WAITARA.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 14245, 25 June 1910, Page 7

WAITARA.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) June 24.—Tho Waitara Municipal Band hold their annual meeting in the council -chambers on' Wednesday evening, the chair being occupied by Mr. T. Buchanan. Tho balance sheet and report wore read, and unanimously auopted, tro members expressing the opinion that the past year's work had boon extremely satislactory. The chairman said lie was very pleased to be able to congratulate them on tho steady progress attained, and said it they continued to carry out their seifimposed duties, success both musically and financially was, theirs.. Mr' M'Comiell placed a report before the meeting, wuich expressed tho greatest suU&iaction at the splendid attendance of members at band practice', to tho creditable position attained at the Wanganui contest, and a belief that ii they continued to show the same admirable spirit the honour of capturing the shield would yet bo theirs. Oliicers tor the ensuing year wero thou appointed as fellows:—Patron, Mr. W. T. Jennings, M.P. ; president, his Worship the .Mayor (Mr. \V. if. Jenkins); vice-president, Mr. \V. Birdling ; deputy bandmaster, Mr. W. H. Skelton; sergeant, Air. C. Sampson ; corporal, Mr. j. M’Konzio; lance-corporal, Air. J. Tubby; custodians. Met srs. B. M‘Koy and Vv . Byrne; committee, Messrs. B. Cudby, B. iU'Koy, J. K-ibby, and J. MTCenaie, with the deputy-bandmaster and secretary ; secretary and treasurer, .Mr. H. bpurdki; assistant secretary, Mr. iV Kyle; lion, auditor, Mr. T. Buchanan: It was decided that honorary members’ subscriptions should bo 10s fid, while active members’ subscriptions wore fixed at Is per week, plus au entrance tee ol 2s 6d, drummers to pay lid per week. Alter some extra business had been disposed of, Mr. Buchanan said he had a very pleasing ciuly to pcnorin, via., to present, on behalf oi the members, a large Irani eel photograph oi the band to both tho btuidmaster (Air. M’Conncll) and t?/: drura,major (Mr. Lister),- as ,a proof oi appreciation of tho many services rendered locally and at tho Wanganui contest. Ho (Mrl Buchanan)- trusted that tho organisation would long continue to main tho services of their talented bandmaster and painstaking drummajor, who had both worked curlj and latp in tho interests of the band, find Who were primarily responsible tor tho success attained. The recipients said they were very gratctul to members for this tangible recognition of their efforts. Whatever had been clone by thorn in their respective position had been a labour of lovo. Still, it was very’.gratifying to find thoir labours appreciated in this manner, and it would spur them on to yet greater things in the very near future. , A number of local performers assisted at a send off to Mr. J. Andrews, at Huirangi, on Wednesday evening, which was most successful. There avas a largo gathering of settlers and thenfamilies'to do honour to one of the oldest pioneers in that district. During the evening a presentation of a silver tea and coffee service was made to Air, and Airs. Andrews, as a token of esteem from .t-bc residents._ The usual dance concluded the function. The Clifton Rowing Club are opening their now .hall .with a social on next Friday evening, when a big turnout is expected. Rinking still continues ; a strong source.of attraction amongst the younger members of the population. Considering the short time it has been in vogue hero, excellent progress has been made by mere novices. After all, in this ns i'n most other things, confidence is all that is needed to eventually sot the most timorous gaily on tho spherical way. Air. D. George has devoted a special day each week for ladies and learners, and patrons can roly on every attention. . .

