NORTH CANTERBURY.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19032, 21 June 1927, Page 3

NORTH CANTERBURY.

RANGIORA. • A most delightful comedy romance is to be shown at. Everybody's, Town Hall, this evening, "Blonde or Brunette," -a French piece with all the gaiety and insouciance typical of Paris. Interpreted by an almost perfect cast, Adolphe Menjou, Greta Nisseu, and A net to Marehal, this picture is pervaded. with a sophisticated, and at the same time, a very amusing atmosphoro which, though passing through delicate scenes, yet preserves its artistio and colourful nature. There is a .laugh every minute, and moments of thrilling drama which make it doubly interesting, while the acting, particularly that of Adolpho Menjou, is a delight to watch. On Thursday, the hilarious war comedy, "The Better 'Ole," will be shown, in which we make the acquaintance of Old Bill, and <r Long Pants" will be screened on Saturday. Bos plans are at the Bristol Piano Company, and day sales are at tho Golden Gate Coufectionery Shop. WAIPARA. A severe chango took place 011 Friday afternoon, when an extremely cold wind blew up from the south-west accompanied by heavy showers of rain, which continued throughout the night. Saturday proved a typical, old-time winter's day, when heavy showers of rain fell intermingled with very largo flakes of snow. The hills in the s background wero white, giving indications of a fairly heavy fall. Stock, on the whole, are looking well, considering the bareness of tho paddocks. Several farmers have had to resort to hand-feeding muph earlier this year than is usually the case, owing to the absence of green feed and roots, caused through the long spell of dry weather practically since tho New Year. The rainfall for Friday and Saturday was 41 points. Mr Taylor has taken up his duties at the local railway station in place of Mr A. Ferguson, who has resigned. CUST. On Wednesday evening a large number of friends gathered in tho Institute Hall to biu farewell to Mr and Mrs G. Bolt and family, who aro leaving the district to reside in Christciuircii. A very enjoyable evening was spent in music and dancing. Songs were sung by -Uiss I'heima jbujrton and Messrs C. Mglesome and F. Gilmour, and the accompaniments were played by Miss D. Coombs and Miss \V. iiuston Tho lucky spot waltz was wonby Miss G. Burgess and Mr A. Gartery. The music for the danc ing was supplied' bv Mrs R- Brunsden and Messrs Duske and Inus. During tho evening, Mr G. Cowens made reference to tho high esteem'*) n which the guests of the evenine were held during their long residence in the district. Mr H„ Tallott, on behalf of the residents, asked Mr and Mrs Bolt to accept a welbfilled wallet of notes. On behalf of the school football team, Master S Cowens handed Mr a pair of military brushes for Master Bolt. Mr G. Bolt suitably responded. On Fridav night a change took place ; n the weather, snow falling to a denth of about two and a half inches. Hard frosts have been experienced during the past week.

CHEVIOT. The annual social evening under the auspices of the Cheviot Collie Club waa held recently, the president, Mr E. Rutherford, presiding over a large attendance of members and visiting competitors. The following toast list was honoured: "The King," "The President," "The Visitors," "The Judge, "Officials," "Cheviot Club," "Donor of Ground," "Donor.of Sheep." During the evening much appreciated items were contributed by the following Messrs G. Struthers. D. W. Smith, W. Petrie, W. Henderson, B. Baker, J. M. Glasson, G. McLaughlan, Jas. McAdam. The evening concluded with the singing of "Auld Lang Syne." The Cheviot Ladies' Hockey Club held a very successful dance in the Cheviot Public Hall, when there was a very good attendance, and a pleasant i evening was spent. Music for dancing was supplied by Mr C. H. Davies, and extras wero contributed by Mr J. M. Glasson. On account of the weather oil Saturday, no matches in the Hurunui Sub' Union competitions were played. Next Saturday the Sub-Union teams. Senior and Junior, meet North Canterbury at Amberley. The following Cheviot players have been selected: Seniors: C. Barnes, E. Uprichard, A. Sloss; emergencies: C. Denton T. Kerr, b. Stronacli. Juniors: T. McDonald. FHarrison. E. Clarke; emergencies: L." Cnlhane, and J. Uprichard. After a mild evening on Friday, residents were surprised to find snow falling on Saturdav raornine: the fall has been general in the country, and is lyinsr longer than usual. The hill country surrounding the d'strict is at present well covered. The fall in the township was about four inches, but it lias been heavier in the back country. LOBURN. After some heavy frosts during last week, the weather broke on Friday evening. On Saturday morning the ground was covered with snow, which continued to fall during the morning. This is the heaviest fall of snow since 1918. the depth being between two and' three inches. The weather is still very unsettled, rain and snow falling at intervals. The usual card nvenina was held in the schoolroom, there being a very good attendance. Prizes were given by Mrs J. Monteomerv, and won by Mrs C. Hills and Mr W. Smart. Consolation prizes were won" by Miss Galletlv and Mr A Brown. At North Loburn the prizes were given bv Mr A. Hodgson, and won by the following l . Ladies. Mrs M. Fjtz* cibbon. and Mr J. Bennett. The lad'es consolation prize went to Mrs WBennett, and the men's consolation to Mr H. Bennett On Saturdav evening. 011 account of (he weather conditions. the card evenine was not held. M'ss Ruby Bennett is spending a bolulav with friends at Hawarden and Parnassus. Mr Paynter, Government Orehardist Instructor, cave a demonstration on sfruit pruning at Mr Webb's orchard 011 Thursday afternoon. The attendance was not quite as large ns last year. The annual meeting of the British <uirl Forcien Bible Societv was held on Vridav afternoon, at the residence of Mr* J W. McLeod. Miss Cooper. Canterbury travelling secretary was Present. also the R»v. Mr Btnkiston. who cave a short address. Afternoon irps orovidpd bv Afrs W"Leod The were Mesdfmes Ash tin. HMJi Misses Maud Bnrker Bennett Mr J W McLeod has returned home offer 0 f°w da** snenf in Wellington, •vbere he attended the Dominion Fruit Cirowers' Conference as ° <lp l ecaf.o from tho Ttnn o, iora and T.oburn Fruitorrowers* Association. He also attendedthe R.S.A. Conference.

