A MUNICIPAL HOLIDAY.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXI, Issue 12636, 24 March 1905, Page 4

A MUNICIPAL HOLIDAY.

CITY FATHERS HUNTING EMUS. The Mayor of Timaru and Councillors Hattkej, triest, Sealejyßothwell, Wallace, ,Obora, Harney,' Schmidt, and Waite, had « day inthe country yesterday. In respanSe ,Sb an invitatioQ from Mr J.- S. . Rutherford, they paid a visit to that _ gen- ' tlemSikifcTiis homestead, Opawa.- Their" obobtain a pair of young emus, for . *he Park, which Sir Rutherford bad pro- - ifcised the Mayor and Council, on conditio® that they went'to Opawa and caught" them. They went by the morning train to Albury, where *they »were met- by Mr Rutherford with a six-in-hond coach and driven ,to Opawa. - The day was a magnificent one, and the drive was much enjoyed. After a look over the pounds Messrs Rutherford, father and son, and Councillor Priest, mounted horses and set out to "muster' some of the emus, and yard them at the homestead. Then the anticipated fun began. Mayor and councillors spread themselves out on foot to "surround" the birds. One old bird and two- young ones were brought down near theyaids, but on reaching the .'gateway leading to them the old and broke away, fol-j lowedby iSe ers. Councilor Waite | now displaced Councillor Priest- as third horseman, and proved the hero of the hunt by Ms dare-devil exploits. He "is declared by- our veracious informant to have performed feats of' horsemanship ■ that would require, to do them justice, all the art of the best Australian poet of the stock-rider, following the swift-footed emus at breakneck paces down break-neck places, in a - "style thai would have made the blood of -the onlookmg City Fathers run cold, but ' tfiot they kept their circulation in good order by laughing 'and cheering him .on. He loughs best who laughs last, however, »nd-Councillor Waite proved that 'he was mix fpt the Mayoralty by bringing back three emus from somewhere out of sight, and he and they were accorded a> cheery municipal reception. The birds had jjoct enough of Councillor Waite's pace-mak-ing. and straightway . submitted to be yarded and penned in an enclosure made for the purpose. To the Mayor was allotted the 'honour-o£ drafting out the father emu, by catchingit. but. with a modesty which was as surprising as it was unexpected, he re- . apectfuQy but firmly declined to. displace a bolder man, whoever he might-' be. The . drifting; out of respect to the Mayor, was deferredfor the time being, and Mr Ruther- * ford kindly undertook to add to hisgift. the-responsibility of • seeing the pair of young birds' safely trucked at Albury tomorrow morning. . The party vera invited to lunch, and %Ir and . Mrs Rutherford treated them meet hosjitabfy. After lunch, of course, there was .some pleasant speechifying, the Mayor thanking Mr. Rutherford for hi> interesting gift, which will- be a great - additional attraction to the-Park, where the brrds wiD be confined in a small enclosure that has been made for them. Host and hostess . were inanjceo ior and Mr Rutherford drove his visitors back to (he - station, thus winding up a holidav which must he unique in the municipal history of •' "the coTony.y- -