PROVINCIAL NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 122, 15 February 1908, Page 3

PROVINCIAL NEWS.

. (FROM OUR' SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS.) — _4 ; ' PALMEIISTON. The heavy firo in Tho Gorge is working havoc amongst tho beautiful scenery. ■ A meeting will bo held at Bunnythorpc to-day to deeido whether tho Co-operativo Dairy Company will launch out in cheesemaking.' last' month £1700 was paid out by this company, tho price being 10i|d. A meeting of creditors in tho bankrupt estate of S. Pawson, grocer, was held yesterday. The liabilities to unsecured creditors aro £384 18s. Bd.; to secured creditors, nil; and the deficiency £197. It was decided to call tenders for tho djsposal of the stock. In the absence of the Health Inspector, Mr. Perry, Inspector O'Brien, of Feilding, will talio chargo" of infectious cases ill Palnierston. • . i On a chargo of o'pium smoking, Ah Ting -w;as .yesterday ;lined 10s. and costs at tho •Magistrate's Court, tho fino being reduced, ofrinjj.to accused being in a bad state of healtn and: having been ordered by-Di\ •M'lnt.yro to tako opium pills. Tho Magistrate lioped that no other Chinese would con- • sider:they could smoke opium with impunity ..on,account of tho light line.

;i' : \ MASTEItTON.

/''During the past five years the'number of classes at thq.- Masterton Technical School has been increased from half-a-dozen to a 'dozen, and tho attendance of pupils from 60 to 156. The annual receipts have increased from £364 to. £578, and the annual expenditure from £280, to' £546. Following on the proposal for a co-opera-tive butchery in Masterton, Councillor J. Farr has tabled a motion for the inauguration of a Municipal- butchery. The . argument in, favour of. this idea is that tho Council has already its Municipal slaughterhouse, and the only thing' now' required is the meat shop. No doubt there wilhbc Municipal meat shops some day in Masterton, but the Borough Council has hardly yet' shown its fitness to deal successfully with .such a venture. Masterton institutions generally aro at present reaping a. harvest front firms and companies conncctcd with "the. trade," which is showing a lively interest in'the fact that , last year the town voted No-License. It is generally agreed that at the General Election in November tho struggle will bo severe. At present the odds are a little in favour of the "No-Licenso Party."

.. "At a meeting of Masterton - master hairdressers last night it was resolved to raiso tlio price of haircutting from sixpence to a shilling a head, commencing ou March 1. Tho increase is due mainly to tho demands of thb labour union. , A mysterious firo commoncod late this afternoon almost in tho centre of tho town in a shed and washhouse on tho premises, of Mrs. 'Rockell, an aged and respectcd resident. The ; outbreak was suppressed by tlio Firo Brigade. Thero was no insurance, and tho loss is' about. £30. Tho water-pressurfe at the service of' tho Brigade showed •an improvement; on that at recent fires, but tlio pressure is still far from satisfactory...

h..; FEILDING.

; Tho monthly meeting of-the Women's Temperanco Union of Feildin'g was held on Thursday' afternoon, : Mrs. Snow in tho chair. It was decided that Mesdames Frost and Heald be appointed delegates to the W.C.T.U. Convention to bo held in Auckland.. It was unanimously dc'cided that tho W.C.T.U. hold a •fancjr fair in order to raise funds for tlio olc'ction campaign, • and to; request, tho cooperation of tho No-Liceriso League. It .was resolved that Mrs. Cossum.bo,appointed president for the ensuing year, 'in placo of (iUrs. Snow, who is leaving Feilding. A bush firo; was-started at Cheltenham on Thursday, wliich threatened to-do, considerable damage. Tho wind'dropped, however, , before thero- were any serious results, and so long as the weather remains calm danger will bo' averted. ' 1 A whirlwind of unusual severity was witnessed in Queen Street just before 1 o'clock yesterday. ' Starting just at''the' rear-.of Mr.. .Wunch's residence, it.' lifted, an immense gorso'bush- and the water from the bed of the Makiho stroam to-a height-of about 30 or 40, feet, thence making across the hills .towards Sandoii,'carrying with it all sorts ,and conditions of rubbish. ; *