HANMER SPRINGS. On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, heavy, frosts were experienced, 17, 18, and 12 degrees being recorded. On Friday evening, snow commenced to fall, and continued intermittently until Saturday evening, when there was a depth of three inches. The sun shone brightly on Sunday, but snow fell again in the early hours of yesterday. Both the football match (Kaikoura v. Hanmer) and the girls' hockey match (Waiau v. Hnnmer), which were to have been played on Saturday, were postponed on account of the weather. On Saturday evening, a dance, which was convened bv the Football Club, was held in the Hanmer Hall, and considering the weather there was a Fair attendance. Music was supplied by Mrs Webb and Mr Herbert. Extras were played by the Misses Hott, Parsons, and Campbell. Mr and . Mrs J. Manson, "The Lodge," are leaving to-day for a motoi* trip through the North Island. /" BALCAIRN. On-ing to the wintry weather on Saturday night, the dance held in the Public Hall under the auspices of the School Committee was not well attended, but those present spent a very enjoyable time, A lucky spot waltz was won bv Mrs Stewart (Christchurch) and Mr J. Kelcher. Music for the dancing was supplied by the followingHabgood's orchestra, Misses A. Fitzpatrick, M. Fleming, and E. Carroll. Mr Dermott was M.C. ■ i SCARGILL. Winter appears to have commenced in earnest, and seasonable conditions prevail at present, A dry and bitterly cold sou'-west wind blow from five o'clock on Friday afternoon throughout the night and a heavy fall of snow commenced about 5 a.m. on Saturday. Three hours later snow lay in the township to a depth of four inches, and the surrounding hills were thickly covered. Most of the snow lay throughout the week-end, and Sunday was a fine day, but there was a further and continuous light fall of snow on Sunday night, which was melting very slowly, and the indications yesterday were for further bad weather. There is very little feed about for stock, and many farmers have begun hand-feeding their sheep. The rainfall recorded for the "48 hours ending S a.m. on Monday was 87 points, and the total to date for June is 2.91 inches. BROADFIELD. The fortnightly ouchre tournament and dance in aid of the school funds were held in the schoolroom on Friday evening. Considering the weather, there was a fair attendance. ' The winners for the euchre were: Ladies, Miss A. Woods 1, Miss M. Woods 2; men, Mr M. Cunneen 1, Mr Jas. Woodward 2. The music was supplied by Mr L. Stace, extras being played by Messrs G. Campbell and J. Jordan. j SOUTH MALVERN. The weekly euchre tournament was held in the school, thero being a very good attendance. Prizes were won as follows: Ladies, xMrs Jewell 1, Mrs Hurrel 2; men, Mr W. Grey 1, Mr P. Hurrel 2. It has been decided by the committee to hold the tournaments on j Tuesday evenings, 1

