THE COUNTRY.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18014, 5 March 1924, Page 3

THE COUNTRY.

KAIKOURA. The Kaikoura Orchestral Society made its publio debut in the rl i Hull on Monday night, before a large audience. It is only a few weeks since Mr S. J. Mogridge i n al koura, and he has gathered together some talent that bids fair to pro^id o uracil enjoyment for the public. - * P. Acton-Adams (Patron of the Society • congratulated the conductor U Mogridge;, and the performers on t excellent concert given, and expres-. the hope that the public would a ?f! s the orchestra in even' way possibe. The audience was the most appreciate one that has gathered together some time, every item on programme being heartily encored. folowing programme was submitted' -March, "Billboardviolin duc<t, ', , Maria;" Intermezzo, Petals;" "Rhinefels;" "The Lilv J'- 11 r ,. acfce;" "Queen Tonaz;" "Edciweiss. Mr Mogride played a solo, ''>ixth Air Varie." Miss Withers sang "The and the Song;" Miss Hopkins, -i' n . Bay Morn;" Mr J. Carter <»' (1 Party," and "The Dover Patrol ; >j l 10. Warner gave a, monologue, and - r \Y. Perrin recited "Lascar." orchestra consisted of the following. ' Messrs J, S. Mogridge (violin), conductor ;C. Ogfien and IC. A. ■ .Snuth, first violins ; J. Washington, J. People*, and Miss G. M. Hopkins and O'Mallev, violins: Mr E. W. Flower, 'cello; and Mr W. Perrin, euphonium-; Mr J. ilhainsou, cornet; Mr C. Davies, piano. The performance was a musical treat, anu reflected the greatest credit on ai concerned.

WAIAU. A meeting was held in the Library Hall to consider the matter of augmenting tho funds for the building o an Anglican Church. After some discussion it was decided to hold a Queen Carnival some time in May, the district to be divided into two parts, the Jf al " koura road forming the dividing line. Several children were nominated on both sides, and on a ballot being taken, Elspeth Purbury was as the Western Queen and Natalie Stove as the Eastern. Separato committees were appointed to work for tho respective Queens. The Eastern Queen committee has decided to hold a pro/uce and afternoon tea stall on Saturday near the Post Offire, and a dance the following week in the Public Hall.

WAIKARI. A largely attended meeting of Waikaz'i residents, was held at the tenuis courts to bid farewell to the Rev. Mr Raule and Mrs Rawle, who have accepted thePrebbleton parish. Afternoon tea was provided by the ladieSn and a substantial cheque subscribed by tho residents, was handed to Mr Rawle. Several speeches were made wishing both Mr and Mrs Rawle all success in their new work ■ and thanking them for their unflagging efforts at Waikari. Mr Rawle replied briefly, and the very successful gathering broke up. Mr C. G. Jones's tender for the Vicarage Parish Room has been accepted, and the builders are already, making a start on the Parish Room, which it is hoped will be completed by Easter. Mr Jones is a Rangiora builder, and the cabinet work is also being done by a Rangiora firm.

LEITHFIELD. There was a good attendance at St. Paul's Anglican Church on Sunday, when tho Hardest Thanksgiving service was conducted, the vicar expounding the text, "The sower went forth to sow." Tho church was neatly decorated witli fruit and vegetables. Those interested in swimming are eagerly looking forward to the forthcoming ' afternoon meeting, when som-0 good racing is anticipated. RAJNUIOKA. An industry which was at one time carried on with some success in Rangiora, but has been closed down smcS 1916, was, revived yesterday, when the Rangiora lirick and Tile' Company, which has purchased the brickworks carried on for many y*ara by Mr l\ Hills and afterwards by his family, commenced work. The siiareholders of the company met at the works, and the chairman, Mr W. Allison, set a light to the kiln and declared the works ojjen. The company, which is composed of local business meii, Aas spent a large sum in bringing the works right up to date. Besides re-roofing the kiln, a new drying shed has been erected ancf an electric motor to dci»e the brickmakjng machine installed. The plant is capable of turning out 8000 bricks a dav.

