SCHOOL COMMITTEES' ASSOCIATION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6130, 17 March 1898, Page 3

SCHOOL COMMITTEES' ASSOCIATION.

[Per Press Association.! PAHIATUA, March 17. At a meeting of delegates of Forty-mile Bush School Committees, it was decided to form a Country Committees' Association. It is expected to start with a membership of thirty committees. Mr W. J. Reeve was elected president. • ; ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES. THE FATAL ACCIDENT AT SYDENHAM. The inquest on the unfortunate child Norma Sparks, who was killed yesterday through being dragged along the street by a runaway horse, was held at the Railway Hotel this morning, before Mr R. Beethani, coroner. Mr James Moody was chosen foreman of the jury. Charles Bowley gave evidence as to the capsizing of the gig, and the consequent running away of the horse. He was an experienced driver of twenty-three years' standing. A lad named William Gelaud stated that when coming from school he saw the runaway with the capsized gig tearing up Durham Street towards him. There were two little girls playing on the kerbstone opposite the Sydenham Chambers. He called out to them to get out of the way, and ran towards them, but they appeared to be too frightened to move. The gig in passing took one of the children along with it. When it passed him he could plainly see the little girl rolling under it. Further evidence was to the effect that when the horse got to the railway gates, it was followed by another runaway. Near the railway station a lad pluckily caught the trailing reins and held on until he either accidently or designedly trod on one of the reins, falling himself, and bringing the horse round with a sharp turn, tilting the gig on one side at the same time, and freeing the child. A verdict was returned that the deceased was accidentally killed by becoming entangled in an overturned gig, no blame being attachable to anyone. : A lady eye, list who was was coming down Oxford Street,. Lyttelton, •-yesterday 'afternoon, had a narrow escape, from a serious accident. " She attempted to ride down the steep hillside, and got on all right till nearly opposite the Canterbury Hotel, when she lost her pedals, and the machine at once gained the upper hand. The rider kept her seat and succeeded in steering her bicycle over the crossing at Norwich Quay and on towards the railway yard. She was, however, unable to regain control of the machine on the flat, and went with a great smash into a line of trucks which were just then being got under way by the engine. The front wheel of the bicycle struck the middle of the truck, and the rider was thrown forward, but, beyond a severe shaking, she escaped without injury. The bicycle was seriously damaged.