Masterton Club (President, W. H. Beetham; Hon. Treasurer, J. C. Boddington; Secretary, William Sellar), Chapel Street. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. This popular club meets in a convenient wooden building of one story, having about 1000 square feet of space available. The accommodation consists of readingroom, committee and meeting-rooms, and billiard-room, containing a first-rate table. The custodian resides in rooms upon the premises. The whole is well fitted up and adapted as a gentleman's club for the Wairarapa district. The membership is about eighty The club was established in 1877.

The Masterton Masonic Lodge, of which the late Mr. Joseph Masters, after whom the borough was named, was the first master, was established in the early days. The Masonic Hall was erected in Bannister Street at a cost of £400 on land presented to the Lodge by Mr. Masters; a harmonium, together with a cheque for £25, being given by Mr. W. Lowes, and a legacy of £25 being left by the late Mr. C. A. Vallance. The officers (1896) are: Messrs. W. C. Cargill (W.M.), F. H. Ibbitson (immediate P.M. and treasurer), W. H. de Lisle (S.W.), E. H. Eton (J.W.), and W. Sellar (secretary). Meetings are held on the second Wednesday in each month.

Masterton Lodge, I.O.O.F., M.U., No. 6263, meets fortnightly in the Foresters' Hall, Queen Street Secretary, Mr. R. Krahagen.

Stonehenge Lodge, No. 119, U.A.O.D., Masterton, meets in the Foresters' Hall, Queen Street, on alternate Tuesdays. Secretary, Mr. G. Cork, Lincoln Road.

Loyal Enterprise Lodge, No. 5501, Ancient Order of Foresters. Officers (1896): Messrs. R. Brown (C.R.), G. Dixon (S.C.R.), W. Candy (treasurer), T. Duncan (secretary), W. Blinkhorn (S.W.), W. H. Cole (J.W.), J. Hanley (S.B.), and G. T. Beaumelberg (J.B). The Lodge holds meetings on each alternate Friday in the Foresters' Hall, which is on the upper floor of a two-story wooden structure situate in Queen Street, Masterton, the ground floor being let as a shop.

Endeavour Lodge, I.O.G.T., No. 203, Masterton, meets on Wednesday evenings at 7.30 o'clock. The Lodge has been established many years, and has a large membership.

Masterton Lodge, I.O.R., No. 38, meets of alternate Wednesdays at 8 p.m. in the Foresters' Hall, Queen Street. Secretary, Mr. J. J. Falk. The Juvenile Branch meets at 7.30 p.m. Secretary, Mr. F. Temple.

The Wairarapa Amateur Athletic and Cycling Club holds two meetings in the year—one in spring and the other in autumn. The meetings are held in the Masterton Park Oval.

The Wairarapa Caledonian Society was established in 1876, the late Mr. C. A. Vallance being the first president, and the late Mr. J. Gallighan the first vice-president. The officers (1896) are: Messrs. E. W. Dorset (president), J. Harvey and A. McLeod (vice-presidents), W. Lowes (hon. treasurer), W. Sellar (secretary), and over thirty directors. The annual sports, which are held each New Year's Day in the Masterton Public Park, usually attract from 2000 to 8000 people, prizes to the amount of £100 to £120 being distributed among the competitors for amateur and professional events.

Mr. William Sellar, who has filled the office of Secretary of the Caledonian Society for eighteen years, was born in 1850 in Aberdeen, where he was educated. Arriving in Lyttelton in 1874 per ship “Star of India,” he became bookkeeper to Messrs. Edmondson, Sellar and Co., warehousemen, of Wellington, for three years. With Mr. F. W. Hales, of Flat Point station, he commenced business in Masterton in 1877 as a general storekeeper, under the style of Sellar and Hales, but after three-and-a-half years the business was wound up, Mr. Sellar commencing his career as a commission agent, which he still continues. Mr. Sellar has been prominent as secretary of many local institutions for long periods, notably of the Masterton Hospital Committee, the Masterton School Committee, the Masterton Park Trustees, and the Masterton Club, for fourteen years each, and of the Masterton Masonic Lodge for eight years. As a member of the craft, the subject of this notice has held office in the Lodge from 1881 to the time of writing. In 1878 Mr. Sellar was married to a daughter of the late Mr. W. Corbett, provincial engineer, who laid off the township of Masterton, and has two sons and three daughters.

Mr. W. Sellar.

Wairarapa Rugby Football Union consists of delegates from the football clubs in the Wairarapa. The colours are red and blue. Secretary, Mr. F. D. McGovern.

Masterton Football Club. President, Mr. A. W. Cave; captain, Mr. F. McGovern; secretary, Mr. C. W. Perry, Masterton.

Red Star Football Club holds its annual meeting in March. President, Mr. A. Walker; captain, Mr. J. Morris; secretary and treasurer, Mr. F. J. Butement.

Masterton Lawn Tennis Club holds its annual meeting in the first week in August. Secretary, Mr. N. D. Bunting.

North Wairarapa Gun Club. Officers (1896): Messrs. J. J. Mackersey (president), W. Wardell, J. A. Hives, and J. M. Meredith (vice-presidents), E. M. D. Whatman, A. P. Whatman, W. Scott, W. J. Feist, W. Broderick, J. Longstaff, J. C. Walker, T. H. Thompson (committee), J. M. Meredith, and W. Wardell (handicappers), and T. Duncan (secretary). This Club, which was established in 1886, holds four meetings each year.