A very pleasant little functiorl took place la.st night in the N.A. and P. Association rooms, when the committee of the North Canterbuiy and Ox-"ft-'rd Jockey Club entertained at a farewell social, the president of the club, Mr H. C. D. van Asch, who is about to pay a visit to Britain. Dr. T. A. Will, patron to the club, presided, and in proposing the health cf the guest, wished him and Mrs van Asch a pleasant jaunt abroad. The Mayor (Mr W. A. Rowse) endorsed the remarks of i"ie chairman, and on belialf of the borough and various sports' bodies of the town, 'expressed regret at having lpst Mr van Asch as-a resident 'of th§; borough, ;;but sta'ted that he' was pleased Mr vaii Ascli Avas still retaining his interest, in the town, Mr G. Cudb.v, on behalf of the committee, then presented Mr ivan Asch with a travelling rug, the' recipient suitably replying.

OKAIN'S BAY. Mr and Mrs Walter Harris left for the West Coast on Friday. They intend being absent for about two months. Mrs Livingstone, of Kilmarnock, Scotland, who is visiting New Zealand, is at present staying with her daughters, Mrs Dibble arid Mrs Mackay. Miss Agnes Thacker and Mr C. B. Thacker are leaving shortly for an extended trip abroad. Mr W. Hawes is still seriously ill in the Christchurch Hospital. Mrs Bacon and Miss Bacon (Gore) are at present visiting. friends in the Bay. KIRWEE. The rainfall for the month of -February was the lowest recorded for . the past* IS years, the total reaching only •1)3 points. The total in 1908 was only four points. For - Jhe corresponding month of 1923, the total fail was 2.85 inches; 11*22, 1.61 inches; 1921, 1.55 inches; 1920, 3.79 inches, and 1919, .53 inches. Tho total fall rocorded for the two. mouths ending on February 29th, was 2.33 inches, whilst for tho corresponding period of 1923, the fall was <3.62 inches; 1922, 4.54 inches; 1921, 7.32 inches, 1920, 6.74 inches, and 1919, 4.23 inches.. The only smaller fall recorded for January and February was in 1908, when the total for the two months was 1.53 inches. The month has been a very dry and windy one, and north-west winds have predominated. Grass paddocks .are very dry, and feed is scarce. Turnips and* rape are badly in need of moisture. Some farmers have drilled oats, grass, etc., for green feed, whilst others prefer to wait till rain comes. There lmve been several fires, but fortunately they have been confined to small areas. With .the exception of some pea crops, threshing-is over, and the season is probably the shortest on record. The clover crops were rather disappointing,. tho best yield reported being j a little over a bag ;to the acre. I

ASHLEY BANK. ' Weather conditions oontipue to ba warm and oppressive, but the absence of strong winds has enabled farmers to got • ahead with the harvesting of pe*vs. Some very fair crops are reported. Threshing is still in progress throughout the district. T^ 10 mor| thly meeting of the Ashley School Committee was held on Mondav evening. Present: Messrs R. Collie (cluurman), G. S. Smith, J, Criglington, and F. W. Robertson. The headmaster reported that the school reopened after the holidays with a roll number of 50, the average attendance during the past five weeks being 49.1. As money is required for levelling and fencing the recently-pur-chased playing field, it was decided to hold a dance on March 28th, to raise funds. It was decided to have the ien cine: done at once, material frcm the old boundary fence to be used.

