COUNTRY NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9173, 1 October 1888, Page 6

COUNTRY NEWS.

[from OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS. J Hamilton, Saturday. : A private letter received from Broken Hill by a Hamilton gentleman refers to several old Waikato residents of this district, and amongst them mentions the names of Mr. J. Coleman, Mr. Sydney Mantkellow, and Mr. James Coombes, of Hamilton, as doing well. More favourable weather for the farmers could not be wished for than we have experienced during the past weekcopious rain followed by warm soft weather. Wheat sowing is nearly though not quite finished in the Waikato. The orchards are a magnificent sight. Such a wealth of bloom on the peaches, plums, and pears was never known before, and now the earlier blossoming' apples are commencing to burst into blossom. What is more, the usual dropping off of the newly-set plums has not taken place, but a very large quantity of the fruit appears to be set for maturing, too large a quantity indeed, for it will necessitate the cost and labour of thinning out the fruit if a crop of fine fruit is to be obtained, and the trees saved from over exhaustion and - a subsequent year or two of barrenness. Orchardists will do well to get syringes in order, and prepare for the Paris green dressing, which should be applied to the apple trees by the time the fruit has attained the size of a small pea. Huntly, Saturday.. As it is now the tenth day since Somers was supposed to have been drowned by the upsetting of his canoe, a thorough search for the body will be undertaken under the superintendence of the local police, as in all probability the body will nave commenced to float. The river will be systematically searched from Mercer upwards. Ohaupo, Saturday. It is satisfactory to find our local bodies, made wise by experience, commencing their road works earlier in the season than they were usually wont to do. A number of contracts are about to be let in the Mangapiko, Tuhikaramea, Pukekura, and Rangiaohia ridings. - Morrinsville, Saturday. There will after all be a contested election for Mr. Gould's seat in the Piako County Council. Messrs. John Horrell, James Bailey, and H. D. Johnson are in the field. The polling takes place on Saturday next. In another ten days or a fortnight flockmasters will be in the thick of the shearing season. The wool crop promises to be a good one. More careful culling, new blood, and attention to a regular supply of food all the year round, have tended to raise the average weight of Waikato fleeces. The Waikato Association will shear some 25,000 sheep this season, and other large estates proportionate numbers. The sheep on our old friend Mr. Jenkin's estate, formerly of Canterbury, never looked better than they do this season. A gentleman settled in , this part of the Waikato, whose family are large stockbreeders in Canterbury, has learned by private lettor that the beef sent home through the Freezing Company from the estate have averaged the net return of £9 4s Bcl per carcase, and the wethers, for which 15s was obtainable in the local market, have netted 20s each. ■ _ 0 ' , - Oxford, Saturday. On Thursday last the children of our school gave an interesting entertainment, bavins been very efficiently tutored by the teacher, Miss C. B. Westwood. Mr. D. Griffiths, chairman of the School Committee, presided. The programme was as follows:— Song, "Little 80-peep," primers; duet, "Violet," Miss Pattie Griffiths and Miss Amelia Speck; recitation, " Little Black Ant." Master Longueville Griffiths; reading,

