OKAIAWA.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXI, Issue LXII, 13 May 1912, Page 5

OKAIAWA.

[FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.]

The dance given by the Ladies' Hockey Club on Wednesday night was a most successful and enjoyable affair. The night was beautifully fine, and the temperature at just the right point for dancing. There was a large attendance. The floor was in capital order, and there was an entire absence of that dust which is often so objectionable. The walls were decorated with draped hockeysticks and the club's colors. A bountiful supper was served, and the music was prpvided by Cosgrove's Orchestra (cornet, piano, violin, and euphonium). Messrs M. Lynskey and J. Barclay acted as M.C.'s, and carried out their duties to the satisfaction of all concerned.

The secretary of a .local club recently sent in a request to headquarters that a reporter should be sent out to attend a dance given by the club, as I did not attend dances. This is not correct. Although I consider my dancing days are over, I always, in my capacity as local correspondent, attend such functions when invitations are sent. That is, of course, weather and other circumstances permitting. When unable to attend myself, I always obtain all necessary details from a reliable source. When invitations are not sent I take it that my presence is not required.

A motor-car was recently left for some hours right in the centre of the Normanby road, and at a rather dangerous spot. A local settler, driving along the road, hitched his horse on to the obstruction in order to remove it, but found all the brakes hard on. Not being acquainted with the mechanism of motor-car brakes, he was unable to shift the car, and had to leave it where it was.

As one who has been a regular attendant at the Hawera Caledonian Society's sports and concert for a good many years, I was very pleased to see that the society is not to be allowed to die. I have always looked forward with considerable pleasure to the outing provided by the society, and have invariably been quite satisfied with the programme submitted. Upon each occasion, however, that I have attended the' sports I have noticed the large numbers ot townspeople leaving the town which 1 have met upon the road. MiEht I suggest to the programme committee that perhans an alteration in the programme v-ould attrnct these oeople to the sports. Here in Okaiawa this year the Sports Cl"b went in for a novelty programme, and the result was a record attendance. Such a programme would probably not be suitable for a Caledonian Society, but the inclusion of a few novelty evenls ryight help to attract more of the public. I trust the members of the society will not think that I desire, to meddle with their affairs. T simply make t"He suggestion as one of the society's wellwishers.

Judged by the attendance at the meeting called for the purpose of nominating suitable nersons as members 0 f the Te Ngatu Domain Board on Friday the interest taken in the affairs of the domain by the general public is not very great. Only four gentlemen— Messrs G. Preece, T. Walsh, G. Hurley, and G .Betts—put in an abearance, and their names are to be forwarded on to Wellington for approval by His Excellency the Governor.