COUNTRY NEWS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5699, 19 October 1896, Page 4

COUNTRY NEWS.

The Wool Season. — The first wool of the soason was received into store in .Timaru last week from the Temuka district. Many of the low* country farmers are now busy shearing. Sales of Privileges. — The usual privileges for the Timaru Show were sold on Saturday and realised .£B3, as against .£75 10s last year. The privileges for the Timaru Trotting Club's meeting were also sold, and, including gates <£1S 103, realised £46 10s. Concert at Elgin. — A concert and ball in aid of the school children's prize fund was held at Elgin on Friday evening. The following ladies and gentlemen contributed the programme :— Mesdames Jones, Denshire, Saunders, Dee and Mitchell, Misses Orr, Friedlander, Lambie and Brankin, Messrs Landells, Upton, Walker and Light. A dance was afterwards held. i Boating. — On Saturday afternoon the boating season was opened at Kaiapoi in the presence of a large crowd who had gathered on the bridge and along the river banks. After Mr Moore (president) had declared the season opened a procession of j boats took place. A number of scratch races were held for prizes given by the club, and some good contests resulted. The SAviinniing races were abandoned owing to the cold weather. The' Boy Ditckmanton. — A search party of about thirty residents of the district started out early yesterday morning to look ; for the boy Duckmanton, and at 10 n.ju. found him hidden in some broom in the old riverbed, not very far from his home at Eussley. He was in an emaciated condition, and had evidently had no proper food, having subsisted on beans and oats from horse feed. He was given brandy and * milk, and after being wrapped in blankets was at once removed to the hospital. Orangeish. — The annual meeting of No. 6 "Eising Star of Belfast" Loyal Orange Lodge, for the installation of officers took place on Thursday at the Town Hall, Belfast. The W.D.M. Bro John Middleton, presided and conducted the ceremony, assisted by the E.W. Grand Master Bro John Mathers and the E.W. Grand Secretary Bro Caygill. D.D.M. Bro Thompson filled the deputy chair. Two of tho brethren chosen for office were prevented from attendance by important engagements, but the W.M., Bro Brownlee ; the W.S., BroEev W. Grigg; the W.C., Bro Ferguson ; the Inner Tyler, Bro Thompson; and tho Foreman of Committee, Bro Kennedy, took the obligations of office and wore duly installed for the current year.