PROVINCIAL NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 118, 11 February 1908, Page 5

PROVINCIAL NEWS.

.(lltOM OOR: SPECIAL' COREESrONDENTS,). . ,''' r ■' ■'• —i— '" '' "" * ■ PALMERSTON. ' Some dairy fnctorics operating in the dis-trict-have, found it neccssary, to. reduce , their v; ; \ staffs 'ow'irig to 'the"vast decrease in the milk supply. ' , / MASTERTON. • Whilov returning-i from Mount -Holdsworth on' Saturday night " Misses--Wellington'and - Bernman," and Mr. Nichol received severe /injuries through being thrown from a runaway buggy: V ' . • . ' • } ', \ CARTERTON. -On Saturday- afternoon, • after - .returning from'the school,: tlio. Fire Brigade received anothor call' on'their services to extinguish -'■yet' another grass fire Borough, when the. grass round Mr., ■ Coleman Phillips's pnught'.'Tho-'full Brigade .turned out ..under Captain :-Lumley, and -with.tlio willing-. assistt•- ance of npighbours, had the fire vrell under control-. .The Prigadq, however, stood by till . . midnight.. .. . . .. .. ...... ; At 3.30 a.m. on Monday thov were turned eut again', .this timc to, Kent. Street, iwhere ' ■ fifteen acres^of-dry-grass was consumed, tlio fire' being stopped just at the fence on the < western side of Captain Lumley's. residence, • . : and the-water-race alongside Miss Fenshaw's property. The urgent need of 1000 feet moro ■:-t : . hose and a.-length ;of.'i'ope..is- making.itself, ■ felt more and more at. each call.;. -•! . .•■■■..■ , ■ , 'Tile'streams -are drying 'up to .an extent ■ bftyond tho memory of any. rosulont. iThe Uangatarerere is now a. string 'of { pools/ and : " as. this is one-of the,best fishing streams.an ■ ,t.W^'i<; J '',rapai',a serious.loss 'to anglers as ■!' Joel's is imminent. /. :v. > t ■ rrfye.'-wero<offered', up. in the ' , fuj-cliesj'yGsti "ay. I-, Mr.- Neilsen? l t '|f ' Dalcficld,. reports, a pe- ' • diliar 'discoverj' -fle made while digging round Siitnewillows on Saturday.!- Thero had been 1 a. drain there before the. drought, and Mr. ■ Jse'.lsen was dcepcmng it and clearing out the ' willow roots. As he proceeded, he found that ithe roots were intertwined with: live eels, as . ,-N m a net, ' the ground - around , n'as ■ ■ quite dry. ■ ■ .

LEVIN. •* 'A' special'meeting of the' Borough Council .was. held r oir Friday to 'go into the high/prcssuro. water scheme.v lliere was- a full attendajicc of the Councillors/ and consider- ■ ablO' discussioil! took, place ■ regarding tho • scheme. It .was decided to raise, a loan of £22;000 to carry oftt the' v scheme, subject to the approval! ot the ■ ratepayers,- and ' a l -poll will he taken 1 in-about' six weeks' time. ■ The--usual-- monthly. • sitting - of. the :Magis- . Court/was held on Friday before Mr: A.'D. Tliompson, S;M. In all, between thirty . and'- forty oases' were dealt , with,; most :of them being debt claims. Besides > the civil cases; there.- was" ono information for'.fishing • without.a license, the defendant being-fined ' £2, solicitor's ;fee' Is;/ and Court costs < 7s. 6d. ' , ;

