ASHHURST.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 8544, 26 March 1908, Page 8

ASHHURST.

(From Ooe Own Cobbesponbent.]

On Wednesday morning a pretty wedding: was celebrated in the Catholic Church, when Mr F. P. Slattery, son of the late Mr E. Slattery, was united in tho bonds of matrimony to Miss M. A. Hanlon, eldest daughter of Mr P. Hanlon. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. Father O'Bierne The bride, who was becomingly attired in grey silk lustre, trimmed with silk insertion, and blue velvet hat, wore a gold neckchain and cross, tho gift of tho bridegroom. She was given away by her father, and was attended by her sister, Miss A. Hanlon, who was tastefully dressed in brown voilo trimmed with cream lace and brown silk, and wore a winc-cokured hat. Mr W. Hanlon was best man. After the coreinony the guests were entertained at tho residence of the bride's parents, when the usual toasts were duly honoured. Tfeo bride's present to the bridegroom was a gold albert, and the bridegroom's present to the bridesmaid a gold bangle sot with-rubies. The newly-wedded couple, who drove to Palmerston en route for Christ-church, where tho honeymoon will be spent, were the recipients of many prasonts, including a cheque from the bride's father. Tho bride's trareK ling dress was a tailor-made costume of dark cloth.

The members of the Manawatu Mounted Rifles located in this district now number ten, and a determined effort is to bo made to increase the number to sixteen—a company—so that drill performed hero v ill count. Wo feel sure it oily requires a combined effort on the part of the members hero to obtain the desired number. There aro any amount of eligible men with the npeessary patriotic spirit in this and the Pohangina district, who, if they had tho question put straight to them, would, we feel sure, bo only too pleased to do their little bit for thoir country. Tho holding of an occasional parade at Ashhurst and at Pobangina, similar to the one held hore some time ago, would be equal to a heap of talk. \ We understand that J. Evans, who fell off the staging at the Gorge bridge works, is now in the Palmorston Hospital. Mr M. Holland met with rather a scyero accident to one of his legs. The wire rope on the hauler at the Piripiri sawmill struck him. Evidently a number of good folk have | a haunting suapicio'n that precious minerals, in payable quantities, exist somewhere in this locality. For some tirno past prospectors have been pig-rooting on river sections from Hokowhitu to within a few miles of this township, and now the epidemic, which is likened unto tho second _ attack of la grippe, has broken out in another place, and a Mr Noedi is reported to have taken up an area of 60 acres in the Manawatu Gorge under a prospecting license, and threatens to form a syndicate to develop things. It is also reported that three ether claims have been pegged out in the Gorge. If they strike it. we people living alongside tho Gorge will be "out in the wet." Nevertheless, wo wish them luck, and, in fact, sincerely hope that tho claims pegged out include the slips on tho Gorge road, and that in tho game of hunting the slipper the geld-seekcrs will shift sufficient mullcck to put the Gorgo road in repair. 1