DISTRICT NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 January 1919, Page 3

DISTRICT NEWS.

MOKAU. j ('From Our Own Correspondent.) 1 A meeting of the Mokau Cemetery! Board was held on the 20th inst. Pre- j sent: Messrs A. G. Sampson (in the chair), S. Whitehead, G Lake, L. E. j Jones and J L. McDonald. Correspondence was read from Mr A. Kelly, of Mokau river, along with a donation of £1 Is towards the extinction of the debt incurred through fencing the cemetery; from Mr Paerau Batly, of Mowhango, enclosing for £3 3s towards the same purpose; from W T. Jennings, M.P., notifying the Board the Minister in charge of Cemeteries had agreed to grant the sum of £ls by way of subsidy on the amount already raised by the Trustees for the purpose indicated above. The donors and Minister were thanked. Mr John Kelly, Awikino County Engineer, who had surveyed and drawn up the plan of the Mokau cemetery, intimated his intention to make a donation of his professional viz., £3 3s to the funds of the Board.— It was decided that the very valuable services of Mr Kelly in connection with survey and draughtsmanship be placed on record in the Board's minutes, and it was decided to accept £2 2s of the gift. It was decided that relatives of certain deceased persons buried in the Mokau cemetery be charged with the burial fees incurred by the Trustees in the past, with the option of purchasing the plots at scale charges if desired.

The treasurer reported a credit balance of £9.

The resignation of Mr J. L. MacDona!d as secretary unci treasurer to the Board, was accepted with regret. The appointment of a successor was left in abeyance pending the receipt of certain information required by the Board. Mr W. T. Jennings, M.P for the district, paid an informal visit to Mokau on the night of the 21st inst., and gave a short address in the Town Hal! before a representative gathering on matters affecting the welfare of the district generally, Mr S, Whitehead acting as chairman. Among matters touched upon were the snagging punt, Mokau river, the metalling of Mount Messenger, the metalling of the Valley road from Awakino to Mahoenui and the discontinued Mokau Kiver mail service. Much valuable information was given by Mr Jennings on there f.ubjccts, and the apparently strange attitudes of the Department? concerning them explained. He made it quite clear that the Departments, like the gods, "helped those who helped themselves," and he urged his hearers to leave no stone unturned in their battle for the rights of the district. By doing so they would strengthen his hands considerably when he came to approach the various Departments. Hereupon Mr MacDonalu handed a petition from the settlers on the Moki'.'.i River to Mr Jennings for presentation to She Minister in Charge of Post niv.l Telegraphs, having for its object the reinstatement of the River Mail Service. Mr Jennings promised to do his best upon his return to Wellington. It was always pleasing to note whilst travelling through a district tlie efforts made by progressive ftirmers for the betterment of their crops, flocks, or herds. In this connection "Your Own" found himself just a few days ago on the farm of Mr L. R. Jones, of Valley Pvoad, Awakino. This is a farm in the making, and from its possessing both beautiful river Hats and healthy liiliy country is well adapted for the mixed farming that is such a feature, of modern times. It is true much remains to be done before the land can be turned over with the plough, as some day may be desirable, but it is true also that in its pjesent stale no better land ran be found anywhere for the production of woo) and bjitter-fat. It is in regard to this last that.Mr Jones is directing his best eli'orts He has long been convinced that the Holstein breed «f cattle is the one best suited for his land, and this being the case he has spared no pains to hasten on the time v/hen he will be the proud possessor of a pedigree Holstein herd. His grade Holsteinn have for the past five years uniformly ''topped the list" for the highest tost at the Awakino dairy factory But Mr Jones is not content with. this. He wishes to better his best. With this end in view he some time ago purchased a fine pedigree fiolstehi cow from the same strain as tiio celebrated herd owned 'by Mr David Cregg, of Longbeaeh. This muted with a purebred bull, formerly beiorging to the well known Holstein breeders, Messrs lovelock Bros., of Pa!mer=ton North, has produced a splendidly built young sire, now a yearling, of what should be great potentiality In addition Mr Jones possesses two Jineiy marked Holstein vreaner heifers, both eligible for entry in the Herd Book, and which will as;:''*!, in forming the neucieus of the pedigiM- d iry herd it is his intention to establish. That he will be

successful )J liis venture there du ">v--110 doubt, for lie belongs to tile famous little rountry that produced Mr Lloyd George, and nt ; compliment can be gieattv. Serosal ionrafc parties l'rorn as far north as Auckland and as far Bouth as Wellington have made the river trip lately. All speak in glowing terms of the Hmsnilicent scenery It is ft thousand pities the ordinary tourist trip just stops short of where the most beautiful •stretch of scenery commences. Some day things will be different. fishing, is now in full swing 011 the Mokau river, and foiling parties are ft daily occurrence. The fish mostly in ei'idciue are aehnapper, kawai, trevalli, rnallot, perch and. herring, with an occasional shark or stingavee thrown in by way of ornamentation. two independent surveys of the Mokau liver coal fields are at present in progress, one under Government auspices by Mr Henderson, of the Geological Survey Department, and the other by Mr Fry, Diroctor of the Reefton School of Mines. Meantime Mokau remains calm. Mm T I. McGregor, wlio was recently removed to the New Plymouth hospital, is reported to be e!owiy recovering.