PROVINCIAL NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 485, 19 April 1909, Page 6

PROVINCIAL NEWS.

1 . (FROM OUR BPECIAIi • COR!tEfIrONDENTB.) . .

s: —~ t . .. .. PAHIATUA. In contrast to last year, tlje Pahiatua municipal elections are likely to' canso' &omo- : mild excitement. On- the provious: occasion the Mayor was re-elected without any opposi-., tion, while there was no poll (or the.seats on the council, a number of the old . council'.refusing to. stand for ro-election, whilo no citizen wished to stand in.their! places;. The' consequence was that the clerk;, had strenuous work to induce a sufficient number of citizens to allow themselves to bo duly declared elected. On the present .occasion, however, the present Mayor (Mr. D. Crewe) is to have opposition, his opponent boing Mr. J. D. Wilson, an ex-Mayor. Also, if reports can be relied on, there will be at least somo fifteen candidates seeking election .. to ; the council. '■ Real autumn weather, has set in, what might be termed "pattern weatKer" 'being the present order. Fine, bright days,', commencing vith bright, frosty mornings and followed, by jdccidedly. crisp evenings, have followed: each other for somo timo past. 'jy\ ~■ PALMEItSTON. The Anglican Church at Bunnythorpe held its annual meeting on night. The balance-sheet showed a credit of £4 65.. 6d. The following office-bearers were elected for the year: Messrs. Richardson and AY. Bailey, ■... church .wardens; Messrs. Espiner, ' Ranson, Hawker, and Parsons, ves- . trymen. The charitable aid statistics for the Palmerston district for the year ending March - 31, 1909, disclose some interesting facts. The number of persons who applied for aid was 131, on them - being dependent 222 persons. The causes leading to the applications were given as follow:—Lack of employment, 33; sickness or accident, 35; imprisonment of the breadwinner, 4; desertion of the braedwinner,, 4; widows, \ 14; intemperance, 5; old age, 20; causes undetermined, 16. Fortyseven were, afforded continuous relief, and 65 temporary relief, while travelling expenses • to relatives were paid for 10, and 9 applications were' declined altogether. Rations were granted in .78 cases, and rent in 57. Six funerals lyere conducted, and medical attendance and medicine ordered in 16. Five children ..were boarded out in private homes,' and 13 sent to institutions. Miscellaneous relief, such as firewood, clothing, etc., was supplied in 50 cases. The total expenditure on charitable aid during the year was £1178 7s. Id., while the percentage of cost of administration on expenditure was 11.2.

At the annual meeting of tho Palmerston Guards, held on • Friday night,-, it was decided that, as the corps is now up to its full strength, and recruits are still coming in, to apply to the Government for leave to form a Maxim gun squad. The decision was the outcome of a suggestion by ,' Lieutenant TVilloughby, and if \a\ satisfactory answer is .received it is the intention of the corps to apply for the gun at once: .Twelve teams have . ali ready entered in the various grades -„• (senior, ladies and juniors) . for the five-aside tourney, with which the hockey season is to be opened on the showground on Wednesday next, and it is expected that over twenty teams .will compete. A programme of races will be added to.the matches.;. : • .:-.'•