The Feilding Star, Oroua and Kiwi tea Counties Gazette. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1908. The Old Year.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 766, 31 December 1908, Page 2

The Feilding Star, Oroua and Kiwi tea Counties Gazette. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1908. The Old Year.

1908, whioh i» now on the eve of departing into the limbo of things that have been, proved an eventful period for the dominion and » busy one for its people. Not so prosperous as its predecessor, and tinged with a stringency in the money market; yet a year that has treated the country fairly well. We would not have it a case of benefits forgot, D*ut would rather make the declaration that it might easily have been a very much worse 12 months for us all than it has been. The outstanding event of the year was the holding of the general elections, and that was of such recent happening that the mci.- . ftflntfl n^ tJift campaign are jtiill ■fr^'h

Another red-lettered event was the I 1 completion of the North Island Main Trunk railway line, and this overland route has been in spasmodic use since November. Closely related to this achievement has been the acquisition by the Government of the Manawatu Railway Co's property, and now practically the whole of the railway lines in the dominion are State-owned. The year has been marked by much industrial disturbance, the conciliation and arbitration laws having been tested and tried and found wanting. The result was amending legislation passed dunng the last session of Parliament. The new law, which comes into force tomorrow, abolishes the Conciliation Boards, substituting for them benches of experts from the trades which create disputes. The dominion has had no great sorrow or disaster during the year; and although the dropping of the prices of wool and flax threatened serious results, fortunately the year closes with a brighter outlook for pastoralists, if not for flaxgrowers. The greater world abroad has had its troubles and trials and varied experiences. The Anarchist has been travelling over Europe, into Persia and India, apparently spending his vacation out of Russia — for which I blessing and respite the Czar must be thankful. England has had a particularly strenuous time in political circles, and it is prophesied that the only way out is an early dissolution of Parliament. The diplomats of Europe have been exceedingly busy during the last quarter of the year ; and they were kept pretty lively by Morocco during previous months. The Kaiser has been as active as ever, Austria is now the disturbing element, and is thought to be holding a lighted match over the powder magazine of Europe — the Balkans. France and England bound themselves more tightly than ever in the bonds of friendship by the success of the Anglo-French Exhibition in London; and Russia has joined them in a triple alliance that may yet prevent a war in Europe. President Roosevelt has been as strenuously Rooseveltian as ever, and has consistently fought the trusts throughout the year. The Presidential elections were a triumph for him, as his nominee, Mr. W. H. Taft, was elected by an overwhelming majority, Mr. Bryan being snowed under out of sight completely. Of the South American States, Venezuela was the most conspicuous. President Castro played fast and loose with his power — and now he has paid the penalty by being de posed. Canada has forged steadify ahead, and the general elections have kept Sir Wilfrid Laurfer in power. Hayti has had a revolution, with President Alexis fleeing for his life and General jlimon succeeding him. Australia has had a prosperous year and has witnessed a change of Federal Governments — the Labour Party succeeding Premier Deakin. Coming home to our own concerns, this year has not been the least interesting or important im Feilding's history. , A notable event was the carrying of the whole of the four loan proposals formulated By the Borough Council for (1) extending the water supply and drainage system, (2) forming footpaths and kerbing and channelling and improving the roads, (3) constructing a ferro-con-crete bridge over the Makino stream of the full width of Manchester swimming baths. The result of the polling at these proposals was a distinct compliment to the Mayor and the Council, the voting being much larger than usual and the majority in each an emphatic declaration of confidence in the borough. It should be mentioned in this connection that Mayor Trewin was re-elected unopposed to the position of Chief Magistrate of Feilding for another term. An unusual number of distinguished visitors came to Feilding during the year. First came the Minister of Lands (Hon. R. McNab), who came to inspect the fifty acres of land offered by Mr. Lethbridge at Makino as a site for the proposed Experimental Dairy School. The site for the school was subsequently selected at Palmerston. Then came the Minister for Education (Hon. G. Fowlds). He presided over that very important event in Feilding's history, the opening of the handsome Technical School buildings, in Fergusson Street. This building, by the way, has throughout the year won the most admiring encomiums from all visitors to the town, and it has been generally! acknowledged, that there is no finer Technical School outside the chief cities of the dominion. And this was readily admitted by the third Minister of the Crown who came, the Hon. James McGowan, who, coming direct from the Thames to Feilding, said that the Science Room in our Technical School was fully as well equipped as that of the School of Mines at the Thames. These visits, which all took place before the middle of May, were followed by a visit from the Premier (Sir Joseph Ward), who oame at the invitation of the Mayor and Council and representative men of Feilding and delivered a political address. The Minister for Public Works and Railways (Hon. W. Hall-Jones), also promised to visit the district, at the invitation of the Kimbolton and Apiti Railway League, to inspect the proposed route for the extension of the railway from Feilding to Apiti. But Mr. Hall-Jones decided to take the post of High Commissioner in London — and he did not fulfil the promise made to the League. An early opportunity should now be taken by the League to invite the new Minister of Railways (Hon. J. A. Millar). Our business men, backed by the Chamber of Commerce, have been particularly active during the year, and have kept a keenly watchful eye upon the welfare of the district. An outstanding achievement was the success that attended the agitatkm towards getting Feilding included in the list of stopping-places for the Main Trunk express trains. It was rumoured that, owing to the proximity of our town to Palmerston and Marton, it was the intention of the Railway Department to send these important! t^ajns past Feilding. Continuous and persistent agitation in drawing the attention of the Government to the importance of Feilding as the centre of a flourishing stockraising district proved entirely successful. A movement is now on foot to bring Feilding more prominently before other parta of the dominion, and a scheme of publicity is at present being worked out.

