, and good use would be made of it some day. Soon we would tap the coalfield to the eastward, and Taranaki must become a great industrial • centre. He predicted that soon when they gathered for the Burns supper they would travel on a railroad built of Tarn- j naki iron, take their i haggis off fine • porcelain dishes of Taranaki manufac- i ture, sup in a hall roofed with Taranaki : tiles, and be residents of the district of which the whole Dominion would be proud, "and we shall be 'the people' of the.Dominion," lie concluded. Other toasts were:—"The Ladies," "•'The Croupiers," "The Visitors," "The Chairman," and "the Press," whilst a vote of appreciation was accorded the caterer for the excellent management of the supper.. "Auld Lang Syne" was sung with real heartiness, and then the "nicht wi' Burns" was at an end, but wee knot* of Scotsmen could be seen talking long after, and the day was well advanced when the last skirl of the pipes was heard.

The musical programme was distinctly creditable, and included some unusually good numbers, several of which were encored. The items were:—Song, "Scotland Yet," Mr. H. W. Douglas; song, "My love, she's but a lassie yet," Mr,{ F. Bird; song, "The Deil's awa with the) Exciseman," Mr. J. Lamb; recitation,! "Tim o' Shanter,' .Mr.. JB". H. , tyilkie (encore, a; A Wee Scotch Night"); song, "There wag a lad was born in Kyle," Mr. W. Elder; song, "Mary o' Argyle," Mr. E. W. Lewis (encore, . "Afton Water") ; song, "The Skipper,',' Mr. J. H. Thompson; song, "Down the Yale," Mr.. D. Twohill' (encore, "Garden of Roses"); recitation, "A Nicht wi' Burns," Mr. F. H. Wilkie; song, "March of the Cameron Men," Mr. H. W. Douglas; recitation, "Scotchmen and' a Mosquito," Mr. F. Bird (encored); song, ."Mary," Mr. W. Elder, schauntruhibis,"' Mr. J. 'Wade (piper, Mr. Angus McLeod); duet, "Annie Laurie," Messrs. Twohill and F. Dunlop (encore, "Larboard Watch"); recitation from Burns, Mr: J. B. Richards; song, "Duncan Gray," Mr. J. McAllister; Tecitation, "Scotty," Mr. J. Crossan. The accompaniments By 'Mr.: J. H. Thompson were quite a feature. THE A. & P. SOCIETY. US,SAY COMPETITION. Mr. R. G. Whetter, one of the Taranaki Education Board's inspectors, who judged the school essays in connection with the recent A. & P. Show, has submitted his report, placing the successful competitors as follows: CLASS A. Ist, "La Pacelle," Francis McAllister. ' 2nd, "Diogenes," N. V. Hodgson. 3rd, "Ake," Mary E. Rogers. 4th, "Liber," Elsie Laurenson. CLASS B. Ist, "Amyas Leigh," D. Paterson (Tarata). 2nd,"Pharoah," J. T. Mills- (Denbigh Road). 3rd, "Pollux," Percy Aisli (Bird Road) . 4th, "Homer," E. J. Casey' (-Derfbiglv Road). Mr. Whetter reports that it was difficult to differentiate between the first and second essays in Class B, for they were almost equal. S.M. COURT.

Judgment was entered by default in Hip following cases at the S.M. Court to-d-ay James O'Connell (Mr. Thomson) v. C. Geary, claim £2 2a Bd, cysts .CI 3s; William Donald (Mr. W. G. Malonc) v. Percy Bedingfi'eld, claim £2. Ids Gd, costs 17s; IT. P. Petersen (Mr. Stanford) v. T). 0. Shute, claim £l3 14s, costs £1 18s Cd; Hallenstein Bros. (Mr. Fookcs) v. A. C. Wilmshurst, claim 15s, costs 12a. •IUUGMKNT (SUMMONSES. 1 I'i'iink Rhodes (Mr. Stanford) v. T. 11. Sims, debt of £l2 Hs 3d. Tliere was no appearance of (lie debtor, and no excuse oircred. The debtor was ordered to pay the full amount forthwith, in default three weeks' imprisonment in Wellington prison. Tom Seholield (Mr. Thomson) v. Jolm M". Dodunski, debt of £2. No appearance of debtor, who was orI dered to pay the amount forthwith, default a week's imprisonment. Craddock Hardware Company (Mr. Stanford); v. Arthur Bound, debt of £8 16s. Debtoi; ordered to pay 5s weekly until the debt is paid. I The Magistrate made some remarks concerning judgment creditors, debtors' and summonses. He remarked that fre, quently a creditor obtaining judgment against a wages man for a large amount took further proceedings on judgment summonses within a very short time, sq that it was ordinarily impossible for a wages man to have earned sufficient ii) the meantime to satisfy the debt. In these cases, of course, ths judgment

