PROVINCIAL NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 587, 16 August 1909, Page 4

PROVINCIAL NEWS.

(phou ouu sprciAi, coiiiitsroN'jE <Ta ) FKILDIN'G. Residents in and around Fcilding have been "seeing things" in tlio sky, and some have spent hours that were bitterly' cold in watching tlio movements of" "a' strango body." The explanation is that some. Fcilding boys ljave been, (tending up,lire balloons and are malting more. The ltev. Geo. Budd, Fcilding's Presbyterian -pistor, is at Mangaw'eka, where ho preached, the charge being vacant." Ho also held services-at -llangiwa'liia and Oliingaiti.'-. A batch of settlers at Apiti and Kimlioltou have been fined by the magistrate, Mr. A. D. Thomson,-for allowing their cattle to stray in "the long paddock," otherwise tlio highways. • ,i : 'Tlio Fcilding Wesley Church choir havo been very carefully coached by Sir. 11. Tcmplo Whito for tho contest next Wednesday at Napier, where I think tho choir will givo a good account of itself.

PAHIATUA.

At the Pahiatua .Debating Society's •meeting on Friday evening, an interesting' discourse on "Socialism" was delivered' by the Rev. Speers. Tho speaker detailed the history of "!Socialisir(" f).nco its inception, and the general idea of tho meeting was'that Socialism was bound to'-become a recognised fact, but tho day was-yet a long way olf. , There are at present four males and throe females in tho I'aliiatua Hospital. Tho Pahiatua Racing Club's,dates'fo'r their annual raoo meeting, 'January 12 and 13, 1910, havo been approved of by tho Metropolitan Club. :, ~% , . ' , , ' At St. Paul's Sunday Schoolroom on Friday evening, small articles mado;by the Sunday school children for distribution anions' children in India were displayed, and a social evening was spent. The children, under the guidance of Miss Mills, rendered several songs during .tho oveningy 'Arrangements : aro being • made, by tho Pahiatua 1 Cciilra'l' i ßraiich of thol New, Zealand FariiK!rs' ;: "Uiiioii v for. .cxponmentiiijT in this district with various rtamires for : tho benefit of tho farming community." ■'■' : One of the delivery .brakes, of one of our local storekeepers had the misfortune ic get stuck ill a slip on tho.To Aupapa Road on Thursday. After considerable,' anxiety on the part of tho driver, and with the' help, of a resident, ■ tho brake was ; finally got on the lijvrd road again, and arrived in town at a rairly late hour in the evening.

'• WOODVILLE. ~ S

Settlers generally seem to be taking • advantage, of the prices ca.ttle are bringing, for there are'a good number of farmers selling off .their dairy herds at the present time. Mr. Jonathan Cunningham lias purchased the farm of.the late Mrs. M'Corraicki on the Pinfold Road. This will mnko the fourth section that Mr. Cunningham ha 3 secured, all in close proximity to one another. 'The Woodville, Riflo Volunteers .have improved in muster. Recently their'.'paradcs were Tory, poorly attended; a dozen inch in. all would very; often bo the".number.on..parade. At the Jhst t\Vo parades held the number of men attending hrivo been thirty and forty respectively. ■•'■.... .. An attempt, is being .made to reorganise the bowling club. The ground, I understand, is to bo let.free- of cost, other than the upkeep, so thoso who are .working', tho should bo able to arrange for a reasonable membership fee. Then, there, would bo-.more chalice of the club 1 going ahead. 1 '>'

GltfiYTO^N.'■;' '

The local la'Jies' team of'hockeyites ; (Kia Toa) suffered their first defeat to-day, playing ngainst the girls of tbo local:-High School, the score being:. High School one goal and Kia Toa none. - Mr. W. Cochrane, of .the .. local, railway staff, has boon promoted ganger at Kakariki, Halcombe.- Ho , leaves Gr'cytown on Monday to take up his new duties. ...

< ;,.,m,uv,. LEVINS ' : :" --';

; Tho Native Land. Court, which has been sitting at Wereroa thin, week, has f bec.n.' adjourned for three weeks! ' ~ ..,. '-.■'' ,;■ ; The Y.M.G.A. Boys' Department;,, met on Friday oveningi when Mr. J; C.. Burns gave the "talk," his subject being ,"Tlic I'pwer of the Tpuguc." Recitations'were, given by. Masters A. Gray, and G, Arcus, soiigs by C. Jennings and P. Wooding, ajid a reading by C Jennings. There was a largo attendance, and the popularity of'this department is undoubted. The Mayor of Levin (Mr. B. R. Gardener) has had interviews with several Ministers in Wellington this week, and expects that some good to tho borough will accrue from Wβ visit. Matters discussed related to closer ccttlement, the post office, tho proposed infectious diseases hospital, and general. " ■

, ••RAUEIMU,

•A meeting convened by Mr. Lawson wan hold in Raurimu on August 11 for tlio purpose of forming a Settlors' Association there. The meeting was well attended, by- the'.ratepayers, and a strong committee was formed, with Mr. -Bushy as chairman and Mr. Lawson' as secretary and treasurer. It was resolved that the association 'bo called the Rauriinu Settlers' 'Progressive Association. It is quito tiriio something like the above- wae done to wsteh over t'ho interests ( of ttio district, as we find that if we do not ask , ' tho powers that bo will not'give. \ : • • . I may say while on tho subject ' that the roads are. something disgraceful. Tho Kaiticko Road,' which is tlio mam road to.the Wanganui River, may bo described as being twelve feet wido by six feet deep. Another matter- whioh requires immediate attention ib this:'tliero is no-justice of the' peace within thirty miles,of Rauriinu,' and this is aeauco of great inconvenience to the settlers, especially as tho train service ie-very unsatisfactory. You-will get more of our grievances ' It has just occurred to mo that somo of your readers may wish to know whore Raurimu is.' It is-rfeht at tlio foot of'tho famous Spiral on tlio Main Trunk lino, and when travelling south in the express passengers will hear a cow-boll announcing-.refreshments. t Your correspondent in not the guilty'owner