The loading of the s.s. IVaimate is proceeding apace, and will probably finish on Saturday evening. The cargo to be taken from IVaitara is as follows :—5500 quarters beef, 500 lambs, 500 carcases mutton, 1000 pigs, 1000 crates frozen small goods, 1400 cases canned meats, 60 sacks hides, 94 casks tallow, 165 casks oleo, 13 casks casings. 40 casks pelts, 67 bales wool, and 3 bales hair. All the above are for London. For Gibraltar there are 1100 carcases mutton, and 756 quarters beef. The “chain prayer” nuisance has made its appearance in this district. As a number of well meaning people are prone to take this fraud seriously, I may say that it .has been condemned by episcopal authority, and the best tiling to do with this precious production is to burn it. Perhaps the following from a loader in the Melbourne Argus on the matter* may bo of interest. “A circular letter has found its way out here from England, and is now spreading in this land like fire in the heather. This letter contains a short prayer. The .recipient is told to write out this prayer nine times, and to forward it, with appended promises and throats, to nine correspondents. It is all anonymous, of course —the things men arc ashamed of are generally annonymous. The recipient is told that at Jerusalem —mark the local and dramatic touch—it is said that if he, the recipient, fail to copy out the prayer as desired, some evil will befall him, while if lie does obey the injunction some, good will come into his life. Now, putting altogether on one side the insolence and indecency, the blasphemous insolence and indecency we might say, of such a letter, the fact remains that it is being obeyed. , It is being copied and spread by millions of bands. This seems to he an alniost perfect example of .pure. superstition. It is like the negro yelling in the cellar, because the comet is in the sky. Fear, imagination, ignorance, credulity, these four combined, press the recipient almost irresistably to copy the letter and hand on this symbol of his cowardice and folly.” The above ought to ho enough to put any of your readers who are somewhat impressionable,, on their guard, should it find its way to them. I may say in conclusion, that this chain prayer superstition has been publicly denounced by both Anglican and Catholic members of the episcopate.

It does not always follow that Now Zealanders who “seek fresh fields and pastures new” are a complete loss to the Dominion ; in many instances they become advertisers of the superiority of New Zealand mannfactures. Evidence of this is found in the fact that Christchurch manufacturers of agricultural implements arc hopeful of establishing trade relations of considerable dimensions .for tboir goods in the Argentine. This is due, in some measure, to the fact that many New Zealanders have settled in that country, and that the conditions under which agricultural operations are carried on in the Argentine are similar to those in New Zealand, and the ex-New Zealanders, knowing the high state of perfection to which the Now Zealand manufacturers have brought the production of farm implements, have been placing their orders in the Dominion. Recently several wool-presses have been sent" to the southern portion of the Argentine, and several Christchurch firms have sent their goods to other parts of tho same country.

During his recent visit to Fiji Dr. Orchard saw many signs of the great hurricane .which swept over parte of that country eight or nine weeks previous to his arrival. Plantations were swept absolutely bare, and palm-trees were stripped in all directions. A cottage with six or seven rooms was shifted 13ft. The owner philosophically announced that as its present site was an improvement on the site it originally occupied, it would be allowed to remain where the storm had placed it. The storm was the most disastrous experienced for seven years. A Native woman had her head cut off with a piece of corrugated iron. Other Natives ive.ro killed., and some were drowned while trying to got in from the sea. Dr. Orchard describes the scenery of the islands as a remarkable and abrupt contrast to New Zealand scenery. Ho was impressed with the fine physique of the Natives of all the islands visited, but. he says that an eye disease, spread by flies, which are very plentiful and very troublesome, is prevalent., Ho was astonished at the abundance of animal life. Picking tip a handful of earth, ho discovered that it was alive with insects. Mosquitoes wage incessant war on human beings, and much annoyance is caused by a vicious little sandfly, which is so tiny that it can hardly be seen, even when it is giving an irritating sting. The cost of living in protectionist countries (remarks the' Westminster Gazette) is clearly evidenced by the report of the Baltimore Consular dis r trict, just prepared by Mr. Consul 0. Fraser. How tho rise in prices has affected salary-earners may bo imagined by Mr. Fraser’s statement that tho man who received, say, a salary of £250. a year in IS9G, ought to bo paid at the present time £39-1, and the man who received £IOOO should receive, today £IGUO to enable him to live as well as he did then. “The scarcity of cattle lias been given by. .the beef packers as the cause for the rise in the price of beef,” says Mr. Fraser, “but tho Secretary of Agriculture completely refutes that in a report issued by him, in which ho states that not only the number of animals used for food has increased during the year 1909, but that the. increase in price has boon greater in proportion to. tho supply than the increase in population. According to the secretary, tho increase in the price does not go to tho farmer, and ho . asks the question to whom ; -v reply may be given that one of the prominent concerns of the ‘Packing Trust’ (meat) declared a, dividend of 35. per cent, on its capital of 35,000,000 dollars (£7,291,G0G) for the year 1909. Legislation is promised by Congress, and Federal prosecution or tho trusts is threatened, and boycotts are being hold, but they do not seem: to have tho desired effect.” , We have to acknowledge receipt from the Government Printer of advance sheets ,of tho New Zealand Official Year Book for 1910, covering tho introductory and official parts ot the work, and the sections dealing with population and education. For influenza, take Wood Groat Peppermint Cure. Never fails. Is 6d. Ja od.