PROVINCIAL CENTRES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 709, 7 January 1910, Page 2

PROVINCIAL CENTRES.

i (From Our Special Correspondents.)

FEATHERSTON. Featherston is very quiet after th© hoB. days. Business, lion over, iff etill firm, and harvest activities are of course ia evidence, ' i A grass firo broke out on Mr. C B.

Pharazyn's property, "Longwood," -on Monday last, and, for a time, looted very 6enous. Messrs. J. and G. Burt tnd Matthews, who took the work of esimguish-. ing Jt in hand, had an arduous struggle ■ betore the flames were finally beaten out _ ,Dr. Collins and party, while journey- ~. ing by motor car, had in unpleasant experience at Matawhero, about twenty miles from Featherston, this week. It appears that they were driving down the Matawhero cutting, Miss Collins, one oft the party,' having the wheel, when a horso slued violently at tho car. Ia try-J-' iw to avoid tho horse the car was} ' driven over a culvert, and turned com- ■' pletely o\or, throwing tho occupants out. v The chauffeur sustained a severely sprained ankle, while tho others' were much - bruised and shaken.

Mr. J. T. .Bickuell, who has worked, hard to have'the meat works established 1 at Pigeon Bush, has had the site photographed by Mr. Cobcroft. There ore six " news, showing th 3 supply of water " available, a waterfall, the plateau for tho'works, the drainage, and tho railway facilities Thcso were put before tb© J *■ mcoiigg of shareholders in Mnsterton chj, i Wednesday, and caused a good deal oT continent. ,

FEILDING, Mr. T. Mills, sen., late of Cheltenhauv, has been revisiting Patoka, Hawke'a Bay,, where for the last threo months he has' been on his new farm with his' sons.' He speaks highly of the climate and prospects in his now location.

A well-known Roraney breeder from a district near Feilding, and one whose wool brought tho top price at the Wei- * hngton sale this week, 6tatcs that the best classing of the wool in the sale was done by the students of the Feilding Technical School. Speaking generally of tho olassing, he stated that tie wool showed that tho farmers are only just ' oommencmg proper classing,'-and 'they l ', had still a great deal to loam yet. .. Instances were given whero lots were divided into coarse and fine, and each lot contained both coarse and fine. The Methodist Circuit quarterly meeting for'Sandon and Eongotea -was,' held this week The balance-sheet 1 % showed an income of .£6l,'and ditureof ,£GB, the statement, however;) hem? incomplete owin? to some returns! ■> not having com© in.' Messrs. T. Masters) - and 'C. Bowator were re-elected circuit stewards, and all tho society's were re-elected, with the addition of Mr./ - J. F. Wood of Eongotoa.' ' It' was do-' cided to grant the Rov. Mr. Frost threo-' Sundnvs off, order to allow him t»| visit the conference in Dunedin in MarcbJ next. Mr J. Bleakley was elected iarl representative to the conference/ with 1 Mr. E. 3V. Bishop as substitute.

shannon: , A rink of Shannon, bowlers journeyed to Ota)a on Wednesday afternoon to play. tie holders of the Kinniburgh. Feathers, and suffered defeat by 29 points to 15. Tho Otaki players gave thorn a most enjoyable outing, bat the Shannon >btrolers' are not enamoured of the Otaki green.) , The'rinks wc-Otaki B Brown,) Stevens, O'liotirke 1 and Snutt (s).* Shannon J. Olson, T. Lind, J. Eoach, andl \V H Gunning ■> , v, There is a strong feeling in favour of) a monthly sitting of tlie S H. Court at) Shannon Gonoral dissatisfaction is o*4 pressed by business people at the loss > of time and the inconvenience caused by having to attend at Levin and Palmer--! 6ton North for the hearing of civil cases. | Rather than lose tho two absence l from business, which the hearing df such,! actions entail—not to speak of the pecnn-< ' lary loss in travelling expenses—it is not uncommon for litigants to refrain from, attendance altogether Over seventy civil cases from this district fcere hearcNasfc year. '-' , CARTERTON. '-, Tho Bev. Father Cahill, of who has-been on a brief visrt'to Carters ton, returned home on Thursday. I ' Tho fortnightly meeting of' the Oddfellows' Lodge was held on' WednesdaTi evening.' Bro. E Butler, NG./* and Bros J. Fensham and G.< Lamb were installed into tho offices of N G. Audi VG. for tho ensuing term. It was do-) cided to place tho retiring G M 'snajne-cnf the Kent Board Several wets , declared on and off the sick fund. Be-' ceipts for the evening were <£0 325. and disbursements J&6 15s ' > I There is a 'probability of some import tant changes being; made in""tho Straw Waaarapa Methodist Circuit this ycarJ An opinion exists among some of thai adherents that the circuity must be di-j vided, and two separate 'circuits cod-' stitutcd. The matter is to bo consideredi ' at the qnai teily meeting nest week.

GREYTOWN. • 'A" meeting of the Trustees" of ' the South Wairarapa Hospital , was held on Wednesday, those pro-' sent being Messrs., Mark Maxton (ra tho chair), W. Moore, 'A. Booth, -aidl W. J. Nix. It was agreed' to extend 1 ! the term of Mr. D. P. Loasby's'conteactt for supplies to March 31. The bank balance was reported at .£317 12s. The housa fcport stated that sii. patients had been admitted during the month, 12 dis-j charged, ono had died, and three tm main Mr. Ross was appointed i for the month. , -< ! , Ram fell oh Tuesday v night and should do great good, but it will retard harvest- ' ing slightly. '