COUNTRY NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13845, 3 September 1908, Page 7

COUNTRY NEWS.

OTAHUHU. [FROM OT?R OWN CORRESPONDENT.] The fortnightly meeting of the Mutual Improvement Society was held on Monday evening, the president (Mr. A. Sturges) in the chair. The business of the evening was a debate, '"I hat Professionalism is Inimical to the National Game of Football." The affirmative was urged by Mr. H. J. Hall, and he waa opposed by Mr. R. B. Todd. Several members spoke on both sides, the vote resulting for the affirmative. The Foreign Mission annual meetings are being held this week in the Methodist Church, a vary interesting lecture, descriptive of Fijian manners and customs, being delivered on Tuesday evening by the Rev. S. J. Gibson to a large audience. Additional interest was given to the speaker's remarks by a display of lantern slides made from photographs taken by Mr. Gib-* eon. The collection taken up at the close of the meeting will be devoted to foreign missions. HAMILTON. [from our OWN correspondent.] The usual meeting of the Hamilton Borough Council was held on Monday evening. There were present: The Mayor and Mtessrs. Mason Roche, Fow, Davis, Bell, and Tidd. The Mayor made an explanation regarding the purchase of the Hamilton gasworks. The Council had been blamed, he said, for purchasing the works, instead of starting opposition works or installing ekctric light. He quoted from the Act to show that the former step could not be taken -without a special Act of Parliament, and electric light whs out of the question. The company was paying 15 per cent., and they had secured the works for £17,000, while keen business men stated that as a financial proposition they were honestly worth £32,000. Everything had terminated most satisfactorily, and the thanks of the ratepayers and Council were due to Mr. Swavbrick for his efforts on their behalf. Mr. Davis asked the Mayor as to the position the Council stood in with regard to the technical school site. He noticed that the Board of Education were, about to take over the site under the Public Works Act. The Mayor said that the land would have to be taken for a specific purpose the establishment of a technical school. Mr. Tidd said £200 had been subscribed by the ratepayers, with a view to the establishment of an agricultural college on the line* suggested by Mr. George. This proposal had now gone to the wall, and it "was proposed to take over section 12 and part of section XI for a technical school site. There was ample room in the school grounds for such a school, and it was unfair to acquire the proposed site, which was worth from £2000 to £3000. If cut up it would bring a handsome return to the Council. CAMBRIDGE. [PROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] At the ordinary meeting of the Leamington Town Board it was decided to request the Lands Department to alter the name of the Domain Board from Cambridge West to Leamington; to hold the meetings on Thursday nearest the full moon. The question of unclaimed stray cattle dying on tho Board's roads led to a discussion, and the suggestion was made taat cattle should be licensed to rnn on the roads, but action was deferred till next meeting. WAIHI. [by telegraph.—own correspondent.] Waihi, Wednesday. At the Police Court to-day, Mr. F. J. Burgess, S.M., presiding, George Wagstaff, who threw a sugar basin through the plateglass window of a restaurant, owned by Ltd Stuck, but pleaded that he had not done'it wilfully, was convicted and fined Is and costs, totalling £6 12s, of which £3 16s had to go to the owner of the window. Martin Sullivan, against whom a charge of procuring liquor'during the currency of a prohibition order was preferred, was "discharged. Mrs. M. J. Hill sought to have a maintenance order for £1 p«* week against her husband, O. P. Hill, for the support of herself and children, increased, but the Bench, after hearing the evidence, found it impossible to make the increase. At the Presbyterian Church this morning Miss Ruby Barker, second daughter of Mr. N. .barker, was married to Mr. H. Berry, of Waihi, the ceremonv being performed by the Rev. W. White, M.A.

AERO A. j(Bir TELEGRAPH. —OWN' CORRESPONDENT.] ( Pakroa, Wednesday. The monthly meeting of the Paeroa Domain Board was held last night. It was decided to charge the bowfing club £40 for the use of the green during the coming (season, and to allow play to start on Saturday, October 3. if the weather is favourable. Aw offer by the Paeroa Hockey Club to pay £1 10s for the use of the ground for the rest of the season was accepted. Mr. A. Cnssrels wrote, stating that he was willing to exchange with the Land Board a piece of ground giving access to the Domain Hill in exchange for other land of equal value. It was decided to request the Board to make the proposed exchange. It was resolved to expend £10 in labour to assist the caretaker on the recreation ground, and to procure material for improvements to the asphalt tennis courts. WHANGAREI. [by telegraph.— OWN corresponbent.] Whanoahei, Wednesday. The Whangarei Philharmonic Society gave a successful orchestral concert in the Theatre Royal last evening. There was a good attendance, and the orchestra, under Mr. H. Lunge, rendered several excellent items. The Misses Blumhardt (3) and Mr. W. A. Fentlall contributed vocal items. [from our own correspondents.] MAROKOPA. Mr. John Willison, the popular storekeeper, has given a challenge silver cup to be rowed lor and to become the property of the competitor who can hold it for six months. Challenges must be accepted at least once a month. The first race took place' on the 22nd ult., amidst great excitement, James Wilson and Rimu Harlow proving the winners, Messrs. Bell Brother* being second. At least two boats are to be built for the neat struggle. The Marokopa sawmill will start work again on the 27th inst. under the management of Mr. Percy Bell. , It is understood that we are to have a day s athletic sports on November 9. ■ The s.s.. Rothesay arrived from Kawhla on Sunday with a general cargo. KAEAEARecent warm rains helped to give the grass a start, and have been welcomed by the settlers, as frosts had made feed scarce. After this severe winter the farmers here may make up their minds to grow winter feed for stock. • There will be a lot of bush to burn in Kaeaea and Aria this summer. A lot of road work has been commenced, which gladdens the heart of the backblock settler. It is hoped that our road engineers will soon begin operations with the stonecrusher, as our summer is none too long, and we would like to see the main road metalled to Piopio this summer. The cart* age from Te Kniti at present is about £7 per ton, which is more than the price of some of the articles of food. RAGLAN. Inspector Bennett, an officer of the Health Department, paid a visit to Te Mata last week to investigate an. outbreak of an affection of a scorbutic nature at the public school. The complaint is said to be of Maori origin, and is very contagious, so that the affected children will have to remain away from school till they have recovered. Inspector Bennett improved the occasion of his visit to deliver lectures at Te Mata and Raglan on sanitary matters generally, illustrating his subject and rendering it more attractive bv means of a magic lantern. At its meeting on Tuesday. August 29. the Raglan Town Board endorsed the proposal that the ratepayers should borrow a sum of £1500 for effecting various improvements to the town,< but in face of„ the fact that .the Board retires next month it was deemed ad-

▼lsablft to take no further step# in the matter. A letter was received ' from the Kagtan County Council notifying* that body retusal to accept the Board's oner of 25 per cent, of the cost of maintaining the Opotoru Bridge, and intimating that the necessary fund for the -upkeep ot "the structure would be provided by the striking of a special rate over the area responsible for the bridge loan. . The directors of the Raglan Co-operative Dairy Company have decided to sell this season s output to the representatives of a Home firm, instead of consigning on sale to the London market, the price being something over Id per pound more than was offered at the opening of the season last year. This factory started running on September 1. Returns just received by Mr. T. Cornille 2S a consignment of lambs frozen and shipped Home at the time of the bush fires last autumn, ahow that 3s per head more tnan the price then ruling here was netted by the venture, , After a week of rough weather it is now beautifully fine and spring-like, and there _^ a ca " v sign of growth in the grass.