COUNTRY NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15886, 6 April 1915, Page 5

COUNTRY NEWS.

[from our own correspondents.] WAIHI. THE SCHOOL OP MINES. Tho VVaihi School of Mines Council met on Wednesday evening, the chairman, Mr. T. Gilmour, presiding. The directors' report stated that 58 pupils had been enrolled and that at the recent examination I for mine managers' certificates one of the students, Mr. J. Carrutiers, had obtained i I a partial pass as a first-class coalmine-' manage.- and another, Mr. T. McMillan, a partial pass as a metal mine manager, tho I latter having been the only success obtained in New Zealand in that examina- j tic A report from the director on the conference of directors of the northern. schools of mines held at Thames covered resolutions requesting that a revised syllaI bus for til mine managers and battery superintendents' examination be adopted, : that a uniform syllabus bo framed for all the schools of mines, tint the above syllaI buses ba made to coincide as far as possible, that senior electricity be included in the subjects available for tho school of mines scholarship, that a different system bo adopted for practical examinations and that the standards for first, second and third-class certificates be respectively 70 50 and 40 per cent. The council endorsed the resolutions. Mr. Arthur Powell, who is about to bo married, was entertained at a smoke teem I by his fellow members of tho Waihi Volunteer Eire Brigade and presented with a net of silver-mounted carvers. The quarterly meeting of the Court Waihi, A.U.l''., was held in the Foresters' Hall. A levy of 6d a member was struck to assist tho distressed Belgian Fores tern MORRINSVILLE. I MATAMATA FARMERS' UNION. The annual meeting of the Matamata I I branch of the Fanners' Union was held on Saturday evening. The president, Mr. I A. A. Bowler, was in the chair. Major ' Lusk, provincial president, was also pre-, sent. The annual report showed that the | membership had increased from 118 to 127, 15 had been transferred to the Patetere branch for convenience. The subscriptions had increased from £44 last year to £57 this vear, and the total receipts from £108 to £i 33. During the year £157 had been j collected by the branch for the Belgian Relief Fund. The matter of the war tax was discussed, and it was resolved, "that the suggested war tax on imports and exports bo opposed, and that this branch recommends that tho tax be levied on land and I incomes, and in any other way to compel everyone to pay according to his means." An interesting experiment in growing lucerne had been carried out during the year by Mr. J. McCaw, under Government' supervision. The following officers were elected for the year:—President, Mr. A. A. Bowler; vice-president, Mr. .1. McCaw; secretary, Mr. Simpson; treasurer, Mr. Cranswick; executive committee, Messrs. S. Gunn, J. Pickup, W. Hetherington, C. W. Rollitt, W. Livingstone, and G. J. Duxfield; auditor, Mr. E. C. Banks. Measles and influenza are both very prevalent hero just now. HAMILTON. VAGRANT SENT TO GAOL. Tho magistrate has sent Herbeit Samuel Potter, who, on February 20 last, was sentenced at Auckland for threatening beliaviour, to gaol for one month for vagrancy. A meeting to form a Choral Society was held on Tuesday evening. The committee appointed at a previous meeting submitted a report embracing three issues: (1) The appointment of a local conductor; (2) advertising for one; and (3) accepting the offer of Mr. Wielaert, of Auckland, to act for £50 per annum. The committee recommended the adoption of the third proposal. It was decided, however, to advertise in Auckland, Wellington, and Hamilton for a conductor .it n <oii'ry <•? £60 per annum. The election of ;:.i i .cecutive was adjourned till next meeting. At a conference between the subcommittees of the Waikato A. aid P. Association and the South Auckland Racing Club it was decided to allow the Racing Club to cany out improvements at Claudelands, including the widening of the course in various places, the filling in of tho gully at the end of the straight, the removal of tho trees at the back of the loose-boxes, and the extension of the saddling-paddoek. At the quarterly meeting of the Hamilton Methodist Circuit the membership roll showed an increase of 29. The balancesheet disclosed a credit of £13, the debt now standing at £18. The Sunday-school reports were encouraging, and indicated that increased accommodation would have to be provided in the near future. It was decided that the superintendent should reside in London Street, and the second minister in Hamilton East. A resolution expressing appreciation of the work done by the Revs. Wrigley and Clover during their ministry in Hamilton was carried. A successful carnival in aid of the Beautifying Society's funds was held at the Claudlands show grounds on Easter Monday. The weather was beautifully fine, and the attendance very large. The function commenced with a trades and fancy dress procession through the town, and competitions of various kinds followed., The takings were very large. The operetta, "Princess Chrysanthemum." wag presented at the Theatre Royal by the Franklin Operatic Society in aid of the same fund.

