THE COUNTRY.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 17986, 1 February 1924, Page 3

THE COUNTRY.

HIGHER EDUCATION IN" AGRICULTURE. FARMERS' UNION REQUEST. 'MESS tssociATiox rLLEaruM- 1 WELLINGTON. January 31. Tlie Dominion executive or the Nov, Zealand Farmers' Union agreed to s ' iC following resolution: "That this X. nion I ' 3 opinion that the present provision of tlie University of New Zealand for higher education in agriculture is inadequate, and it is necessary that something lie done to help lanr.ers in this direction, and that, in particular, hotter provision should he made m the matter of research work in agriculture. The Union, with a view to ascertaining the facts with regard to our methods of production, suggests that an iu quirv ,be made regarding this matter, and that a report be published for tlie information of farmers ' organisations. The president, Mr W. j/Poison, said a. letter had been received from the Government in reply to a previous convlnunieation of the Union, stating thaif the agricultural and pastoral industries were given special representation on the Senate, other bodies interested would have the right to special representation, such as dentists, accountants, and teachers. Further, if a representative for some special section of tic community were appointed to _ the Senate he would exercise a voice, m a great many matters that have no connexion with the agricultural and pastoral industries, while matter relating to the hitter would very rarely come before the Senate. The Acting-Min-ister of Education regretted, therefore, that he could not see how it would be possible to give effect to the resolution previously passed by the Farmeis Union. JOTTINGS FOR FARMERS. A movement is on foot to hold a winter show in Wellington. Strong support is promised from Wairarapa. The idea is to combine it with the motor show and industrial exhibition, using .sonic of the big v/harf sheds for the purpose. AMBERLE7. A summoned meeting of the Amberley Oddleilows'" Lodge was held 011 Wednesday, when i\.G. Bro. M. AWilson presided over a largo attendance cf members. Sick pay amounting to £ll was passed lor payment; also two maternity bonuses. The balancesheet lor the year was read and shovved receipts to have been £51)3 18s sd, and expenditure £495 10s lid, of which £IGS 5s 2d was paid out foi sick pav. The total membership was 116. It was decided to apply for permission to appropriate £I<J(JO of the lodge's surplus capital and place £l5O to the management fund and £BSO to tlie surplus fund, the interest of which is to be used in reducing members contributions upon their attaining the ago of 50 years. A meeting of the committee of the Amberley Golf Club was held on /Wednesday- evening, the president, Dr. Thompson, presiding. The secretary stated that financially the club had had a good year. It was decided to pay £U> off the building fund. Messrs H. James and W. Parsons were appointed to attend to the top-dressing of the greens. The annual meeting was fixed for March 15tli. Th'j popularity of tlie Amberley Domain and' surrounding districts is evidenced bv the fact that from January 31st to ; February 16th five picnic parties from Christchurch have booked the Domain, and enquiries for the use of the ground are constantly being made. RANGIORA. The Coronation Hall, Southbrook, was crowded when a valedictory social was tendered to Mr and Mrs B. A. d'Auvergne, who have been residents of -Soutnbrook for very many years, and are leaving the district to reside in Christchurch. Cards and dancing were indulged in and a very enjoyable time' -was spent. During the evening Mr d'Auvergne was presented with a travelling bag, and Mrs d'Auvergne with a Doulton palm bowl; Mr d'Auvergne returned thanks for the gifts, and expressed his regret at leaving Southbrook, where he had spent a very happy time and made many friends. Mrs A. Breach supplied the music for the dancing. The election to fill the vacancy on the Borough Council, caused by the death of Cr. H. A. Archdall, was held yesterday. There was not a great deal of interest taken in the election, and out of a roll number of 1038 only 34£ I took the trouble to record Jieir votes. The results were:—Robert "William Borland, 193: Frank Forrester Jackson, 12-1; Walter AVarine Dawson, 23. After the poll was declared Mr Borland. the successful candidate, returned thanks to the electors. Mr Dawson also spoke and congratulated Mr Borland on his election. As Mr Dawson did not poll one-eighth of the number of votes recorded for the successful candidate, he consequently forfeited his i deposit. KAIAPOI. There was a good attendance at the special meeting of the Ivaiapoi Beautifying Association. Mr H. W. Trousselot occupied the chair. The chief business was in connexion with the carnival to be held on March 22nd. The following were appointed to take charge of the various stalls:—Treasure hunt: Mesdames D. P. Brennan and S. J. Richards. Refreshment tent: Mesdames W. B. S:ott and O. Giliett. Fruit salad and ice cream: Miss Fawcclt. Novelty stall: Mesdames E. J. Martin, and J. Hiddlestonc. Home industries: Mesdames R. AVvlie and T. R. Lcithead. Sweets stall: Miss ; Young. Procession : The U.S.A. Sideshows : Messrs Wallace. Hirst, and | Broun. The president agreed to arrange for gatekeepers. Various detail matters were left in the bands of the secretary (Rev. W. B. Scott). The decision to run an infant queen contest was. ratified, and the two candidates will be ballotte' 1 for next week by the children attending the public school. It was agreed to hold a dance in the Drill Hall as a conclusion to the day's effort. The Works Committee of tlie Association was requested to prepare a report on work to he taken in hand, and to act in connexion with the purchase of a hese for watering the rose garden. Tlie work of the Association, in spite of adverse weather conditions, has been remarkable during tlie nast season. There is still much to do, and the Association is expecting the carnival to be such a success that tlie new work ca, i be tackled at an early data. The Rev. W. B. Scott presided over a good attendance at the Kaiapoi Methodist quarterly' meeting. The bal-ance-sheet showed a reduction in the debit- balance which now stands at £l2. The sum of £6GO had been raised during the vear for all purposes. Mr j was elected jepresentative to Conference, with Mr W. E. Bate a.s substitute. Mr C. Bennett, retiring circuit steward, and Mrs H. H. Blackwell, Foreign Mission secretary were thanked for their services. Messrs W. E. Bate and H. H. Blackwell were elected Circuit Stewards. It was decided to hold Harvest Thanksgiving Services on March 23rd, and

