EGMONT VILLAGE

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144858, 9 December 1915, Page 5

EGMONT VILLAGE

VKOU OCE OWN COEttESPONDENT. Dec. 4.—The effect of the southerly blow which we experienced a fortnight ago can still be seen in the blighted appearance of the hedges which, on the windward side, tear tne appearance of haring been swept by lire. The gardens also still bear striking evidence of the destructiveness of the wind, for, whenever exposed, the plants arc withered and shrivelled up, the potato crops suffering Inost heavily, while gooseberry bushes' and fruit "trees are practically denuded of their fruit. Despite the very unfavourable weather at, this time, Sunday and Monday being tho worst as far us "the gale was concerned, the butter output at the Mangorei factory the next day (Tuesday) was 74 boxes, this being the highest" ever reached by tho company. Why this should be seems rather a problem, as the milk supply fell rapidly and has not yet, I believe, gob hack to normal, so that one can consider that the Kush of the season has non--heed reached, and before long tho supply will be on the downward trend. During the past week the weather has taken a turn for tho letter ami the farmers are now busy getting their ground ready for the root crops which, to be a success, should be in before the New. Year.

One farmer here is a believer in daylight saving, as instead of having to spend half an hour getting his cows on a roc-ant Sunday morning, he. saved this time by failing to let them out. of the yard the previous evening. This timid "and that saved in milking was more .than counterbalanced by the loss of milk this forgetfulness entailed. livery sympathy will be felt by the settlors" of" this and surrounding districts for Mr. and Mrs. J. Gibson in the sad loss they have sustained by the death of their sou Sidney. The deceased was, until some twelve mouths ago, in a good position in Wellington, when, being taken seriously ill, his parents were sent for, but after a tinto he so far recovered as to ha able to come home, and hopes were entertained of his ultimate recovery, but spme three months ago he gradually got worse and was removed to New Plymouth Hospital, where all that was possible was done to effect a cure, but lie gradually sank and passed away this morning. Mr. and Mrs. Gibson" are, like many others, experiencing great dillicujty in the management of their farm, as two of their boys are at the front, leaving the parents at an age when they are looking forward to a rest alter years of toil to attend to the thousand and one different tasks which it is the farmer’s lot to do.

Yet another of our boys in the person of Mr. Fred Coldrick is going to do his duty for his country and is leaving next week, 1 believe, for the training camp at Trentham. A special meeting of the School Committee Hvas hold last Tuesday to arrange a programme for the annual concert which is to he hold on tho 16th inst. After all details had been decided on, a letter, or rather a list of complaints large enough to put an Old Bailey quarter sessions’ charge sheet in tho sluwlo, received from Mrs. Burrows, was read by the chairman (Mr. Davis), but so numerous were the allegations made against the teachers, the majority of them being of so frivolous' a nature and more suitable lor a mock

court trial than a committee mcetingj that it tins thought best to bare tha teachers present, amd- as it was. alstf thought desirable to have tbo complainj ant present, Mr. Davis was dispatched to request her attendance. Mr. Auld opened tho proceedings, and denied most emphatically tho allegations made against him, characterising them as bombastic, # frivolous and utterly panting in common sense. Miss Nesbit also was able to prove that, with the exception of one complaint, that .of allowing children to teach others in tho porch, the accusations were unjust and totally undeserved. Mr. .Burrows also put in an appearance at this stage and gave it as his opinion, that his wife had taken too much notice of that old complaint telling tales out of school, which moat children, unless, checked, are prone to do, and said that his wife's maternal instinct had led her to err on the children’s side amTthat she had taken too much notice of tales ■ the children ban been only too pleased to tell to such a sympathetic listener,, but he personally liad only one grievance, that of the teaching previously alluded to, and which Mr. Auld promised should, it possible, be done away with, or else if the necessity should again'occur, a girl from the sixth standard could take the class for a short time until the toucher was able to attend to them. This tho committee wero agreeable to, and the rest of the evening was taken up with tho rehearsal by Mrs. Burrows of h« accnsalions and tho denial of thorn by the teachers, the remarks on Doth sides becoming at times the' rovoroo of pleasant, while personal and sarcastic, references to matters outside those m dispute made by tho complainant brought the chairman to his feet on more than one occasion. '• Our creamery manager, Mr. P. Ulscn, has been called to serve as a juryman at the present sitting of the Supreme Court, his place being filled by one or the hands from the mam factory.