PROVINCIAL NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 188, 4 May 1908, Page 8

PROVINCIAL NEWS.

(from ocr special cannr.sroNDEN7J )' ~ A PALMERSTON. Mossrs. AV. H. Payne and R. Mulroonoy havo intimated that they will contest the - vacant seat in the Borough Council. f Mr. Nash will be installed as Mayor on ii' Wednesday. ( 3 Sir. R. Essex, the retiring Mayor, leaves 3 for the Old Country at an early date, accomn panied by Miss Olive Esse:;. r Mr. T. Holt, tho well-known horse-dealer, - has just' returned from Sydney whero ho r took over a consignment of horses. It is - understood that horses are hard to place on 1 tho market ill Australia. r John Burke O'Brien was committed to the Inebriates' Homo at Pakatoa,, Auckland,; by , Mr. Thompson, S.M., on Saturday. ' O'Brien j! mado a patriotic appeal not' to havo his liberty curtailed. . Detective Quirko arrested a man 'on Saturday on a cliargo of theft from the White Hart Hotel, Marton. Accused will ap- , psar before tho Magistrate's Court to-day._ r . Prospectors are still carrying on boring . operations near tho Gorge bridge for copper.' { ' MASTEETON. s Mr. A. Hart, railway guard, stationed at , Mastertoii, but now transferred to AA'clljngt ton, was entertained by tho railway staff 3 and friends at a social evening on Saturday. 3 Mr. F. Hill, stationmaster,; presented Mr. Hart, a purso of sovereigns. He is ,i ) very popular official, and regret is expressed 1 at his leaving the district. . : Mr. A. M'Lcod, a well-known and popular i settler, who for thirty years has been engaged in pastoral pursuits, and has also owned an important sawmill at Opaki, was ; presented-by a gathering of friends on Sat-. 1 urday with a travelling bag. Tho presentation was mado at tho A. and P. Association's E rooms, tho company including, seven ox-presi-donts of. tho Association. Mr. Heron was chairman, and speeches woro also made' by Messrs. J. lorns, J. H. Pauling, and W. L. Falconer. . ' PAHIATUA. j An'accident which might, havo proved ' serious occurred oil Friday. Mr. J. Taylor > while riding a bicycle collided with a dray. ■ Ho was thrown under the dray and received ' only, an abrasion of . the head, whilo the ■ bicycle was practically destroyed. . ' The hockey match "played at Pahiatua be-. " tween.tho Rotorua ladies' Club and tho " iWoodvillo Girls' High School proved an in- ; teresting gamoj the local team winning by one goal to nil. ' " " At Mangatainoka to-day' the second flag | match was played between Mangatainoka and ! Eketahuna. Tho latter, tlipugh tho heavier 1 team,- did not show combination in the forl ward division, and practically from tiio start ! the local .-earn- had tho. best of the game. In'the socond spell' Mangatainoka had de- ' cidedly tho best of the game and should havo ' scored several times 1 from marks and free kicks; but was unable tr; convert. Tho ' game.endod after a willing, go iri a draw with " no score by either side. , > — ~ ~ 'i ; ' CAETEETON. f _ The annual installation of the ■ W.M. and : investiture of officers' of Lodge.. St., Mark , (N0.'53) N:Z.C. took place on Thursday , evening in the presence of a largo number of ! .visiting brethren from all portions of- the AVairarapa. Rti.. AVor. Bro.. R. Fletcher, [ G.S.,' was Installing Master j -AV, -8r6. ; J. j Moncrieff, jun., P.D.G.C., director of cere- , monies; Bro. A. Ramsaiy, investing officer; and,Bro. A. AV. Russell, trumpeter. Fol- ! lowing were tho officers invested J AV. Bro. Lightfoot; S.AV., Bro. T. J. Ratli- . bono; J.AV., Bro. T. H. Hughes; treasurer, AV. Bro. Pepper, P.M.; secretary, AV. Bro. ' Moncrieff, P.M.,; S.D. Bro. G. Y. Canton; . J.D., Bro. A. N. Burns; organist, Bro. Jno. Brown; 1.G., Bro. R. J. Chapman; Tyler, , Bro. J. Stevens. : ' "" . OTAIvI. : - i . The Maoris present hero are still indulging in feasting and hakas, and thejr movements i aro watchcd eagerly by a crowd of. European , visitors. Somo 1500 Natives are encamped ■ in and about tho town, and tho chiefs of the , various hapus fill in the day in specch-mak- ■ ing. ' - 1 A deal of comment is' being made, upon • tho insanitary condition of tho AVaikanao i. School, and tho .complaints of children ' fainting in school! Tho building should seat, • comfortably, somo.forty scholars, yet seventy 5 aro crowded in". Money has been spent on > .drainage, but to no purpose. Tho building ! lies practically on tho ground, and on a damp : placo at that. It is hoped, for the; sako of ' tho children, that the proposed new school 1 will bo erected before long, and on a higher ". level. [ Tho_Paekakariki Anglicans aro making, a ,J bid to have a church, similar .to the one at Paraparaumu, erected in their township, and - already'- £120 has been collected. Tho balance will probably be raised by debentures. ' 'Tho new valuations for Otaki show a con- | sidcrablo increase on the previous ones, the ! old valuation being £314,413, as against r r £474,026 now. i ■ : ' ! '■ ; featheeSton. . / ; A welcome social to tho Rev. AV. AV. and Mr. J. T. Pratley was - given in the Oddfellows' Hall by m'ombers of -the local 1 Mothodist Church, on Friday . evening last. There was a representative attendance, the ltev. W. J. Elliott, of Carterton, presiding. The incoming ministers were welcomod by Mr. A. AV. Gray, on behalf 'of the Church, arid Mr.- AV. Sadler spoke for the South Featherston congregation, while Mr. Holdcroft spoke 1 on behalf of the Sunday schools. The ministers suitably acknowledged tho* compliments' paid them, and the social was occupied with songs, contributed by Misses Sadler (2), and Mr. Gray, whilo Miss Sadler, and tho Rev. AV. J. Elliott contributed recitations. Tho local Oddfellows hold a ''pound night" this evening, as a' ; send off to the Rev. T. J. Smith, who leaves shortly for his now parish at Picton. ';