the chairman, announced that the Rev. H. K. jJellhouse, a former minister of Ivaiapoi, would conduct the church aimn ersary .services on March 'Jtli. MAYFIELD. The Mayfield telephone service is recognised as one of the most compact and up-to-date in New Zealand. Linesmen have been busy for some time past bringing to completion an elaborate scheme of reticulation that now extends over a radius of close on 50 miles and that establishes direct connexion with a number of remote and isolated stations lying round- the base of the Southern Alps. The lino running up the Ashburton Gorge brings .Lake He ron, 50 miles away, into direct communication with the Maylield exchange, this particular wire taking rank with another in Central Otago as the longest in New Zealand. Upwards of 40 new subscribers are joining the 134 already enrolled, so that practically every homestead in the district is included in the service. The neighbourhood is therefore homogeneous in emergencies such as fire, accident, or epidemic; and in t.lie graive danger occasioned during the hot, dry weather by grass paddocks and plantations getting alight, the local exchange staff more than once proved its alertness. The pole .standing outside the Maylield exchange supports 130 converging wires, some of which are 10 miles in length. The pole is viewed with pride; it is considered to give the township quite a metropolitan finish. The installation is known as the "metallic," or bronze system, embodying duplicate wires to every private 'phone, thus preventing the "listening in" annoyance unavoidable on single lines. The Mavfield telephone service has a history. Its practicability was at first urged by a Tiandful of men possessed of foresight ana business acumen, but several years were consumed wearing down a stubborn and factious opposition; and although the Maylield exchange has not been in existence two years, it has become one of the most profitable and successful telephone enterprises in the country. Long distance calls represent a big volume of /business, and not infrequently "queues" are formed of subscribers desirous of getting in touch with Ashburton or Christchurch. A new exchange to included 80 subscribers is shortly to be established at Springburn, near Mt. Somers. There is to be an exchange of pulpits between the Ashburton and Mayfield Methodist Churches on Sunday next, February 3rd. At the un.veihng ceremony to take place at Mayfield in the evenino- Miss- W. Patterson is to sing "Crossing the Bar" (Willeby) from "In Memoriam." This beautiful solo will he listened to with enjoyment. It is one of the comparatively few instances 'in which words of rare pathos are set to appropriate and perfectly consonant music. RAKAIA. Miss Betty Morrison, daughter of the Rev. A. S. Morrison and Mrs Morrison, of the Manse, ltakaia, has met with very considerable success as a student. In her last year at the Ralcaia Pcblic School sho passed through Standards V. and VI.; gaining a proficiency certificate -with many marks to spare. In 1922 she gained a Junior NationalScholarship at the Ashburton High School, and in 1923, at the age of fourteen. secured a Senior National Scholarship. This talented young lady s career will be watched with interest. Miss Iv. C. Morrson, 8.A., of Ralcaia, commences as assistant teacher at the Ashburton High School after the holidays. METHVEN. Heavy rain commenced to fall at Methvon at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, ani continued all night. The total fall 'was 117 points. After the very hot and dry spell that has been experienced iately, the rain will do a vast amount of good. Most of the cereal crops arc cut and threshing machines are very busy all over the district. The yields are turning out better than was anticipated some weeks ago, and although in two or threo instances smut has made its presence felt, the sample is really good. Owing to the heavy rejections of wheat at Lyttelton in the past, farmers place the sale of their wheat in the hands of brokers who are consigning to South Island mills. Turnips and rape crops have made gcod progress lately in spite of the excessive heat that prevailed. This can be attributed to the rain that fell about a week ago. Grass paddocks also are showing a green tinge. Yesterday was overcast, but otherwise dry, with a moderate wind blowing. Stooks will consequently soon be dry enough for stacking.