PROVINCIAL NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 117, 10 February 1908, Page 10

PROVINCIAL NEWS.

(rnoji ocr spkcial connnsroNDENxs.) PALMERSTON NORTH. I regret to record the death of Mr. D. J. Monrad, an old . and cstoomed settlor of Mnnawatu. Deceased had. been in illhealth for somo considerable time. MASTEIITON. It 'has been reported that young Broome, who died of typhoid fever tho other day in tlio Mastorton Hospital, became infected with the disoase through drinking water out of a stagnant pool on Mount Holdsworth. \C. M'Kay, a mato of Broomo's, is at present in the Mastorton Hospital slowly recovering from an attack of tho same disoaso which killed his chum. Tho health official in the South Wairarapa is • proceeding to ■ Mount Holdsworth, in order to obtain a sample of tho water, which will then be analysed in Wellington. There is at tho present timoa mild gastric fever epidemic in Masterton. A large number of people, old and young, havo been down tho _ disease, and one child , has died. o physician is. reported to have as many as thirty ■ cases. It is noticeable that a number of severe cases aro at the Kuriptmi end of Masterton, whore there is no drainago. Tho Masterton Borough Council is experimenting in macadamising and asphalting tho roadways of its streets. ' Something of tho kind will be badly needed before the winter comes -on, and burgesses are watching tho results with great interest. With reference to the phantom water supply of the borough,, tho Mayor, Mr. J. M. Coradine, states that the key to the position lies in the hands of tho burgesses thehisolves. Thoro is an abundance of water in tho reservoir, and if tho public would only content themselves to the use of 75 gallons of water per day, instead of 300' gallons, there would 1 be no need to worry about what tlio 'pressure would be in case of fire. However, it' tho public thought fit to use four times their legitimate quantity of water, tho-Mayor was not disposed to take drastic measures and issuo summonses indiscriminately. It seems that tho sooner Masterton commenccs its new scheme for a larger water supply, tho bettor it will bo for the safety of the town. , A grass fire was started in tho borough on Friday by small; urchins exploding a 6tray match between two stones. Tho conflagration was prevented from attacking dwellings and fences chiefly by the efforts of two women,' who fought tho 'flames pcrseveriingly till help came iri'tlio shape of ( the Fire Brigade, when tho blaze was quito extinguished. : Tho Fire Brigade demonstration, however, showed tho public that the borough possesses a largo amount of punctured hose, in addition to an inefficient water prossuro, and that the town would bo almost helpless in the caso of a largo fire. FEILDING. OROUA COUNTY COUNCIL Tho •monthy meeting of the Oroua County Council was held in _Feilding on' Friday,: Mr. G. C. Wheeler presiding. Tho County Engineer (Mr. Roy Harding) reported upon the condition of various contracts. Contract No. 4, Grovo Road, was .finished , satisfactorily, and ,a payment was recommended of ' 1 £112 :10s., being 75 per cent, of tho'total amount of contract; tho work ; of-raising ,the road atMarshall's Bridgo and widening tho FeildingHalcombo Road near the stream had boon completed; a small bridge culvert' on the Feilding-Bunnythorpe Road was badly da'maged on two .occasions during last month, and one side of it had to be almost coriipletely re-decked.- , Lettors. received included thoso from tho Ashhurst poundkeeper with the impoundings for the month of January. Tho figures were; —Horses, 13s. 6d;j cattle, £2 : lis.; total, £3 4s. 6d, For Dec.embor: Horses, £2 Bs.; cattle, 65.; total, £2,l4s.—From tlio- jiai.ranga County Council, with the following resolutions: "That the Oroua County Council bo informed that tho Kairanga County Council cannot see its way to co'ntributo onethird of tho cost of Grovo Road , (pot to exceed £175) unless tho Oroua County Council form the portion of the road in this county up to a reasonable width, as this Council ronsiders a 14ft. or 16ft. formation only a tiack, not a road, and that a 22ft. formation will moot tho requirements of this Council." Tho Oroua Council passed • a resolution regretting this third refusal, and' deciding! to go on with the work and charge up its snaro of cost to thei Kairanga Council.