TAUMARUNUI. NEW ROADS AND BRIDGES. A good deal of progress has been made on the road from Waimarino to Tokaanu by prison labour. When completed the road will prove of much importance, especially to tourist traffic. A certain amount of draining has been necessary, much of the ground on each side being of a swampy nature. A splendid bridge, of the standard 61ft span type, as built by the Public Works Department, is in course of erection over the Whakapapaiti. Plans for a new post office at Manunui show a very convenient and roomy building, including a residence for the postmaster. Messrs. Ellis and Burnand are rapidly rebuilding their box factory at Manunui. One si ed is already up. It is expected that the machines will be running again in a few weeks' time. CAMBRIDGE. ACCIDENT TO WAGGONER. A man named William John Harris, employed as a waggoner by P. Fogarty, while driving his team into a property at Maungatautui on Tuesday, was thrown off the waggon and sustained a broken arm. Tho installation of Bro. Arthur Curtain as Worshipful Master of Lodge Alpha, and investiture of officers took place on Wednesday evening. The ceremony of installation was carried out by M.W. Bro. Nicholson, Pro. G.M., assisted by several Grand Lodge officers. The presenting officers were Wor. Bros. Guniiner and Anderson, of Lodges Piako and Tirau respectively. The newly-elected W.M. invested his officers as follows:—l.P.M., Wor. Bro. E. E. Roberts; D.M.. Wor. Bro. S. Lewis; S.W.. Bro. J. C. Sawers; J.W., Bro. H. Speight; chaplain, Wor. Bio. Ferguson ; treasurer, Wor. Bro. G. H. Wallace ; secretary, Bro. G. H. OUard; I), of C. Wor. Bro. W. J. Andrews; S.D., Bro. H. Lewis; J.D., Bro. J. T. Douce; 1.G., Bro. H. Vaiise; organist, Bro. M. McDermott; stewards, Bros. F. A. Thomson and J no. F. Brooks; tyler, Bio. G. W. Miller. The working tools in the various degrees were presented by Wor. Bros. J. Primroso (Beta), Coltman (Albion), and Cameron (Tawhiri). The address to the W.M. and brethren was delivered by the installing master, and that to the wardens by M. Wor. Bro. G. Powley, Past D.G.M. Special music was rendered, Bro. McDermott acting as organist. Subsequently a banquet was held.

