Raglan News.

Waikato Argus, Volume XXIV, Issue 3761, 21 April 1908, Page 2

Raglan News.

A harvest festival service was held in the Congregational Church last Sunday, when the building was tastefully and profusely decorated with the fruits and products of the earth. The Rev. G. Carr, who occupied the pulpit, took for his text the appropriate passage from Psalm 24th, "The Earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." Certain alterations have been made in the plans of the Roman Catholic Church to be erected in Raglan, which will bring the cost within the amount available, and arrangements have been made --with Mr W. J. Smith, whose tender was the lowest, to undertake the erection. It is said the alterations will not greatly affect the size of the building. Owing to a hardening tendency in the price of fibre, flaxmills about here are showing signs of revival. A man named Whiskie had a couple of ribs broken by a fall on the guard iron of a waggon while negotiating a rough siding a few days ago. Mr H. T. Gibson, school teacher at Te Mata, left Raglan for Auckland on Sunday morning with a small party of school children, none of whom have been outside the district. The trip, which will probably last a week, should be as instructive as it will probably prove enjoyable to the youngsters. A meeting of the members of the Raglan and Kawhia A. and P. Association was held on Saturday, Mr Bankart, president, occupied the chair. Letters were received frrom Messrs W. Taylor, J. Baxter, and W. McNicol, returning cheques which had been tendered to them towards their expenses as judges at the recent show. Mr McNicol requested that the amount returned by him should be devoted to a special prize for the best Romney ram at next year's show. The generosity of these gentlemen was acknowledged by a hearty vote of thanks. The president introduced the matter of Government assistance in the way of supplying grass seed to burnt-out settlers, and mentioned that the Raglan Association in communicating the resultof a meeting held on February 17th was the first to approach the Government in this matter, and he proposed that the Department, which had gone to a tremendous amount of trouble, should be thanked for the timely and valuable assistance rendered to settlers. Mr A. L. Pegler thought it would have been better if the money had been offered, subject to cost, interest with rebates in cases where the circumstances of settlers justified it, and that settlers should have been permitted to send their orders direct and without delay to the merchants of their choice. Mr T. B. Hill thought it was ungrateful finding fault with the Department. Mr Houchen seconded the motion, which was carried by the meeting. There was a food deal of diversity of opinion regarding the holding of a winter show at Te Mata this year, many contending that, owing to the drought, a number of the usual large exhibitors had next to nothing to show. Eventually it was resolved that circulars should be sent round the district in order to ascertain what support would be forthcoming in the event of the show taking place. In the matter of weather we are having one of the best of autumns on record. All of last week was warm and mild, and just as the surface of the ground was getting rather dry for the recently surface-sown grasses, a warm and gentle rain has set in. The country never looked better at this time, even the blackened patches in the bush distritcs will be painted green.