PROVINCIAL NEWS,

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 135, 2 March 1908, Page 8

PROVINCIAL NEWS,

(ritOSI OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS.) 4 . PONGABOA. A bazaar and social, in aid of the Church s of England debt extinction fund, was hold at tho Town Hall on Wednesday evening last, when there was a largo attendance. 1 Tho various stalls were all well stocked. 3 Several guessing competitions, a post office, s an art gallery, shooting. gallery, • etc.,. all 1 wont towards making a capital evening's . amusomont, while the Pongaroa Orchestra', under Mr. G. Haines, provided the. music. After tho hall had been cleared aii enjoyable • danco was held. Tho financial result is- exi pected to be most satisfactory. . . ! .'. .. FEATHERSTOX." ' V The milk supply. at' the Feathorston Dairy Factory on Friday was 1550 gallons, being '■ 150 gallons less than-that received the Friday > previous. , Fat stock for butchers'-purposes are re- , ported to bo plentiful in the Featherston district at, tho present time. •; A Servioe is to. bo heJd in St; John's Anglican Church on Ash Wednesday,; when the Rev. D. 0. Hampton will officiate. A carpet, valued at £9 155., has-boen purchased for the stage of the Town Hall, as tho result of tho socials. Tho annual picnic of St. John's Sunday School was held in the Domain on Saturday afternoon. There was a largo( attendance, and the day was spent most pleasantly. OTAKL The drought still continues in this district, and rain is eagerly hoped for. On Saturday morning the sky for a short time became overcast, and rain threatened. Unfortunately it passed-over. .' : " Miss May Stansell, a young. lady well known in this district, and daughter of Mr. J. R. Stansell,. has accepted a position on tho Cambridge Sanatorium staff. SHANNON. ' , .Owing to the low price of fibre, one or two of tho Foxton mills are likely to close down. Ono mill/in the Moutoa district has already shut .down, and unless there is a speedy recovery in tho hemp market, only those mills that have contracts running are likoly to continue working. Mr. E. B. Stephenson, while building a house here, fell from the top, and was cut badly about the head and-severely shaken. Tho telephone lino has been .erectod throughout tho town, and the instruments will bo- installed almost immediately. Tho post office is to be enlarged, a bureau will.bn established forthwith, and local rijsidents will have what they have long desired, satisfactory telephonic -communication. " I'ALMERSTON. / Mr. Robert Stevons, an old resident of this .'district, who' is going to $ake, up J his abode ,in Danuevirko, was ..entertained by, a numbqr of, old. friends on Saturday. . MrV ■Steven's has, been identified, with the Mani? v/atu, A. and P. Association for a number of years. '.Watervis, becoming very scarce in many parts of the district. In tho Ppha'ngina Valley the. fires - have been freshened up along tho ranges. > MASTERTON. . ' . Mrs. F. C. Dupre, .widow,, of the .late..:,F, C. Dupre, who has just died in. this town, was a native of County Tipperary, Ireland, and came to New Zealand in the early .days. For many -years she resided. at Greymoutli with her 1 husband, who' was all esteemed resident of the Coast. . There is a-family of three sons and two daughters. Tho fiinoral this afternoon was. largely attended. With reference to tho. alleged pollution of spring .water -in• the vicinity of. Mount . Holdsworth, Mr. C. Bannister, who has acted as mountain guide, stated, .that- tho springs referred to in the Government report are not in the lirie of route of tourists, who may be ascending the .hill by. either tho ordinary or the pack-hors'o l track. In fact, they aro chains away, and to Mr. Bannister's knowledge have not been' used to' any . extent -by travellers. It has frequently happened that, tourists jiscending- the mountain have suffered severe internal .pains by drinking too much water while climbing. An unusual bowling incident was recorded at .tho tournament .this weok" between the Masterton and Carterton .Clubs for the ' Booth . Cup. A_ .bowler cannoned his bowl off another against a' coat lying some dis- : tance away on a bank. In one of the i pockets of tho coat was a box of matches, ! ■which become ignited by tho impact, and i before the blaze could bo extinguished it , had burned two one; pound notes which we're in tho: sanie'pocket.