AKAROA. A mooting of the Central Committee of the Akaroa Presbyterian Church was held on Thursday, there being present: -The Rev. N. L. D. Webster -(Moderator). Messrs A. R. Munro, A. J. Clements, A. H. Williams, H. Morcom, M. A. Johnson, A. F. C. Williamson, E. and R. S. Haj>, A. 8., 'G., and D. McKay, H. Lewthwaite, W. J. Allen, and R. Bruce, After a discussion on financial matters, it was agreed to assess each section as follows: — Akaroa £135, Pigeon Bay £l2O, Little River £75, Duvauchelle £25, Wainui £l6, Robinson's Bay £l4. At a congregational meeting held afterwards tho Moderator formally declared tho charge vacant. The Rev.. G. Budd, superintendent of the New Zealand Mission stations, gave a very interesting address on mission work, as earned out by tho Church in New Zealand, China, and India. Hie address was most attentively listened to by a large number of adherents of the Church. Heavy rain set in early on Friday evening, and later turned to_ snow in the higher portions of the district. Although lino on Saturday morning, it was bitterly cold, and rain again commenced to fall about dusk. Saturday uight was particularly rough, and snow was observed on the hillsides within half a mile of the town on Sunday morning. It is the coldest snap that has been experienced so far this year. The Peninsula football competition was continued on Saturday, _ and in spite of the climatic conditions the grounds were in fair order and both games were keenly contested. Playing at Le Bon's, the home team defeated Akaroa by 3 to nil. Tho Te Kotahitanga team journeyed to Little Akaloa, and were successful in beating the home team by 15 to 3. There are only two more playing Saturdays left to finish tho Banner competition and the fixtures are as follows: —June 25th: Le Bon's v. Little Akaloa, Te Kotahitanga v. Little River; July 2nd: Little Akaloa v. Akaroa, Little River v. Le Bon's. The Te Kotahitanga Club have been very successful this season in winning every match as well as being the winners of the Springvale seven-a-side tournament; held at Little River at the beginning of this month. SPRINGFIELD. j A smoke concert' was held on Thursday evening in connexion with the championship dog trial meeting. There was a fair attendance, and the following toasts were honoured: "The King," "Kindred Clubs," "Donors ot Grounds," "Donors of Sheep,' ''Judge," "Losing Competitors," "iho Championship Association," and "The Ladies." Music was supplied by Messrs Atkinson, A. C. Taylor, and R. Innes. Songs were sung by Messrs W. Donovan, C. W. Denton, and C. A. Denton. A most enjoyable social evening was spent at the home of Mr and Mrs R. Innes recently. Many amusing items were given On Friday evening the Miniature Rifle Cub held a dance in the Springfield Town Hall, Music' for dancing was supplied by Misses D. Innes, A A. Taylor, and R. Innes. A heavy snowstorm prevented a good attendance. The weather has been very cold. Snow commenced to fall early on Frij day evening and continued until late on Saturday evening. There were five inches of snow on Saturday, and on Saturday night there were 20 degrees of frost. The roads are very dangerous. A party' of about twenty climbed Mount John recently to indulge in tobogganing. Mr and Mrs H. Little were among the guests in Springfield during the dog trials championship meeting. ; Miss Gladys Robertshaw has re- [ turned, after a week in Christchurch,

