DISTRICT NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 149, 18 November 1914, Page 3

DISTRICT NEWS.

MAKETAWA. (From our own Correspondent.) Beneficial rain fell during the afternoon and evening of the 11th inst., freshening up the pastures, etc. A' cold southerly wind, after promising "one better," fortunately died away, and in consequence weather conditiqns are at present ideal. : The Durham school children, who have been active for some time preparing the cantata, "Dame. IJurden's School," for raising funds for prizes, have decided to devoto the proceeds of the entertainment towards the Belgium relief funds. I have not the slightest doubt that the function, which eventuates on Friday, 27th inst., will, given fine weather, add a good donation to the fund. The Durham creamery test card shows a range of from 3.4 to 4.3, and the milk supply is slowly on the rise. Many settlers complain of the shortness of grass already, due to the extraordinary spring. You can't. withal find a: pessimist in the crowd! iMueh pleasure was evinced'when per medium of the News, it wad known that the slippery Etpden had been hooked. I fancy the dairy farmer would be lost nowadays without his daily paper. Not much interest was shown by the residents as to the election for County representatives, but much satisfdetion is expressed at the position accorded 'Mr. J. H. Bridgeman, of Durham road, whose place at the top«of the poll is surely evidence that his attention to the ratepayers' interest is appreciated as it should be, he having for years devoted considerable time as a member of the Moa Road Board. Mr A. E. Laurence, of Surrey road, should also be assured that his services on the "all for nothing" Board have not been lightly overlooked, as the polliflg on his behalf proves. The political burgoo-pot received a rather vigorous stir-about on the 11th, when the Liber.il canddate addressed the ■electors irj the Durham school. The threatening state of the weather preI vented many from attending.

DURHAM ROAD. Notwithstanding the threatening weather between the 20 and 30 persons attended at the Durham school on the evening of Wednesday, 11th inst., when Mr W. H. Hawkins, candidate for Stratford, delivered a political address. Mr J. A. Bridgeman, chairman of the school committee, occupied the, chair. Many subjects wre touched upon, all of interest and well explained. Several questions were put and answered satisfactorily, and a unanimous vote of thanks was carried. A vote of thanks to the chair concluded the meeting.

| TARIKI. I Letters from the Home country have in these times a special interest, and the following, received by Mr W. Summers, one of our new settlers on the Ross road, from his brother-in-law. Mr W r oodfield, dated September 2nd, from Southwall, where Mr Woodfield is working in the margarine works, gives one a good idea of the stirring times they are. cxperiencI ing in the Old Country:—"l again write to you as I promised to inform you a little, of the war. and how it is affecting us. We have read of your New Zealand exploit in capturing Samoa, which was a very smart thing. Well, we are having a very critical time in this country just now, such a one that ,has never happened before. You can just imagine that we are a little over a hundred miles from the fighting line as the crovq; flies. I mean from Southwall, so you can fancy us a little bit. All the bridges are guarded with armed sentries day and night, the volunteers doing this work, owing to the country being over-run with German spies. I suppose you recollect old 'TinhofT,' who lives in Waltliaan road. They ran him in the other week and scores of-others in the country. The law is that they have to report themselves to the police every forty-eight hours. They are using some of tiie exhibition places to put them inThe country is still sending troops over. Thousands and thousands of them have passed through Southwall. As I am •writing they say that trainloads of Russians are going through to Southhampton, which port they have been using the most. They say the Russians Were landed in the north of Scotland. You can have no idea of it all. Never in the, history of the world has there been anything like this. The slaughter has been awful. Wo are just getting some of the wounded over. All the hotels at the seaside have been commandeered for. the purpose, and most of the hospitals in London. The country is in trouble owing to the shortness of men in the army (I mean the numbers), but they are waking up now. The Government havie asked for men to volunteer, and they are coming up in thousands. From our factory alone we sent 45 yesterday, not counting Reservists and Territorials who have already gone to the 1 front, making nearly 100 nien from the margarine works altogether. From Southwall, I believe there are between eight and nine hundred who have gone up. "One good thing for the country is that food has not increased as much as would be expected. The Government fix the price of most articles three times a week to prevent big prices being charged. We owe the food supply to our fleet, which has kept the seas open for our trade, though the other day they sunk one of the New Zealand boat£. Tlje Germans are afraid to meet our fleet. This week they had a fight, and we showed them the way to shoot. Four or five of their boats were soon put under the water. But our army, I am sorry to say, has suffered very heavily. They have had to bear the brunt of the fighting. The Germans have put the best of their men against them to the tune of about seven to one, so you can understand the reason of their falling back. I can assure you they have kept the old traditions lip and have given a good account of themselves. Tonight we are expecting to hear that the Germans are. at Paris, but if they take that place they will get beaten in the finish. You can take it that the German nation is done for ."