At tho Magistrate's Court a young man named Edward Tronson, alias Keith Roseberry, pleaded guilty to a charge of obtaining the sum of 30s from Mr. Frost, licensee of the National Hotel, by false pretences. The accused, who represented that he wa6 in the employ of Dalgety and Co.'s Auckland branch, was arrested by tho police at To Kuiti. He was convicted, ordered to make restitution, and to come up for sentence when called upon. HUNTLY. PRESENTATIONSDuring the week two presentations were made, ono on Monday night ot a puree of sovereigns, to the Rev. M. J. Evans, who has been transferred from the Huntly Methodist Church to Te Kuiti; and the other of a gold watch to Mr. Chas. Maxwell, who, having sold his bakery business, is leaving the district. Copious rain interfered with the many outings arranged for Good Friday. Arrangements are in progress "for the sale of a large number of business sites, with fine main street frontages, belongI ing to the Ralph Estate. As applications for these have been very numerous, the sale, particulars of which will be ani nounced shortly, will prove most successful^ j Mining is proceeding quietly and regularly, and, although more men are wanted, a large output is being maintained. DARGAVTLLE. WATER SUPPLY SCHEME. A survey of the pipe-line in connection with Hie borough water supply scheme has been completed. The report shows that the length of the main line of pipes from Taniwha Stream to the borough reservoir will be 17 miles 73 chains, ana the streets reticulation will cover eight miles 3h5 chains. The work is being proceeded with and tenders for the supply of pipes are to be invited immediately. A movement is again afoot to secure direct telephonic communication between Dargaville and Auckland. At present communication is effected via Whangarei, but the continuous and lengthy delays in the service prove exasperating to the public. It has been suggested to the Telegraph Department that if the State cannot see its way to erect the line, permission should be accorded the Kaipara Telephone Club to erect a suitable connection. The Northern Wairoa branch of the Soldiers' Gift Fund has perfected arrangements for the forwarding of presents to the Wairoa soldiers at Trentham, and also for the periodical sending of gifts to those in Egypt. The Sunday steamer to Helensville is in future to leave at 9 a.m. to afford passengers opportunity to visit the hot springs. An opposition service has also come into being, and the steamer Pitoitoi is now making bi-weekly trips. NAUMAI. TENNIS MATCHES. A team of players from To Kopuru Tennis Club endeavoured on Saturday to recover the Coates challenge cup, which Naumai won from them a month ago. The visitors wero unsuccessful in their quest, failing to secure the trophy by ' three matches to four. The following were I the results:— Forrestell beat | Fletcher, 9—5. Men's doubles: Walker I and Stone beat Hammond and Corkill, ; 9—5; Woo'Je and Walsaw lost to Perry i and Elliott, 3—9; Boyd and Lethbridge I lost to Bale and McKenzie, B—9. Ladies' doubles: Mrs. Craik and Mrs. Wood beat I Miss Kidd and Miss Newell, 7—l. Ladies' j singles: Mies Greenfield lost to Miss • Low lie, 1— Combined matches: BradI lev and Mrs. Walker beat Kelly and Miss Bassett, 7—l. I Sawmilling work is constant and pro--1 vides considerable employment for a large bodv of men. both in the mill and bushes. I Farm work is very active over the whole of the Naumai, Raupo, and Ruawai dist tricts. Tho crops, particularly maize, are j excellent, and apart from the somewhat I early ending of the dairying season, the : miner lias been a good period to farmers i generally.

! KAUKAPAKAPA. EFFECTS OP THE RAIN. The rains '■> the past fortnight have made a wonderful difference to our pastures and crops and providing we have seasonable weather for the next few weeks, all anxiety about winter feed will be at an lend. Unfortunately the rain came too j late to make much difference to the milk supply, the best that can be hoped for is a slight lengthening of the milking season. Grass seed sowing is now the order of the day with most farmers, and the land being now warm and moist, good " takes" should result. The harvest festival services held in the Methodist Church last Sunday were well attended. The new organ, recently purchased, was heard to great advantage. A meeting of the local branch of the Farmers' Union was held on Monday evening. Unfortunately, the attendance was only fair, but a good deal of important