ST. BATH AW S.

Otago Witness, Issue 2509, 16 April 1902, Page 31

ST. BATH AW S.

April 14 -The thunderstorm that passed over this locality on the evening of the 2nd lijst. was the severest tver witnessed here lne roads are badh- cut up, and give evidence of the tremendous downpour of water. The Muddy Creek and St. Bathans tailings channels have both gone thiough p trying ordeal of their carrying capacity. Both channels show ! damage by the groat How of water, the former more <o than the latter. At Muddy Creek the I traffic bridge on the main road, which stands . some Bft o»- 10ft above the ordinary running stream, was in danger ot being swept away by the storm water. The approaches at both ends of lhe bridge were completely washer] eff, nothing but the skeleton of the structure being I landing. All formation of the channel in the I vicinity of th? bridge is completely buried with debris. The County Council promptly | put on a gang of men, with horses and drays, i and trpfnc was again lesumed over the bridge j on the evening of the 6th. The same gang are av\l employed lepiacing r. footbridge further I up the creek. I have heaid that this bridge j wa<- completely demolished. When it is stated that the duration of the storm lusted only | an hour, it will give one an idoa of the severity of it. lhe St. Bathans basin has but a small drainage area ; but, small «s it is, there must have been considerably over 101) Government heads of water rushing through between the v.alls of its chanuel. TLe footbridge cvei this channel, wiiich led to the recreation reserve, has bepa washed away, and" damage has been done to the extent of some six or eight chains to th" walls of the mam channel. At the height of the storm the thunder was alannmgly near, and the vivid flashes of lightning were terrifying. Bunny. — The rabbit season has again dawned upon us, and accompanied with it, its baneful tendencies are obs-eivable. The rab-bit-trapping seriously affects the attendance at the public school, and the mcial training that children should receive o t i the Sabbath day is being dangerously intrenched upon by the iuiob«ervance of the Fourth Commandment. The law of New Zealand is v that no ppi-or shall work a.t their trade or calling on the Sabb.it'i Day " (vide the Police Offence Ordinance Act), yet in the face of this act we offn fee a contravening of the law by labbit purchasei*. We have the labbit tiap limning through our township on the Sabbath Day, and deliveiy of rabbits takpn over by the ( drivers from boys and girls of tender years, and this is bpmg dona under the eyes of the police without action being taken by them to put a ptop to the unlawful trade. The glaring I violation of the law mentioned, social and | divine, must have a greatly demoralising effect on the young and lising generation. The keeuing of the Fointh Commandment is lightly looked upon hero, and to allow small discrepancies to creep in on the acknowledged day of ip?t would, in my opinion, be a pieat mistake Scholastic— The inhabitant* of the back blocks will shortly be called upon to elect Echool committees for the ensuing year. As mur.nurings have been heard here of latp of the inadequate allowances that are being doled out by the Education Board, I would suggest that at the public meeting immediately preceding the election of a committee the householders should raise tlieir voice against this uarsimony of the board. In many instances in connection with country schools, St. Bathans included, the allowance is not adequate to carry out tb,e 'necessary (requirements that committees have io face. Ecclesiastic —The annual harvp<=t thanksgiving took place yesterday, and was conducted by the Hew James Gelhe. BA. His readier lesson was taken from Deuteronomy xv. Xl, and continued in xxvi, 11. of thp =ame book. The text was from the epistle of St. John iv. I.S "He that feareth i" not made v>erfp.ct m lovp " An excellent address was delivered to a numerous and attentive congregation. The Sabbath school children, under the able trainui" of Miss Renwirk. rendered good service by" singing appropriate psalms end hymns The interior of the church was nicely decorated with evergreens, and an abundant suuplv o, thfi fruit of the enrth was made visible. The skill and taste of the ladies in the work of festooning and diaplaving of the fruit of the fields poes beyond the description of mv nen. "Weather Note —The wpather during the p?st fortnight has been anything favourable for tlio farming conimumtv. The outlook at the present moment to agriculturists is not vorv mom-sine 1 have lwrr»d that -oiup havp suMnined h»avy lossps »t the ' -c<.ent s'apr. of affair, There is always something to baulk the complete happiness of a corairmnty.