NORTH OTAGO

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22256, 8 May 1934, Page 11

NORTH OTAGO

ACTIVITIES OF THE DISTRICT

(FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.)

FARMING EDUCATION SCHOOL AT WAITAKI One .of' the most progressive steps for the education of the young farmers of North Otago' is the establishment of a farm school at the Waitaki Boys’ High School. This was opened yesterday morning with an attendance of 64 young men from all parts of the district, intent on making the best use of the facijities placed at their disposal, and of gaining first-hand knowledge of various aspects of the farming industry, which should be of ! inestimable value to‘them in the pursuit of their life’s vocation. The facilities at Waitaki, where education in farming occupies an important place.in the curriculum, have been made available to the school by the Waitaki Board of'Governors and the rector (Mr F. Milner), and the best available lecturers have given their services to assist in the work. Furthermore, as an attractive syllabus has been_ drawn up, catering for the social, sporting and educational' aspects, the school,, which will continue during the whole of this week, promises to be an outstanding success. This is the first farm, school held at Oamaru, and probably the first of its kind in:, the Dominion, though instructional weeks have - been held in other centres, and it has been brought about by the activities' of' young farmers’ clubs in North Otago. -In this connection, credit is due to Mr Murray Austin, for it is through hi* enthusiasm -and zeal that the school ha* been opened under such favourable auspices. Support has also been forthcoming from the members of the various branches of the North _ Otago, Farmers Union, and the organisers are to. be ■heartily .congratulated on their efforts to afford the young men of the country ■districts ■ such an : excellent opportunity of acquiring knowledge of modern farming methods and practice. The farm school was officially opened by the Mayor of Oamaru (Mr M. F. Cooney) in the Hall of Memories, where those attending gathered to listen to the addresses of welcome given by several speakers. Mr Murray Austin occupied the chair, and there were associated with him on the platform Mr M. F. Cooney (Mayor). Dr A. Douglas (chairman of the Waitaki ■ High Schools’ Board of Governors). Messrs J. A. Macpherson, M.P.. L. Kelcher. W. Forrester. G. Livingstone. J. E. Austin', B. B. Blackmore, and S. D. Blomfield (organiser of Young Farmers’ Clubs). Austin, in his introductory remarks, said he'was very pleased to notice that so many had availed themselves of the opportunity of attending the farm school. It was a new thing in the country for young men to take a short course in farming education. The school would cover the financial side of farming, which was an essential part of the education of .young farmers. Farming to-day was a serious thing, because of the many factors of production and ‘ quality which would enable competition with other countries to be successful. To that end the young 'educational opportunitiesoffering. A number, took up farming because their fathers were farmers. That was wrong. They should take up farming because they

were interested in the industry, and if they did that they_ would become a national asset. Farming was becoming increasingly difficult, and young farmers should have a knowledge of business, salesmanship, and buying, and the practical side of the industry, if they were to become good farmers. The school would be a success if they would take advantage of the lectures and demonstrations to bo given.

Dr Douglas, on behalf of the Board of Governors, expressed pleasure - at being able to place the facilities o: the school at their disposal, and gave the young men a .very cordial welcome. It was one of the first attempts made to have a regular young farmers’ school on anything like a large scale,: and'he was sure it would be a great success. A professional man who was satisfied with his own education and knowledge was hopelessly out of the running so far as accomplishment was concerned. So with the farmer in the present, state of affairs to-day. Uniformity of product had to solve the difficulty for the exporter. Every young fanner had to be a learner and acquire knowledge that would make for his success in the future. He gave them all a cordial welcome, and hoped they would put the grounds and buildings to the best use. - ! . **

