NEWS FROM COUNTRY DISTRICTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11842, 20 December 1901, Page 3

NEWS FROM COUNTRY DISTRICTS.

[FROH'OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.] ,'-j ' • ■ NGARUAWABIA. THE annual concert in aid of the school pic- , nic fond -was held on Friday last. Notwithstanding wet weather the hall was,filled, and £15 addition to the fund resulted. . The ' programme was provided by the pupils, and con-. |; sisted ot overture, * recitations, " and. dramas... . All the' performances were creditable, and. evidenced careful; training on the part of the , • ' teaching staff of the school. 1 WHATAWHATA. THE recent clfange in the weather and -the ample rainfall has come opportunely, and put our dairymen in good heart. T:? They : will 1 •now soon have a full supply of mills, and <v 3-?' -late-sown : grain ; crops will benefit by the ,']• - change. • Home, however, are coming into; ear, and will not yield very heavily. ; ; Some . .good crops of dim and early-sown sparrowbill are to be seen, and these will be ready for har- W~; ;; vesting in a few weeks. Meadow hay is be- "t ing cut; the crops ara generally light. Po- " tatoes are looking particularly well since the '.4 rain, and the yield will bo better than at one time there was reason to hope. The various road works in the district have been pushed' SU& on vigorously , during .the; fine - weather, ; but i "-Sii' .much remains t; be done if our roads are >to" '*? be made fit for traffic at - all, seasons. 'Tho • -' waipa County Council do not show aj much.' consideration as. they might . for those who & have, to travel between this place, Raglan,-Iti-PtP hikaramea, and, Ohaupo. A portion of the '« road from the township to the Koromatua>. '<S bridge badly wants forming.. vlt. is one <■ of ' tho roughest pieces of road in. the district, : • and very little has been • done to improve tlie'iSfeSl road for some years; in :several places the dram pipes have been filled up, so that • there . is-no escape for the surface water. . In. addition, ■ the tea-tree lias been allowed : to' grow' ! tall on the margin, which keeps the sari oIE " the road. There 's a good deal of unim- : • proved .land waiting to be taken, up, but the want- of good roads prevents this taking- place. AROHA. . ■ THE half-yearly competition amongst members' : ot .the Piako Mounted Rifles for : the Knock . Belt, took place at the range on Thursday afternoon. Owing to the conditions, which re-; "- i quired competitors to have attended a certain. ; number of parades, some of v the best , shots m • the company could not enter. - Only seven > ~ ' : competitors turned up, who were i under - the 1 - charge of Lieutenant Marshall. The day was c' favourable .or shooting. The new revolving - ' targets which arssSfc great acquisition to the range, for time-saying and vaccuracy, .were 1 used lor the first time, and gave great satis- * taction The -ranges were ; 200, 300, 500,: and .ft % bOO yards, -. The following were the scores made- ®#Bssil —Quartermaster-Sergt, Salmon, £8; ■ Corporal ' fe ' u^? er i awn » 55; Corporal Steele, 1 i 55 ii ! o °P er t Cochrane, 50;-,. Trooper Tatter- " ' sail, 49; Corporal Tattcrsall," 43. 'Hie inspection and volley-firing takes f place on Thursday, when a prize of 21s will-be given to the smartest- dressed';. trooper. Mr. E. Gallagher, so long and favourably known to the travelling .public as the proprietor of .the coaching business here, has dis- £ posed oi it -to Mr. S. L. Bygravc. 1 - V A very; pleasing event took place on Sunday afternoon, after ■ church service at Te Aroha i West, in the presentation of an address and gold chain to Miss Lottie Reynolds, the / organist at all the services held in the. school- • I ! house. : The address, signed -by Messrs. Phil- * lips, Boswell. Devey, and Rev. E. J. McFar- " ! I land, on behalf of the Anglican and Wcslevaii ' [ congregations, was read by Mr. Phillips,- anil the presentation of the chain was made bv- the Rev. E. J. McFarJand, who referred • to : the earnest way in which Miss ; Reynolds worked ' 7 J for the services, and he expressed his pleasure " : in handing her the chain as a reminder that ' her labours for many years were not unre;cognised. Mr. Devey. on behalf of- the . \Ves- '/'c--I_mem®ers1 _ mem ® ers of; the congregation,,eulogised' ""> Miss Reynolds' work, and spoke of the great T. help she had been to . the services, and to him in his Sunday-school work. Mr. A. Reynolds replied on behalf of his sister, thanking the donors for their kindness, which would J be always remembered by her.

, OHAUPO. ON Sunday last there was a. large congregation at Christ Church, the occasion being the ••••"•' distribution of prizes to the Sunday-school children, when 39 boys and girls received a, - V book appropriate to their ages. Archdeacon. : Willis made the presentations. lie announced that in accordance with a generally-expressed wish ■ Mr. Partington . had consented . to take charge of the choir. The rev. gentleman then I • said he had a very pleasing duty to perform, and that was to present Mrs. Roche, 4 the su- . perintendent of the Sunday-school, with' a, chain and a handsome hymnbook, in recognition of her services. Mr." Roche returned ■; thanks in suitable terms for his wife. The '.1 archdeacon then made a /presentation of & music case to Miss Roche and another to Miss . : D. Graham, on behalf of Mr. .W. J. Hunter. in- recognition of. their services as organists. i Mr. Roche returned thanks for both the young ladies.

HAMILTON". ON Tuesday the ladies of St.. Peter's Workers' Guild held a sale of work-in the Sundayschool. The building was prettily decorated, j and the tables well stocked with useful and ornamental articles. The Most Rev. the Pri- - .' mate opened .the sale shortly after , two . • ■» o'clock. The stall-holders were soon hard at , work : disposing of their goods. The attend- $ ance during the afternoon and evening' was very good, the sum of £9 2s being taken at the doors. The following are the names of the stallholders and. the amount each took: V",&> ; Work stall: Mesdames Coates, j Graham, ; San-■,■ des, £41 3s 6d. , Flower stall >Mrs.:vßrewis; , £4 lis 9d. . Jumble stall: Mrs. Potter, £2 125.. 2d. Confectionery stall: Miissos Coates, £3 ,10s Bd. >? Competition stall: Mrs. Burd. £3 9s 6d. Refreshment stall: Mrs. P. B. Jolly,'£3 . .« ;8s 3d. Christmas tree: Misees Sandes t £5 ss. V * y Silhouettes : jr. Brewis, £1 l's 6d. ' Shooting: gallery: Miss Oberlin Brown, £1 Is. During i the I afternoon and evening various musical 1 - > items were given; the Harmonic Society gave « , several selections in very good style: ; .';.,The£psi; sale closed at 10 o'clock. i The gross proceeds Sllfij amount to over £75. ' - . 1