ACROSS THE RIVER

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLIV, Issue 9848, 21 June 1923, Page 2

ACROSS THE RIVER

NOTES FROM TINWALD.

A QUIET PERIOD

The Timvald Town and District are experiencing a period of slackness in business and general social activities just at present, and nothing of any great moment has occurred in recent da y s - . . Housewives are there being taxed by the coal shortage, and the stocks in the local yards are getting very low. About one truck load of hard coal is in stock at present, but there is plenty of lignite to carry on in the near future, and the hope is expressed that the Australian coal miners’ strike will soon break. Firewood is eagerly sought after in preference to the soft coal, and stocks of this commodity are fast dwindling. The Domain. The Domain Board has the Domain premises in tip-top older at the present time, and the reserve looks as well now as ever it did. An endeavour is to be made very shortly to finish the convicting of ' the one remaining concreted sioe and me bottom of the swimming bam. The Board is negotiating for the work, which it is thought will be completed in the spring. Timvald’s hath, being 75 yards long and 45 feet wide, will then be one of the finest outdoor swimming places in New Zealand; and the residents are eager to see the scheme carried out as soon •as tho conditions will allow. Decently swing boats and other impedimenta for the amusement of children were placed in tho Domain Grounds, and other minor improvements have been made. The 'Board’s afforestation policy is not being neglected, and four ' acres of bluegum trees have been planted in a suitable corner of the Domain.

After having braved the nor’westers of the past 35 years, and the sou’westers of the same period, the big belt of pinus insignis trees in the Domain running parallel with the railway line and immediately to the rear of the station, which has been such a landmark, is about to be demolished for timber. The felling machines were taken in yesterday, and very soon the old trees will he no more, at anyrate as trees. The milling of the big belt and the two smaller clusters, which are also being given up to the circular saw, will occupy about two months, and will give employment to about a dozen men. The Potato Crop. There is usually a fair quantity of potatoes grown in and around Tinwald, but the growers tins year have again been hard hit. After the lean times of the past three or four years those whose livelihood depends largely on the growth of the tuber, were in high hopes that this year their losses would be made up to some extent, as tho crops came away very well. Just as hopes were highest, however, along came the Hoods of two months ago, and away went the said hopes. Being unable to get at some of the potato paddocks the owners, in very many cases, had to stand by and see the crops rot. Now, as the conditions continue to be favourable to the digging of the crops, it is being found that fully one-third of the tubers are worthless, and another alarming factor is that even after they are picked over and bagged, it is found that many of the potatoes have gone soft and watery. Continued picking is necessary to select a choice line of table quality, and in the process a great quantity are discarded, to the loss of the grower. The Railway.

Railway business has slackened down to a comparatively low ebb now, after the rush of the grain season, and the staff are being kept at comfortable pressure. One tiling noticed about the business transacted at this station over the past year, was the drop in the amount of stock trucked, when compared with previous year’s figures. The despatch of potatoes jiist now is also of very little consequence, the majority of these crops ( being held in store or by the growers. The carriage of general merchandise is, on the a.verage, up to previous standards.

The School. The progress of the school work has been steady, and has not been subjected to interruptions by sickness. Tho attendances have- been splendidly maintained, although there are some absentees on account of colds, but these are minor cases. The football teams are practising steadily and have entered in the Ashburton schools’ Competition. Yesterday a start was made with the training of the girls’ basketball team, and the members entered into the game very enthusiastically. Every Thursday afternoon sports are conducted for the school children, and small monetary prizes are given. The moving spirit in this department was Mr T. Tarbotton, and the idea being taken up enthusiastically it has progressed exceptionally well. Over 60 children participated in the prize money last year, and the present indications are that this figure will easily be eclipsed this year. An endeavour was made to conduct races for the young men of the district, but the support was such that the idea had to be dropped.

The other day a hare drive was hold in aid of the funds to improve the school grounds, and the evening sports meetings, and over 400 hares and rabbits having been shot and sold, the authorities of the school are looking forward to an addition of about £lO to the fund mentioned. Concrete paths have been laid down in the 1 school grounds, where most trouble was met with in wet weather, and paths have been run from, the entrance gate round the school to the hack, where a concrete souare has made a hi a improvement, while to the north of the school another souare of concrete has been laid down for bas- : ket ball play, and i,s proving its usefulness. i

Although a committee was not elected at the first householders’ meeting such a bodv was subspouent elected, and is as follows-—Messrs »T. Lowerv ('chairman'). H. W. Carnendnle. A. .T. Henderon. T). Watts. W. Gilmnur. F. Frew, J. Good, T. Parrish, and Cud- [

sell. These members are all keenly alive to the important positions they hold, and are doing everything possible to further the progress of the school and to see that all the latest equipment for the better education of the young ones under their control is secured.

Miss W. A. Valentine, a former teacher in the school, who was granted IS months’ leave to allow of her travelling through America and England on educational study, is now in Scotland. She will be returning to Timvald shortly and will take up her duties at the school about September. Mr. J. Southward, who lias been assistant at the school for about a year, has been appointed headmaster of the Seadown Sciiool and leaves for there about the end of July.

The Nurseries

The fact that afforestation is being taken up more now than ever before is having a good clroct on the nursery establishments, and the two flourishing nurseries on the other side of the river have come m lor a very lair share of the business being transacted. Tor forestry trees, it is learned, there is a very fair demand, but the demand for fruit trees lias fallen flat in the last three or four years. Before that there was a great boom, but as the export of fruit trees has turned out to be so unsuccessful the former exporters have given up their efforts.

Ornamental trees and bushes, for which one would think there would be a very big demand, are not asked for as much as they were, and in explanation it is stated that to sell such trees there must be new •homes in course of erection or just completed, but as the building trade has been dull, so it has effected the sale of ornamental shrubs.

From outside come many orders, and one nurseryman there has despatched trees to Whangarei and Invercargill on the same day. A notable fact about the despatch cf trees of all sorts is that over 90 per cent, of the trees sent from the nurseries, go out of the Ashburton County.