PALMERSTON NORTH.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 4646, 26 April 1902, Page 7

PALMERSTON NORTH.

(By Our Special Reporter.) . Friday. Lord Gowaa, who was commissioned >y the Imperial Government to inquire mto tho question of remount services, is on his way to England via San Francisco, after having visited Australia. Colonel Holdsworth, an Imperial remount officer, left Palmerston for Auckland to-day, to meet Lord Gowan and confer ou the question as affecting this colony. The effect of the Government proposals in regard to the Alanawatu railway will not only affect Palmerston, a leading merchant remarked when speaking on the Alanawatu railway question to-day. It will also seriously affect Wellington. Stock, in particular, win on now goes to AVellington 1‘ reezmg Works, will be diverted to northern freezing companies, and certain pens.iable produce will go north for shipment.

Great interest attaches to the annual mooting of the Manawatu and West Coast Agricultural and Pastoral Association , to be held on Saturday. Time was when the association’s officials were compelled to canvass the town in order to get a quorum, but this year’s meeting promises to establish a record in attendance. Tho principal reason of so much interest being taken is the contest for tho presidency between Messrs R. S. Abraham and H. G.'Ties. Members should bo warned against importing personal feeling into the election, and should support the candidate who them consider will most worthily represent the association and work most diligently in its interests. The hardships which traders of Palmerston are compelled to suffer through the existing relations between the Manawatu Railway Company and tho Government is bad enough without any further tax, remarked a prominent business man to-day. Wo have actually, hesaid, to pay 4s (id a ton freight on goods for tho four miles of railago between Longhurn. and Palmerston, this when no transhipment takes place. Then there is the inadequate storage accommodation at the Government station in Palmerston. What the effect will be when tho goods have to bo carted from Longhurn, he cannot imagine. Carted from Longhurn, they will be. he declares, for the Wairarapa line will never bo used by Palmerston merchants. As some criticism has lately been made concerning the action of the Manawatu and West Coast A. and P. Association in discontinuing gate passes at its annual show', an explanation is perhaps advisable. Tho passes are those issued to tho general public to enable them, to return when they leave the grounds on the day they have paid for admission. The great abuse of the system is the sole reason of its discontinuance. It was found on one occasion that some of the “spieling” fraternity had boys climbing tho fences and immediately coming out again with passes. These were afterwards sold In tho streets. On© member of the association had some twenty of these passes offered him between the corner of Rangitikei and Cuba streets and the Show Grounds. Again, the president of the association, Mr J. 0. Batchelar, stood at one of the gates for three-quarters of an hour and took thirty passes from people who were entering the grounds for tho first time. These experiences were surely quite enough to justify the association’s action, especially in view of the fact that there ’ is hardly any similar society in Australasia which issues passes. The effect of the Government proposal to construct a line of railway between Bunnythorpe and Ashhurst, so as to divert northern traffic from the West Coast to tho Wairarapa line may prove disastrous to Palmerston. It means that Bunnythorpe- will become tho- point of divergence of the traffic from tho East and West Coasts, instead of Palmerston, as at present. Not only will all traffic from the Now Plymouth line pass Palmerston, but the passenger traffic between the West and East Coasts will avoid the town. Should the arrangement be permanent, the traffic of the Main Trunk Raihvay will also be diverted to the Wairarapa line. Palmerston will consequently lose its position of a great natural railway centre, and Bunnythorpe must become of some importance. The position of the latter place in regard to railway matters is interesting. Bunnythorpe is a Government township between Eeilding and Palmerston, five miles from the former place and six miles from the latter. It is situated on the west side of the railway line. On the west side is a private township, laid out by the Manchester Block Syndicate, boasting the name—now only found on original maps —of Mugby Junction. It is at Mugby Junction that the few buildings which constitute tho village of Bunnythorpe now stand. Those who took up Bunuythorpe sections in tho first place wore certainly badly treated by the Government. The site was shown on Government plans to he a junction between tho Taranaki and Wairarapa "railway services, space being allowed on the Ashhurst road for the through line. Tho consequence was that quarter-acre sections readily sold at £IOO and upwards. When the fond dream of the Mugby people vanished, these were parted with from £5. Perhaps Mugby Junction may now fulfil tho original intention of its founders. Tho members of the Palmerston North Rifles have formed a hockey club, and will play in khaki colours. Lieutenant Louisson has been elected captain, Corporal McMurray vice-cap-tain and Private Pratt secretary. It is estimated that the increase in gate-money at the last show of the Agricultural and Pastoral ..Society was solely due to the abolition” of the pass system, which was also responsible for an increase of about £l2O in tho privileges.