Masterton Racing Club. Officers (1896): Messrs. A. W. Cave (president), J. Macara and J. [gap — reason: illegible]orns (vice-presidents), C. F. Vallance (judge), T. W. Shaw (clerk of scales), W. Iorns (clerk of course), J. Muir (timekeeper), J. Mandel (treasurer), T. Duncan (secretary), J. Mowlem, A. Henderson, F. Hill, G. H. page 952 Yates, E. E. Chamberlain, G. M. R. Drummond, A. A. Elkins, T. D. Thompson, C. A. Pownall and E. G. Eton (stewards), G. S. W. Dalrymple and A. Hathaway (auditors). The Club was established about 1870 as the Masterton-Opaki Jockey Club, the name having recently been altered as above. The racecourse at Opaki consists of 120 acres of freehold land. The course, which is one of the best in the Colony, is a mile and a quarter round, and consists of two straights. The grandstand, which cost £160, has large accommodation, and includes ladies' room and luncheon booths, besides which there are stewards', jockeys', weighing and totalisator rooms. Meetings are held in December and March each year.

Mr. Augustus William Cave, the President of the Masterton Racing Club, is one of the early settlers in the Wairarapa, having arrived in the district in 1862. Born at Gloucester in 1840, and educated at Dursley Grammar School, Mr. Cave adopted the life of a farmer, and left in 1862 per ship “Maria” for New Zealand. For eight years he was engaged in the carrying trade between Wellington and Wairarapa when the roads and bridges were very defective. Mr. Cave had many rough experiences. Upon one occasion a bridge broke down, precipitating himself and his waggon some twenty feet into the stream below. In 1870 Mr. Cave purchased 900 acres at Te Ore Ore, which was named “Woodleigh,” where he has a charming residence within a few miles of Masterton. As a breeder of sheep, cattle and race horses, he has been sucessful. He has bred, owned and raced “Sea Serpent,” “Seal,” “On Dit,” “Rose Fisher,” “First King” and “Katofeldto”—the mother of these six well-known racehorses being “Rumour.” In the local meetings Mr. Cave's colours have often forged their way to the front, the wins being always most popular. At “Wood-leigh “there is a splendid private training track, on which the horses are prepared for the engagements. Mr. Cave's farm may be considered a model one. His flock consists of Lincoln sheep—1200 in number—in addition to about 100 head of cattle. Besides racing, Mr. Cave takes a keen interest in field sports of all kinds, and has been president of the Masterton Football Club for many years. His father (who is ninety years of age at the time of writing) resides at “Woodleigh.” Mrs. Cave is a sister of the well-known and popular Masterton auctioneer, Mr. Iorns, and a granddaughter of the late Mr. Jas. Masters, after whom Masterton is named.

Masterton Agricultural and Pastoral Association holds its annual meeting in June or July. Secretary, Mr. William Lowes.

Masterton Horticultural and Industrial Society holds its annual meeting in June. Secretary, Mr. Jas. A. Robertson.

The Wellington Acclimatization Society's Trout Hatcheries, situate in Chapel Street, Masterton, which are among the leading attractions for tourists in the district, are considered to be the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. The land, which comprises thirteen-and-a-half acres, held under lease, and situated in one of the highest portions of the borough, is securely enclosed, the road frontage having a high wooden fence and macrocarpa hedge. There is a splendid water supply all the year round, which flows from several large springs, and is of an even temperature for hatching and rearing the young fish. The hatching house contains hatching boxes, which, at the time of the writer's visit (August, 1896), were full mostly of young fish in various stages of development, some, however, containing the eggs or ova. Outside this house there are ponds and rearing races, where large numbers of fish disport themselves. These ponds are so constructed that each can be emptied for cleansing purposes independently of any other. This interesting establishment was founded in 1885, and in the following year, when the present curator took charge, about 15,000 ova were dealt with. In 1895 the total was 1,532,000, and in the present season no less than 2,045,000. These figures speak volumes. Large quantities of young fish are sent from these hatcheries to all parts of New Zealand, and to many places in Australia. The original ova, which was procured from England, includes the English brown, Loch Levan, Scotch burn, American rainbow, American brook, and Carpione trout, besides the real salmon. The curator has conducted some experiments in crossing, and has succeeded in producing brown and rainbow trout hybrids. He also undertakes the rearing of ducks of the following varieties: English mallard, pochara, and Gadwall, New Zealand paradise and grey, as well as Carolina teal. The Society have also a pheasant rearing establishment at Greytown, under the supervision of Mr. Knowlton, who is an expert in this branch of the work.

Mr. Lake Falconer Ayson, Curator of the Trout Hatcheries, who is a son of one of Otago's early settlers, Mr. Peter Ayson, was born in 1855 in Otago, where he was educated at the public schools. Brought up to the calling of a farmer, he commenced to make experiments in fish hatching by way of diversion in 1880. His success was such that he became a thorough master of the methods of hatching and rearing, and his appointment to the position he now holds has been abundantly justified by the results shown. Energy, coupled with untiring industry, have been essential to Mr. Ayson's magnificent success as curator of the splendid establishment over which he presides. During the season he has page 953 often to work very long hours and give the closest attention to the condition of the ova and the young fish, and in his arduous labours he is ably assisted by three of his sons. As a member of the Order of Masons, Mr. Ayson belongs to Lodge Clutha, S.C., and to the Otago Kilwinning Royal Arch Chapter. He was married in 1880 to a daughter of Mr. J. Dabinet, an old settler in Otago, and has five sons.

The Masterton Operatic Society was established in 1893, the officers (1896) being: Messrs. W. H. Hosking, M.R.C.S.E. (president), M. Caselberg (vice-president), D. R. Robinson (chairman), W. Dougall, M. O. Meadows, and B. P. Ginders (committee), W. Sellar (secretary), A. K. Von Keisenberg (conductor), and J. Candy (leader of orchestra). The Society has already produced “The Sorcerer,” “Lea Cloches de Corneville,” and at the time of writing the “Mikado” is being prepared.