DISTRICT NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 July 1916, Page 3

DISTRICT NEWS.

' WAITUI. (From a Correspondent). Friday was u red letter dav in the annals of "Tlit- Coiner." as our pioneers still call the district in the fork formed liy the junction of flic Waitara and Manganni ,-ivers. On the evening of that day a social was given in (lie schoolroom in aid of a fund for the benefit of (.Independents of men killed or injured in tin- Jutland battle. This function was also made the occasion for unveiling a B handsome brass, recording the names of the men Waitni has sent to light in (lie great cause. Dancing began at eight o'clock, with Mr. C. Schn'-iber as M.O. An hour before midnight Mr. Bakewell was called upon to make a fev. remarks prior to the ceremony ofuuveiliiig. The speaker observed that in our many previous wars of (he many thousands of soldiers who had been engaged, the names of only two had been preserved in history that of Thomas Atkins himself, and •Shaw, tho Life Guardsman. We lived in a democratic age, and in this terrific content, waged on behalf of democratic ideals, it was only natural that the democracy should desire to put upon re. cord the names of its soldiers. Waitui had done well in the matter of recruiting. Out of some fourteen families resident in the "Corner" fourteen men had joined the Expeditionary Force. This was their whole eligible manhood. None now remained to go except the head/; of families, and boys under military age. and of these two or three had already offered their services. One of their pioneers, Mr. Herbert Hunter, was now drilling at Trentham. At the age of forty he had put his fine farm and stock on the market, and had sacrificed a well-earned ease at the call of his country. Tlie committee had decided to have the names of the Waitni recruits graven upon imperishable brass., lie then called upon Mrs. 0. Schreiboi, as representative of the earlier settlers, to unveil the brass. Thanks to tlie skilful arrangement of Mr. Maekinder, a veteran of the Boer War, the veil, appropriately enough the Union Jack, flew up without a hitch, and in a flash was revealed to the assembly the Waitui Roll of Honor. This was a line monumental brass, sixteen indies by twelve, mounted on a pointed oak shield 22 inches by IS inches. Under the heading was the Horatian line. ''Dulce et decorum pro patria mori." Belc.v this was the date of the war's outbreak, 1314, with space foi date of its close. The names of oin recruits followed in two columns of seven names each, these being read from left to right in order of enlistment. In the first column were Albert Hunt, Kov Clarke, L. Hunter. D. M'Rae, C. Rowsoii, C. Nattier, C. Randell. In the second —Robert D. Bakewell, W. Thompson, M. M'Rae, A. Hunter, R. Williams, R. Hunter, L. Bishop. The audience then struck up "For they are jolly good fellows," and the ceremony ended with three hearty cheers for the "boys." Prior to the ceremony of unveiling the brass, Innocence, wdio had been inveigled into the room by the subtle device of charging no entrance money, had been left to the artful and tender care of cer- I tain young damsels with nothing more damaging than button-holes of violets, j sweetmeats, and the like purveyed for a simple sixpence. But serious business he-.\ "an when Mr. Fagan, who had under i taken the role of auctioneer, mounted his | rostrum, and I am bound to say played ! his part with an unscrupulousness, ima- | gination, and flow of rhetoric worthy of j the highest traditions of the profession, j After a few trifles in the shape of pump- | kins, cushions, etc., had been put up and ' knocked down several times, by way of warming the blood of bidders a fine lamb, the gift, of Mr. .T. Hunter, was pushed into the room, and stood innocentlv blinking at tlie assembly, and decked out in red, white and blue ribbons, for the slaughter of others. It probably realised its full value in a weight-gues-sing competition, a shilling in. the honor of making the nearest guess falling to Miss 0. Williams. Then the auctioneer put it up and deliberately and impartially knocked it down to every man in the room, at prices varying from five shillings to half a crown. In mercy at last, Mary's pet went up for "keeps" and was finally knocked down to its donor for tlie sum 'of two pounds sterling—a price "Bortlrwick's" should note. Next came the supper baskets, many most tastefully adorned gave occasion for some spirited and sportsmanlike bidding. Twentv-one shillings was bid by Mr. ! Maekinder for one elegant specimen, of course with bis supper vis-a-vis thr«wu in. Mr. Douglas Fraser paid twenty-five shillings for another, and other prices ranged about ten shillings a basket. All attempts to keep the "cost of living" down to half a crown a basket proved futile. Only when nothing remained in the room unfleecod, except the lamb, did the auctioneer cease from his labors and drop from his rostrum with a fervid "The Lord forgive me." Thence he passed to the porch for the purpose of being revived. A "onerous supper was provided tor all in~Waitui's best style—we abide not town confections, and I must add excellent coffee. Dancing was continued till 2.3d a.m. when a very pleasant evenin" was brought to an appropriate close by 0 the whole company joining in the 'National Anthem. I understand that the amount realised from the social from auctions and other sales is to be added to the sum collected a dav or two previously in Waitui, and the ncHibouring districts of Bristol and Everett Ro.uls. Altogether this will reach a total of about seventy-five pounds. This makes quite a respectable sum to forward to the Navy League, and goes far to prove that we In our far away little "corner" of Waitui ha-e a just appreciation of the importance of the Jutland battle, and »f the services rendered us by the Royal Navy, far more so than our' legislators, too ignorant to know that aiiytliiiitf has happened calling for notice or thanks.