RIVERLEA.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXVII, Issue LXXVII, 22 May 1919, Page 8

RIVERLEA.

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

SCHOOL COMMITTEE

A special meeting of the school committee was held on Monday evening for the purpose of" receiving the chairman's report regarding his visit to New Plymouth to interview the Education Board in the matter of the improvements required to the school and grounds. Mr Webby reported that the ■ Board had decided to place a division j in the school so as to divide the iQ- j fants' half from the senior half. The : porch is also to be extended to the, full length of the school, and another door made so as to prevent the neces- j sity of the infants having to go through '. the other room to their own. The porch is also to be lined. With regard to the drainage from the scho6> and the draining of the grounds, the Board were willing to sup- j ply the committee with the necessary drain pipes, provided the committee did the wort. ,' After some _ discussion it was resolved to send circulars to the householders calling a working bee for Monday, 26th inst.. and requesting everyone to attend with spade and j shovel, or otherwise to send along the j sum of ten shillings to pay wages should their absence necessitate the engaging of labor to do part of the work. By this means there is a chance for everyone to assist, even if they' are otherwise engaged on the day fixed. It is expected, that everyone will give help one way or \the other. The members of the committee expressed appreciation of the way the Board had met them in- their requirements. METEOROLOGICAL. The rainfalls, for April was much below the_ average, totalling- only 3.27 inches, against the average of 5.72 inches, and brings the average, down to 5.39 inches. Rain fell on 14 days, the maximum precipitation being 0.98 inches on the 3rd, and the minimum 0.02 inches on the 19th. April last year was the wettest, yet recorded here, no less than 9.19 inches falling^ also on 14 days, and the driest April yet recorded was that of 1913, when only 3.12 inches fell on 13^. days. Up till Sunday the weather $or the present month, except for.skowers on the first few days, has been absolutely perfect, fine sunny days and chilly nights, with, however, only one or two very light frosts. On Sunday it was obvious that a change was approaching, and during the evening a' cold and threatening south-east wind sprang up, which brought heavy rain with it after midnight, exactly 1.00 points being recorded at § a.m. During Monday a further 0.56 inches fell, and .since then (Tuesday evening) the weather has been dull and very cold, and the barometer remains low with little movement either way, though the tendency is upward. FARMERS'1 TTSTON. A meeting of the local branch of the Farmers' Union was held on Tuesday evening. The attendance, despite the fact that the meeting had. the important business of considering the remits for the provincial conference before it, was below the usual, there being-only Messrs B. Webby," Stables, Key, Rothe arid Voullaire present. In the absence of the chairman, Mr D. Malone, the chair was taken by Mr Webby," vicechairman.

Correspondence re visits to Mr (Maxwell's and Stratford, Experimental Farm was ..received, and the secretary instructed to arrange these as soon as possible.

The secretary reported that owing t G the hall piano being away for repairs the annual social had been postponed, and it" was resolved that the- secretary find out when the piano will be back and that he and Mr Malone then arrange the date as early as possible. The agenda paper for the provincial conference was then taken and dealt with at length; most of the remits were considered worthy of support, In a number of cases where the members knew little of the' business to which the remit referred, or where they considered it best that the pros and cons should be heard before a decision was come to, it was resolved to give the delegate a free hand. One or two remits were considered inimical to the interests of farmers and to the interests of the union as1 a * 'farmers' ", union, and the delegate was instructed to oppose these. There was no further business, and the meeting adjourned after a long and interesting sitting.