ORMONDVILLE.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7931, 21 December 1887, Page 3

ORMONDVILLE.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT. December 10. .At the last sitting of the Resident Magistrate's Court, before Mr G. A. Preece, R.M., judgment was given for plaintiff in each of the following cases :— Pedersen v. Fischer, £2 8s; Same v. Jakobsen, £5 2s 4d ; Mortensen v. Petersen, £22 12s 6d ; Pedersen v. Johansen, £10 13s 9d : Kuhtze v. Bradbury, £5 12s ; Currie v. Pita Koona, £8; O'Toole v. Howes, £9 9s 6d ; Field v. Howes, £8 12s ; M'Donald v, Howes, £9 17s ; Barrie v. Allardice, £10 11s 6d ; Thomson v. Ormond, £4 13s ; Bartoch v. Brutski, £6 lie ; Faithful v. Lycett and Cross, £25 ; Smoll v. Larsen, £2 2s 6d. In the case of Pedersen v. Lundgreen, claim £7 7s 7d, a nonsuit was given. Two men named W. Evans and Karl Schmidt were fined 10s each, with costs 7s, for trespass on the railway line. Late sittings continue to be the rule, and although a large number of cases were adjourned, the court sat till 10.30 p.m. An extraordinary meeting of the local school committee was held on Thursday evening for the purpose of considering the inspector's report, and also to take steps to collect money for prizes for the children who have passed at the recent examination. The report this year is the most satisfactory that has been received since the establishment of the school, there' being but two failures each in standards 1., 11., 111., and IV., (the full report for standard V. has not been received yet), and in all oases the failures have been on the part of children who have either attended very irregularly or having tailed to pass last year had been promoted before the present master took over the school. The committee were.of the opinion that the master (Mr Webber) had displayed great energy, patience, and zeal, and accordingly passed a resolution to that effect. Messrs Groom, Shugar, and the Rev. A, S. Webb were appointed a sub-committee to collect money for the purchase of prizes, and also for giving the children a " school treat." There was one cause of weaknoss on the examination day which the committee seemed to forget, and which I would like to mention, and that is that the Inspector came up by tho mid-day train, and the children were pretty well fagged before the examination was concluded. Had they been fresh when examined they would have appeared to better advantage. As it was, by tha time mental arithmetic was reached the long day's work had told upon the children, and the first standard youngsters jould not be expected to show very brightly after waiting (and I suppose working) for seven and a half hours. 1 do not mean to throw any blame on the Inspector for coming so late, but what I do mean is that should such a thing happen another year it would, in my opinion, be wiser to let the ohildren stay away during the morning. Such long hours prevent the children from appearing at their beat, and they fail to show what care the master has given to his duties ' during the time that lie has had charge of the school. I hope the parents and guardians will respond cheerfully to the call of the committee for subscriptions, and that the children will have some teal pleasure after their hard work,