PROVINCIAL CENTRES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1016, 4 January 1911, Page 10

PROVINCIAL CENTRES.

IFrom Oar Special Correspondent.)

FEILDING. Yesterday wax observed as n close holiday, all tjio business houses being dossil. Entries nro coming in freely for the annual snorts of the Foilding Athletic Club on .Innuary 18. Despite the counter-attraction of the Pnlmerston North military tourney on Monday, the sports meeting of the Chel-tenhnm-Kiwitea Club attracted 1200 people, and yielded £<& iin "Bate," or JEIS better than last year. Murmurs were, heard hero at the action of the Legislature in prohibiting the annual , trotting race which has been held at the Cheltenham sports lor very many years. It has always been a popularevent, and owners of trotting ponies in the district used to be proud of the opportunity of showing their paces. ' The opinion seems to be that interference by the State is being- carried a little 100 far when such an item has to be struck out of the programme for what is practically a country picnic. '. V/OODVILLE. The holidays are now over, and business places have again assumed their usual appearance, while citizens have got to work again. The weather oh NewYear's Evo was tine, and a large number of visitors were in town. A feature that quite a number remarked upon was the early hour at which the streets were clear. For years past it has b;eu the custom for'the greater portion of thoso in town to linger till" close on midnight, shopping and sight-seeing, but; on Saturday night last,- an early movo was .made', anil, at 11 o'clock, tho town was deserted. The.' railway : staff heralded tlio coming of the new year in vigorous style. Those engines, which were in the. sheds and yards set up a chorus,while the iiref bell also tolled. . ■It is estimated.that fully.7ooo persons were in tho Maiiawatu Gorge, on' Monday,' these coming from Fielding, Dannevirke, and places adjacent. The Salvation Army, who ■hold an annual picnic there, probably had the largest crowd. . HASTINGS. The holidays have passed off locally .without anything of moment transpiring. Christmas week was'a breezy time with tradesmen, who anpear on the whole to be satisfied with tlio volume of business done. Generally, speaking,. they . stato that it was scarcely so good as.was the case last yearj but it was still satisfactory. New Year's Day was given over to sports of various kinds. > There were the llawke's Bay Jockey Clab's meeting, a cricket match; 1 Napier v: Hastings, rifle shooting at Day's Hill.ibowling oh the Hastings green, and tennis at Napier. At cricket Hastings .was rather,. badly beaten by Napier, .in a bno innings match, but at bowls the local players proved too good, and'have once more appropriated the coveted President's Cup. which is competed for by all Hawko's Bay teams. At' night a very successful swimming carnival was held in the iladdison Baths.