PROVINCIAL CENTRES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1054, 18 February 1911, Page 10

PROVINCIAL CENTRES.

(From Our* Special' Correspondents.) ' . —■; » ■ . FEATHERSTON. Consequent on the prevailing dry weather, the milk supply is falling otf • largely. This is .further accounted for by the. dryness experienced during thf spring season, there not being sufficient rain to moisten the .subsoil under pas» v ture, although -turnip - and rape : crops are doing well. '.. . ■ . V : Tho suppliers of tie Featherston. Dairy Company intend . holding ' their : usual picnic at an early date. AppHca-"' tion will be made for-the use of Tau-r herinikau racecourse, for the gathering, - which is always an enjoyable one. An. employee of Yelverton Bros., ~ named J. Gilbank, while trying to control the horses in a brake Jhe was driving, slipped and.fell, and the wheel? of the vehicle went over his' left,arm, breaking it just below the. shoulder. Two rinks from the local 'Bowling Club went to Greytown on Wednesday, and sustained. defeat in the'aggregate scores, although one.of .the teams.w<j» by six points. The Greytown. green is . i much faster than 'the ' Featherston' groilnd. /' Scores' were 'as iollow*:— 0 Featherston—Cundy;: M'Kenzie,' Elliott,; Bungay (s.), -22; .Greytowh-7-Balfour, Bey, Manning,., Webster; (si),, IG. FeathorstonTrHorsbrugh)/ToiJierj Ev.erton/ Benton (s.), 10;' GreytowfrVTrot- > ®an, White, Murray, Brunton (s.), 38. ( The final match for the Club Pairs -was n 1 played on.the local green",-"Tocker/and-"'., , Elliott winning from Higginson -and.".' Henderson by a narrow margin. ' The final for the singles-will be-played bo tween Bungay and Tocker. ' , The local tennis courfs' areVofc very . well patronised this season, probably | owing to the increasing favour of/bowlrV , ing and the revival of cricket. •

One of the lads ..brought out-from' -', England by Mr.,'Sedgwick haiCbeenv. placed' with a diiry.'farmer in. a.1arg0,'.... way near Featherston, and. if ■ are ..satisfactory. it .is "probable s.tbat several farmers alMut this district"., apjily for some of the .next : contingent! •' Dpiry ' farmers have .recently: fSt .the want of" a supply of' young"men'assist-. ants, and ;if it had .not b«fen';for. '{He increasing number of.. milking .inachihies ' ;; ; installed, the position.".^ jserious: • ' It ; wkes ' years: a ;JT; dairj? herd to ariything.lilto" full ,pr£ ductfveriess, and ..there . fiaid ;b.eeh • cases where diiry fa'rmers.wfere;oompellwl'-to:V 1 sell'out' and stock their land with sheep - owing to the labour difficulty., ; The Featherston Town Board-about a

year "ago framed. and" adopted, a ■ set of - by-laws.. One or. two, breaches . having • Men reported to that body, it was decided that legal action bo taken-against offenders, and in future : the by-laws- - .will bo strictly enforced. One result of .- this will bo to prohibit the j '-use-,r of garden hoses after o'clock in the evening. . .. . •...

FEILDINC. - \ ■It is probable that.the Feilding Horticultural Society's Autumn Show and ;' fireworks fete will be held on the racecourse on March 15. . " • The first'annual show of-the Eangiwahia' Horticultural and. Industrial As- • sociation was .held in .-.the newj hall -on ■ the,; sports Aground on. Thursday, in the ; presence of .a.large, fathering.' Mr. -D. - H. Guthrioj M.P.j .opened -the show. . Hecongratulated ,the,.district on -the progress being made, as' shown: in" the ; = splendid collection of exhibits which had been got together. There was no - doubt, he said, of the value of such a *• for the advertisement which it -gave ''f fand Sfpr its educa- 1 ' tional be&SfilSi liißiaolt s. • . oiuJi£ti ";! r'-iir. hue wr t" - [t T ':-.\V . i -y;t r-vcV.U . "/CT'f,. t OTAKIa ', -» . ,•!While engaged -in"the-*erec£ioil-of & 1 -' building' .to-day,.. (Friday)/ Mr." .-Donald'" Wilson was- struck ,7 'TO : 'the J: head ' , by a' • falling scantling "caused -a.- nasty wound, necessitating -several stitches - being put in. \ ';'■*?, To-day- there' was a "large-influx of Maoris', including a /number from the ' South Island;. .The .visitors are here to . follow a custom-of mourning with the " .bereaved .'grandson\of-'* Mrs.'- s ßei,'-an O.taki chieftainessf a fortnight -'-: or -so ago'-in" the'South-Island : ; Playing" for the Kiniiiburgh Feathers, - the Otaki 1 bowlers ' (holdel-s) . defeated L'evin (challenger's) by 23 to-18:- In-*: v. match for th"e President's trophy,■ Booth defeated Jones, thus giving Farmer and . Satherley. a' good opportunity to get" • into the final. . Sympathy is felt.here with Mr. J.G. : ■Stevens, whose father,.-. Mr. Francis Stevens, died ' recently m -Wellington. Mr:. Stevens; senior, was . .well known > here and "greatly respected. .■........ 'I' Mr. Stanley Pole, son of Mr. J. S. ■-. Pole, leaves shortly for . England v ior. the'benefit of his health. He will travel, yia the Cape, and return a different" route. ' , , ' Wirth Brothers' circus and menagerie, appeared hero last night -to .a- large ■ crowd-of spectators. >