COUNTRY NEWS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16492, 6 March 1914, Page 9

COUNTRY NEWS.

[Fnoxi Our. Corbesponuents.] ASHBURTON..

Oil Saturday afternoon the office start of the firm of Messrs Friedlander Brothers, Ltd., Ashburton, presented Mr Id. \V. Cards le, tlie accountant, with n silver afternoon tea service on his severing his connection with tho firm. Mr Osirdalc, who lias been /with, tho firm for six years, is leaving to start business' on his own account in Wellington. Mr A. J. Barnard, who has occupied tho position ns teller ,at the Ashburton branch of the Union Bank of Australia for the past nine years, and who is leaving with his wife and family on a trip to England, was on Tuesday evening presented with a. purse of sovereigns from'a number of liis friends. Mr Barnard was also the recipient of a pipe, given by the staff of tbe bank. The anniial harvest festival in connection with, tho Ashburton Salvation Army Corps was brought to a conclusion on Tuesday night, when there was a largo attendance. There was a. lino display of produce, which sold readily and the balance was submitted to auction by Mr H. A. Lloyd. Luring the festival tlie band played selections, and Mix E. G. Craighead, -Mrs Ensign Hoskings, Lieutenant Matthews (Raknin) and Messrs P. M’G. Murray and E. G. Craighead contributed vocal items. The proceeds will go-towards the fund to assist the local corps to purchase new instruments for the baud.

At a meeting of the Ashburton sub-ccnt-re of tho St John Ambulance Association the 'question of bolding an Ambulance Saturday ” was discussed, but a, final decision was bold over until next meeting. Mr Jobberns resigned liis position as secretary, and as a member of the Association, and Mr' S. Baird and Mr AY. Osman wero appointed secretary and treasurer respectively. At the Ashburton Magistrate s Court on Wednesdov, before Mr W. AY. White, J.P;, a first offender was fined os, in default twenty-four hours’ imprisonment, for drunkenness, and was ordered to pay 2s cab hire. Thomas E. Atkinson was charged with drunkenness and with a breach of a prohibition order. Accused was fined os, in default twenty-four hours’ imprisonment for drunkenness, and was ordered to appear before the Magistrate on Friday on the second, charge. At* a meeting of the South Rakaia Domain Board held on Monday tho Hon C. A. C. Hardy was re-elected chairman. It was reported that the Crown Lands Commissioner __ had inspected the plantation on Normandy Road, and had stated that as the plantation was 70 feet from the complainant’s boundary fence, he could sco no damage resulting froni its position. At a meeting of the vestry ol the Ashburton St Stephen’s Anglican Church, held on Wednesday evening, Air F. H. Morton, at present organist and choirmaster of the Tokomariro Presbyterian Church. Milton, was appointed organist for the new pipe organ shortly to be erected in tho church. Tlie new organ will cost £750. and the contractor expects to complete the erection by the end of Mav.

The Mayor of Ashburton (Air H. Davis) lias received word from Captain Eastwood, aide-de-camp to his Excellency the Governor, stating that the Earl of Liverpool will be accompanied by the Countess on. the.occasion of his visit to Ashburton and Longbeach on Alareh 'll. The vice-regal party will arrive in Ashburton at- about 3.30 p.m., and will bo met at. the Jubilee Gates of the Domain Hind conducted to the place where the official function will bo hold. A committee is at present arranging the entertainment of the visitors. . A’estordnv afternoon Mr E. H. Hatfield, of Melbourne, chief of the A r acuum Oil Company’s oil-spraying department, gave an address in Dr H. Hunter’s orchard. Ashburton, on orchard pests. Air Hatfield also gave a practical demonstration in pruning, and mixing oils. Tho Canterbury Petroleum Prospecting Company, Ltd., will shortly commence boring operations on the ground selected at Clierteey. A plant'has been purchased in t-lio Gisborne- district. and will bo placed on tlie site within the next three or four weeks.

The three companies of Ashburton Senior Cadets are training assiduously, in view of the inspection to be carried out by General Sir lan. Hamilton’ at Timaru. As an incentive to improve their shooting, prizes for competitions have been given. , Several-o.f the farm lads who . arrived at Auckland from England.-by the steamer Suffolk on Monday, passed through. Ashburton by the first express Yesterday for the south. Two of the lads alighted at Ashburton and were taken out to Air John Grigg's estate, Longbeacli.

