THE COUNTRY.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15917, 2 June 1917, Page 3

THE COUNTRY.

NOTES AND NEWS. SHEARERS' WAGES. MANIFESTO TO MEMBERS OF A.P.U. Mr €. Grayndler, secretary of tho Agricultural and Pastoral Workers Union, Las issued tho following manifesto to members of that Union: "On account of tho shccpow tiers' ro- | fu S a] to meet shearers and shed-hands' 'representatives, and point-blank 10f using to como to any agreement, we ar© again appealing to you to stand loyal in obtaining tho following rates ;of ony.— ... "A.P.U. Shearers' Demands.—(l) The rat© for shearing by hand or machine shall not bo. less than —1 <s bd per 100, with rations; (2) the rate for shearing stud sheep, double-tlecc2d sheep, rams, or ram-stags, shall l>e doublo ordinary rates; (3) all sheep to be free from dags before being brought into the shed; (-1) tho rato for r.rutching by. hand or machine- shall bo not lrss than 6s per 100 for crutching. and 7s for crutching and wigging, or j£l per day and found in each case; (-3) that experts shall bo paid £ 5 per "week up to 12 shearers and £6 per week for over 12 shearers, with travelling cxpensos both trays. "A.P.U. iShed-hands' Demands. —(1) That the rate for shed-hands shall bo £3 per week and found, irrespective of age or sex; but in Maori sheds in Hawke's Bay and Gisborne, where an hourly rate has been tho custom, shorthands shall be paid at tho rate of not less than Is 6d per hour and found. (2) That tho rate for wool-pressing shall be not Iras than £4 per week, 2s per bale, or 9d per cwt. (3) C'ociks shall receive £-i per week for 20 men or under. £5 per week for between 20 and 30 men, and for oyer .'3O m;u £3 per week and found in each case. Cook's ant s shall bo provided whe.ro there are 20 ""men and over, and such assistant shall bo paid not less than £3 per wock and found." SEFTON FARMERS' UNION. The annual meeting of the Sefton Farmers' Uuion was held in tho Sefton Hotel on Thursday. Mr J. D. Wylie was elected president in the placc of Mx D. Bailey, resigned. Messrs G. Ferguson and F. Croft vice-presidents, and Mr J. Barclay secretary. It was resolved to ask Mr Devereux to give a lecture on "Wheat" at the end of this month. SEFTON. In connexion with the anniversary! of tho Sefton Methodist Church, a tea meeting was held on Thursday in the Public Hall, Sefton. A large company sat down to the ample supply of good things provided by the ladies. The after meeting was presided over by the Rev. F. Greenwood. An interesting programme of musical and elocutionary items was given, interspersed with anthems bv the choir, under the leadership of Mr (Griffiths. An address was given bv the Rev. J. Guy, of Rangiora. A hearty vote of thanks to oil who had helped was carried by acclamation.

! . PiAXGIORA. , Ihe atinnal meeting of the Rijngiora ! !vatlies : Hookey Club was held nti Thtirs- ! in y evening. Tile balanes-sheet showed j i credit ha hi nee of 5s 9d. At n ; previous meeting of tho committee, it ! -vr.s decided not to enter for nnv <j'.itsidc competitions this year, but, r-u j ho 'ccomniendation of the Canterbury Jockey Association, it was decided io ; -ntcr a team ior the senior com pet ii .ion. Tbe following officers were' | ?locted : —Patron, lion. P. Buddo, j vt.P.: president, Mr W. McGnior; riceMcsidpnts. Meat's W. E. Boston, C.'l. r eniiin;is, C. AU-ington. and J. 15. Cr-.'s-vell; club captain, Mrs C. 10. Bell; earn captain, Mrs H. M. Hawkins; •.ecretarv and treasurer, Jliss M. Groig. DOYLESTOX. Tl'.c quarterly meeting of the Ellcsmcre Druids' Lodge was held at Doyleston, Arch-Druid Bro. C. Fisse presiding. . Sympathy ,wa;< expressed »vith the secretary, 1 P.D.P. Bro. H. Quartermainc, in his illness. The D.P., Bro. J. FussoJl, undertook to carry out, tho secretarial duties in the meantime. \ftc.<- the ordinary business was finishad. the A.D. rose ;tnd extended a hearty welcome to J.P.A. Bro. W. FusseU, vlio was home from camp on final leave. On behalf of the members, P.D.P. Bro. A. Werner, the oldest member of the lodc-3, presented the departing brother with a wristlet.watch. LAKESIDE. The strong soutl'-west gale on Thursday blew down a largo portion of ono sido of the Soldiers' Memorial Hall nt Lakeside, which is at present being buil 1 ; in' brick. The re-erection of the brick work will involve considerable expense. .Although the day was exceedingly eold fanners throughout- the Eilcsmere district, welcomed tho drying wind, because in most cases the land was too v.ct to work lor cropping. Sowing and cultivating work generally, which was inl.erruoted by tho heavy rain last week-end, is now in full c wing -igain, and if the weather holds out most of tho winter wheat will soon be in the ground. LEESTOX. "That smoking is an injurious bnbit," was tho subject of a debate which took place at the weekly meeting of tho Leeston Wesley "Guild on Thursday evening. Tho leader