STRATFORD NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 315, 15 June 1915, Page 3

STRATFORD NEWS.

(From Our Ow n Correspondent.}*

GENERAL ITEMS.

Lieutenant Grey, officer in eWe «f the local Defence Office, has received notice of transfer to Taumarunui. Li«utenant Grey will >be a distinct loss to tins distirct, but is to be congratulated on his promotion. _ Next court day two cases of obstructing parades will came on for hearing. The jury visited the scene of the fatality at Toko to-day, being taken out by special train.

The annual meeting of the Bowling Club was quite a lively affair, some hard hits being given and taken in more ways than one. A long discussion took place on the club's green, and it wag eventually decided to ban all liquor from the club's green for the future. Several members expressed themselves in strong terms of condemnation of the scenes that took place at a tournament, in which they were engaged, and tliev hoped that the powers that be would see that future tournaments would be conducted in a manner that would bring no further cause for complaint.

A. AND P. ASSOCIATION.

The annual meeting of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association took place in the Foresters' Hall on Satur-' day afternoon, and, despite the awful weather, there was a record attendance. Mr. G. Jackson (president) was in the chair. In moving the adoption of the report and balance-sheet, the president congratulated members on a record show and said he considered that the association was .now established on sound lines, and that a splendid future was before it. He appealed to the members to use their 'best endeavors to secure new members, and said that without these the Association could not carry out the improvements that were necessary. Mr. R. Masters, in seconding the motion, congratulated the executive on the war it had looked after the business of the Association, and he criticised some of the items in the balance-sheet, especially advertising and printing, which he considered should be cut down if! possible. Mr. Dingle, speaking to the report, referred to the amount of outstanding subscriptions, and said .there was no reason why the farmers should not pay up. They were having the best season they ever had in the history of dairying, and he strongly objected to ' the _ war being used as "an excuse for) leaving their subscriptions unpaid. He j further offered that if any member whose subscription was unpaid could show him that he was worse off now' than prior to the war that he himself would pay that member's subscription. | The report and balance-sheet were them ! adopted. The following officers were; elected for the year:—President, Mr. R. J Masters; vice-presidents. Messrs. J. R. | Hine. J. W. Boon, W. Hnthaway, and A. J Meredith; treasurer, Mr. W. P. Kirk- j wood; auditor, Mr. J. H. Penn; honorary veterinary surgeon, Mr. E. Mason; general committee, Messrs. R. Dingle, A. 1 Stewart, E. Jackson, N. B. Fletcher, D. j J. Malone, H. M. Wood, J. M. Shotter, T. Walker, V. Smith, E. Kellehcr B. Orr, J. Luin, W. J. ITopdcll, P. J. Peterson, T. ,B. Melton, J. Stewart, A. S&vid, W. H. Hamblyn. W. M. Baylv and H. t Bowling. Mr. E. Jackson moved that! the people's stand be shifted alongside j the members' stands. In doing so, he considered that the ntqnd in its present j position was not revenue producing; in fact, it bad been a loss since it had been 1 erected. He suggested if the stand was ! not shifted, then it should be remodel- [ led so that it could be used as a lun- • chcon i-oom upstairs, and the underpart j made to serve as a produce shed or, j possibly, could lie used to house the j (logs in. Mr. Kirkwood, in seconding, pro forma, said he did not think the shifting of the stand alongside the members' stand would improve matters. The public would not use the stand because they did not like being seen in a shilling stand with a five shilling stand alongside it. He favored converting it into tea rooms, as had been suggested. Mr. Masters produced figures to show that since the stand had been erected it had not paid interest on the money invested, and he, certainly thought that it should be either removed or something done with it; in fact, it would be better to pull it down and sell the timber than that it should be an annual loss. Mr. Dingle proposed as an amendment that the consideration of removing the people's stand be deferred and that the incoming executive committee be a sub-committee and obtain details regarding cost and report to the General Committee; seconded by Mr. H. Bowling and carried. Votes of thanks to the outgoing officers terminated the meet-

At a subsequent meeting of the General Committee, the following executive committee was elected: —Messrs. R. Dingle, K. Jackson J, M. Shottcr, K Kelleeher, A. Stewart, W. M. Bayly, JJ. B. Fletcher, D. J. Malone and A.^David.