OPUNAKE.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 August 1920, Page 5

OPUNAKE.

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

The public meeting held here in e»-' fl nectioa with urging the Government to. ■' 4 speed up the construction of the Ofc"--"-| nake railway was not attended by ftp I farmers as it should have been, 'fit* /| perienee in the past has shown tljifc| '.J! tlie most successful meetings are hfML' -|j in the mornings of sale days. The trtious speakers were not equal to the ctays ' ■ : j when tlie "battle of the routes" meet* | toga/were held. The sentiment* ex- J pressed regarding the political wire-pulln,. ; | ing of adjacent towns were ventilated/;. J sufficiently. Mr. J. S. Tosland put raw«V j vigor into the meeting when be claimed that the people of the dietrict fcs?| should light for their right* in,* "dead :: '') earnest" manner. The people want the ■railway, he said, and should show.the ,1 Government that the people are at last sick, of promises, and tell the Prouder plainly that if they did not get sw. ] railway they would not give the party ;• a single vote. <§ The chairman (Mr. Trotter) and Mr. \ M. O'Brien Were fully confident tfoat something would be done for OvnWkfce. I The latter speaker used the prc/rMo: " "If the people of the district deflated $ their rights unitedly." * '; Mr. Wriglit believed in a huge depute- • , tion to Wellington, and instanced how ■;*, the West Coasters chartered a steamer and stormed the Government with, i*a army of deputations. The West Charters never left Wellington with a "no" to their requests. This brings to mind the famous railway deputation on the Midland railway, when the late Mr. Matson 30 yeaw ago raised the battle cry, "Canterbury muat have that railway or bust." They got , the railway, but it is taking "three , score years and ten" to complete, despite our enlightened age and talk of progress. The Opunake Football Club bad a very i successful annual ball last week, ; aa a wind-up to an interesting season. The inclusion of Walahe in the T*r»" • naki reps, gave general satisfaction to - footballers in the district. There «• a \ ~ couple of good forwards in the Banotn team that should have been tested.' I would advise the Rugby Union to put » trial match on their list, such as Egmont County v. New Plymouth. Otherwise, If there is no inducement beyond xtgtt" ,j lar club fixtures, there is a likelihood of ; the Egmont County fathering the League ' game. The area is a suitable fostering ground for it, and the Egmont County I, may become the controlling centre' for *? "Leagu'ism." This ,is only a timely hint ; »f the way the wind is likely to Wow. The Bowling Club had a very ptaaaant social evening on Wednesday evening. The Opunake School Committee haa { * decided to hold a suitable function a* ■) the opening of the new school building. V U will bo a representative gathering. > Opunake is now well served 9 with motor services. Two Opunake firm* have started in opposition to the established lines running to Haw'era and New Plymouth. ' '•'■ A well-known native woman, who feequently raises her voice in the street* of Opunake, was given a few hou*# rest in the only vacant rooms in Opunake—the police cells. , }.<.<* The promoters of the Church of *hg; 4 j land baiw are holding various fuaetioni ■ , neforo tlie affair comes off. '•;..« The Roy Scouts, under Seontaaatet - Rev. Palmer, still keep up regular evenings. it is reported that the Opnnafco Oddfellows Lodge contemplate buying' or erecting a suitable meeting halt. The . i membership is now 150. The Rev. .7. C. MM, who has been in charge of the Opunake Kaponga Presbyterian Church circuit, has accepted «"call • from Ngariiawahia, and will leave here in about three weeks time, Mr. Mill originally came for six month*, b«rt eontinued on for over twelve months. The Presbyterians are sorrv to l«e the services of Mr. Mill, but arc pleased to know that he is going to a % settled

charge. •• >. ■ The commencement of work i» *onnjction with the Opumatae scheme is held up on aceount.of ,the shortage of cement. The*. quantity ,reqnlred is about 50 tow per ,«wmth. T" 8 , whale of the county cannof get th<u quantity, let alone one particular work. All the dairy factories in this district have commenced tb receive the new season's supply of milk. ■-.,■•«* ' A dairy farmer, who is well «We to express an opinion on the subject, said there were not 50 real farmers between Opunake and either end _ of THwrnw.. That is to say, not SO farmers put pack > on the land fertilisers to koap up, the fertility of the land. Although we read, of the producing value being, equal to £BO per head, it is due to the prices of commodities, and not to increase of, pro* Auction. The producing power, «f U»e land is decreasing, and legislation will have to be introduced, a» k the case in England, compelling landowners to put back a proportionate equivalent of what is taken oat, otherwise it will be an impoverished country. Most o* til* impoverishing of tho land is due to we»Tilators. They fatten, and the Una gets leaner. The schoolboy's cNtinn* np the position correctly taui:'"&oi#n&i the rain and the sunshine to,.«naW tt» grass grow, so ,-