A Night With the Miss Annie p M . I " A Night With the Wolf," Miss Annie : coe; song,; '/TenderiLeaves^liMMl^it^ttil^ Speck; song and chorus, " Wait «,* Waggon," Miss esjWKPA I dren; recitation, "Piccolo," Miss w„»T » I Griffiths: song," The Farmer," cWlfe reading, The Diamond Ring,'" Master rW Griffiths; song, " Gates of TOiWaStfe ! Westwood; recitation, " Mr. Nobody " Mi«»' ' * Suinn; $ song, ." Chirping Little Cricket"" children; > song and chorus, "Hen Conv«n WW tion," Miss Westwood and children'.Sl dreas ito children and . parents, chairman * ; The entertainment was ft' decided success r " and was followed by games and tea, coffee' ' - cake, and fruity gratuitously provided by the* ' ladies of the district. r |J§ uS , '1 POLLOK. ■ The monthly meeting of the Pollok Mutual Improvement Class was held :on Thursday S,J evening, the 20th insfc. 1 The ■ programme wm " successfully carried out, 1 consisting of ' seven songs, six readings, and one recitation. Twn of the songs were very well sung by Miss Agnes Clark: and her brother; James, * beine songs learnt at school. , Mr. George Muir » '• new member of the class, gave a humorous ' recitation Mr. Torbet gave a reading entitled ?fe' " Jeems Kay at a School Examination," from the author's third book, just arrived by last i mail. Mr, Torbet read a long letter'from the author and also an excellent list of criti- ; cisms on the ■- book by English and Scottish newspapers. The author thanks the class for' its comments, which he read the Auckland ' Weekly News. ; A fine essay was given on ' . the " Songs of England." ■* The essayist re- : marked that some of the songs were very fine ' though not 'equal to Scottish and Irish songs' *• but that for which England has to be prouj is the fine old music which has been : handed down from one generation to another, of great- f " beauty. t; Mr. A. Clark gave a third essay I- ! the "New Zealand Civil Service and General' "'.I Government."- Among the ! many telling re-' I marks made by the essayist, he said the - - I second session of the tenth Parliament has f just ended, arid the harvest gathered in. | Hansard has on record an account of tin f vast amount of chaff and the snmll particles •" ? of grain yielded. On the matter stewed i down, and the fat. skimmed off, the residue I is of little utility to the men at the pumps work- i ing for dear life to keep afloat. i After paying . 1 the Civil Service gentlemen their rich salaries - < and the obnoxious pensions, there is little 1 left to carry on the legitimate business of the 1 colony, except with borrowed money from | English capitalists at an outrageous cost for | brokerage, stamps, etc., the last loan costing ' £100, not speaking of the interest, etc., to - ' be paid yearly. This is surely extravagance ' of the most reckless character. And even by '' the aid of all this borrowed money," and de- ■ | spite the Treasurer's dead reckoning, and the I large sum as supplementary estimates, it was f found at the end of the last financial year ' 1 there was a. deficit of nearly £400,000. This f state of. things cannot last long.'' Many of the i newspapers north and south have time" after I time pointed to the : people' the State ship I among the ' shoals. The • people have the power to rectify the matter if thoy only act' wisely. This is a democratic Government— people ruled by one people. New Zealand at this stage of her existence, and liar present deplorable state, groaning under an increas- - ing debt of nearly £40,000,000,' does not require a great number of representatives, - great. oratory, or extraordinary clever men. - Her . experience of such men has proved a snare ana a delusion.~{Own Correspondent.] ■ . ; POiENO VALLEY. , An excellent entertainment took place oa Monday evening, the 24th inst.,- at the school, for the purpose of raising funds for the prizes • ', for children passing, their standard examina, tions. At the request of Mr. Campbell Jack son, seconded by Mr. McNeish, Mr. Georgs Small, of St. John's College, Auckland, who ■ visits the district monthly i and conducts English church services, was asked to take , the chair, the duties of which :he discharged' with great tact. Although there was a heavy downpour of rain, the room was full, many ' coming several miles, and the receipts at the door amounted to £4. After a, few opening remarks from the chairman, an excellent " ~ programme • was r gone through.- Mr. A. •'Wise- . " man. organist at St. Matthew's Church, Auckland, who very kindly came specially, acting as accompanist. His playing" was much appreciated. . Two instrumental duets for piano ;< andi clarionette, selections from " Lucrezia Borgia" and " La Favorita" by Mr.', 0 Wiseman and Mr. Thomas Wright, were excellently rendered. Mrs. Bispham; an old favourite both in Auckland and Pokeno, sang, in her usual finished style, three songs, which it need not be said were received with' great applause. The comic reading from the chairman convulsed the audience. 'Master,Hearn - gave a nigger stump speech on astronomy, and later on a dialogue with Mr. Craig on a Wif nigger's view ;of ; the education of young, ladies. At intervals the school children, ac- - companied by one of . their number, Miss I Hearn, sang several songs. "The humci-ous i element was not omitted, Captain Hearn,; I contributing three songs in this line. In the. ' interval between the parts, the prizes, many • of which were really handsome and valuable .' volumes, were presented to the ; children; . ' This was followed by a very pleasing episode. ' ; . Miss Pe?:rett, acting on behalf of her fellow- i.; u pupils, came forward and read an address to ' the head teacher, expressing the regret of both parents and children at his leaving the > school -on promotion to a more important post at Alexandra. , The address Was aceomi panied by a purse of sovereigns subscribed by the pupili and their friends for: him to purchase a memento of his residence amongst \< them. Captain Hearn, in. suitable terms, | thanked them for the great kindness he had ,' ' experienced while in the district,; and th& support received from the committee and parents. A petition had been signed by the _ committee and the parents of children attending the school asking the Board of Education to retain Captain Hearn at Pokeno, the school having passed two excellent standard'" 1 examinations under ; him, the percentage of passes being in 1837' 90 per cent., and. this i year 97 per cent. Mr. Hearn succeeds Mr.. Collier, 8.A., at Alexandra.—[A Correspondent.] j - HOKIANGA. The new County Council had their first meeting at Rawene on Saturday, the • lfitt instant. Mr. G. A. Clark was duly elected chairman. The personelle of the Council has been much improved by the introduction oi-; the new blood. Only two of the old mem- . bers have been returned. During the progress, I noticed one of the old members frequently coaching some of the new ones' . during the meeting. This is in rather bad taste, and somewhat lowering to the dignity of our new councillors. Surely they , are able to conduct their own business in the . Council without the interference of the audience. If not, why not let the whole of the audience assist.—{Own Correspondent.] ] ■