■ Tho Waiiganui Education Board had sixapplications for tho post of, Director of tho Feilding Technical School and superyisor of technical education' for tho. southern districts. 'Mr. Walter Fossoy, ; who was selected, is thirty-six years of ago, and married. • Ho was educated in London, and is at present in charge of tho Manual Training School at Newmarket, - Auckland, and also tcachcs classes in drawing arid geometry at-'tho Aiick4 land-Technical College. A meeting of tho Feilding Borough Council, called for tho purpose of putting tlio. final touches on the loan proposals for tlio borough improvements, was lield on Thursday night. Tho | Mayor, Mr./Trowin, stated tho amount of the loan at present was £19,500, , £12,-£TO(J for street improvements, £0000 for water and scwago extension, and £1000 for tho swimming baths. Councillor Cobbo moved that tho-sum of £1750 jbo added-to the loan proposals for the purposo of erecting a forro;concreto bridge in Manchoster Street. This was'agreed to, as was Councillor Goodbehoro's proposal that £150 be added to tho water and 'sewerago extensiqn loan for tbo purpose of erecting public unnals. Iho Joans' then stood at £21^92.,

LEVIN."

Before Messrs. James Prouse and E. F. Levy, J.P.'s, at the Police Courtyesterday morning, John Macgrcggor was charged with stealing a pair of boots, valued at 255.; from one Hughie M'Donald, a native. The accused was .convicted and fined 205., in default? days' imprisonment. Tho Court also granted a /prohibition order against one J. Coombe, the order to be in force for at least twelve months. . The very hot and dry weather still continues m this district,' and matters, are not made better, by tho fact that ,the. smoke from ■neighbouring bush fires is very thick, Tho -hot .weather and want of rain are' having a bad, effect both upon * townspeople and the farmers. In town, ; tanks in a great many cases have run absolutely dry. and people have ,to obtain-wator as best they can from others who are fortunato enough to • havo wells and pumps. . Ihe whole.land,' as far as one can see,- presents tho samo straw-coloured, burnt-up surface, and so, naturally, feed is not growing at all, and stock is suffering considerably §tock is changing hands at very low prices .and only those few ; fortunatb farmers who havo had largo tracts of land l< resting" for sonio time can handle fresh stock with any possible advantage. Many farmers stato that if they do not get rain in "at least a week or so they-will' not bo able to grow much, if any; winter feed. Fortunately, on the whole, this district has been rather freo from fires. Though tho farmer is suffering •through tho feed being-burnt up, ho has no very'great difficulty with water, for tho greater part of the., surrounding district is well watered by tho water-races.

FEATHEIISTOS.

The Featherston County Council met yesterday at .Martinborough, The treasurer reported receipts,' £287 Os. 7d., and accounts totalling £977 10s. lid. were passed for payment. ; . Councillor Evans, tho newly-elected Councilor for the Otararia Riding ,took his seat at the council-table. The quarterly report' of the sanitary inspector was received as satisfactory. : Two cases.-of infectious ( diseases were; reported in the country. Mr. J. Adamson was granted the leaso of the Willow Reservo for one year. Mr. H. Morison was granted permission to extend telephone poles from Morrison's Bush to Glcnmorven. Mr. W. B. Sadler granted' the Council permission to take ; gravel from his property at 3d. per cubio;.yard. It was decided to purchase a new road-grader. The sum of £30 was passed for work doiic nt the Wiiiohinc River. Mr. Carrol waited upon the Council with plans in connection with White Rock Road. The .engineer's report was adopted. A

OTAEI.

. Tho local representative cricketers returned to their homes 011 Thursday, and although beaten, speak in glowing terms of the treatment accorded them by the Wellington representatives.