MFTHVEN. At the Alethvcn Ala gist rate’s Court on Tuesday last, before Air AV. Alorgnii, J.P., John A 1 ’Donald was charged with threatening behaviour in a. public place, and with using obscene language. Ho was convictedand discharged on the first charge, and fined. 40s on the, second. Archibald Baxter was convicted and discharged on charges of drunkenness and using obscene language, and was convicted and sentenced to one month’s hard labour for resisting the police. AKAROA. ■ Heavy rain set in hero about 4.30 p.m. on Thursday and continued all the evening. It will do an immense' amount of good to the pastures. Miss Edith Bruce, daughter of Air J. D. Bruce, Aknroa County chairman, lias just received word of her success in passing her examination for B.A. degree. COBURN. Tho, district school children were taken’.to Sumner yesterday for tlieir annual excursion. A number of the parents and other adults also made holiday, and the day at the seaside was much enjoyed by all. The end of the day’s pleasure was. however, spoilt by rain, the drive home from Rangiora being an unpleasant experience. TEMUKA. At a meeting of the Temuka Licensing Committee held on Wednesday a transfer of tho license of the Tckapo Hotel from J. Anniss to J. Rennie was granted. An application by Mrs Marion Coombs for authority to carry on the Crown Hotel, Temuka, till tho Juno sitting, was granted. Applications for conditional licenses lor tho Temuka and Geraldine show and for Easter Monday sports were approved. KIRAVEE. On Wednesday night a large number of friends gathered at Kinvee to hid farewell to Aliss Alaggio Alackintosli, who is leaving to settle in the Gisborne district. The Rev J. Pringle eulogised her work as organist in the church, as a member of the Bible Class,. as a music teacher, and as. an accompanist at social gatherings. On behalf of many friends he presented her with a gold wristlet watch. Messrs S. Mackintosh and S. Robertson replied in acknowledgement. A programme of songs and games was afterwards gone through. WOODGROYE. Stook threshing is now finished in the AVoodgrovo and surrounding districts. The yields were not up to expectations, an exception being that of A£r J. O'Carroll, who had an average

of fifty-seven bushels per acre. Other farmers’ yields ranged from twentytwo to thirty-five bushels per acre. Oats yielded well, and in some cases sixty bushels per acre were recorded. Grass is very plentiful, and the rape crops are as good as they were six weeks ago. GERALDINE. AH H. Hatfield, an expert fruitgrower of A'ictoria, and representative of the A T acuum Oil Company, gave an address on orchard pests and pruning before a number of local fruit-growers at the orchard of Air Al; Campbell, near. Geraldine. The company was entertained at afternoon tea by Air and Mrs Campbell, and votes of thanks wer accorded Air Hatfield and Air Campbell. t . Somo days ago tlie Coronation Hall at Orari was broken into and two rifles belonging, to the local Miniature Rifle Chib were stolen.. There is no- clue -to the culprit. .... SOUTH.BRIDGE. The Southbridgo District High School Committee met on Monday evening; present—Rev H. G. Hawkins (chairman), and Alessrs R. B. B. AAillis, E. G. Hubbard, H. Sutton, E. A. Inwood, M. Curran and R. Rowe. Tho secretary of the North' Canterbury Board of Education w-rote stating that the sum of £26 had been received from the-Government as subsidy on an amount of £26, raised in Southbridgo to provide a. school library, and the amount had been paid, to tee’s credit at the Bank of New Zealand. Tho chairman and secretary wero appointed a sub-committee to make arrangements for the selection of books for the library. The headmaster reported-the average daily attendances in tho primary department to bo 144.0, and in tho secondary department to be 27.8. ' ' : ’ v ■ ” Air F. J. Lemon, of Doyleston, threshed a paddock of -oats the other day which gave the handsome return of ninety-seven bushels per acre. ' AY AIM ATE. Air Charles Butcher was the re-cipient-of 'a shaving-set. from the staff of the 'Canterbury Farmers'* Co-opera-tive Association oil the event of his departure last week to Christchurch. At Air AY. Aleiw.ies’ Kainga Ivon orchard, Tirnaru- Road, yesterday,' a number of orebardists assembled to hear a lecture by Air H. Hatfield, an expert fruit-grower from Y’ictoria, on “ Orchard pests, and bow to combat them.” and to watch a demonstration in pruning. The visiters were entertained at too by Mr .and Sirs Menzios. After seeing the AY aimate district Air Hatfield states .it is.Jietter muited for apples than any other Canterbury lanu he has seen. Near Christehureh the land is richer, but not so suitable for anples. Some of the varieties in Mr Mcnzies* orchard are the best he has seen anywhere in New- Zealand. Applegrowing. if properly done, should return a profit per year.of £3O per acre. Comparing New Zealand expor, samples with Tasmanian and A ictorian, Air Hatfield said he considered New Zealand had a lot to learn yet, as nearly all the apples -got injured m spraj'ing or otherwise. i