The Mayor formally opened the school, congratulating the young farmers on attending, and saying what they learned at the school would be of the greatst value to them jn the future. In the past many men, known. as excellent workers, had not succeeded because of their lack of knowledge such as they would gain at the, school. Times were difficult, and they would have to • take an intelligent interest in the production and marketing of primary products. He congratulated them, and hoped the knowledge gained would be of value to them and to the country. ■ Mr J. A. Macpherson said he was pleased to see so many young fanner? in North Otago present. If they did themselves justice; and the district justice, they would come out foremost in the country. They were proud of the Otago province, and of the Scotch farmers who settled in the province, and the young men had a great opportunity of learning at the school —learning something that might lead them to prosperity and to the prosperity of the country. The Government and Parliament were sympathetic towards such a school,. and he wished them a very happy week, with results of lasting benefit to themselves and the community. ■ „ • Mr L. Kelcher, on behalf of the North Otago Farmers’ Union, said the farm school had the whole-hearted support of the Farmers’ Union. Their fathers had wide acres and virgin soil, and obtained better results than they did to-day, but to-day they had to put forward their best efforts into farming knowledge, and he hoped they would learn through the week knowledge that would stand to them in years to come. ~ On behalf of the young men Mr M. Austin thanked the speakers for their good wishes for the success of the school. Following, on the official opening of the school, Mr J. Gibson, (Papakaio) gave a interesting and instructive talk, on the : double-furrowed plough. In his demonstration he explained the history of the plough, and went on to show the points which led up to the mechanical perfection of the plough at the present time. Mr Gibson gave reasons for the different settings of the plough for ordinary farm. work in various types of soil, and went into the finer points of setting for match ploughing. The demonstration was' followed' closely by the boys, at the conclusion of which Mr Brian Blackmore thanked Mr Gibson for his very interesting address. ■ln the afternoon a_ further very fine demonstration was given to the boys, this time on the famous Border Leicester sheep. The demonstrator was Mr D. J. Ross (Hillgrove), who explained the characteristics of/the-head of the sheep, and: also showed how the neck was set into the shoulders. He said it was necessary in this type of. sheep to have a spread on the barrel of the head, and the reason why this was necessary was to five width on the back. As the Border (eicester was a mutton sheep, said Mr Ross, room must be given for it to carry the mutton. This type was a fast maturing sheep, making it ideal for early lambs. In.country where,it wag not.suited, the Border Leicester, could be crossed, successfully. Mr E. Ewing thanked Mr Ross for the. information he had imparted. . .The boys.then assembled in the honours’ board room, where the. Rev. Brian Kilroy gave an address on citizenship, which must have made a deep impression on the boys. He was accorded a hearty vote of ,thanks. The remainder’ of the afternoon was spent in recreation, and last evening Mr G. E. Wilkipson eiltertained the members of the school at a musical treat, playing several solos on the organ of , the Hall of Memories, and explaining many aspects of music in a delightful way that appealed to, the boys, who'showed hearty appreciation, of the entertainment. .■ • MAJESTIC THEATRE “Take a Chance,” the new Paramount, musical film, will be shown to-night and on. Wednesday at the Majestic Theatre. It is a gay comedy concerning the careers of' four carnival side-show entertainers who become tired of small-town life and decide to snatch fame and fortune on Broadway. J atnes Dunn and Cliff Edwards, who cannot keep from pocketing other people’s watches and miscellaneous valuables, make a splendid team. Dunn, who has played romantic leads exclusively in the past, steps into farce comedy as though born to it. June Knight and Lillian Roth' support them well. “ Take a Chance” has a much stronger plot than the usual musical film, besides boasting a chorus of Broadway’s prettiest girls and at least, five songs. Opening at a small town carnival, the picture follows the careers of. the four irrepressible youngsters safely through the villainies of a crooked gambler, a jealous actress, and ends with a double romance between Dunn and Miss Roth and Charles “ Buddy ” Rogers and June Knight. Robert Gleckler as the gambler who plots the, ruin of Miss Knight, and Lillian Bond as the actress who .wants to force Rogers to marry her, provide both thrills and laughter throughout the story. PERSONAL Mr John H. Parker, of the Public Trust Office, Christchurch, has been transferred on promotion to Timaru. He is a son of Mr H. W. Parker, of Oamaru. Queen’s Hotel.—Mr and Mrs L. Davis (Wellington), Mr H. P. Aitken, Mr H. W. Hall, Mr A. Haig, Mr D, Golightly, Mr A. A. Duff. (Dunedin). RELIEF WORKS The following work was carried out for the local bodies by relief workers under No. 5 scheme during last week:— Oamaru Borough Council; Stripping at quarry, nine men, wages paid £l2; topdressing and cleaning streets, eight men, £lO 15s; top-dressing streets and footpath formation, six men, £6 10s; excavating, levelling, and drainage reserve C, 16 men, £l7 16s 3d; cleaning out water race, one man £1 10s. Friendly Bay Society: Improvements at foreshore, three men, £3 3s 9d. Marine Parade Society: Formation of track, seven men, £9 ss. Oamaru North School Committee: Improvements to grounds, one man, 15s. Oamaru South School Committee; Improvements to grounds, four men, 15.

