THE COUNTRY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1847, 31 July 1907, Page 36

THE COUNTRY.

TO CORRESPONDENTS. (The Editor invites contributions to the "Country News” page Dom in such districts as are not aheady Con P ipondents are requested (i) to wnte leaiblv (2) to use ink and not lead, pemcih’ (3) to pay special attention to the clear and correct wnting of proper names, (■*> to-use dates instead of days, (5) to write on only one side ot their paper, and (6) to leave en ° u S space between lines for possible emend tionff.]

STRATFORD.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) The Annual Meeting of the Midhirst Co-operative Dairy Factory. Ltd., was held on the 22nd, when there was about 100 shareholders present. The report and balance-sheet showed that there had been a considerable increase in the supoly and. the amount of butter made during the past season, and. altogether that the factory had enjoyed a most successful season. Seventeen informations laid by the boiough ranger under the Stratford bylaws, before the court recently, were dismissed on the giounds that the informations were sworn before Mr Sidney Ward, a J.P., who was also a member of the Borough Council, and that, therefore, held a disqualifying interest. The point was raised by Mr Black, who appeared in the first case called. A £irl, while engaged washing clothes at Midhirst, on the 22nd, had the misfortune to run a needle through the palm of her hand. The needle had been left in the material in the wash, and the whole of it became imbedded in her. hand. Fortunately a thread attached to the needle enabled it to be withdrawn. On the 20th,. Mr R/ Dingle and Mr Hairy Penn (re presenting the employers), and Mr J. Makin (representingthe employees) met and verified the agreement regarding industrial conditions in the dairy factory business in Taranaki. The Workers' Union has already confirmed the agreement as published, and it only remains for the Employers' Union to act similarly at a meeting to- 1 be held in Stratford shortly. Mr R. Mackay, Secretary to the Stratford Pacing Club, has received word from Mr R. H. Nolan, in Wellington, that the conference has agreed to the alteration of the Stratford Racing Club’s dates as proposed, by exchange with the Openake Racing Club, and the next race meeting of the Stratford Club will be held on January Ist and 2nd. Mr Harry Round, an employee at the Midhirst Dairy Factory some time ago wrote r> few Une-i in the inside of a butter box • lid. giving the weekly outfput, and requ'V'Hng that whoever opened the lid would confer a favour on him by writing. The other day the following letter robbed him: —‘'‘EbWmere, Shropshire, England, May 14, 1907. —ln reply to your request written on a butter box lid, I opened the box on April'27th, 1907, in one of the Hunter (Teamen) branch shops at Ellesmere. They are a Manchester firm. We art surprLsetl to hear you were making so much butter per week. We have been selling it at Is Id per lb all through the winter, but reduced it last week to Is. It is wonderful whpre the profit comes from after paying carriage from N.Z. —E. Thomas.” Mr- Thomas eeenic anxious, from a footnote, that a regular correspondence should be kept up. Let us hope that this novel butter box letter will be the means of bringing more good settlers to Taranaki. The output of the Eltham Dairy factory for the pest season constituted a record in its history. Altogether 807| tons of butter were manufactured, and ' ,£67,019 paid out to suppliers. A very successful Catholic social was held on < 24th in the Town HalL The night was a very bright one, enabling residents from all parte of the district to be present. Wo have experienced some verysevere frosts in this district lately, but the- dayß have been bright and warm.