RATA NOTES.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12145, 8 January 1908, Page 7

RATA NOTES.

(From ur Own Correspondent.) ■ \oui- own doi-respondent is"net dead, but confesses to have hceiv very much psiocp. Tiie only excuse i> that this is •ouch a sleepy hollow ti}iat the worshir) of Nod is almcst a necessity. However. ;this is New Year, and as'usual everybody is making all sorts of good resolutions, myself amongst the number. •Amongst the many I hlare made is one that 1 intend in, future to send notes ftrom time-to time of anything likely to bo of interest to your readers, and if they .are not voluminous, the dwellers on this spot of the earth will be to. '>lamj> for not providing me with the necessary material.

Harking back a little (as Bathing of ■note has occurred since the dawn of ilia ■New Year), I find in the immediate past fcno o:- two tilings worth recording. First, our station yard has boon very much enlarged, also tho station build'ving. Wo arc to have a i>9rmane-nt porter here, and a house h to bo built- for him, the timber, being already on tho ground. La>t week the gate's of the '■station %'.nrd were moved to the road lino, and su proved beyond question that what we have hitherto considered a public road to o;* store and soliool is the property of the Railway Department, and access to both these mecfessany adjuncts of later-day civilisation are now a matter of courtesy on'the p.M"t of that august Ixxlv. With refe-rencQ to tl'io store, I under-stan-1 that Mi1. Pybus intends erecting a new and np-to-dato building on a more getatable site, but with i^'jjard to the school the case is far different. That our children from 5 to 14 years of ase ■should have to enter the station ya"Fd and cross two liuc-s of rail-s, ovca- w'liich are now running about 10 trains a duly, ivot coaiiiting the ballast trains (tli'i'i number will be increased when the mail goes through), is a: danger to which they liave no right to T)e subjected, and •I am quite suire- that ouv .Education Board in Wanganui will endeavour to find some way out of this diffiouity. The matter La, 1 am told, before them for consideration, and I sincerely trusb they will ba able to arrive at some modu's operandi quickly, but of course the two Jj>e'i»r£ni&nts •00-noeni'ed have t-o be'ap-' prcaclied, and -Government Department? aro7 'proverbially .slow. Let us hope something will;' bo- settled -and -carried , ont^ ! _l>^?ove,:a^r^ccid^i> : occui:s.,,-.it is a j pity tl^is -niattcir could nofc- jiave been dealt watl 1/at■ ones, and advantage taken" of tho lciig summer vacation to have' don-9 something to remove the danger On Sunday, the 28th ult., the vicar of Huntervillo visited us, and a Church of England service was once more held here. The members of that Church are to ba congratulated upon the privilego accorded them, and li trust that when '-tho next service'is Jiudd a larger num^ber jwill avail themselves of the opportunity. Tlie vicar has a vei-y large district to travel over, and deserves every enconrasjemeiiib we can offer to repeat liis visits.

On the. breaking-up day at our school, the annual school spoit-s and picnic were held, and I am glad t& say as usual were a great success. A large number of races for the youngsters were held, and I think everybody went, home pleae.e:l with the outing. An endeavo-ur \v-as made lately to have a" sports meeting here, zzg several meetings were held to consider tire subject. The support, however, did not warrant tho experiment, and I believe the matter is shelved1 sine die.