A ladies’ ambulance class has bon formed in Palmerston, and the following have been elected as its officers: — Chairwoman and secretary, Mrs J. Young; treasurer. Miss Whatley; committee, Mesdames Hanna, H. Mowlem and Thompson, and. Misses Park, Batt, Cherritt and Wood. Mr E. Hatchings, secretary of the local branch of the Wellington Ambulance Association, was the prime mover in the formation of the class. Dr Campbell will impart the necessary instruction. Meetings are to be held'on alternate Tuesdays. In view of the annual meeting of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, the local “ Times ” has been lecturing that body on its method of management. With one exception—too little attention, to dairying interests—the strictures are frivolous. In the first place, fault is found with the way the association has treated the town after the tradespeople had subscribed to the funds and assisted the show by closing their places of.business. The absurdity of the latter statement is at once apparent—the show is a period of “boom” to every interest in the town, while the subscriptions of the townspeople are not any more liberal than they should be, and a largo percentage of the amount promised is not always received. s“ The questionable policy of sending printing out of the district” is referred to, simply because the show

catalogue can be better and more cheaply published in Wellington, the association saving between £OO and £7O by the present arrangement. The general printing account is a very satisfactory statement. Last year a sum of £l4 17s 0d was saved by increased advertisements secured by the secretary for the schedule and annual report. The association is to bo complimented on its action in regard to the dairy farm competition, rather than condemned, and seeking tho financial assistance of dairy factories in the matter is a wise step. Tho action of the committee of the association in regard to dairying matters has been adversely commented upon more than once in this column, but the committee’s attitude, after all, is only the attitude of every other agricultural society in the colony. In fact, m comparison with other leading shows, the local association is positively liberal in the matter. There is great room, however, for improvement, and it is to be hoped that dairying inteiests will be more largely represented on the committee ot the association in the future. At present some of the most progressive dairy farmers in tho district are on the committee, but their number is out of all proporlipn to the representation of other interests.

Tho annual general meeting of the association to-morrow is an important event, for not only is there to be a competition for the presidency, but twelve members of the general committee are to be elected, and principally on the constitution of the committee rests tho wellbeing of the association. Of the present committee, the majority are progressive men who are doing good work in advancing agricultural interests. It is opportune to remark that the success of the association depends very much upon tho representative character of the committee. Unless the various districts of tho Manawatu and West Coast are bound to the .association, their interest in the society will wane, and disaster must follow. This is not to say that the Palmerston members of the committee are not wanted. The valuable nature of the work they are doing for the association is quite sufficient proof to the contrary. What is wanted is that every district should bo represented, and that the cosmopolitan character of the association should be advanced. Xhese facts should bo remembered at the annual meeting to-morrow. Tho interest being taken in the contest for the president of the A. and P. Association to-morrow between Messrs R. S. Abraham and H. Gillies is shown by the fact that during the past week over two hundred and sixty members have paid thdir subscriptions in order to entitle them to vote. Tho unique entertainment which was held this evening by the Poultry Association to bring before settlers the possibilities of poultry raising was 1 eminently successful. In one room the appliances and feeds of the modem poultry farmer were exhibited. These included incubators, brooders, bone and grit crushers, clover cutters, drinking fountains, crushed hone, maize meal, kibbled maize, etc. Mr Andrew Guy, president of the association, said tho promoters had in view the establishing of poultry-raising in the Manawatu district on a commercial basis after the American system. An interesting and most instructive lecture was given by tho Government poultry expert, Mr Hyde; Ho spoke in enthusiastic terms of the future of the poultry business. It would yet, he declared, eclipse dairying, and become one of the principal staple industries of the colony. Figures were quoted to show its great development during the past few years. There was no class of stock, he said, which gave the same return. One hundred fowls could be kept to the acre, and he had seen three hundred doing well on the same space of ground. Mr Hyde advocated the selling of eggs and poultry by weight. Referring to outlets for poultry, he stated that ho had been informed by Mr Gow, the Trade Commissioner, that his experience in South Africa convinced him that there was nothing which would give the same returns on ' that market as poultry. Mr Hyde said he was advised to a/ similar effect from England. At the conclusion of Mr Hyde’s address, he answered a number of practical questions. An enjoyable musical programme was given during the evening, and a light supper was served at the conclusion of the entertainment. ,