PAHIATUA NEWS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3179, 3 May 1909, Page 6

PAHIATUA NEWS.

(From Our Resident Reporter). Saturday. The annual meeting of the Pahiatua Literary and Debating Society was held in the Foresters' Hall last evening. The balance sheet showed a credit of £1 12s. The following offi cers were elected for the ensuing year:—President, Mr "A. H. Dallaston; Vice-Presidents, Mrs BakerGabb and Rev. Speer; Committee, Miss Robbins and Messrs Eames, Debbie, Cooper and McAdam; Secretary and Treasurer, 1 ] Miss Stormont (re-elected). Ten new members were elected,£and it was decided to hold a mock Parliamentary election next Fridayfevening. The Presbyterian] Choir, under the conductorship of Mr C.-]MillsJren-dered the service of song,/'Neil/j£n the Library Hall, at Mangatainoka, last evenirg. There was a good attendance, and the proceeds will considerably swell the funds for the renovation of St. Paul's Sunday School. The meeting of milk suppliers held in the Konini Hall, last evening, to consider the advisability of adding cheesemaking plants to the. various factories belonging to the Ballance Co-operative Dairy Company, was well attended. Messrs J. Brechin, A. McFarlane, G. Brown r>n ! J. Matthews, spoke exhaustively in regard to the/proposal and it was finally decided 4o ask the Directors of the Company to consider the advjsability -of manufacturing cheese.'j£:.^* ; A meeting of the Pahiatua Branch cf the new New Zealand Farmers' Union was held in the Commercial Hotel this afternoon, Mr J. C. Cooper presiding. The meeting was called for the purpose of considering remits to.the Provincial Conference, at Eketahuna, on May 25th. It was decided to forward the following resolutions:—(l) That this Branch is* of opinion that a mistake has been made in the past by the "Advances to .Settlers' Office, in fixing the minimum, instead of the maximum rate of interest on loans sdvanced to settlers; (2) that the mortgage tax be abolished, and the taxation on mortgages be in the form of an income ta:': ; (3) that this Branch supports thr ; r.'.-olution of the United Chamber of Commerce (Wellington) condemning the present graduated land tax; (4) that the present system of valuation of land focr taxation purposes be abolished, and the valuation of iand be based on its

earning capacity over a term of years. STOCK MARKET. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., report on their monthly sale at Pongaroa, yesterday, as follows:--We had a fair yarding of sheep and cattle, but several lines advertised did not come forward. Prices ran as follows: Sheep: Wethers, 10s 6d; cull ewes, 4s 3d, ss, 6s 9d: lambs, 7s 2d. Cattle: Two and a half to 3 year steers, 60s to 77s 6d; fat and forward cows, 60s to 725; store cows, 40s to 50s; weaners, good lines, 20s to 25s 6d. Horse, 85s. Sunday. Archbishop Redwood, assisted by the Rev. Father Gilmsrtin, conducted a confirmation service at the Catholic Church, this afternoon, and 75 girls and 45 boys were confirmed, including 95 from Woodville. The Church was crowded, settlers being present from every part of the district. The Archbishop preached an impressive sermon on the sacrament of the confirmation. Archbishop Redwood and Father McKenna subsequently motored to Woodville, and will hold a service there this evening. The Pahiatua Brass Band, under Conductor Trezise, rendered a number of selections in the Main Square this afternoon.