PORT LEVY. A, meeting of the Port Levy Cricket Club _ was held jn the schoolroom on Friday. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded the president of the club (Mr J. E. Fleming), and' the vice-presi-dents for their support in the past season. _ The chairman (Mr E. Harkess) said the club had had a fairly successful season, but he hoped for a still more successful one next year,, It was decided- to end - the season. With a ball to be held in the Guildford Hall at a date to be arranged later. HALKETT. Tho past week has seen some very wintry weather. Very hard frosts were experienced during tho early part of the week, tho heaviest to date for the year being on Friday morning. The sun shone out during, the forenoon but soon after mid-day a heavy bank of clouds was seen piling up in tho south. About 5 o'clock rain began to fall and continued almost unceasingly until between 3 and 4 a.m. on Saturday, when the heavy rain gave place to snow. By daybreak there was a fair covering on tho ground. Snow continued to fall until mid-day, when there was a covering of two inches over the whole of the district. Tho sun shone out at intervals during the afternoon, and a fair amount of the snow disappeared. So intense was the cold that before sunset the snow, which was still lying on the ground, became frozen. During the evening further snow fell. I\>r the' twenty-four hours ended 5 p.m. on Saturday, 1.06 inches of rain was recorded. Tho clouds again cleared about 7 p.m., and the severest frost experienced for a number of years, was recorded overnight. Practically all the household water taps were frozen for a good part of Sunday, and in a great many places the ice did not thaw at all. The day was miserable. .As the sncw which lay on the ground th:i\ved, the surface became very sloppy. Even by nightfall the ground still had a good covering, this being the first time for a long period that snow has lain on the ground for three days. Stock are having a hard time trying to get sufficient food. A local fanner had the misfortune to lose a valuable Jersey yearling bull recently under rather strange circumstances, Only for a few days prior to its death was there anything unusual noticed about the animal. Everything available was tried but it ws all in vain. On making an examination of the body after the animal had died, the owner found crossways in the first stomach, a bag needle, five inches in length, with a piece of string through the eye. The needle had penetrated through tho tissue and pierced the heart, thus causing death. It appears that ..some five weeks ago the owner was digging potatoes in a field and left a bag needle threaded on the top of a sack of potatoes, and during the night the animal had broken out of its yard and strayed in amongst the potatoes, and had actually swallowed the string together with the needle. LADBROOKS. The weather during the last week has been very cold and wintry and has put a stop to all farm work for a few days. Local farmers aro satisfied at present with the good soaking tho land has received and now require a spell of fine weather to complete their drillinj;, etc. Most of tho potatoes are now dug and pitted, pending a further rise jjj tho market, which, it is predicted, will come in the near future, Mr A. Louden, with Mrs Louden and family, paid a visit to Mr and Mrs Yates during the week.

MARSHLAND, The recent heavy rain has done an incalculable amount of good. Farmers are busy ploughing the ground for the > frost, which is undoubtedly th© best fertiliser. : , At the recent public meeting concerning the dental clinic the following motion was passed:—"That the residents approve of the action of , the School Committee in joining in with the St. Albans School dental cliiuo and promise whole-hearted support.'' The School Committee's euchres continue to be well attended. Last week's winners were: —-Ladies, Mrs Chisnall 1, Miss Gottermeyer 2; men's, Mr.Sibbala 1, Mr J. Lange 2. A very successful sale of produce was held recently: for the purpose of raising funds to carry out improvements to the grounds of the Catnolic Church. A competition in connexion with the sale was held, and No. 290 proved to be the winning ticket. The monthly meeting of the HaJI Committee was held recently. Present: Messrs .T, Blackburn (chairman), I>. Goode, G. Chisnall, H. Bibbard, L. Wilson, P. Rogal, R. Monck, and W. Waugh (secretary). The question of assisting the unemployed and needy of the City was discussed at length, and it was finally decided that the secretary communicate with the Mayor and Unemployment Committee concerning the v collection of produce for the Relief Depot. The erection of concrete slot telephones in and around the City has suggested again the necessity for a slot telephone at the cornex of Hills and Preston's roads. At the lost meeting of the Marshland branch of the Labour Party it was decided to apply again to the Post and Telegraph Department regarding this matter. Members suggested that perhaps ono of the old wooden "type of boxes would bo avflilable. DARFIELD. During Friday night, snow commenced to fall heaviiy, and continued intermittently throughout Saturday. At noon on Saturday, four inches had len at Darfield, * whilst six inches was reported to have fallen at Kitnberlev ana at Racecourse Hill. A heavy frost was recorded on Saturday night, the ice on Sunday morning being seveneighths of an inch thick, and owing to the water pipes being frozen, dimculty was experienced in getting sufficient water' for domestic purposes. The snow began to thaw about noon on Sunday, creating much slush and surface water. A good deal of damage was done to the Post and Telegraph. Department's lines, a number of wires having, been broken. The Railway Department's automatic signals were temporarily interrupted, owing to tho control wires breaking between Darfield and Springfield. The enowfall is the heaviest experienced here since the big fall in 1918. There was a large attendance at the fortnightly progressive euchre match held in the Convent School recently* First prizes were awarded to Miss Hughes and Mr E. Stewart, and consolation prizes to Mrs Whichelo and Mr J. Stewart,' After supper, a dance was held, the music being supplied by Mr Dave Clinton. WEST EYRETON. , There was a good attendance at the fortnightly euchre and dancß held in' tho West Eyrefcon Hall, Prizes for the euchre were won by:—Ladies) Miss J. Smith; men, Messrs W. Wilson ;and "T. Eder, junr. Musio For the dancing was supplied by the "est Eyreton Band, extras being played by Misses E. Smith and P. Paget, and Messrs L. Tyler and B. Jennings. The Monte Carlo was won by Miss b. Inns and Mr L. Cowens. '