OKAIAWA.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 6 December 1924, Page 2

OKAIAWA.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) FARMERS’ UNION. \ adl pleased to. report that at last a branch of the Farmers’ Union has .en formed in Okaiawa, due prinC i ll3 ? - y J . t° a successful canvass of the district by the, organiser, Mr McAlpine. A meeting was arranged for last week, when the re, was a very good attendance. Mr D. Cameron was voted to the chair, and Mr McAlpine was in attendance. Mr McAlpine, who is a forceand convincing speaker, addressed meetirig on union matters generally, but dealt princiPallv with the proposed agricultural bank and its many advantages to the farmer. The speaker was listened to most attentively, and at the conclusion of his address was accorded a hearty vote of thanks. The only business transacted was the election of officers, which resulted as follows: President, Air D Cameron; vice-president. Air E. Johns • secretary, Air T. Innes; advisory comCameron > A. Ward and C. Gill. It was decided to hold another meetmg in a week’s time to go into the matter of root-growina competitions. .

The second meeting came off on Monday last, when there was again a most gratifying attendance. Alessrs J. Dakers, R. Aluggeridge, E. Betts “ nd Betts, of the Manaia branch were present by invitation. The two toi-mer, the secretary arid ex-secretary of the Manaia branch, addressed the meeting, thoroughly explaining the methods adopted in Alariaia in the root-growing competitions. It was unanimously decided to go in for the competitions. A number of entries were received in the room, and canvassers were appointed to thoroughly canvass the district for inore The president was aiipointed local sripefvisor for the Boys’ and Girls’ Club competitions, arid ari executive committee was Set up consisting ,o 1 ATessrs A. Ward, H. Watts; T. Allah, N. Crocker and J.. JohristoriP. It was dbcided to ask Mr Deem to , act as judge m the lucerne-growing fcoiripetitioris. The meeting clofeed with a hearty vote of thanks to the members of the Manaia branch for coming over and giving Okaiawa members the benefit of then-experience. Air Dakers, in acknowledging the vote,, said it-had been a pleasure to come over. He was verv pleased that Okaiawa had formed a branch apd he had no doubt that it would be a most successful one. The competitions were of undoubted value and in all districts where they had been held had resulted iii better crops and generally increased yields per acre each year The land round Okaiawa was second to none iri the Dominion, and he would not be surprised to see futime eStab ISI S ° me records t h e near

, ' TENNIS. e The. annual meeting of the .Okaiawa Tennis Club was held last week. There w l f. s capital att&idarice, and considerable enthusiasm prevailed. Mr t) Johnston was. voted to, the chair The hon. secretary, Miss B. ' Green, produced the annual balance-sheet, which' showed a credit balance of £3 3s The balance-sheet was adopted. The following officers were elected fpf the ensuing year: President, Air L. Honiara* 1 5 ™e-pr*sident s , Messrs A. Lees M. Robertson, T, Alten and J. Barclay; hon. Mies Gibbs:' club captaim Air D. Johnston. Subscription : Gentlemen 10s, ladies ss. Opening day was fixed for December 6. A Hearty vote of tbanks was accorded the retiring secretary, Mies Green. The matter of holding a dance in aid of the club s funds was brought ,up, and it r as decided to hold a irieetmg in a week s time to consider same. This meeting took place on Monday last. It was decided ,to hold a dance on December 10, and full and comolete arrangements were made in' connection therewith. It is somewhat late in the season for dancing, but it is to be hoped that dancers will turn up in ST! a m C I glv f m chlh a helping hand. That the dance will be well managed is assured.

THE LATE MB RICHARD SMITH. ™ ln r, refereiice . to the not© from Mr W. ■ Bflive deling with an incident in t “ 6 . iife of the late Mr “Dick” Smith which appeared in Wednesday’s Star! 1 am able to add a few particulars, as my father was interested in a similar native lease at the time mentioned. Mi Smith may have been stubborn, but he was suffering under a sense of great injustice, and not without reason. ihe lessees were offered new leases under what appeared more advantageous terms, and quite a number accepted. One of the terms was that they were to be allowed ub to £5 per acie for improvements upon surrendering their old leases. This was not a very generous allowance, for upon a small section one could not erect a decent house for that sum, but worse was to come. A house agent from Wanganui (a man who knew absoluteJ y .nothing about land, in proof of I which I can quote a remark of his when crossing a paddock of green oats that ‘.‘this must be very fine land to grow grass like this”), accompanied by a native, was sent round to value the improvements. These were made ridiculously high, and a veritable bombshell was dropped upon the lessees when they received notice from the Public Trustee that they would have to pay the excess over the. £5 per acre. In Air Smith’s case it was quite evident that the valuer had included ms nursery stock in “improvements.” Protests were in vain. My father, whose case was exactly similar to Mr Smith s, wrote to the Public Trustee oh the matter, and received the following reply: ‘No matter how I arrive at the value of your improvements, such shall be final.” The late R. J. Seddon was iiemier at the time, and as he happened to be visiting Hawera my father placed the matter before him. .He was very sympathetic, and promised that something should be done in the matter, but nothing ever was. It will be seen that the lessees were treated in a very arbitrary manner. They had no say m the appointment of tfie valuer and were even denied the right of apS e • regard to the sale of Air omith s stock, Mr Smith had the sympathv of the public, who knew the facts of the matter, and when the first sale! was called the auctioneer failed to elicit a single bid, and the sale had to he abandoned in the meantime. The Public Trustee, however, was not going to be beaten, and he called a second sale, and announced that if the stock was not sold it would he taken away and sold elsewhere, and this threat was effective. I might add that the lessees would not have objected to the payment of the excess over the £5 per acre had the valuation of improvements been a fair one, hut it was not. Times

were hard in those days, and it was a serious business raising the sum required arid it took years to pay it off. PRESBYTERIAN FLOWER SHOW. A meeting of the Presbyterian Flower Show Committee was held on Friday evening, when there was a full muster. The main business was in connection with the schedule, which received a thorough overhauling, the conditions in each class being made so plain that any child could understand them._ It rvas decided to thoroughly organise all matters in connection with the show well beforehand next year.