COUNTRY NEWS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17251, 19 August 1916, Page 3

COUNTRY NEWS.

[Fkoii Our Correspondents,} KIRWEE. Rain . again set in at Kirwee yesterday morning and spring sowing, whicli was again being' started, will have to be (suspended. It lakes very little rain to keep the ground wet, as it is so well saturated with the late heavy rains. Fine weather for a few weeks would bo a great boon to farmers, just at present. , Grass ds now beginning to spring and thcro should bo an abundanco of feed later on. Largo patches of turnips are still to bo seen and these will probably not all bo used, as stock do not sosm to be eating them as is usually tho case. In fact, numbers of fanners state that their stock me not doing at all woll on turnips this season. . Thero aro some very fine paddocks of oats for green feed to be seen in tho various districts this spring, and there should bo plenty of feed for ©we3 and lambs. A fair number of lambs aro to be seen on some farms, but the bulk of the lambing will not start for another week. Oi late farmers have obtained such good prices late in tho season that thero is no object in having ewes lambing too early, when feed is scarce. KAIAPOI. Miss Gainsford, Baptist Indian Missionary, delivered a tecturo in the Kaiapoi Baptist Church on Thursday, on mission work in India’. Tho lecturo was illustrated by a gonerous display of limelight pictures. Mr A, J. Norrish, on behalf of tho members of the church, presented Miss _ Gainsford with a quantity of cutlery, wishing her continued good health and success in the work whion sho is about to resume in India. In expressing her thanks, Miss Gainsford congratulated the-members of the Baptist Church in Kaiapoi on their generous support of mission work. TEMPLETON. A very successful concent and danee wore given in tho Templeton Hall last woek by tho young ladies of tho Templeton Patriotic Hockey Club and Knitting Class, when tho sum of £l7 was raised, which is to bo handed over to tho local Red Cross branch. Mr G. P. Kissel presided. Tho items given •by tho young lady members wore enthusiastically received. OXFORD. A meeting of tho Oxford Patriotio Committee was held in tho Town Hall on Monday night. Mr D. Hawke presided, and there was a large attendance. Votes of sympathy were passed to tho parents of Privates T. M’Cahon (killed), Cecil Jones (wounded), and C. Brown (wounded). Tho position of the Patriotio Fund was considered, „und a committoe, consisting of tho president, the secretary and Mr W. Weld, was appointed to oonsider tho amounts still unpaid. The question of tho treatment of alien enemies in the country was raise* and it was decided to discuss it at tho next meeting. .... ■ . ~ At the conclusion of the business at the meeting oi the Oxford Patriotic Committee on Monday, a meeting was hold of thoso desirous of forming a sub-branch of the Navy League. Mir R. F. Henderson presided, and there was ft good attendance. Correspondence was' received from the Canterbury branch granting permission to form a sub-branch on certain conditions, which were approved. It was decided to invite tho officers of the Canterbury branch and tho Rov Eliot Chambers to visit Oxford at an early date with a view to explaining the aims of tho Navy League and to institute the local sub-branch.

ASHBURTON. v i . . Tho Ashburton St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church Literary and' Debating Society held a "Shakespearian Evening, on Wednesday evening, when various members took the characters in "The Merchant of Venice The readings were greatly onjejed by tbo m On b Thiirsday evaning the employees of the Ashburton branch of the Lew Zealand iarmexs’ Co-operativo As3Cciatiou bade farewell to Private S. Culverhouse, who is leaving with the Seventeenth Reinforcements, amt Mr W. S. M’Kensio, who iB leaving to tako charge of the Rangiora branch of the association. The manager (Mr T. J. nresided and presented Private Culvor house, or behalf of the staff, with a wristlet watch, and Mr M’Kenzio with a travelling rug; Ho referred to the popularity of both guests and to tho efficient servicee they had renS jJSJT-aW meeting of <he Ashburton branch of the North Canterbury Teachers Institute was held on Saturday in % ’w;* ough School, Ashburton, Ml George Sohneider urosidirijr. Tho report ehowed that interest Tn the branch had been lukewarm. £ chairman explained that that was largely due to the difficulty of gathering together, many of the teachers having to attend col-i«o-«Wt the enlarged education board district, the rules of tho Lew Zealand Ten oliers’ Institute had boon amended to enable smaller groups of teachers to form enable email r a * „ discussion " centres, separate institutes ana -, * n „Hr Tile renort was adopted. -In order to sur "s sas SS* bers.