VALEDICTORY AT BENIO.

Mataura Ensign, 24 May 1913, Page 9

VALEDICTORY AT BENIO.

OLD SETTLERS FAREWELLED. The Benio schoolhouse wr ~ packed on . Wednesday evening, when .epresenta- . tives from Waikoikoi, Puk-. rau, Wai- ■ kaka Valley and local residents gathered to bid farewell to Mr and Mrs Orchard and family and Mr and Mrs H. ' Sinclair and family, who intend to leave • the district shortly (writes a correi spondent). Mr H. Mclntyre was voted to the . chair and introduced the following ex- • cellent programme: Instrumental solo, > Miss Machines; song, .Mr J. White; song. Miss M. Cunningham; recitation, | ; Mr T. McPhail; song, Miss Mackay, of, Gore (encore); song, Mrs J. J. C'im-| ningham; song, Miss Stephens; song, Mr W. Cunningham ; song, Mr T. McPhail; song, Mr D. McColl; humorous recitation, Mr J. J. Nagle; vocal duet, Misses France; song, Miss White tie kl. The accompaniments were ably olayed by Miss Maclnnes. At the .conclusion of the programme Mr H. Mclnt yre said that it was gratifying to see so many present tiespite the exceedingly inclement weather, which alone testified to the esteem in which the guests of the evening >. ere held. He read apologies for absence from Mr and Mrs Baker (Gore), the manager and the Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd. (Gore), and Mr Geo. Kerr. Mr Mclntyre went on io say that he had known Mr Sinclair for the past 27 years, when he first came to the district, and he had always found him an excellent neighbor and a really splendid fellow. Ho had.not known Mr and Mrs Orchard.and family quite so long, but since he had been acquainted with them he had thought very highly of them, for though both the Orchard and Sinclair families had lived fairly 1 quietly they had always been willing i helpers in whatever way they could at every social function. He regretted .their departure exceedingly t and he had " much pleasure, on behalf of a large 1 number of friends and neighbors, in presenting Mr Sinclair with a gold al- ! Bert, to Mrs Sinclair (who through ill- | health was unable to be present) a | handsome gold brooch set with pearls, I diamonds and rubies; to Mr Orchard a gold albert and Mrs Orchard (who also was unable to be present) a handsome silver teapot. Mr S. White said he had known the | guests of the evening very nearly all his life, and were thoroughly good neighbors and excellent farmers. He regretted the reason of their departure, though lately it had seemed that Southland was not much of a place to be in; and he wished them every prosperity wherever they might go. Mr J. Dynes spoke on behalf of his family, saying that the district could ill afford to lose such residents as their guests. He also testified to their good qualities as farmers and neighbors. Mr J. J. Nagle (Pukerau) spoke on behalf of the residents of Pukerau who could not be present, testifying to the good qualities of their guests. j Mr H. Sinclair, in response, thanked ■ the donors heartily for t heir gifts, and : said he regretted leaving the district < very much, for he had found the bestf of friends there, and it was only on. ! account of his wile's health thac lie. I was leaving. He did not know yet where he would settle, but when he did he hoped to see them all once more. I Mr Orchard also responded, saying ; that he had lived for 26 years in and around the district, and it was for the same reason as Mr Sinclair that he was leaving. He also gave one and all a hearty invitation to visit tlicm in their now home at Cust.

' Afwr the singing of "For They arc | Jolly Good Fellows" supper was disj pen sod, after which Mr A. France proposed a hearty vote of iluniks to the ■ performers and to the acc.inip.iniste arid to the ladies who had served refreshments. A hearty vote of thanks to the i chairman concluded the concert, after . which most of those present repaired Ito the shed, where dancing was indulged in till the early hours of the morning to music ably supplied by Messrs "Ritchie and McX'ab. During the dance a song was rendered by Miss Whitefield. The gathering broke up with the singing of "Anld Lang Syne."

The cemeteries around London cover 2000 acres and the land they occupy represents a capital of £20,000,000. & An interesting discussion upon the question of re-valuation of properties arose out of the introduction of a remit from the Wyndham branch of the Farmers' Union Conference yesterday. It was moved by Mr T. W. Foster and was as follows: "That in cases where the farmer considers his valuation too high and lodges an objection, a valuer with local knowledge be appointed to act with the Government valuer." The question had, he said, been discussed very fully by the branch. There had been a strong feeling '.hat the remit should go oji to ! the order paper in order to see- if they icould not have the matter improve*!. Of course, he said, farmers are bound to kick'against their valuation, a.s they do airaii'ot their rates, but in one or two oases where valuation had been objected to tlie original valuer was sent back in company with another valuer. They were of the opinion that- the second valuer should bo a nian with local knowledge. DELIVERY -TO - TIME CARRIERS. THE N.Z. EXPRESS CO., LTD. One of the features of our business is our reliability. We keep faith with our promises. We have pride in our resources and organisation, because it enables us to do good honest work. May we demonstrate our ability and resource to you for, say, passing entries, forwarding parcels, and delivering goods? Wo are ready to tell you the cost if you will onlv see us. —The N.Z. Express Coy., Ltd. Gore Office: Main Street.

The first attempt to photograph a battle by a photographer in the fighting line was made by a German from Cairo, who came up with his camero at the first battle of El Teb, stuck his apparatus right down in the front face of the Egyptian square, adjusted it (throwing the cloth over his head), and. quietly waited for the rush of the Dervishes. A few minutes later the Dervishes swept away the square, German photographer, camera, and all.