PROVINCIAL NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 72, 18 December 1907, Page 10

PROVINCIAL NEWS.

(FROM OUR SrECIAL CORRESPONDENT. * • . PALMEBSTOIT. ■ Visitors and horses are already arriving ior the races here on Saturday. Air. and Mis. J. 0. Batchelar, prominent residents in the Manawatu, will return from a trip Homo on Friday. Private Grigs hasput'up the highest score 7™ Palmorston Riiics' Shield', at ranges of 200 000, 600, and 700 yds, his.total being I'lM?? 8 ,vas second'with 123. ' At the Palmcrston Court, L. H. Greenaway claimed £2o from the Sluggish llivcr Drainage Hoard, tho monoy having been advanced by him to' the, Board' for the purpose of having survey, work carried out on the banks or tho.Orona,.River- in order to improve it, the agreement being that in the event of tho work being carried out, arid a loan raised by the Board, the money was to be' rounded. Plaintiff claimed that •'■ the' work Had not been carried but, as the Board had not taken meaures to ascertain whether ratepayers would approve of the work being done ?• m, ralsln S of a loan within reasonable time. Tho defence was that the cost of tho preliminary survey more than absorbed tho and that the scheme for the work had not been abandoned, also that the action was brought tm> late. After hearing evidence tho decision was reserved. EEATHERSTON. A meeting of Loyal Unity Lodge was held on Monday night, Bro. P. E. Merlet, N.G., in the chair. A credit balance at tho bank was reported at £59 15s. 9d. Two members wore reported on the sick fund. One new member was initiated. Officers elected ■were: —N.G., Bro. F. E. Merlet; V.G., Bro. J. M'Carty; E. Secretary, Bro. C. Sheen; G.M., Bro. S. Murphy; R.S. t'o N.G., Bro. J. Henderson; L.S. to N.G., Bro. A. Thomas; R.S. to-V.G., Bro. J. Elliott. A public meeting is to be held hero on Friday night in connection with a proposal t'o-construct public swimming baths. Last week 918 bales of wool were sent from the Featherston railway station. The sheep traffic on Monday was 2627 head, and ten trucks left on Tuesday morning. ■■ Alterations are being effected to the totalisator house at the Tauhcrenikau racecourse. FEUDING. Mr. Arthur Dwyer, Borough Inspector,- is to leave Feilding to-day for Wellington,-en route for Sydney. Whilst there ho will bo married to Miss .Lilian Phillips, daughter of Staff-Captain Phillips, in charge of the Port Pirie Division (South Australia) of the Salvation Army. The marriage is to take place on. Boxing Day. It having been urged by business mon as a reason for not observing race-days as holidays that the meetings of the Feilding Jockey Club were of no benefit to the town, the "Star" publishes an interesting financial statement on the subject. It appears that the total expenses of the last meeting of the Club were £5083; of this amount. £3010 went in stakes. There wero a hundred horses ongaged at the meeting, and it wpuld.be a modest estimate to say that each horse, cost the owner £5 during its :stay here. 'The Government reaped a tax of £409, which goes to the credit of the State. The sums in which the'town participated were the following:—Salarios, etc., £270; building alterations, £360; divided amongst eleven tradespeople, £53; totalisator ■ staff, £160; cost.of tickets and handling, £167; advertising. and printing, £153. It will therefore be seen that no small portion of the £5080 expended remained in Feilding, plus the return to the town made by visitors from other'parts of the Dominion! : The Feilding Friendly' Societies Council held its annual meeting on Monday evening, Bro. Carman presiding. The following were elected to the various offices for the ensuing year:—President, Bro. G. Hill (Druids); vice-president, Bro. Woodhouse (Oddfellows); secretary, Bro.