Awatuna East is a dairy-farming district on the Eltham-Opunake road. It has a general store, which conducts the business of the post and telegraphic office, and the telephone bureau. There is a sawmill in the district, and the Awatuna Co-operative Dairy Company has its establishment in the village; and there is also a blacksmith's shop Awatuna East lies to the south-east of Mount Eg-mont and is in the Waimate riding of the county of Hawera.

The Awatuna Co-Operative Dairy Factory Company, Limited ; offices, Awatuna East. The Awatuna Dairy Factory is thoroughly up-to-date, and has also a cheese-making plant. It contains an engine room, a butter room, a cheese-making room with five vats, two chilling rooms, a curing room, a salt room and a packing room. The machinery includes a fourteen horse-power boiler, a twelve, horse power Tangye engine, a two-ton Humble freezer and heater, and three Alpha de Laval separators, etc. The factory has two creameries, and the staff consists of a factory manager, two assistants, and two creamery managers.

Mr. John Callaghan was appointed Manager of the Awatuna Cooperative Dairy Factory Company in 1905. He was born in Wellington in the year 1879, and was educated at St. Patrick's College. In 1898 he was employed at the Ngaire Dairy Factory, and was afterwards at the Kaupokonui and Riverdale factories. For some time subsequently Mr. Callaghan had charge of the Skeet Road Factory, before he received his present appointment.

Howitt, William King, General Storekeeper, Awatuna East. Mr. Howitt acts as local postmaster, and is further referred to under Patea as a former member of the Patea Borough Council.

Parkes and Brooker (Samnel Parkes and Thomas Hector Brooker). Sawmillers, Awatuna East. The mill of Messrs Parkes and Brooker is situated about two miles from Awatuna East. It has been established for twenty-three years, and has been working in various parts of the Awatuna district. The firm owns over 280 acres of good timber land, and has also cutting rights over considerable areas in the district. The plant is complete and up-to-date, and includes a thirty horse-power boiler, a fourteen horse-power Murray engine, a breaking down bench with vertical saw, a breast bench, and an American planing machine. About twenty persons are employed, and the daily output is 5000 feet. In connection with the establishment there is a yard at Opunake, where supplies of timber are kept. Carting is done with the firm's own teams.

Mr. Samuel Parkes, of the firm of Parkes and Brooker, was born in Nelson in the year 1854, and is a son of an old colonist. He removed to Taranaki when eighteen years of age, and was employed at sawmills in various parts of the district. In 1883, in conjunction with Mr. Robert Palmer, he started his present business. Mr. Palmer subsequently retired from the firm, and in 1896 Mr. Brooker was taken into partnership. Mr. Parkes is married, and has three children.

Mr. Thomas Hector Brooker, of the firm of Parkes and Brooker, has been connected with the sawmilling business for many years, and is a pracal business man.