creditor had to swear an affidavit that lie had reasonable grounds to believe that the debtor had had sufficient money to pay the debt. These all'ulavits seemed in some instances to be made as a matter of form, which should not be. The '•rcditor should make'enquiry and ascertain that the debtor was able to satisfy the debt before swearing simh an affidavit and before the judgment i-umraons >vas issued. Mr. Thomson, who was appearing for the creditor, said that in this I ease the latter had ascertained that the latter had £5 in the Post Office Savings Bank. The S.M. said that he was not referring specifically to the present case, and went on to remark that frequently, When a wages man was brought before the Court on a judgment summons, it was found that the man had been ill in hospital and unable to work, and consequently unable to pay, unless he received money from some source other than from wages. Such-a man would probably lose the day's wageß, by having to attend the court; and all this would be obviated by the creditor making sufficient enquiry. In the ease under notice the debtor, a single man, should have been able to pay the debt, and had not appeared to explain why it had not been paid, so:an order was made for payment forthwith.

BOWLING ' ELTHAM v. STRATFORD. The scores in Thursday's match at Eltham were as follow: Edgeeumbe, Curtis, Jackson, Jackson (s) 23 Parrott, McDonald, Murray, Hill (a) 17 Masters, Fookes, Wright, Sangster (s) 18 Manly, Higgs, Rochfort, Mas- * Hn (») ....: 19 Ward, Munro, Penn, Smart (s) 15 McKay, Keen, Gooder, Carman (s) 15 Brake, Currie, Black, M«rieon (&) 22 Saunderson, King, Barnard, Staunton (s) 14 THE TOURNAMENT. , The Stratford Bowling Club will be represented at the Taranaki'tournament by: T. H. Penn, R. McK. Morison, J. F. Jackson, G. Jackson (s); S. M. Porritt, N. J. King, W. Mac Donald, G-. Smart (s). ATHLETICS. NEW ZEALAND ATHLETIC UNJON. Mr. Jas. Clarke, of New Plymouth, vice- ] president of the New Zealand Athletic and Cycling Union, passed through Stratiford this morning, en route to ( Hamilton, to attend the annual confer-1 ence. Mr. A. Hansen, of Eltham, a mem- j ber of the executive, was to join him at j Eltham. Mr. L. Jennings, of Waitara, ] the Taranaki delegate, is unable to go. The Union is in a satisfactory finan- | «ial position, with a credit balance of £SB odd. The year just closed has been an important one, the whole of New Zealand being now under the control of the Union. There are 220 clubs affiliated to the various centres, and the number of registered competitors is 1200, which constitutes a record. The annual reports make mention of the. "Round the Mountain" cycle race which was run by the Taranaki centre.

TARANAKI FIXTURES. The following dates of.sports meetings in Taranaki liave been approved:— January 31—Atiawa Maori Club, Waitara. February 22—Rowan (local). February 28—Ararata. February ,28 —Warea. February 2!) —Uruti. March (i—Pihama. March .Oakura. CROQUET. Stratford met Hawera at Stratford. The day was fine and the lawns in very nice conditions. Results:— DOUBLES. S. H. Mrs. Munro and Mrs. Curtis... 21 Mrs. Ividd and Mrs. Webster.. 28 Mrs. Dingle and Mrs. Wakp 23 Mrs. Wallace and Mrs. Glasson. 28 Mrs. King and Miss King. 4 Mrs. Bennett and Miss Welldon 28 " . . SINGLES. , Mrs. King 10 Mrs. Bennett 28 ilrs. Munro 0 Mrs. Kidd 28 Mrs. Dingle 18 Mrs. Wallace 28 Mrs. Curtis 24 Mrs. Webster 24 Mrs. Wake Mrs. Classon 4 Mrs. King ig Miss Weldon on

. GENERAL NEWS. Mr.. C. T. Templer, who has been on a trip to the South Island, is staving hi Stratford for a few days. Mr. Doughty, of the Nelson branch of Messrs. Hallenstein Bros., is visiting his parents here. The -town's talking all day of last night's Burns supper. Several people who have attended similar functions in Scotland: declare they were never at a better one, or one at which there was greater enthusiasm. Whieh all adds to the laurels of the committee. "He has been, or is just about to be, married," said a solicitor in Court this, morning, "so he ought to be<able to pay this debt of £2." The Court;thought so, too. , ' , Mr. ,T. J. Pickett, formerly postmaster at Stratford, and now of Tauranga, has been transferred on promotion to Thames. Inoculation of calves against blackleg is proceeding merrily. Over 400 were vaccinated at one depot in this district one day tliis week. '