The Country

Otago Witness, Issue 3823, 21 June 1927, Page 35

The Country

ROXBURGH. June 18.—The weather has been the general topic for the past few days. There has been a withering north wind, with intense frost. To-day the wind has gone, and ?..., thaw has set in. There is very little fog. We had a beautiful view of the eclipse, on the 15th. The visibility was perfect from half-past 7 p.m. to half-past 8. All the most beautiful phases of the eclipse could be seen. The river is going down, but not to the gxtent expected. From 9 a.m. on the 16th to 9 a.m. on the 17th it fell only IJft here. Roads. —We can hear the ballast engine’s whistle constantly now since the work at Dumbarton Bluff was finished. The laying of rails and ballasting is the order of the day. The roadline from Roxburgh, bridge to the railway terminus is about completed. This has been a heavy piece of work. Th' roadline had to be widened to a considerable extent at the bluff, about a mile below Roxburgh, which necessitated removing a large portion of the solid rock constituting the bluff. Sport.—Sport takes the form of football, golf, etc. The Bowling Club had a successful bazaar, and raised approximately £l7O. The game of bowls seems to be a bit expensive ; why, it is hard to conceive. This is the third time the public has been asked to subscribe. There have been, of course, a good many years between the first and last subscriptions. Illness. —We have had a lot of sickness throughout the district, with many serious cases. Mrs Joseph Turnbull, a young woman in the prime of life, died recently. Much sympathy is felt for her children and husband. Mr Thomas Andrews also passed away. Andrews came to this district in his young manhood as a blacksmith. He purchased the Commercial Hotel stable, which was opposite the Commercial Hotel, and turned it into a blacksmith's shop. Soon after coming to Roxburgh he married, and built a cottage alongside his shop. He retired over 20 years ago, and lived quietly, being actively engaged in Church work. Much sympathy is felt for his bereaved wife. KAIWERA. June 17.—For the past week we have experienced a good deal of frost, and although it has its drawbacks we have been rewarded with good, sunny days, which, to a certain extent, compensate for the cold nights. However, it has not, except on rare occasions, been sufficiently severe to stop the industrious farmer from walking behind his useful plough, and consequently many a stretch of farm land is changing its general appearance. Rabbiting.—Rabbiters are still busy, and even although the “ catches ” are not large the price of skins is sufficiently high to warrant the average man's following after bunny pretty .closely. Some of the rabbiters in the district-are experiencing a good deal of trouble in keeping poachers off their trapping areas, and it is only a matter of time until sterner and more drastic steps will have to be taken to get rid of this nuisance. Dance. —A short time ago Mr and Mrs Copeland, of Isla Station, gave a very enjoyable dance at their home. Those present spent a good evening, for the floor was in excellent order, and much better than that which is generally found in a country dance hall. The supper, which was dispensed about midnight, was a glowing tribute in a very practical form to the efficiency of the electric range, and last, but by no means least, ' > the cooks themselves. Roads.—This last week the local surfaceman has been using his pick and shovel ’to some purpose in filling up the holes in some of our main roads, and car owners can now travel at a reasonable speed without being in constant dread of broken springs.Wireless.—Mr T. Morris has recently installed an efficient wireless set in his home, and many residents have had the privilege of listening-in. and thereby spending many a profitable and enjoyable evening. OTAUTAU. June 16.—The annual meeting of the Bowling Club was held on Wednesday evening, Mr R. Buchanan presiding over an attendance of 12 members. The report showed that a good season had been experienced both as regards finance and increased membership, finishing up with a credit of £l6 Is 3d, as against a debit of £lO 8s Id the previous year. The following officers were elected:—President, Mr G. Sinclair; vice-presidents, Messrs O’Brien and Duncan; secretary, Mr Moore (re-elected); treasurer and auditor, Mr A. C. Mills (reelected) ; green rangers—Messrs Porteous, Saxelby, and Hall; Management Committee •—the president, vice-presidents, secretary, Messrs Hodges, R. Buchanan, and Porteous. The subscription was fixed the same as the previous year, and the opening day was left in the hands of the green rangers to decide. It was decided that a social evening be held for the purpose of presenting the trophies, the date of same to be left in the hands of the chairman and secretary, and" sister clubs to be invited. It was resolved to install electric light in the pavilion, and the secretary was directed to obtain estimates for a new pavilion. A hearty vote of thanks to the chair terminated an enthusiastic meeting. Euchre Tournament.—The euchre tournaments run by the-Anglican Church still continue to be largely attended, and the hostesses on Monday evening were Mesdames Cartwright and Thomas. The prizes went to Miss M. Sounness and Mr James Chamberlain. and the consolation prizes to Miss T. Seatter and Mr G. Bulman.