SPRINGFIELD. The children of the Springfield school made their annual trip to the seaside on Friday. At 7 a.m. the railway station bore an air of pleasurable excitement and expectancy as the school children, their parents, and friends assembled to board the train for Christchurch, where they were met by a special tram and conveyed to New Brighton. A much-appreciated picnic lunch was served to all on tho beach, after which a programme of sporting events was run off. Most of the afternoon was spent in swimming, surfing, and paddling. Before dispersing for their several homes on the arrival of the train at Springfield, the children lined up on the station, and lustily cheered the committee and all those who had been responsible for their pleasure that day. On Saturday evening tho School Committee held a children's dance in the hall. The music was supplied by Mrs W. Donovan, the Misses K. Mijlar, D. Innes, and Mr E. Odger3_ A team of tennis players visited Darfield on Saturday afternoon for a friendly match. The games were most enjoyable, and resulted in a win for the home team. Mr and Mrs Stanley Smith (Arthur's Pass), who have lately been holidaying at Oamaru and Christchurch, spent the week-end with Mrs and Mias Naismith ("Pleasant View").

BARRY'S BAY. On Monday a largo 'gathering of parents, friends, and children "was held in the Barry's Bay School to say goodbye to Miss Banks, who has been in solo chargo of the school for the past 44 years, Mr J. W. King, in welcoming the expressed his pleasure at the number of parents and friends who had attended to do her honour. Miss Banks had, for the greater part her term here, a hard school to teach. At one time for several months there had been 44 children on the roll, and yet it had been impossible to maintain the average required for an assistant. Miss Banks's beneficial influence had been felt from the first. She had been untiring in her energies for the welfare of the children, and all regretted she was leaving. Mr A. Stewart and Mr J. Stewart, an exchairman, endorsed the previous speaker's remarks, and further stated that Miss Banks, had fearlessly carried out' her duties. Mr King then summed the whole matter up by saying it had .been the case of a big school and good results from a small teacher. He asked her ,to accept a silver tea service from the parents and a fountain-pen from the children as a small token of their appreciation of her efforts on their behalf, to which he wished to add their best wishes for' her health, happiness, and future welfare, wherever she might be. Miss Banks/An reply, said that although it had-been a big school for one to teach, she liad hadr the cordial co-oporation of the committee and parents, which • had lightened the load. Though leaving, she would always take a kindly interest in the children. Supper was handed round by the ladies of the Bay. Dancing was kept up till the early hours of the morning, Mr 0. I. Stewart acting as M.C. The music was supplied by Mr King and Messrs E. A. H. Stewart and P. Waghorn.

TAI TAPU. The llev. B. J. James, of + mouth, a former minister of the lfV Tapu Methodist Church, preached on Sunday last. The Rev. B. Metson, of Bt. Kilda's, Dunedm, is also paying a visit to Tai Tapu, and will preach on , Sunday next. , A most welcome rain commenced to fall about midday yesterday. The country is very parched, and as a result the cream supply is shoeing a marked falting-off. « .• | Although in a number of cases farmers had' disappointing yields of their harvest," one farmer, Mr A. lanner, had a very pleasant surprise. He has just harvested and threshed a > crop ofScotch barley which yielded 80 bushels to the acfe, a result much beyond his anticipations. _ , ■ Tie meetings in connexion with the jlit;Tee celebrations of _the Tai. Tapu ScTiooT are being helu weekly, and much time and energy; is being spent in arranging for the reunion which is to be *eld on Saturday, April 12th. In order to compile a complete record of the names of old scholars who served in the the School Committee, is asking anyone who could give information to communicate with it so that the roll f honour may be completed before the unveiling.

_____ ym- • SPEINGBANK. A public meeting was held on Monday evening to consider the re-opening of "the library, which had been closed for about' four years. Mr C. Rands presided. It was reported that the old library contained aftout 600 books, of which quite a number were missing. It was resolved to organise the library and the following committee was elected :—Messrs C. Rands (chairman), 11. Tallott, W. Burgess, W. House, and A. Fisher. Mrs A. Fishei was appointed librarian. It was resolved to re-eatalogue the books and to request persons having any library books in. their possession to return them at once. It was agreed to open the library on Monday, March 17th, and to open one night a week. A well has been put down in the school grounds, and a splendid flow of water obtained at a depth of 16ft. This has proved a big boon to the children during this dry spell.