—From Messrs. J. Morris and C. S. ; Elliott, Palmer-, .ston North, complaining- that they had been charged doublo fare at ■,the Gorge /Ferry, though they wero ready to cross before 9p.m., the time at which doublo faro; is charged. They asked a..refund of 6s. on priii-1 ciple. Thoy wero positive that" th'oy reached tho ferry- at exactly 8.55 p.m. Tho Council had a lcttor from tho ferryman stating that ho was'confident thqy reached tho ferry .'after 1 9 p.m. The , Council decided to tako tho ferryman's version, and supported his 'action J' —From tho Treasury, stating that tho sum of £894, subsidy to. tho Council, had been remitted.—Froin tho New Zealand Counties Association's solicitor, enclosing several, legal opinions.-. '' ... - The following transfers-were agreed to Section 25, blcck'6, Kairanga; S. D. James Ilobbio to F. H. Robbie; sections 225. 226, 227, 228, and 231, William Ladd to AVilliam Blackott; section 330, Manchester block, W. P. Shaw to A.- F. Thoriley. Tho riding accounts as follow:—Dr.: Taoriui, £324 Is. 63.; Rangitawa", £3 14s. lOd. ;.Otangati, £161 9j. 6d. Cr.: Makino, £434' 6s. Id.; Rauniarigi, £471 14s. 2d:-; Hiwinni, '.£79 Bs. 3d.; Mangaone, £19 Bs. 3d. General account :—Rates levied,' £4822' 9s;: 3d.; coljected to February 7, £602 as. Id.; out-stand-in 2, £220 4s. 2d. Bank balance:—General account, cr. £2094.45; Id.; .interest account, dr. £282 lis. Id.; No. 21 loan account, £2128 10s. lid. It was resolved that the attention of the Kairanga County Council and the Pahiatha County Council be directed to the disgraceful state of tho Gorge road, and that they be requested to take such action as wiil ensure the road being put in proper repair for vehicle traffic; also that the Government's attention be called'to the manner in which this road is being neglected, as it is palpably. unfair that . tho : Oroua Council should maintain a ferry for tho convenience of traffic when that portion of the gorge in the, above counties is in disrepair and unsafe for traffic. .' FEILDING BOROUGH COUNCIL. The fortnightly meeting of tho Borough Council was held on Friday night, Mr. J. B. Trowin . (Mayor) presiding. The following letters were before tho" meeting: —\ From' Messrs. Bell, Gully, . Bell, and Myers,* in reference to: the 'leilding Gas ; Company;.in. reply to letters from the Council, and stating' they would arrange-to move tho special case' dircct into :tho.-Court of " Appeal and argue it in April.: Dr. Findlay (leading counsel for the Gas Company) ' would;'ngreo that the quostion was entirely one of law.—From tho Department of Agriculture, in reference to the extension of tho Folding abattoir radius, saying that tho Oroua County Council declined to' approve of tlio proposal. The Minister suggested that a further' effort should bo mado to obtain an amicable settlement of tho matter. The Mayor "and' Councillor Bramwoll woro deputed to waTT on tho Oroua County Council. Tho Health Inspec-' tor reported that there wero no cases-of .infectious: disease during January. On a rccommondation from the Finance Committee the Fcilding Borough Council on Thursday-night decided to give the Borough ppundkeeper (Mr. C. J. D. Skinner) power to. destroy all dogs (except sheep dogs) found wandering in tho Borough without having been registered. . . . .' . At tho ram fair on Tuesday the prices obtained were, on average, two guineas below tho average of last year. Mr. J. Cameron, organising Sccrotary of tlio Anti-Asiatic League, who has been spending several ■ days in - Fcilding,. went on • to Ohakuno on Friday. Arrangements have been made for forming a branch in Feilding. It is probablo that a conference of delegates from tho various leagues will bo hold : in WelJisgton during tho nest session of ParliaJ'

