KUMARA NOTES

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 May 1925, Page 2

KUMARA NOTES

. (Our Own Correspondent). ’ \ KUMARA; May 16, At about 6.30 o’clock last evening a small cottage in Dillmans was burned down. 'The cottage w:i soccupied by two men engaged- in constructing a road ; for Messrs Watson and Son, and it was during'their temporary absence tbtffire took place. There’was no insurance oil-, the buil’ding or contents. Ond iof the men is said to have lost a sum of money stowed away in the bedroom. . .i The bridge bn the Beach road, in the vicinity of- Mr P. McDonald s faini, wants renewing before a-serious accident occurs. Recently Mr McDonald lost'a valuable cow through the animal putting its foot through a rotten plank and breaking the leg a little "belowthe' knee. .-" ’ At’-a special meeting of the K'umara Borough Council held on Tuesday ihorn’ing; a- resolution expressing sympathy with' the relatives of the late Primte Minister, was passed. d'he Mavor spoke of the great ; loss New Zealand . and the Empire /had suffered through the death of Mi” Massey, especially singling out his work during the ■ dreat' War. Several councillors also spoke, eulogising the work of the deecasbd’ statesman.- It was resolved that Mr Spiers proceed to Wellington to attend the funeml. . On .Thursday at 1 p.m. the firebell and school Bell tolled for ten minutes, the day being observed as. a close holiday. ’ itt' 2 o’clock a memorial service was held in the Presbyterian Church, and despite the heavy rain was well attended. ' The'-service, which opened wih prayer, ' whs conducted by Mr Dibbs, who took for his text, And. Mcses was an hundred and twenty years' old when he died; his eyci was not- dim, nor his natural force abated, and the children of Israel wept for Moses on the plains of Moab, thirty days.” Mr Dibbs said he had taken his text from the death of Moses,' because the live B of the two men many characteristics in common, lhe late Mr Massey was loved by the people, who 1 could not fail to recognise his "work, and although lie (Mr Dibbs) had been'‘in the Dominion only a jear he had had the pleasure-of listening to Air Massey on no less than three occasions the first being in Auckland and the other two in 'Wellington. He was a plain man of' the people, and always did what he considered right in al ‘feartime. He was a great Imperialist, and his intense love for the'Mother Country would not soon be forgotten. Several hymns appropriate‘to the occasion were sung and the solemn service concluded. The benediction was then pronounced, and Mrs Murdoch played the “Dead March” in Saul.