GENERAL NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17106, 11 September 1917, Page 9

GENERAL NEWS

Hi© fortnightly meeting of the Ivanhoe Lodge, U.A.0.D., was hold in tho Waratah Hall on Monday, 3rd inst, when A.D. B'ro. A. T. Smith presided. .The Bards reported favourably on tho sick members, and £15 sick pay passed for payment. The lodge lien adjourned for the purpose of entertaining the wives and families of members. The following contributed items: —Master A. Oulbert, Miss Loveless, Bros. Swan, Borrow, and Loveless. Tho following is tho result of the competitions:—Girls' Skipping: Miss S. Brockie, 633, 1; Miss 0. Seal, 199, 2. Guessing Competition: Miss N. Scales, 307, 1; Miss M. Walker, 305, 2. Small Boys' Marble Race: Master' Stewal't, 1; Master W. Brockie, 2. Older Boys' Marble Raco: Master F. Oulbert 1, Master A. Swan 2. Girls' Marble Race,: Miss 0. Seal 1, Miss S. Brockie 2. Bros. W. S. Culbert and A. Wilkinson acted as M.G.'s for the evening. The Dunedin Homing Pigeon Club flew the second 1 race of the season from Timani, an air lino distanco of 107 miles. Mr Nelson liberated the birds at an interval of five minutos. Results: Mr \Y. Esquilant's Parable, 2hrs 29min, 1; Mr J. Goodman's Moss Rose, 2hrs Slimin, 2; Mr G. RamBay's Pilot, 2hrs oOmin, 3; Mr A. Goodman's Canteen. 2hrs 33|min, 4; Messrs Smith and M'Dougal's Seauntreaus, 2hrs 32imin, 5. Birds owned by Messrs MacLcan, Jones, Stevenson. Philips, Conley, Veitch, Bot-ting, Still, Moir, and Barden also staged. ' _ The fortnightly meeting of the Dunedin Naturalists' Field Club took place on Saturday, when a large number of members and friends were present. Tho party went bv motor conveyance over theJUppcr Junction road as far as the Waitati water trough. At that point they left the main road, and walked through an interesting , pieco of bush in a valley to tho left of Mihiwaka. Several varieties of coprosma were collected with their fruits still on, ■while the black fruits of the Schefflera and Guselinia (broadleaf) wore also conspicuous. Numerous native cedars, red pines, and various forms of Panax were seen in the valley., while further on in the open a patch of Hymenophyllum Malingii was discovered in a fallen tree trunk. This curious and remarkable " filmy" fern is very rare indeed, and has not been found for some time round Dunedin. The party came out on the road above the Scott Monument, leading down to Port Chalmers, whence thev returned to* Dunedin by train. • The schedule and programme of the Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Society's Summer Show, which will take place at Tahuna Park on November 28 and 29, is now in the printers' hands, and will shortly be issued. The various classes and prize list have been carefully revised, with a view to increasing / the attractiveness of the fixture. Numerous special prizes are being offered in the classes for pure bred stock, while careful attention is being devoted towards making the jumping and steeplechase competitions unusually attractive. During the year, the show grounds have been further improved by judicious top-dressing, and a fine sward of grass now covers the park. A new development in educational Vork is proposed by Mr George Benstead, in the establishment of a private school for the education and treatment of mentally retarded and delicate children of good social position. At present there is no school of this description in New Zealand, so that the provision of such a school will enable •parents to ava,il themselves of an opportunity of educating such children on the latest scientific lines. The background of the scheme will be a. happy and healthy home life and an avoidance of institutionalism. There are a fair number of parents of good social position for whose children the conditions of the ordinary school or the family circle are unsuitable on account of their slow development or peculiarities of character or disposition. Mr Benstead has received numerous letters expressing appreciation of his methods of teaching.