DISTRICT NEWS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 309, 26 June 1912, Page 6

DISTRICT NEWS

{Fr<ni Our Own Correspondsnts). { WARKA. J Tie spinsters and bachelors held their annual ball on Thursday night, and the hall was crowded, although the dance had been postponed from the night before, owing to the wet weather. The music supplied was excellent, the Ducker family providing it. The splendid supper that had been catered for by May's, of New Plymouth, was very much appreciated at mid-night. Messrs R. Julian and John Barrett made capable M.C.'s I understand that Messrs T. Doyle, E. Aylward, and P. Murphy, all of the Bayley Road, and Henere Raniera, of the Puniho Road, and Mr C. Parker are installing milking machines for thisseason. This will make a total of twenty plants that are working and I understand others are to be installed. The annual meeting of the local hall will be held next Saturday night, June 29. The Egmont county crasher, which arrived here on June 14, commenced to ) crush on June 17, but rain stopped ; work on Wednesday and part of two ' i other daya, and word was received to I finish up crushing on Saturday, as there was no money available to complete the ; I contract. Now, the crusher lias left ; I here, leaving a part of a heap of stone ' uncrushed, and also several hundred yards at Puniho, and the roads are in most disgraceful state, with no metal for repairing them. I think the county ought to get a flat-bottom boat to run j between here and Puniho. The rates - for this year have been raised from %d to l&d. Since the Okato and Puniho Dairy Company's butter factory at Kaihihi was destroyed by fire on Monday evening, the milk has been separated at their creamery, and the cream brought to i Warea to be churned, j Skating, which was all the craze here for a while, seems to have died a natural death, for now nobody turns out at all to have a run on the rollers. Mr. J. Smeaton, who was in partnership with Mr Parker, left here last week to start farming on his own account at Bell Block.

TOKO. The esteem in which Mr. C. T. King (home missionary for the Presbyterian Church here), is held was shown by the large and representative gathering of all denominations, which gathered at a farewell tea and social held in his honor in the Coronation Hall on Thursday evening last. The seating accommodation of the hall was taxed to the utmost and several had to stand. During the evening Mr W. H. Were, on behalf of the settlers in the district, presented Mr King with a handsome silver watch prettily engraved, also a purse containing close on twenty sovereigns. Mir Were also handed to the guest a yaar of lovely gold sleeve links beautifully engraved, as a token of the esteem in which he was held by the boys of his Bible class. In a neat speech Mr King feelingly thanked one and all for the lovely gifts and expressions of good wall that had been accorded him that night, and urged upon all churchgoers and, non-church goers alike to rally round his successor and help him in every way possible. The following contributed items to the programme:— Songs, Miss Sangster (2) (both deservedly encored), Miss Fields (2), Messrs W. Cartwright, W. Pearce and N. Day (2); pianoforte duets, Mis Hendry and Miss Bain (2), Misses Hine; speeches, Rev. Robertson, Messrs W. H. Were, Kennedy and E. Marfell; reeitation, Rev. Robertson. The singing of the National Anthem brought to a close one of the most successful gatherings held for some time. I understand a Mr Smart, of Dunedin, is to succeed Mr King, instead of Mr Lennox, of Kaponga, as was first anticipated. On Thursday afternoon the Stratford senior football team met a combined team of Te Were and local men, in a friendly match on the Domain grounds. As most of the players of the local team had not seen a ball before thit season, some very amusing play took place, and considering the difference in the two teams the local men held their own very well, and succeeded in crossing the visitor's line twice, the scores ending at 26 to ft. The concert and dance to be held next Friday evening, in aid of the school funds, bids fair to be a great success. The school children are working hard selling tickets, which T hear are going off well.