Obituary.—The death of Mrs Margaret Humphries, in her eighty-sixth year, removes one who has been in Southland for over 50 years. The late Mrs Humphries was bom in Ireland, and at the age ’ of 20 migrated to Australia. After residing there for some years she crossed over to New Zealand, and with her husband settled in Mataura. Mr and Mrs Humphries lived there for many years, and Mrs Humphries’s attachment for the town was shown by the fact that she continued to reside there for 14 years after her husband's death. She then removed to Riverton, where she lived with her son until the. epidemic, after which she went to the home of her son, Mr William Humphries. Otautau, at whose residence she died on Sunday, The funeral took place at Riverton on Tuesday, the Rev. M. Ayrton officiating at the graveside. SOUTH TAIERI.. June 17.—After several nights of severe frost a sudden change occurred on Friday afternoon, when a heavy wind set in from the south-west, accompanied by a bitterly cold, driving rain. During the night the bain gave place to heavy showers of' hail

and sleet, and in the morning the plain was covered with a thin mantle of white while Maungatua was heavily coated with snow right down to its base. The weather has now cleared, and frosts of unusual severity are again in evidence. River Embankment.—The record of progress by the Ruston dragline excavator is being maintained, and the work has now been carried into Mrs P. Ford’s property near Allanton. From this point until the completion of the work an entirely new embankment will be erected. .octal Evening.—Despite the inclemency of the weather there was a fair attendance on Friday night at the usual euchre tourna™ent and dance held under the auspices of the Otokia School Committee. The prizewinners for the evening were Mrs George Butler (Otokia) and Mr Cecil Sprott (Moss’6l'. As usual the music for the dance was supplied by Messrs J. Wright and J C ross, while the duties of M.C. were carried out by Mr R. Hutton. WAIMATE. . e 17 ’ — After a lon K spell of dry weather we are having as much rain as * ,th at Present. Within the last fortnight there have been fully 2in of rain ?". n £ at "?? ay . ui ght U st - Brted a S ai ”. and rained all night, so the subsoil must be fairly well soaked by now. This year the potatoes were dug in exceptionally fine weather, but the yield is rather disappointing to the growers in most cases. The average varies from three-quarters of a ton to the acre to five tons, although there have been isolated- cases of yields as high as 14 tons to the acre. The small yield is said to be not confined to the Waimate area but is general throughout South Canterbury. Very large areas of land were sown in notatoes in th.e Willowbridge district, and there being no market at the present time for them at growers’ values farmers, after digging the tubers, prefer to stack them in the hope of an improved price at a later date There are stacks upon stacks of varying lengths of potatoes in the Wiilowbridge district, and to the eye of the passer-by it would appear that the yield has been most satisfactory, but such ■is not the case. True, there are large quantities of the tubers, but the sore point with the grower is the poor proportion of table potatoes in comparison with the large quantity of seed. It is thought that when they are graded* there will be only one-third large enough to be classed as table potatoes. However, if the general opinion among merchants and growers is correct, potatoes will be good property yet, as the price is expected to reach as high as £9 per ton. Rifle Shooting.—“ Circle ’’ is pleased to note that in all the nine clubs in the association both improved marksmanship and membership are reported. Though the club at Waimate has much new blood this season the good old shots are still to the fore, the most consistent to date being W Patterson. I. Turner, of the Arno Club,' gives promise of turning out a champion shot At the club at Willowbridge C. Blair, who was champion marksman there last season, is again to the fore. This fine young shot, who is expected to shoot against the single men's team next season, is the owner of a private rifle which" Js indeed a good one. Can Bill M'Cullough retain his form, and win the honours at Glenavy this season ? If he can stay it out he will be hard to beat. N.’Green, Hunter Club, is very far from being “ green ” at shooting, and will carry off the local honours this season unless he can be headed off by R. E Tresize or Andy Robinson. With J. C. Hay and L. Melton close on his heels E. Marshall, who was last year’s individual., champion of the association, got away with another flying start. He seems determined to hold his cup another season. If Dan Lynch, of the Makikihi Club, can only hang to it, the local honours will fall to him; he is as steady as a rock. Em. Saunders is one of the leading marksmen at Studholme, and is going well. It is said that this young lad is one of the most unselfish of riflemen, for after winning one trophy hy will not compete in a shoot-off for another. Charlie Woods and his “ stablemate,” A. Cruickshanks, of Willowbridge Club, are showing very fine form this season, and either may win in the plate, if not in the cup. Although, Ci Bennett, of the same club, is better with the shotgun, he is a fair shot with the rifle, and so far is one of the local club’s best marksmen. Ball.—The annual citizens’ ball was held on Thursday evening, the 9th, and was a great success. About 120 couples, including visitors from surrounding districts, were present. The grand march was led off by Mr and Mrs George Dash (Mayor and Mayoress), and was one of the features of the evening. The hall was decorated with flags kindly lent by the C.F.C.A., and brilliantly lighted with electric light, for which Mr H. C. Urwin was responsible. The fancy costume competition was greatly enjoyed by those present. The floor was in excellent order for dancing, and, with music supplied by Mrs Mansel's orchestra, everything went with a swing. The catering was in the able hands of Messrs Newall and Jones. The fancy costumes were judged by Mrs E. B. Fraser, whose decisions, received in true carnival spirit, were certainly well deserved. Fire.—A three-roomed cottage on Mr W. Seward’s farm, Hook, was destroyed by fire at about 5.30 p.m. on the Bth inst. A spark from the fireplace is believed to have ignited some kindling wood on the hearth while the occupants were out milking. The insurance was £5O. SOUTH CANTERBURY. June 18.—The country received a heavy soaking, with- a biting cold wind. The town was deserted by pedestrians and traffic. ■ Shipping.—A fairly extensive scheme of improvement to the port is taking shape. New railway sidings are being made, and additions to the eastern extension are contemplated. This is providing some employment. Egg and Poultry Show.—The second annual show was well up to the standard of larger centres. An exceptionally fine exhibit in the dog section (Mr Petersen's Tim) won the M'Glashan Cup, and Messrs Billcliff’s Nada took the Morton Cup.