Mont, with the object of scouring registration' similar, to that which has just'been secured in the Transvaal. Mr. Cameron hopes to do somo successful organising among tho workers along the Main Trunk Line... : Mr. J. Grant, who lias! for,-.two-years been a porter at.the Fcilding railway station, has been transferred to'Greatford. •: Tho iter. liines -'Jories, with-'Mrs. limes Jones and family, has returned to Feilding from his Plimmorton vacation. There is no . demand apparently for good purebred poultry : here.; A' breeder got: an offer-; of Is. 3d. :at\the: salerooms yesterday for a bird of high pedigrco.' ' MARTON. ; '. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FORMED. Iho meeting to consider tho formation of a Chamber of -Commerce was -held at tho Borough Council Chambers on Thursday evening, and' was ono of the largest and most . representative of tho business community yet held. Mr. F. Purnell presided. Ho said that that a Chamber of Cominerco was wanted in . Marton. could not bo disputed. They were in tho contre of a great producing district, and they wanted every facility to mako it a distributing centre. Mr. F. R. H. Brico proposed, seconded by Mr. A. W. Woolley, " That a Marton Chamber of Commerce bo formed." Tho motion was carried unanimously. Thirty-six members were, elected, and it is expected that fully a hundred will be enlisted during tho noxt- week. The following officers were elected: — President, Mr. ■F. Purnell; vicepresident,- Mr.'. F: R. H. Brico; committee, Messrs. A. W. Woolley, F. C. Carson, A. Barnes, J. A. Bush, J. Mather, Ladley, W. Broad, and W. L. Little. Mr. P. J. Sladden was appointed auditor. CARTERTON/ The South Carterton branch of the -Fire Brigade rendered valuable assistance in; sub-' duing a grass firo caused by the over boiling of tar in the school grounds on Saturday morning. The main brigade, under Captain Lumlcy, arriving soon afterwards, found their services wore not required. -This is the second time within threo weeks that -. this section has been able to savo serious . loss by coping with fire in its incipient stages. Mrs. Haigh, of Now Plymouth, died at the residence of her daughter-in-law, Mrs: W. Parker, yesterday. Mrs. Haigh, who was the mother $>f the lrito Mr. W. Parker, of Carterton; and Mr. J. Parker, of Pukio, has resided in New Plymouth for a mimbcrVof years past, arid her-body was taken for interment there. She leaves a husband and a number of children and grandchildren. A tribute to the salubrity of the Carterton climate was seen in High Street on Saturday,/ when three -old 'settlers, whose ages totalled 247 years, were seen in conversation together.. These old gentlemen are still lialo, and hearty, and, with the exception, of tho oldest, -aged 87, arc still able to bo about briskly and transact their business. . ' pong Alio a. ;; Mr;. Ross, M.P.' for Pahiatua, who has, during tho past threo weeks, been visiting the'settlers in tho back-blocks busli portion of his, electorate, and has been in communication with tho Government in reference to the disastrous-extent of the recent bush fires, has . receivedtho following communication from tho Minister foY Landsß. B. Ross, Esq., M.P., • Pongaroa.—Rkj bush .fires:. regret exceedingly to hear of losses sustained by the settlers in connection: with the bush fires. When, such calamities spread through - Wush country it..has long been tho custom of tho Department'to grant: assistance- iii connection with the grassing of tlie burnt.areas. Those desiring to get such assistance as has been given by the Government in'the past, and will:- ; bo given in this case, ,should, forward their applications to the Commissioners" of Crown Lands for report and consideration." RANGIWAHIA. Bush fires aro raging : in the Rangiwahia district. A strong easterly wind carried the firo a, long way down tho Manga-Wharanka Valley on Thursday, and several settlers': homos and stock were in great danger; Several „woro carting their fiirnituro away toMahgawoka. The settlers on. the main.south road to Apiti are having a rough time of it. Thero is. little water, - as . ,thocreeks- are' nearly all dried up, and quit-o useless for any supply. Messrs. Bogge, M'Kean, and Kor's houses aro in great-jeopardy. This is the driest sehs'on on record in this district,and the danger'is'increased by tlio fact that, thore is a-large amount of dead timbor and' logs lying about. "