for the affirmative sido was Mr Alex. Webster, who was supported by Messrs S. Maxwell and Russell GarnetL, while Messrs J. Oliver, J. Chambers, and L. \Y. Hewitt spoke for the negative side. The meeting declared by a. large iha.jority that the negative sido had put >orward the best arguments. The Rev. W. Layeock presided. The secretary vis directed to convey to Mr G. W. Jt. Osbcrnc, who recently mel with an :>coident, tho sympathv of the members. Sergeant Stewart McLaughlin, who was cn final leave,. was accorded a hearty welcome. Kill WEE. The largo Agricultural Hall was crowded wiien a welcome homo was extended; to three retained- soldiers. Quartermaster-Sergeant R. Burgess was for some time in Egypt,'and saw a good deal of active service. He was invalided home on account of ill-health. He has a son on active service at the present time. Private C. Mcßeath left with the S:d Reinforcements. Fe saw a good deal of fighting on a.n-1 was there at tho evacuation. He a'so saw much active service, in France. Private G. L. Crossan left with-the 9th Reinforcements, saw much actjvo service in France, and was" invalided home with a badly wounded arm. All three soldiers were the recipients of cold rnodnls. Mrtably inscribed. The Rev. P. Revel] and Sir I. "LorgelV, who trade the prrs-ntations, referred togreat sa-rifices the men had- made, and expressed app-ociation of their val.)ablo servic is. Combin-d with the above wa s a send-off to Private R. Youngman, who was on final l°ave. Private Younprnan was the recipient of a pai; of military hair-brushes and a moneybelt. Dancing was indulged in, and sones contributed by Misses .Robertson and Mac-Fa-lane; also a number of items by tho school children, -under Mis s Slo&ne. IKAP.OA. On Wednesday and Thursday a southerly • gale raged over tTn'g end of the Peninsula. The wind was so boisterous on Thursday as to raise such a. sea as is seldom seen on'the almost land-locked harbour of Aiaroa. During the night, heavy squalls of rais, hail, and sleet drove along in. bliszardlike fashion. Yesterday morning disclosed the tops of the ranges coatei with a ] : ght fall of snow. The Akaroa Butter Factory closed down for tbe season at the end nf May. Itg total output was 62 tons and . the

prices obtained ranged from Is 5d to is T}d per lb- The buttor throughout reached a liieh standard of quality, beins graded 92. The avorage return per butter-fat paid tb suppliers, of whom thcro arc 00, w.i s about Is 4d. The secrcia'-y states i'-at -with tho exception of 130 boxes lying in store, the season's output has all been sold. i j RAKAIA. i On Thursday and yesterday the tem- ' pcrature 'was very.low, and was intensified by a keen south-wester, which seemed to cut like a knife. At 1 p.m. yesterday the temperature was 48 degrees in tho shade. j Tho "strike" time-table, which was in force on the railways, having now j been incorporated with tho "economy ' timo-tabic, tho primary schoolchildren ; from tho Rakaia district aro now able to attend the Technical School in Ashburton for manual training, a privilege which was for a time denied them. 1 The programme for the farewell to j Private Walker on the King s Birth- ; dav is to bo provided by tho ex-pnpils j of "the Ashburton High School, resident j In Hakaia, assisted by somo other local i lolenfc. A returned soldier, who was ! c,n GaDipoli, and wounded on the I Somme, has promised to bo present and ! recount some of his experiences. I The effects of'the coal shortage are > Seing felt, very much in Rakaia. Kaii iangnta coal, "which was formerly popu- | Lit, is now cjuite unobtainable, and Westport, which is unsuitable for I stoves made to burn the southern coal, j is the only coal available, and that only jin small quantities. Many householders aro now burning large quantities of iirewcod, and endeavouring to do without- coal. \SHBTJRTOX. ' Tho vital statistics for the Ashburton registration district for the month of May were as follows: Births 2i, deaths 10, marriages 6. The figures for May, '91G, were: Births 32, deaths 13, marriages 3. A meeting was held at Ashourton on Thursday evening, for the purpose of tain;; preliminary stops towards the formation of a Second Division League. Mr H. M. Jones, who convened tho meeting, presided over a fair attendance. Correspondence was read from the pre>ident of the Timani League, SPtlinc fortli the objects and platform of the league. It was unanimously decided to form a Hecond iDivision League for 'Ashburton County, and the Mayor is to be asked to call a public meeting to further the matter. U. M. .Tones T. IT. Dunham, G. H. Carson, W. G. Allington. ■). Stewart, . Oiinnn, Ingham, A. G. McFarland, A. W. Ilonkins, ami tho Rev. Frank O'drievc. were appointed a Provisional Cxuinittse. THE GERALDINE DISTRICTS. The whole countrywide has been thoroughly .soaked by another heavy raiufalf, which continued more or loss constantly