aORORATA. The annual meeting of the subscribers of the Hororata Library was held on Saturday night, Mr W. Page presiding. The balance-sheet, showing a credit balance of £5 18s 6d, was adopted. It was decided that the committee for the ensuing year should consist of seven members, the following being elected: — Mesdames Page Wilson, Miss Eldndge. Messrs Page, Pratt, C. Ironside, and O'Brien. Mr C. Ironside was re-elected hon. seoeretary and treasurer. Mr and Mrs Page asked the committee to' accept their resignations from the position of joint-librarians. Mrs WHson was appointed librarian, to be assisted by the committee-men. It was resolved to expend a sum of £5 on ney books immediately and that nomination lists be placed on the library table. Subscribers will have the opportunity of nominating books up to the 22nd inst. To raise funds it was decided to hold a dance in the hall on the evening of the race.day, April 12th.

OHOKA. Last week the newly-formed Tennis Club played first match at Swannanoa against a team of four men from that club. The match resulted. in a draw,' each side winning throe sets and 41 games. Work on the new courts has begun, and it- is hoped they will be ready to play a return match upon in a month's time. At ( a meeting of the committee of the Sports Club it waß decided to. postpone all further road cycle events .until the roads —at present much .cut up. by the traction-engine traffic—were in better order. .The dance .promoted by the club was. a great financial-sua-cess, and the committee-feel confident of getting together a large Burplus with which to provide handsome prizes at the Bports already arranged for next New Year 's Day. , . ; The statutory. annual meeting of the Ohoka and Eyreton Domain Board was attended by Messrs R. O. Dixon, H. W. Clothier, F. Pearce, and H. N. Bennett. Mr R. 0. Dixofi was reelected ehairtnan. An appraisement was received from the State Forest Service of the timber in the old Mandeville racecourse, and it is hfcped shortly to make a sale to a milling' firm, thus providing for the purchase of a recreation ground at Eyreton.' It was decided to have the Domain cottage painted and to repair the fences, at the Mandeville racecourse.

GREENPARK. About 70 people gathered, at Miss Yarr's residence to participate in the second annual picnic of. St'. Mark's Sunday ' School. The time went all too quickly in races, games, and an ample afternoon tea. ■ A treasure-bun > for the adults afforded much amusement, Mrs W. Campbell being the lucky finder of the treasure (a box of chocolates). • "berryola" is an ideal place for a picnic, and Miss Yarr spared no effort to give, all an enjoyable time. Annie Watkins, on behalf of-the Sunday school children, thanked the teachers and air who had helped to make the picnic a success, and then called for three cheers for Miss-Yarr. Each child received a toy and some and all expressed themselves as having had ian enjoyable time.

RAKAIA. A harvest festival service was held at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church on Sunday night. The building presented a very fine appearance with its collections of grain, fruit and other produce. Tha choir rendered special anthems, and an appropriate sermon was preached by the Rev. A. S. Morrison. The goods are to be forwarded to the Presbyterian Orphanage in Christchurch.. *At a meeting of the Library Committee a new proposed scale of charges for meetings was exhaustively discussed and finally adopted. It was decided to hold a concert in aid of the funds early in May. The following have -undertaken to provide the programmeMre R, Breach. Misses Clark, Willis and Shannon, and Mr C. Evison. It was resolved to make enquiries with a view to ordering another periodical for the circulating library. At a meeting of the committee of the Rakaia Bowling Club, Mr J. Stubbs presided ■ over a small attendance. The secretary of the Linwood Club wrote that a touring team would be making a visit to Rakaia shortly, and he asked that ten men be selected to play a match. It was resolved to endeavour to fall in with the request. The secretary of the Ashburton Club wrote with reference to a proposed match, Ashburton Centre r. Ellesmere Centre. It was agreed to fall in with the idea and to suggest the players be selected -thus: —Ashburton 12 men, Rakaia C men, and Methven 6 men, making six rinks. The matter of Easter play was discussed, and it was decided to try, to arrange a progressive double tournament for tne holidays.