WAIMATURC.

Otago Witness, Issue 2660, 8 March 1905, Page 39

WAIMATURC.

February 28. — Up to the last few days the weather ciUTing this month has been very warm. One day last week the thermometer was, for Southland, exceedingly high, registering 93 in the shade. It was thought that the harvest would be late this season, but the warm weather is bringing things to a head fo quickly that harvest operations may not, after all, he behind those of last yeaT. Indeed, until the delightful rain we had' last week the feeling was that crops weie ripening tco quickly.

School Excursion. — On the 20th of last month our school and district held their annual excursion to Colac Bay. A heavy shower at the time of starting foreboded an unfortunate day. but, with the exception of a few slight showers during the day, there v/as nothing to prevent all from thoroughly enjoying themselves. The excursion was organised by our School Committee, who invited the surrounding schools to join in, and four other schools — viz., Waianiwa, Wallacetown, Spar Bush, and Otakau — fell in with the time and place selected. The picturesque little bay, with its old-fashioned school buildings, Maori villag-e, bush, and water, is now becoming a favourite resc-rt for school picnics, for during the sunimei months scarcely a week passes without an excursion train passing to this seaside beauty spot. During the afternoon our local cricket team played a match with the Colac boys, which resulted in a win for the home team. Last Saturday a return match was played here, tLe Colac team arriving by morning train, passing the time as best they could till the afternoon, when the match (m which all the district took a keen interest) was to be played. Again the visitors proved too much for our local lads, who, so it is said

by those who understand the game, are excellent batters and bowlers, but rather weak as fieldeiq.

A Doub'e Scholarship. — One of our girls — Nellie M'Jxenzie — was successful m ■wiimi.ig both an Education Board and a National scholarship. As no pupil is allowed to keep both, naturally the first is given up, as the latter means three years at the High School, while the board's only allows iwo years.

Insanitary. — This summer there is much d'ssatisfaction in our neighbourhood because cf the mo^t disagreeable clouds of unsavoury stench that fill the air, from the piggery. This has always been a rather unpleasant necessity — if it really is a necessity, — but this year, owing to the fact that the pigs are fed on skim milk and not whey, the stench is far mote odious, and so near a school it is a nuisance that ought not to be allowed to exist. Political.— On the 22nd mst. Mx J. C. Thomson, M.H".R., gave an address in our hall to a good number of electors of both sexes. Politics, as a rule, is to most people a dry subject, but Mr Thomson has the ability to make it seem interesting. He spoke for about an hour and a half, yet all listened with the deepest attention while cur member described, in the most fluent manner, t<he doings of Parliament during the last session. All the measures treated by Parliament were enumerated, and the most important 01 them criticised fairly acd intelligently. Mr TEbmson is a good and pleasant speaker, and, taking- an intelligent grasp of the position, not bsirg bound to any party, he laid tbe affairs of the country before us in a way calculated to arouse our interest to a high pitch for the coming election. A vote of thanks for his eloquent addiess and of confidence in him as our menlber was carried with loud applause.