I, OTAKI. ; •Two deaths ; occurred at the hospital ; hero yesterday., Mrs. 'of'-Levin, aged. 38 years, l was admitted on Thursday, and on the following- day underwent -an- operation from - which.: slie never • rallied. . The other death , was.that- of Miss Annio Burns, aged 28 years, of Shannon,,,who has been an-invalid for the past :fow..yearsi-. ;Sho onljv entered the institutiori on Monday, , . ■ Father . Cognct, J of . Opunake,. has'. arrived hero,-and will, actm. the capacity of parish ■priest. " Father Hurley joins the teaching staffofSt-vPatrickVCollego,. Wellington. '■ At ■ the ■ Otakir Polico-. Court ,on Mondav rmorning - three • "-prohibition ' orders > were granted,- viz., against John Gittens, and his wjfo. and: John Brennan. • . ; f /. ■Sharks, - at l tho.f present time, ~are-'-'very plentiful at, the Otaki beach,: and- several nave - been captured:.? ' Bathers rshould - take this as a caution, i (jrass fires during the past dav or ; so-have done great damage; and. oneatParaparaumui narrowly lesfraJScd -causing the' destruction of soveral buildings. A .hro on Kapitn also de- " stroyed much • grass,, w a, large one broke out-on Mr. Simcox s run. , > The amount raised .here towardstho relief fund .-.of- Mrs. < Barratt. •' whosa husband was killed some time .ago .by .atgas explosion «t has reached £23 lis.' Tho Te Horo Methodist Sundav School picnic hold on Saturday, was-a docidcd sucoess. .on tho drr'hill: slopes' proved, a. great .source of amusement,vandmany were the spills that resulted. Mr. Hira Paratn has ;throw,n open to the Otaki State School his picturesque bush, and *Mbhe annual picnic will be held there.; - . . ".The'strflots-were very crowded on Saturdar night, when the local brass band ..played; in front-of. the Post . Office before a large audi--ence.V v \ _ Shannon Cricket Club defeated Moutoa' in a ; match at Moutoa. vThe scores were 125 and 86, respectively; Berquist made 22 ■ for Shannon, Clark -took six wickets tor 26, and Harvey' got,three .pickets.

1 FEATH'ERSTON. , ' The bush fires which have been in progress during the past , few days on Mr. W. Donald's property spread .on- to tho' Domain on Sunday. The - fire brigado was eventually | called, out, and formed l a-bucket- brigade 'to' suppress the outbreak. i t ■, ! .;•' •*■■■:■ ..Ati Cartorton.pn; Saturdayjthe Featherston■ ■ Gun. Club defeated, the .home club,-by one point-in a match for a barrel of clay pigeons. . /Mr., A. Matthews has,-been elected chairman of the South Wairar'apa Rivcr Bgard.': NffiEAHA -AND BUSH DISTRICT. . Tho weather continues. to he most unfavourable for farmers. Many -properties have absolutely, no. water, and farmers havo been' forced to cart water from the local clieew ». factory. The management, ' however,- has' had to reluctantly stop the practice, as it\is: feared, that a shortage may :tabe place." On : ' Sunday a; gale raged in this locality,! and the smouldering fires revived, and by' the: affcrnoon many roads -in" the', district Vereimpassablo ;by reason of' the' snioke"..' Settlers, are longing for rain,, and if it does not,' co'mW ' tho : wintor will, be'.ruinous to, many, as tiiOre .will be • absolutely no grass. Hay and! ; grain . will •: be at' a • record; • price,! as many; farmers ih othbr parts are'now' feeding their' stock on • fodder - which was intended for- winter'.'us'e • ' ' '-'-r On Monday a meeting of' farmers was held lit the cheese factory, when a vote/was unanimously ■ carried thanking Mr. Hogg, 'M.1'.,-for;tbe-kindly interest he had taken in- visit-, ing -tho-idistrict after .the. recent .disastrous, fires, and for-his successful intercession'.wntli the 'Hon. R. . M ! Nab, - Minister - for Lands,! for a supply of grass-seed on time paymentto those farmers, who, . but for. that help,' v,ould have been practically ruined. It was' also agreed to ask Mr. Hogg to thaiik the' Minister for Lands for his assistance. ' PONGAROA. The seven-year-old daughter of Mr. Patrick O'Dowd, proprietor of -iho Aohanga Hotel, died yesterday from diphtheria.