WAIKATO NOTES.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 180, 9 August 1909, Page 5

WAIKATO NOTES.

_ -* Own Correspondent. We have had real winter weather this past week, and on Thursday night a rainstorm accompanied by vivid lightning and thunder. The Y.M.C.A. has been revived in a more modest form, as a branch of the Auckland Y.M.C.A. It will have an unpaid secretary. The .Vaikato Elocutionary and Musical Carnival has been attracting large audiences at the Town Hall this week. The contests secured 215 entries, and friends and supporters of the various competitors attended in full force. There was a noticeable lack of monotony in the six programmes submitted and the abilities, or lack of them, of the different entrants, were freely discussed and closely followed. The idea originated with the Wesley Young Men's Institute, but it will in all probability, become a non-sectarian annual festival, after this present and first year. Next year the fun Is will be devoted to some local object of a general character, and a committee ha; already been appointed to. decide what the object shall be. The Chairman of the Auckland Education Board, an old Waikato boy, holds out a glowing picture of the educational future of Hamilton. Tenders will be called in about a couple of months, for the next Grammar and Technical school. Mr Parr thinks Hamilton well suited for a great boarding school of the type of Wanganui, Nelson, and Waitaki High Schools. Such a school he thinks would draw children from all parts of the Dominion

A controversy over the merits and de-merits of the present system of issuing books at the Public Library here has been running in the "Times." It in the indicated system, worked by referring to the catalogue and looking in a numbered rack to see whether the book is in. In theory, perfect; in practice, it is a'most useless, no one using the method. Almost all inquiries are directed at th> unfortunate librarian, who is expected to select suitable books for the various members, who approach her. I hear that the system is to be abandoned, and the old "free access" system reverted to. This enables a member to wander round the book shelves and "taste and try" before he selects a book. All the large libraries have now gone back to this system. The Waikato Winter Show expects to have a balance after paying all accounts in connection with the recent exhibitoin, of £313 or so. This will go to reduce the new building account, now standing at £ll4O. The Rev. Cowie, of St. Peter's Church, received a welcome borne at the hands of his congregation on Friday evening, tie has been on the sick list, and has had to be away for about four months, owing to this break down in his health. The Rev. E. J. Adams, on the other hand has bad to resign his pastorate at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, and leave for Cbristchurcb at an early date, in the hope that it will reestablish bis health.