DISTRICT NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 March 1918, Page 3

DISTRICT NEWS.

LEPPERTON. (From Our Own Correspondent). A large gathering, fully representative of the, district, assembled in the Lcpperton Hall on Friday evening last, to do honor to our esteemed fellow-citizens, Mr and Mrs W. Roberls and family, Mr. Roberts having severed his connection with the Lepperton factory after 13 years' service. A short but very -good concert was I-given. Songs were contributed by Miss Turnbull, Miss Atkinson (encored), Miss Clifford (repeatedly recalled), p.nd the school children. Mrs Clarke played a violin solo (encored), and Mr H. Old gave a rousing patriotic recitation. The accompaniments were played by Mrs Win atley, Miss B, Giddy, and Miss Clifford. Mr H. B. Lepper, chairman of directors of the Lepperton Dairy Coy., then ad,dressed the gathering. He said it was superfluous for him to tell them of Mr. Robert's good qualities; they all knew them. Ho reminded them that Mr. Roberts had been chosen out of 30 ap. plieants, and by his unwearying devotion to the interests of the shareholder# , had shown himself to be absolutely worthy of his position. They might get ! as good a manager, hut he defied anyone , to show him a better. As a steward ; of the Methodist Church, chairman of the school committee, and a very active ' member of the Patriotic Committee, Be j could not. in justice, refrain from men-t-on of Mrs Roberts, who had been in- | 'lced her husband's "right-hand man." , I* therefore gave him the utmost ' pleasure on behalf «*>f the shareholders of the company and of other residents of Lepperton, to ask Mr. and Mrs. Rob- | 'to accept a small token of their ' "steem, and further, he announced that, in consMcntion of Mr. Roberts linving sacrificed Irs holidavs on several occasions to further the company's intereats the directors had decided to grant ; him two months' lea,ve of absence on full pav_ (Loud and orolonsed applause). Mr. Roberts, after the comr-a.n? had . sutio- '-He's a -Tolly fiood Fellow," responded, and. after thank-ins them for f their egressions of goodwill, assured them that the greater part of his sue- ( cess was due to the cordial co-operation y of the suppliers. During the thirteen " years he had never had a serious dis- , agreement with any of (hem, and he would always look hack to the years , s'\cn! in the service of tho Lepperton I n "''ry Company as the brightest in his life, " " , i The presents to Mr. Roberts were a handsome clock and barometer, suitably inscribed, and to Mrs. Roberts a bean", ti fill silver tea service on an oak trav. Mr. and Mrs. Robert* leave on Monday via Moknu and Te Kuiti for nn e.\tei"led motoring tour in the Auckland district, Mr. P. W. Atkinson, chairman of the [ Patriotic Committee, took advantage o." the large public ?ntherin<r to announce 'hat the committee had decided on a house bouse canvass on behalf of the Wounded Soldiers' Fund. The canvassers will wait on resident on or about f Saturday. Marh 23. and to save time he 1 rcoupstcd householders to have decided - definitely by then what tlicv were tro. ing to give, and, if possible, have the , amounts ready for the canvasser. [ TARIKT. s . b (From Our Own Correspondent.) t In the local and genera! column of . your issue of the 27th inst., there ap--1 !l ear^ cl a S,lort P ara K ra ph clipped from , the Hawera Star, which I make no apolj ogy for asking you to include in these f notes, as some of your local readers s seemed to have missed it.. Surely this _ is good for us to read again and ii<*ain? It reads as follows: ° ; Herewijj Wskarua, of Waitotarn, son of Iwiora Wnkarua, was killed on the French front about a month ago. When Hercwini decided to go to the front he and his father talked the matter over, and the latter said that as in the ordin' ary course of events, he had fewer years to live than his son, and as the son had J ; ,,9t completed a very good educatios, it would be better for Iwiora to go. This proposal, however, was not acceptable to (he son, who ptrsuaded the father to let him go, the father promising that if the son was killed he would go" to take his place. True to his word, Iwiora lett tor camp on Friday, where he is now in training to take his place in tho 'ureat Fight." And yet there are to-dav quite a number of people in New Zealand who because forsooth they happen to bo of a somewhat' lighter shade of complexion consider themselves superior the Maori! Mr Hoskin, our station master- u nf present away en a wcll-enrnx* , his place being filled bv S nj' 0 Palmerstop. Carter, ot f„Lr/ 00d *7 3 t0 the and i\ l t ° t V eT «-nl «f our local bjys at 100 ln n , If that the y hail .-,00(1 Christmas dinners. The Committee of the Patriotic Society met on the eveninsr of the Ist inst aiul decided to hold a special effort and Red Triangle" day on March Mil, j n the school grounds. The splendid work carried out bv the Y.M,C.A. is now so .Tcuerouslv neknowledeed that the Patriotic Rocloty have every reason to expect the pitblie In this district will welcome this opportunity of helpinw it to "carrv on." There is no necessity to detail the hardships tho fighting .nr»i endure, and an organisation that'helps to some extent alleviate them as the Y.M.C.A, certainly does by setting nra . forts and shelters, is deserving of our most liberal support. The ladies' branch of the Tarild Patriotic Society have been most consistent in their support of the Red Triangle and since May, 1917, to date have con' tributed in cash alone, about £l's to the Y.M.C.A. A good many local residentu nut in the last day of February at the New Plymouth A. and V, Show, and your correspondent, who managed to squeeze n: with the crowd, which consisted, by the way, of a great proportion of'outmost Intelligent and progressive settlers can fully endorse the opinion "enerallv expressed that it a day well spent.