Hermitage—Through transport by motor is held up by several feet-'of snow. Service cars go as far as Pukaki, and horse sledges cover the remainder.

Death.—General regret was expressed at the suddsn death of the veteran journalist, Mr John Hardcastle, aged 80. He was for 43 years on the Timaru Herald as reporter, sub-editor, and editor. His three sons are on the staff of North Island journals. Hunt.—A combined meet of the South Canterbury and Waimate hounds was held at Spriugbank, Otaio. The ground was in good

order, but hares were scarce. The annual hunt steeplechase was held before a ‘ large gathering, the three races being got off splendidly. Day at Lincoln.—South Canterbury farmers spent a profitable day at Lincoln College, the experimental carriage on the journey being well patronised. Talks were given cn grass seed, pig raising, top dressing, and seed cleaning. Power,—Tbs white light was switched on at Cave before a large assembly. The hall was brilliantly illuminated with multicoloured lights. Mr Hyndman, a resident cf 40 years' standing, performed the usual ceremony. Speakers were Messrs Kennedy, Kerr, Dash, Talbot, and Burnett. ’ ’ DUNTROON. June 17.—After a long dry spell the weather has changed. So far this month we have registered 1.22 in. Farmers who held off sowing grain owing to the land being so dry are now sowing, and others will be glad to have a supply of water in their tanks again. We have registered only 6.25 in so far this year, compared with ll.lOin for the same period last year. Stock is looking well, and very little handfeeding has been necessary. Hall.—The additions to the hall are just about finished. There is some levelling to be done to the entrance approaches, and then the job will be completed. The Druids are holding a grand ball, and, being the first to use the hall, are having a set supper. All arrangements have been made for a successful issue, other things being equal to the occasion. Library.—The library is being well patronised now the long evenings are with us, and a good number of new books are on issue. Bridge.—lt is proposed to petition the County Council to erect a light motor traffic bridge across Corrigall’s Creek at Duntroon so that all-the sports may be he’.d on the recreation ground. A canvass will be made to get the petition signed throughout the district. Rifle Club.-—The Miniature Rifle Club is flourishing. It is putting up some good scores, and the young shots are improving and taking to the sport. ASHBURTON COUNTY. June 18.—Three inches of snow fell at Methven, with rain general over the country, ilftcr bright days another cold snap has set in. The rain has made all the difference between success and failure of the crops cn clay land at Wakanui.

Farewell. —There was not a vacant seat in St. Andrew’s Hall when Lieutenant Osborne, conductor of the band for seven years, was fare welled. The Mayor presided, Mr V. Cullen supplementing his remarks. Lieutenant Osborne, on replying to the gift cf an inscribed wallet, received an ovation. After the meeting of the band, Lieutenant Osborne was further honoured with several beautiful presents. Rangitata Bridge.—Ashburton and Geraldine County Councils have reached agreement about decking this bridge with longitudinal planking. The timber will be procured from Australia.

Piunket Society.—The Methven branch raised a good sum of money at their annual gift day, as a good clearance of goods was effected. Miss A. F. Duff's concert party contributed items during the evening. Wheat Samples.—Mr W. G. Gallagher has received samples of Hard Federation, Bold Ear'y, Balotta Wonder, and Mabama from Western Australia. They average fifteen bushels there, and are to be tried by Mr M‘Kay, of the local experimental farm.

Missionary Campaign.—This was concluded with an all-day conference. Work among the Maoris was described by Sister Jessie, and Rev. H. H. Barton Spoke of the needs abroad. In the evening the Rev. G. H. M’Neur dealt with China, Rev. J. L. Gray with India, Rev. A. L. Miller with Canton, and Mr W. Brabyn with our backblocks.