for three nights and days and brought down all the creeks and rivers in flood or fresh. Near the Kakahu stream and elsewhere many of the lojvlying fields were swamped, and though the "flood water lias now run off, the Hushes still remain out, and the ponds and springs arc full to overflowing, in great contrast to" ite condition in either of tho past two years, tho ground is now well -saturated, and, no more ram is required for a considerable period. As the weather cleared, sharp frosts oeeurrod on Monday and Tuesday nights, but another change to milder conditions followed. The heaw raios came at an unfortunate time* for harvest prospeds: nust. when tho soil wan in first-class working order and even* effort was being made j to ensure at least an average crop of i wheat. As the matter stands at the | present moment, the operations ol : ploughing and sowing have suffered, a \ . serious interruption, and in iua .n> . places the teams have been idle dui mg . tho lo £ .V fbw dayii- Howc-vcr. the . windv wither of and ! Thursday, has dried tho.plQUghlands to eome extent, and on- the • "enter ; grounds about Oran, Rangitata, and Arundel, it is agaiu powible to go 1 ahead. On the other hand the he.ni- • est soils are waterlogged, and unfit fo working, and unless . a nort^ c in v ' alters the state of affairs very the wheat-sowing season must bp ,P°st- ; poued until spring. The delay~- ; tho more annoying for tho reason Ua in tho Gcraldme- and Woodbury districts the work was well advanced, and ifc is quite usual to find a part-.own wheat crop, which, could have been ' finished off nicely-in ono ortwo more » fino davs. Apparently evcrythmg now J depends upon tho weather, and m fav- : ourablo circumstances the S P™°£ ! j ng of wheat will be more extcnsivo than was expected. , Durinc the last weeks, most, of tlio ' crops or"autumn oats hr.ve made non- • derfully good progress, and m to 1 Woodbury, Pleasant Valley, Tour ' Peaks Settlement, and.Kakahu du- ' tricts, they now compare very faromJ ablo even with their promising appear--1 anee at this time last year ? s of lonir experience has it tnat no 1 "never saw" the crops look better; and in this wav his only grievance is .with the larks, who m one field 9®P c " have pulled up a large quanutj of tlio . sprouting corn. This complaint recent- ! lv lias been rather general, and is not " likely to lessen in future years, as the 1 laTks Lave secretive nesting habits, > -aid escape the toll taken by egg collec- • tors more lightly than the otEer small ; everywhere in tho • between ;tho -Rangitata and OpiM > rivers,-the paddocks and grass lhnds ore - new covered with a fair supply of win- , ■ tor feed, and though ui most places the • growth is at last checked the u j s gras« Has had an opportunity of hard-, • on in" a little before the fronts beyin. I • "In a °season when the root crops gener- • allv were more or loss of a failure, this , ; IfitP growth has bfeeu especially lort.i- ---' nate. and also the Dun oats Mil now provide their share of early ieeil. it is noticeablc that fewer crops of ryo have been sown than was the case last, autumn, a fact no doubt due to the hard condition of the ground preventing ite preoaration at the proper time, i Generally speaking, tho stock arc in excellent- condition, though in certain places foot-rot is causing unusual trouble. . From th« hill runs it is reported ' that feed is plentiful, and the sheep ' arc in good order. The rabbits had bedome too numerous, but poisoning operations harvo been pushed forwnid 1 vigorously• and with good success. Also ;>oisoning has effectually thinned the rabbits on tho lands adjoining the riverbeds in the lo«* country for instance, near the Orari, where many are to be. seen lying dead among tho tussocks. This .winter 't 's.said t>at hares are very scarce, and it is difficult to find enough for the gun. a rcpult'set down to tHe late shooting for Red Cross purposes; but. more probably liccaufc there has been little hard weather to bring' them down from tho hills. ' . , . . * "WAI3IATE. At the annual of tlic Board of Governors of the' Waimato Sigh School,. 31r R. Inkster. was re-elected chairman. The secretary's estimates for'l9l7 showed an'increase*of £191 4s 2d in the revenue as compared with 191§. It -was reported that negotiations were proceeding for the securing of 40 acres of the "Waimate Settlement • (unallotted) for'a High School farm, on lines similar to that at Ashburton. During the term holidays 80 of tho senior hoys worked for farmers at potatcvpicking. Some earned £5 each. One team of twelve picked up 2500 eacks for < one fanner. The Board expressed its ■ pleasure at the good behaviour and industry of the boys. The rainfall For May was 602 points, on 1-4 day's, the biggest fall for any single month for five years. The vital statistics'for .the "Waimate district for May fire: Births 1<", marringes 3. deaths -1,