RIVERLEA.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXII, Issue LXXII, 12 July 1917, Page 5

RIVERLEA.

(FiOiii Our Own Correspondent.)

FARMERS' UNION

A well attended meeting of the local . branch of the Farmers' Union was held on -Monday evening. The accounts of ' the social held 121 May were closed and showed a substantial credit balance. Messrs M. F. Voullaire and H. L. Webby, who had attended the annual meeting of the N.Z. Farmers' . fertiliser Company, reported on the • business done there and the alterations decided upon to the companv'fi Articles of Association. PATRIOTIC. The social in aid of the Sodiers' Gift * imd, which is to be held in the local hall on Thursday, July 19, promises to be a great success, and seeing the object for which it is being held certainly should turn out so. Arrangements are well in hand, and the music xr a|,. us«al» in the capable hands of Mr ±i. McCarty. Preparations are being made to receive an especially large crowd, as from all accounts a great number of strangers will be present. *i Ml'-nT- A 9,' NeiU has received from the Belgian Consul in Wellington a" letter acknowledging receipt of the sum of £40, being the amount raised at the settlers' picnic and social held m aid of the Belgian Relief Fund in March last. The Consul expressed his thanks and requested Mr O'Neill toforward same to the other members of the committee which ran the outing. PERSONAL. It -was with sincere regret that Riverlea people heard of the death in action of Reg. Taylor, the well-known footballer. Reg. resided here for some time with his parents and worked in. the local factory. He was always cheery and "hail fellow well met" t* all who had anything to do with hi™, and was very popular with all who knew him. During his residence here he took a very active part in all sports and was captain of the Kaponga. . I Ruby Football Club's senior team at a. j time when that team was really the best in Taranaki. He was always utterly reckless and fearless on the football field, and probably the same I indifference to clanger ended in his j death on the field of battle. I regret to report also 'that Artilleryman Noel Gardner has been serio usly ill with pneumonia, but is now-, i T think, convalescent. Also that his j brother. Sergt, John Gardner, is ill j with rheumatic fever. We all hope to hear of the speedy recovery of both. METEOROLOGICAL. The weather for the first ten days of ' this month has been very Avet, but not generally cold, and grass in topI dressed paddocks is showing signs of approaching spring. Last month was the driest June yet recorded here so far as quantity of rain was concerned, 'but what dia"fi^l fell on 15 days, and, as is usual with showery weather, made more mud than was necessary. The total rainfall for June was 2.98 inches, which fell on 15 days. The maximum precipitation was 0.80 on the 23rd, and the minimum 0.02 on the 11th. Last year 5.81 inches fell on nine days, and in 1915 5.37 on 19 days. The average for June is 3.78 inches. The total rainfall for the first six months of the year was 29.15 inches, which fell on 74 days. For The Same period last year 36.79 inches fell on 66 days. For the quarter ended June 30 the rainfall was 17.96 inches, which fell ■°n 4,5 days, and for the same quarter last year 18.09 inches fell on 35 days. So far only two frosts have been recorded, and these were not very severe. SOCIAL. The social held on Thursday, Juno 28, in ai3 of the new l'ghts wa6 very successful, and as a result a substantial balance is in hand. The lignt's give every satisfaction, and are a great' improvement.