COUNTRY NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9735, 4 February 1895, Page 3

COUNTRY NEWS.

[FROM OX7E OWN CORRESPONDENTS. ] f4 Hamilton, Saturday. Tenders for drawing gravel for the use of the borough have been received, but all were so much in excess of those received during the last two years, that the Council refused to accept any of them. The Kirikiriroa Highway Board, at its meeting yesterday, refused to accede to the petition of 25 ratepayers, and reconsider their refusal to contribute to the cost of replacing the bridge adjoining the East Hamilton schoolhouse. Messrs. Gordon and Chitty contended that the. bridge being whollj within the borough, the Kirikiriroa district had nothing to do with it. Mr. Edgecumb« contended that it in the interest oj Kirikiriroa that it was sought to keep tin bridge open, and twitted the Board with its inconsistency. The Board, however, refused to alter their decision to take no part in the work. Yesterday afternoon, between three and four o'clock, a fire got into the Lake Park Reserve. Constable Forbes, who heard at it, at once gathered a body of volunteers, chiefly lads, who, after a hard fight, succeeded in stopping it from crossing the road inside the park leading down to the Lake. The whole of the ground, however, on the lefthand side of this road, containing some four or five acres, was completely swept of all vegetation, and the fire got; iuto - and de- ' stroyed part of the plantations belonging to Lake house. This land was planted with forest trees by a public bee in Jubilee year, and the whole of the young trees are of course destroyed. Hautapu, Saturday. * The Gordon Lodge of Good Templars held their annual picnic in Mr. Forrest's farm here on anniversary day. The gathering was a very large one, between 400 and 500 being present. Members of the lodge and then: friends were driven out by Messrs. W. K. Carter, Jas, Anderson, and many others, and during the day—which was all that could have been desired for & holiday—a variety of sports and games were kept up with unflagging interest. A temperance drum and fife band, consisting of boys belonging to the lodge, performed at intervals during the day. Refreshments .were supplied in abundance, and everything carried out to make the enjoyment of the affair a success. The thanks of the lodge are due to Mr. James Forrest for the use of the ground, and to the gentlemen who drove the company out to them. Tawhare, Saturday. I am particularly requested to state that the chairman at the late public meeting to farewell Mr. Speake, the late manager of the company's milk factory here, was not Mr. Dodd, but Mr. F. W. Browning. Cambridge, Saturday. - The public school opening has been deferred till Wednesday, the Education Board at the last mim.\te having resolved to make certain repairs applied for by the committee. Te Awamuto, Saturday. At a meeting of the subscribers to the Public Library the following officers were appointed :— Committee : Messrs. Andrew, Cox, J. L. Mandeno, V&use, and the Rev. H. W. Wilson, of which at a subsequent I meeting Mr. Vause was elected chairman.