BOWLING NOTES

By Wrong Bias

THE unexpected death of, Mr. Charles Parata, M.P. for .the Southern Maori District, in the heyday of life, has quite over-shadowed all bowling circles. No one was better liked or so widely. popular among the bowflers of New Zealand. It was only the other day he was skipping his team in the Wellington Centre's tournament, and lie was about to proceed this week to .the Dominion tournament . at Dune din to skip a team composed of Ingram, Tasker, and Crane. —in fact, his ticket by the s.s. Maori was already taken ©irb—when he was laid low by an old internal complaintr—ulceration of the stomach,—and in the small hours of Tuesday morning he passed quietly away. Chaiflie Parata was one of the five sons of Tame Parata, who, for over 30 years, represented the Southern Maori District in the House of Representatives. He. was born at Puketeraki, the picfruresqrie old settlement near Port Chalmers, and finished his education at the Dunedin High School. He was in business as land agent arid interpreter in Wellington, when in 1911 his ' father resigned and was raised to the -Upper House. Charlie was promptly elected to the vacant seat, and made his mark in Parliament as an outspoken debater. On the social side and especially among the bowlers—for bowls was his favourite sport —he was a great favourite. He could sing a good song, was well up in Maori lore and genealogy? 4 wa s intensely patriotic, and \ dearly loved a well-con-tested game at bowls and took its. Ups and downs with an even spirit. In his early manhood, before ne had occasion to let out the holes in bis belt, Charlie was a noted hundred yards sprinter and an excellent footballer, and no mean performer with the billiard cue. As a bowling skip he was in the first flighty and a popular member of the Wellington, Thorndon, and Te Hiwi Clubs. Two and twenty years ago Mr. Charles Parata married Miss Rongokahira. Asher, of Tauranga, a chieftainess of the Arawa Tribe, whose grandfather was Mr. Asher Asher, who was the first Captain of the Auckland Fiji 4 © Brigade and as well known in the Northern City as the old windmill. *'Opai" Asher, who made an international reputation as a New Zealand footballer, was a brother of Mrs. Parata's. Everyone who knew Charlie Parata in public affairs, in bowls, in social life, deplores the passing of a fine allround citizen and gentleman who ploughed a straight furrow' in his course through life. Everyone sympathises with his wife and three/'. children : his bright little daughter Peti and his still smaller sons, Thomas Charlies and David Asher. On 'Wednesday night the body of the deceased was "taken south, far internment atf Puketeraki to-morrow) (Saturday). ' •

There has been a lull in Wellington bowls since the finish of. the Centre tournament, and players have been pushing on with club singles, pairs, and rinks. On Monday there was an influx of Auckland and other Northern bowlers on their way to the Dominion tournament at Dunedin, and, of course, they '_ took the opportunity to sample the local greens. * The Wellington Club rinks who have gone to Dunedin; played the annual match with the Christehureh Bowling Club' in, passing through the Holy City and made rather a poor fist of it, suffering defeat in<3 out_of 4 rinks, and being down 66 points as against 87. Erskine (associated with Ledger, Wylie, and Thompson) had the only Wellington win, beating Daniels by 7. Bary (with N Johnson, Ingram, and Jackman as mates) was 8, down against MaeDougall, and E. J. Hill with Maurice Casey (from Auckland) and H. Smith and Tasker in the places, got badly stung, by Barnett (27 to 12), but - Holdsworth, Grenfell, Horton, and Sievwright made a. good fight of it against Orchard (16 to 21). At the Dominion tournament, which opened at'Dunedin yesterday with the Pairs, Bary is to lead for Orchard's Christchurch rink, and Sievwright skips the rink that Charlie Parata had hoped to play. 1 Poor Charlie! Up to the last he was hoping that he might get well enough to. skip his team at Dunedin. His brother-in-flaw (Henry Asher) tells me that even as late as Monday (the day before his death) he said "Well, Henry, there's only one thing worrying me. I would so like to take my place in that tournament at Dunedin. Do you think there's a chance for me to get well enough to be in 'time for it yet?" Mr. Asher replied, "Well, even if you did get well enough to go down it would be foolish to attempt to play. The strain would be too great." Charlie said with a sigh, "Yes, that's true," and made up his mind it was not to be. . Newtown sends two rinks to. Dunedin, viz., Prince, Davis, Spiers, and Noble (skip), and Read, Chittey, Un-

derwood, and Crawford (skip), while Willie Wylie skips a Te Hiwi rink. W. Bailey is in charge of a rink, from Hataitai. .The recent • Centre tournament brought out the fact that there are many unstamped bowls in action. During the contest 67 pairs of howls were reported as unstamped, 25 pairs were tested, and 5 pairs were- turned down as too narrow. Last week at Thorndon there was a lull after the excitement of the tournament, but on Saturday afternoon tilings brightened up. There was a ' good attendance of members and enjoyable, friendly games were played. • One of the odd-time club trophy games (the "Roses") came off —Murdoch, Ferguson, Gamble, Chittey (skip) winning from Hanlon, Rutter, Blackburne, Brogan (skip). In a sectional single, Chittey -followed up his previous success by winning from TTpham. A representative rink went out to the new Island Bay Club and scored a win bff Newtown. Among the "side-shows" -arranged in connection with the Dunedin Bowling Tournament, which opened in Dunedin yesterday . (10th inst.) with the Pairs are a concert in which "the Bowlers' Choir'J assist and a lecture on Lloyd George, which Professor Maxwell Walker, the enthusiastic Axickland skip, is to deftiver. . . *■* ' * * Island Bay has long had a semi-pri-vate bowling green and club—Te Hiwi —and a more public one is that of the ( Island. Bay . Bowling Club, which was - ! opened with due eclat on Saturday afternoon. It is a full-sized 8-rink green, and there is a pretty and commodious pavilion—as well as a croquet lawn for the ladies—so you ; will see there are no. flies on Island Bay. The total outlay has been £1370, of which the pavilion* absorbed £408 Mayor John Luke, Mr. R. A. Wright, M.P., and Mr. N. P. Willoughby (President) did the necessary "talking," Mrs. Willoughby threw the jack, a good orchestra invoked the soul of music, and the bowlers sampled the green and the refreshments and pronounced both "Al." A pleasant little interlude was the presentation to Mr. Harry T. Ballinger by the Club" Committee of a. tangible token of gratitude for his enthusiastic efforts on the Club's behalf. The Club numbers 45 members. Here's luck! .