industry, and "peace hath its triumphs no less renowned than war." j Our Football Club again won the * Manawatu Championship, and in addition Feilding also holds the eric- } ket championship this year. Nor , has the district been slack in the i field of industry, • for Cheltenham < brought to us the championship of J both islands for the making of but- , ter for export. It is an excellent record, and all the more to be valued because the Cheltenham factory won against the best of the dominion's competitors and our cricketers and ' footballers won in spite of disabilities from which their rivals were exempt. Early in the year a notable work was done by the cricketers. Obtaining from the Borough Council permission to convert a portion of the South Street Reserve into a cricket ground, and getting the promise of a grant of £50 towards defraying the cost of the same conditionally upon a similar amount being raised by the cricketers, they recorded a very great success. As the result of a swimming carnival and a garden party, organised and carried out by the Cricket Club, plus subscriptions from private individuals and the Council's contributions, a sum of over £130 was raised. In addition to this, about £45 worth of work was put into the ground in preparing it by Mr. Lethbridge. The result is that this season Feilding, for the I first time in its history, has a cricket ground that is worthy the name, and one to which it will be a pleasure to invite outside clubs to play. Another outcome of this movement was the focmation of the Swimming Club, which should prove a useful and practical body, especially in view of the fact that the work of constructing the municipal swimming baths in Manchester Street has actually begun, the contractor having started his men upon the job this week. On May 19 the Mayor called a meeting of persons interested in the formation of a Museum for Feilding. There was a representative gathering, Mayor Trewin presiding, and it was resolved to organise a Municipal Museum under the auspices of the Borough Council. The Council granted the use of a room in the Library for the nucleus of a Museum, and the preliminary work of arranging for contributions and other details was placed in the hands of Mr. R. A. S. Browne. A number of curios are iii hand, but there has not been any arrangement of them. It was unfortunate that Mr. Browne removed from the district before his valuable services could be utilised in arranging the nucleus of the Museum. The year 1908 has passed so lightly over Feilding in the matter of epidemics that we might fairly claim this town to have been the healthiest centre of population in the whole dominion of New Zealand. The actual statement is only one recorded case of infectious disease during the twelve months. That is a record to be proud of, and should give our residents a feeling of security for themselves and their children that places the town amongst the to-be-envied places in the land. Even influenza and other epidemics that have hit other places hard spared Feilding, giving us but - light' visitations. From great sorrows and troubles, and disasters we have also been fortunately very free^There Jmv6 been^^*l£ntr£c^iaents';^" the^Seaper has touched us very gently with the scythe in his passing. And so we pass out of the old year into the new with the hope that it may prove a bright, happy, and prosperous period for *v -our readers to whom we extend The Compliments of The Season.,