NORTH OTAGO RUGBY UNION

MEETING OF MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE The weekly meeting of the Management Committee of the North Otago Rugby Union was held last night. The president (Mr A. A. Mays) occupied the chair. The Otago Union confirmed July' 18 as the date for the representative match at Oamaru. The Nelson Union confirmed August 29 for the match at Oamaru, with the : stipulation that it should receive 75' per cent, of the net gate, and South Canterbury confirmed July 28 for the match at Oamaru. The New Zealand Union advised that the application of C. D. Campbell for reinstatement to the Rugby Union had been granted. The application of W. J. MTndoe for reinstatement was held over for a week. The South School was granted two school footballs. The Oariiaru Trotting Club wrote advising that an invitation match would be held on Saturday at the Oamaru, trots, and suggesting that the union should postpone all fixtures on this day.—lt was decided to postpone the fixtures as suggested. . A transfer was granted M. Hobbs from Southern (Waimate) to Excelsior. Mr C. J. Mollison wrote declining to act as one of the three selectors this season.—Mr G. B. Stevenson was appointed to the vacancy. Mr E. 0. Martin wrote resigning from the Management Committee.—The resignation was accepted with regret, a minute of appreciation being recorded. The appointment to fill the vacancy was held over for a week. Mr J. Crowley was appointed to a vacancy on the Draw Committee, with Mr L. Ward as convener. The Waitaki Sub-union wrote thanking the union for the grant of a school football to Duntroon, and forwarding the annual report and balance sheet. It was decided to hold the annual seven-a-side tournament on June 4. It was decided to submit' July 7 for the Town v. Country match at Oamaru. UNEMPLOYMENT COMMITTEE The weekly meeting of the Oamaru Unemployment Committee was held yesterday morning. Mr J. M'Nab occupied the chair. It was reported that some farmers engaging men under No. 4a scheme during difficult times had now taken on these men permanently, and tney had expressed appreciation of the assistance afforded by the relief schemes. In reply to the local committee’s application that six men engaged under No. 5 scheme be allowed to go to Herbert to obtain firewood and sell it at cost price to the relief workers, the Unemployment Board advised that it could not accede to the request. It, was agreed that Mr Cooney, with one or two delegates . from the Relief Workers’ Association, should interview the member for the district (Mr J. A. Macpherson) in regard to tins matter. Applications from farmers at Herbert and Waianakarua for men under No. 4a scheme were approved, and an application from an Ardgowan farmer was declined. A farmer at Herbert was granted an extension of time for four weeks. The Labour Bureau officer (Mr A. G. Adair) reported that at the end of the previous week there were 226 registered unemployed in North Otago. Since then 16 new applications were received and two men were sent to private employment, leaving a total of- 240 names on the list at the end of last week. GENERAL NEWS 1 High Water at Oamaru.—May 6: 10.40 a.m. and 11.11 p.m. Schedules for the chrysanthemum showmay now be obtained from florists or the secretary (Mr A. E. C. M’Douall). The show is to be held in St. Luke’s Hall on May 22, and will be the first chrysanthemum show held in Oamaru for about 25 years. It is hoped that exhibition entries will be forthcoming from Christchurch, Dunedin, and other centres. A line of 400 mixed-sex • lambs (English Leicester halfbred) will be offered at the Duntroon sale to-morrow. MINIATURE RIFLE SHOOTING The following were the best scores at the weekly shoot of the Awamoko Club: —R.‘ Filhngham 79, G. 'Gibson 78, S. Odell, D. Williams, L. Knight 77, A. Gibson, E. King, W. Gibson, J. Brunton 76, E. Williams 70, J. M'Leod, A. Winchester 66. ■