business was transacted. The secretary, Mr. Leach, was appointed a delegate to the provincial conference in May. Matters discussed included the erection of a central bacon factory, the Government purchase of frozen meat, and other matters. A letter was received from the executive of the union about rifle clubs, and in regard to this the secretary was instructed to reply that a vigorous rifle club was already in existence in the district. The president urged members to collect data and information about the proposed war tax, the matter to be brought forward for discussion meeting. Last Saturday a party of tennis players from Helensville drove over to try conclusions with a combined Silverdale and Kaukapakapa team. The visitors were victorious by 93 games to 68—nine sets to three. __^_______ CLEVEDON. TENNIS AND CROQUET MATCHES. Tho final for the combined doubles of the Clevedon Croquet Club was played off on Saturday afternoon on their lawn. After a long, and hardly-contested game Mr. and Mrs. C. Munro defeated Mr. and Mrs, W. Stephens, and won the championship. The •' all-play-all" singles tournament of the North Road Croquet Club is proceeding. The following arc the results of tho last games played: —Mrs. W. Stephens defeated Mrs. Hale, Mrs. Gihbs defeated Mrs. Waters, Mr. Gibbs defeated Mrs. Gihbs (one point only), Mrs. Waters defeated Mrs. Hale, Mr. Gibbs defeated Mr. Waters, and Mrs. Waters. ROTORUA. PRESENTATION TO TEACHERS. Tho pupils of the Rotorua District High School mado presentations on Tuesday afternoon to the headmaster, Mr. J. M. Warn, who is about to take tho position of headmaster at the Meadowbank school, Reinuira, and the infant schoolmistress. Miss Garrett, who is leaving the school in order to be married. Mr. J. R. Reynolds, chairman of the school committee, presided over the gathering and several other members of the committee were present. Mr. Reynolds said that it was with sincere regret that they parted with Mr. Warn and Miss Garrett. He referred to tho cordial relations that had always existed between the committee and the departing teachers. Master Boydie Bennett, on behalf of the scholars, presented Mr. Warn with a 400-day clock, bearing a suitable, inscription, whilst Miss Jane Canning, on behalf of the teachers and girl pupils, presented Miss Garrett with a set of lish and fruit cutlery. Mr. Warn and Miss Gai'-ett both returned thanks. Sergeant E. Lies, who for four years has been in charge of tho Rotorua police station, lias been pr.mioted to the rank of senior sergeant and appointed to the charge of the police station at Napier. He is to be succeeded in Rotorua by Sergeant Cummiiigs. from Napier. At a parade of the Rotorua Boy Scouts the following were presented with prizes

gained at (lie recent scout camp at Maketu:—Best Scout in Camp: R Pelham 1; Vernon Dyson, 2; J. Thomas, 5. Best Junior Scouts: K. Walker and C. Clarke (equal). Best Patrol Leader: t. Purcell. The prizes wero distributed by Mr. W. Hill, chairman of the Boy Scouts' Association, who urged the lad's to remember that they belonged to en organisation that was doing noble work in connection with the present struggle in Europe, and to so conduct themselves that they would do no discredit to such a fino organisation. RUAWARO. 1 FARMERS' UNION MEETING. A meeting of tho local branch of the Farmers' Union was held in the Pukemii School *: .March 27. An offer of one acre, more or less, of land, by Mr. Nayh r, for the proposed union hall site, was accepted. It was decided to send a remit to the provincial conference asking that the question of the freehold for national endowment land be discussed and put before the Government- An address on the objects and work of the Waikato i River Board, also on the question of ratin?, was given by Mr. Bregman. who is a member of the hoard. The secretary was asked to write to the board stating that the members of the union were prepared to pay the rates provided that the land is reclassified to the satisfaction of the union. COROMANDEL. MASONIC INSTALLATION. The annual installation of officers of Lodge Coromandel, No. 17, New Zealand, took place on Wednesday night, when Bio. Edwin Oreensmith, W.M. elect, was installed. The R.W. deputyprovincial grand master, Bro. R. White, was the installing master and was assisted by R.W. senior grand warden, Bro. Jas. Catchpole and Worshipful Bro. W. 1!. Leighion, acting-assistant grand director of ceremonies. The presentation officers were Worshipful Bros. Hans