DISTRICT NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 April 1919, Page 3

DISTRICT NEWS.

WAITUI. j (From Our Own Correspondent.) Recent cold snaps and frosts have led many pessimistic farmers to prophecy a hard and cold winter for stock, but clear, bright days have alternated, with more cheery effect. Stock seems to have done well, and cows are still being milked twice daily, and are giving a considerable quantity of milk. Farmers generally ascribe many virtues to the soft turnip as a prolonger of the "noat" of their dairy herds, though one farmer informed me that when feeding swedes instead of the soft variety he found a greater sustenance and milk production resulted. The turnips are allowed to wilt in the paddocks after pulling for about twelve hours, which, it is claimed, eliminates the objectionable taint usually ascribed to this fodder. Considerable areas are being stumped for ploughing. Among others, Mr. C. Mackinder has let a fair-sized area to Mr. L. Bishop, and Mr. M. Sattler is putting several, acres of the school reserve into form for the plough. The time'will not be long distant when the familiar monumental black stumps will no longer disfigure the skyline. • Your scribe took a ride down the Everett Road recently, and was agreeably surprised to see the contour and improvements o£ that picturesque and historical valley. Among the neat and progressive homesteads passed are those of Mrs. Townsend, Bracegirdle Bros, and Cooper, but beyond, in the Waitara West district, one conies to a wilderness of gorse with a little of other weeds for variety, and the reflection is forced on one that the Government could surely acquire these labds for returned men, and, after clearing them, settle in small areas and finance a creamery or cheese factory. Such a course would be eminently more sensible and satisfactory than to put men on the lands at, say, Puniwhakau or portions of the Waitaanga in the Tangarakau Gorge. The contractors for the supply of boulders 011 the Everett Road have already a lar;;a amount on the crushing site, and if the noisy detonations are any indication, should soon finish their job. The gravel for the concrete bridge across the lvarapiti is also on the site, and a start is to be made forthwith.

As a further incentive to activity in loan matters, or as an extra gift on the loan raised, the Government grant of £3OO accorded recently should be particularly acceptable, and some credit should be accorded the chairman (Mr. Corkill) for the energy shown in securing the same. One hopes that all similarly situated roads will speedily exchange mud for metal as a result of the Everett Road lead. A small piece of metalling leading to Mr. Blackburn's holdings on the north- ; ern part of the Mangaone Road has also .been let, and the road only requires a further stretch of metal to connect witfo jthe Junction Road, and remove what has, up to the present, been a "cul de sac" aa t far as cars or wheeled vehicles are cou--Icerned.

Mr. Stanley Pagan has disposed of his property for £4O per acre—a record for this end of the district. We shall be Borry to lose a progressive and publicspirited man of Mr. Pagan's abilities, and sincerely hope he may purchase a farm in the same locality. The local has, through removals and other causes, gone down in numbers to about half its former attendance, but we are hoping for closer settlement of some of the larger areas later on. - The Waitui School picnic was held on Anzac Day in Mr. Mackinder's picturesque nook in the bush, where once stood an ancient pah. Mr. Bakewell, in an able speech, impressed on the children and adults the memory of the brave fellows in whose honor and to whose lasting fame the day was dedicated, and gave a resume of the events leading up to the landing and the circumstances of the retirement of the troops from Gallipoli, and, as a finale, called for three cheers for the boys at the seat of war, which were heartily given. Races and kindred amusements for the children, with distribution of sweets and fruit, and with comestibles galore, sent the youngsters home after hours spent in happy sunshine as having had as near a "perfect day" as mere mortals could expect. The ivaimata branch of the Farmers' Union has decided to hold one of its meetings quarterly at Waitui to endeavor to induce increased membership of the same. Mr. Thos. Davidson was re-eleeted president, with Mr. S. Pagan as vicepresident, and Mr. Geo. Giddy took on the secretarial duties relinquished by Mr. G. Mackie, to whom a vote of thanks was passed for past services. We -have recently been visited by sportsmen (sic) who are unable to distinguish fur from feather, and the domestic sitting hen from a hare. It may be rather a rapid method of filling a bag to knock over "Speckly" and her mates, but another visit may not prove t so satisfactory.