COUNTRY NEWS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6028, 16 November 1897, Page 3

COUNTRY NEWS.

Amateur Athletics. — The Ashburton Amateur Athletic Club has arranged for a second Thursday afternoon's sports to be held in the Domain en Thursday. The Mounted Rifles. — Owing to Nov. 25, for which date parades of the various contingents of the Mounted Rifles have been called, being the day of the annual school picnic -at Tai° Tapu, the parade of the Tai Tapu contingent for that" day has been cancelled. ORANGEtsjr. — The annual church parade of the Timaru Orange Lodges was held on Sunday, when about forty mombers, headed by the Protestant Band, marched to the Primitive Methodist Church, where the Rev Mr Jones delivered an appropriate discourse. Rain Needed. — Farmers on the down lands about Timaru state that the soil is very dry, and the young grain crops are beginning to " wilt " on the sunny slopes, whilst lea lands are almost too dry to plough. Dams and creets are all low, and unless a plentiful rain comes, stock will ere long be badly off for water. Bridging the Waiau. — A petition signed by nearly 250 residents of Cheviot and Kaikoura is being forwarded to the Minister of Public "Works to-day, asking that the Waiau should be bridged at Cheviot in order to form a direct route from Christchurch to Marlborough and Nelson by the new road at present being formed alongside the sea between Cheviot and Kaikoura, and tapping the lands now being opened up by the Government. ■ Timaru High School Staff. — At a. special meeting of the ; Timaru High School Board of Governors, yesterday, the Chairman reported .that . Mr- Hogben had the.posi^ioii.'of head-master of _ily£.boys* school, and Bliss M'Lea'n*hat pf hdad-niistress of the girls' school. It w&& resolved to offer tl*.e posts of first and second assistants in the boys' school to Mr Mayne at .£225 and Mr Grant at .£175, respectively; to offer the post of second assistant in the girls' school to Mrs Pearson at <£150, and to advertise for a lady graduate for the first assistantship. Waiau Sports. — The annual meeting of the Waiau Athletic Sports and Hack Racing Club was held in tho Waiau Hotel on Nov. 5, when Mr George Clare presided. The balance-sheet showed a credit' of £8 14s 3d on last year's meeting. The following officers were elected : — Patron, Mr D. D. Macfarlane ; president, Mr A. W. Rutherford ; vice-presidents. Messrs R. A. Chaffey, Giles, .M'Donald, R. J. Whittle and F. S. Northcote : stewards, Messrs D. . Mullane, Marr, Douglas, Clare, Anderson, W. Rutherford, G. Coakley, F. Forbes and T. Mannion ; committee, Messrs Harris, Clark, Harding, S. Mitchell, G. Mullane and A. Creed; handicappers, Messrs T. O'Carroll, G. Anderson and D. Mullane; judge, Mr A. Macfarlane; clerk of the scales, Mi 1 GvCoakley ; clerk of the course, •Mr T. Harris ; starter, Mr W. Burnip ; honorary treasurer, Mr G. Clare; honorary secretary, Mr C. Derrett. Sports and races are to be held on New Year's Day. The club has received valuable trophies from Christchurch and other firms.