OKAIAWA.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 11 September 1926, Page 4

OKAIAWA.

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

CRICKET CLUB’S BALL

The Okaiawa Cricket Club held-its annual ball on Wednesday evening, and it was a brilliant success froin every point of view. The attendance exceeded anticipation, there being over 90 couples present, and' this notwithstanding strong counter attractions in neighbouring centres. The decorations were an outstanding feature, and the hall has never looked better. In the main hall, in addition to gay-coloured streamers radiating from a dome in the centre of the robin, evergreens, ferns, and flowers were extensively used in decorating the walls and stage. Cleverexecuted imitation bats, balls and stumps made an appropriate and effective addition. Then there were balloons of various hues, and numberless butterflies of all sizes, the large ones being suspended by invisible wire. In the supper room equally good work was. done, but the colouring was of quite a different tone, purple and yellow predominating. Coloured streamers were again used, and from the centre was suspended a dainty basket of flowers, from which hung heliotrope poinpoms. The tables were prettily decorated with flowers l - to match, purple anemones and daffodils predominating, while the walls were adorned with evergreens and the beautiful golden wattles. In the preparation of the supper and the laying of the tables, the same good work was noticeable. In both branches ,the ladies supplied all the brains and. did most of the work, a few members of the club working under their direction. Boulton’s orchestra supplied the music, and gave every satisfaction, encores being the order of the evening. The -hon. secretaries, Messrs B. Barclay and A. Betts, attended to the business part, and the .same two, with Mr O. Crawford, capably filled the positions of M’s.C. Dir. Crawford is to be commended for his courage' in promptly nipping in the bud a- tendency on the part of a few of the dancers in one of the sets to overstep' the bounds of propriety. x

During the evening Mr. E. G. Betts, the club’s president, thanked those present for their patronage,. Cricket, like all other games, entailed a certain amount of expense, and the club had adopted a pleasant means of gathering in some of the surplus cash. He also desired to thank all those who had assisted with the ball, making particular reference to their lady friends, who had given invaluable service in connection with the decorations and. supper. THE TELEPHONE. A number of lqcal settlers have recently been connected up with a. party line,, but so far what was anticipated to be much needed convenience has not proved to be such For brief intervals it lias been fairly satisfactory; but several times the line has been right out of action, and at others one had to do a lot- of guessing as to what the party at the other end was saying. It is to be hoped that the defects will shortly be rectified. At present the service is characterised as a nuisance-—with adjectives of varying degrees (according to the sex of the user) proceeding the nuisance.