DISTRICT NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 198, 29 January 1915, Page 2

DISTRICT NEWS.

PATEA. FAREWELL TO REV. A. W. PAYNE. |' (From our Own Correspondent.) The Rev. iA. W. Payne, M.A., was farewelled at a large gathering of nis parishioners and friends who assembled at Mrs. Gowers' residence. Mr. E. j l '. Hemingway feelingly expressed tht regret with which the vicar's many friends felt at his departure from Patea. At the same time they realised that Mr. Payne was going to a place where there was a much wider scope for his talents, at St. John's College, Auckland. He was well fitted to carry out his work of theological training there. He asked Payne to accept a well-filled purse of | sovereigns, with which he could buy j some last memento of the days he had I spent in Patea. (Applause.) j The Rev. Payne, replying said words 1 failed to convey his full sense of apl preciation and gratitude to those who had offered him such tokens, verbal i and tangible, of their good will towards him. He felt that he might have done '. more for them than he had. After as- | suring them that he would always be i pleased to see any of his Patea friends i in tA'uckland, Mr Payne paid a tribute to the church workers of St. George's | Church. Mr. Payne, who was one of j'the most popular and able Anglican I'clergymen we have had here, has left for his new sphere of energy. Mr. John McCarty and Miss J. Baird were quietly married on Wednesday morning. They have the well wishes of ' tile community. Mr. W. S. .Thompson, the genial chief clerk of the local railway staff, who has been transferred to Fordell as stationmaster, was presented with a i silver tea service on behalf of all con- : neeted with tile railway station. Mr. A. R. Thompson (acting stationmaster) i'Mr. J. K. Mitchell, on behalf of the j South Taranaki Shipping Company, and the West Coast Refrigerating Company, I and others of our leading townspeople I all spoke in the highest terms of Mr. ThcnipsonV nevi r-failing courtesy, his I assiduous attention to duty, and his ■ pai ience in all sorts of trying condil ' tions. ' ! Lack of interest and small attendan- • ccs at '.iractiec decided the bandmaster - to call a meeting of the Patea band to i | decide whether they would continue ; .'their organisation or disband. After t: a deal of discussion, it was .decided to l' continue. It is to be hoped that the , public will support this excellent little 3 mus'eal combination.

(AUROA. The local residents arc, remarking 'that the Auroa correspondent must be dead, as no news has appeared of late, but it is not the correspondent's fault, as about a fortnight ago I posted some notes which never appeared in print, so that must have gone astray or been 'censored." Farmers in this district complain that the I'atea freezing works are blocked (more especially with cattle imported from another district) temporarily affecting the price of their store cattle. If such is the case, the management wants overhauling, more so after the loyal way in which the farmers responded towards the share capital. Messrs Sconlon Bros. Jiave finished 'their Auroa road contract, and sold their bullocks to Mr. J. Eothery, of To Kuiti. They are now awaiting orders to go into camp at Trentham. Mr. T. Winters, who is also awaiting orders to go to camp, had the misfortune to break a small bone in his ankle while wrestling. What might have cost several far'mcrs their houses was a thoughtless act on the part of another lighting a fire to take some bees in Mr. McNeill's bush, where there are some thousands of cords of rata. Fortunately fourteen men, after a strenuous all-day fight, got the better of the fire. The milk supply is falling rapidly now, in spite of all efforts to maintain it by feeding on kale, etc.