- Garlick (Oddfellows); trustee, Bro. Roberts (Foresters); treasurer, Bro. Allen ;(Oddfellows);; auditor, Bro. Lochhead (Foresters); executive,,, Bro; ; ..Hill (Druids), Carman (Foresters), arid Woodhouse (Oddfellows). At the annual meeting of the. Cheltenham Cricket'' Club the following officers were elected: —President, Mr. J. Bruce; vice-presi-dents, Messrs. C. A. J. Levett, James Barrow, W. Mills, W. Tappin, C. -E. Johnston, W. F. Jacob, A. Conway, H. P. Lance, and H. Densham; captain, Mr. J: C. Hare; vice captain 1 , Mr. J. S. Mills; secretary and treasurer, Mr. W-.stills; auditor, Mr. C. E. Johnston; selection committee, Messrs. J. C. Hare, J. S. Mills, A.. Barrow, O. Hare, M. Goldsbury, and the secretary. LEVIN. ', The fortnightly meeting of the Borough Council'' was held on Monday -night at the Council Chambers. Correspondence was read from the Treasury Department stating that tho interest on the proposed new loan for making streets would be' 3} per cent under tho new Act passed last, session; from T. F. Martin, Secretary Municipal Association of New Zealand, stating that with regard to tho gas and electricity loans, it would not be possible to put alternate loan proposals before tho ratepayers, but they could be put independently,, and the Council could put into force whichever was carried at the polls; .from the ■ Department of ,;,Labour regarding holidays and now clauses of. the Act . stating that elector's and not factory owners only had tho power to .decide which day in tip week they wanted for the holiday. The Sanitation Committee was authorised to, consider the question .. of getting .'. engineer's report regarding drainage of, ■'. Borough, so as to report at next meeting. . A resolution was passed ..re-affirm-ing the decision. to place the high pressure water scheme before the ratepayers as soon as possible. It was decided to let; by,public auction eleven of the municipal.reserves.for twenty-one years' lease with tho right, of renewal at a. re-valuation, the : upset, rental varying from 40s. to 80s. The usual' accounts, amounting to £74, were .passed for payment. It was decided to close the offices of the Council from December 24 to January 3. . f -.'.-.:■; ■ ,-■ ; OTAKI. ;.' ' ■ Members of the Native Mission Trust have decided on a site for the school,'which will be erected in the' vicinity of the. college. The boarders' residence will be : built near the' ccmotery. A technical school will also be built, and it is understood .'all.' the' work will l be put in hand as soon as possible.. At Otaki on. Saturday members of tho local tennis club defeated tho Paraparaumu Tennis Club by 19 sets to 2, while at Levin the players there were defeated by, an Otaki team by 8 sets f to 5. A number of pipe'rs' of the Wellington Gordon Highlanders' pipe baud visited Waikanae on Sunday, and played, before 200 spectators.' ■ A collection was taken up in aid of the uniform fund, some £3 15s. was subscribed. ' Tho pipers were entertained at Mr. Hira Parata's Mahara House. Anniversary services in connection with the To Horo Sunday school were held on Sunday, arid were largely attended. \ The local school breaks up'for the holidays on Friday, when',the' distribution of prizes will take place. , , WAIMARINO. Continuous fine weather is expediting shearing operations, and also enabling a number of sottlors to burn off on their sections. .''.-■.■. Settlers in tho Ohotu block, whoso, natural outlet is Raetihi, intend to spare no efforts to got a fair proportion, of the money ■■ voted for tho Parapara road spent in tho' vnnchncedcd improvements at this end; Tho roads to thoir properties have so far been well-nigh impassablo in winter or after long-continued wet weather. The navvies on tho Main Trunk Line construction works cease work on December 20 for a fortnight, on 1 account of the Christmas and New Year holidays. Special bains havo been arranged so that they may travel to Auckland or Wellington in ono day.. Building at Raetihi still continues, and soveral fine residences are now' well in tho contractors' hands. Potato crops nro looking very healthy, and so far there is no appearanco of tho blight, which is outting crops in the Auckland diatriotv