MANDEVILLE NOTES

Southland Times, Issue 20146, 5 April 1927, Page 4

MANDEVILLE NOTES

(From Our Correspondent.) It is gratifying to note that after a fortnight of miserable weather, the indications are now for a decided improvement in this respect. Quite a quantity of grain remains yet in stooks and those farmers interested have had anything but a pleasant experience of late. Previous experiences of floods during the harvest are not readily forgotten and high rivers and heavy rain causes much anxiety. However, leading-in was general on Saturday and given a week of suitable weather, all will be safely gathered in. Lambs on feed have done “no good” during the cold weather, consequently the number put off fat during the past three weeks has been much below the average for the month of March. To prove that special feed is not all that is required to fatten lambs. Mr F. Cross’s ewes and lambs have been continuously in one paddock since shearing, and old pasture too. Having decided to keep his lambs, he has been killing the wethers for some time for his own use. He has now killed six; the first dressed 541bs, four from 60 to 661bs and the last killed netted 741bs. They were born in September and have had no special feed whatsoever.

Some of our by-roads are receiving their first coating of gravel and when completed will be much appreciated by those interested. The present condition of our main roads reflects much credit on the member of the riding, foreman Morgan and those under him. Unquestionably the problem of keeping the roads up to the present motor traffic has been solved and the up-to-date

machinery employed, combined with latest ideas has completely changed the future outlook. Our roads are good. Anzac Day will shortly be here again and this year’s service will not be any the less moving and impressive from the fact that the clergyman who so ably and touchingly conducted the service last year, the Rev. Winsbury White (a painful sufferer of the Great War himself) has since passed to the great beyond. “Cousin Betty” has just completed a short visit, her object being to organise a children’s Clan to work in conjunction with other centres with a view of holding a

bazaar at Invercargill later on, similar to that which took place so successfully last August in the interest of the children’s ward at the Invercargill Hospital. The object

this time is to help the Plunket Society. The financial results are being apportioned as follows: Half for Invercargill, one quarter for Gore and one quarter for Riverton. The splendid work of the Plunket Society is too well-known to need commendation here and that parents will show their realisation of this by encouraging the children to carry out Cousin Betty’s laudable object is a certainty. The Hall improvements are now well on the way and Mr D. Collett, the head carpenter, expects to have the work completed in ten days. It will be a splendid idea if some form of winter amusement, say euchre parties, for instance, can be organised with a view of raising funds to fence off the monument and lay out the grounds.