Rostgard and J. W. Barker. A number of visiting brethren were present. The W.M. invested his officers as follows:—l.P.M., A. J. fiatland: S.W., the Rev. T. Norrie; W.W., A. G. Harvey; T.W., H. Rostgard; S.W., C. H. Bennett.; 0.W., W. H. French; C.W., J. Cleave; S.D., G. K. H. Cleave; J.D., W. E. Carlyon; J.S., H. S. Deneze : tyler, J. McKubrie ; auditor, A. King; P.O.W. .and W., J. W. Barker, P.M. After the- ceremony a banquet was held. OTOROHANGA. IN AID OF THE BELGIANS. The result of the committee's efforts in organising an entertainment, on behalf of the Belgian Relief Fund will benefit that cause by over £12. The euchre party, which opened the evening, was engaged in by over 90 players, the finish of play showing Mrs. Henderson and Miss Rule a tie for the lady's prize and Mr. S. Leo winner of the gentleman's prize. In tho cut-off Mrs. Henderson was winner. A very large number were present at the dance, the music for which was provided by Mrs. Holden (at the piano), Mrs. Quin (mandolin), and Mr. W. Thompson (violin). M.C's. duties were undertaken by Messrs. T. Cumpstono and L, Claridge. A dainty supper was served by the ladies. It is probable that a series of such entertainments for this object will bo inaugurated for the winter months. The recent Methodist Church harvest thanksgiving festivals marked the close of the Rev. P. Bat ley's term in the To Kuiti-Otorohang* circuit, so occasion was taken to present him with the respects and good wishes of the local congregation The Rev. Mr. Battey announced his successor to be the Rev. W. J. Evans, who has been three years at Huntly. The services were well attended.

WAIUKU. ' FAREWELL TO MINISTER. , On Wednesday evening a farewell social was tendered to the Rev. J. H. Cable by , tlie Methodist Church. The parish hall ; was well filled, and the Rev. George Frost presided. Eulogistic addresses on the good work carried out by Mr. Cable were made by the chairman and the Revs. R. Barr, Presbyterian, Fussell, Anglican, and Fitchett, Methodist. Pianoforte solos were contributed by Mrs. J. Bent and songs by the Rev. J. H. Cable, Miss H. and K. Rossiter, and Miss Morice. The Rev. Father Skinner wrote regretting that circumstances prevented him from being present, and testifying from personal experience that Mr. Cable was a Christian gentleman of a, rare type. During the evening Mr. C. T. Barriball, on behalf of Wesley Church, presented the Rev. Mr. Cable with a handsome travel ling' bag, rug, and brushes, and in doing so expressed the regret that all felt a', his leaving the district. Mr. Cable feelingly responded and tendered his 6inoerj thanks for the many kindnesses he hail received during his ministration in the district. WARKWORTH. TOWN BOARD MEETING. The Warkworth Town Board met on Tuesday last, all the members being present. It was decided to continue tarring and sanding footpaths to th&post office and police station, to order loOyds of metal for road repairs, that all crossings bo put in to satisfaction of board at owner's expense, and that the National Reserve bo granted free use of the Town Hall when not required for other meetings. A legal opinion was received that the board had .power to enforce 10 per cent, penalty on the sanitary rate. Accounts totalling £129 were passed for payment. A meeting of stock owners and others interested in the holding of a central county stock sfyow was held at the Farmers' Union saleyards prior to the last sale. About forty persons were present. After some discussion a motion moved by Mr. T. 0. Jenkins that it was desirable to hold a county stock show was carried, further consideration being deferred till next sale day. A preliminary meeting of the Debating Society was held on March 30. when the report and balance-sheet for last year was presented. Tho balance in hand, £1 6s 9d, was given to the Belgian Fund. A social in aid of tbe Belgian Relief Fund, promoted by the Warkworth Town I Band, was held in the Town Hall on. Thursday. A most enjoyable evening | was spent, and over £25 was obtained, ' the whole of which will go to the fund. The annual sports meeting held under Northern Union rules took place on Easter Saturday, when in spite of unsettled weather a' good number turned out. The principal winners were:—Sel. Morrison, who won the Maiden Handicap, Sheffield Ha n dic."n. WnAvm-th Handicap, ■<•■' «4flvda Handicap; H. King, Half-mile Hand cap; K. •'. Woodcock. One Mild Handicap: ''• Green. Two Mile Bicycle; and & Viall, One Mile Bicycle.