THE COUNTRY.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16419, 13 January 1919, Page 3

THE COUNTRY.

NEWS AND NOTES. ASHBURTON' A. AND P. ASSOCIATION. A meeting of the General Committee of tho Ashburton A. and P. Associatio was held on Saturday afterpoou, JUr James Cow being in the chair. A mferion of svmpathy with Mr J. D. Stewart in his bereavement was carr'V letter was read from tho Ashburton branch of the Farmers Union, offering a sum of £3 3s for prizes at forthcoming show for the handiwork o returned wounded soldiers, or those wo were invalided. Tho donation was a - cepted with thanks. , It was decided to remit tho sumj>r £4 to tho New Zealand Council ot Agriculture, tho fee for two delogatc-s° represant tho Association at tho conference. . The finance Committee was grantea power to fix the conditions of the fetuciholme prize. . . It was decided not to bind the Finance Ccmmitteo by unnecessary and irritating regulations. , , Mr W. Cormack, Lismore, was eiocted a member of tho Association. A discussion took place on tlie question of adhering to a resolution passed at a previous meeting to make tho next show a patriotic show. . . Tho chairman expressed the opinion that now tho war was over it might bo better to raise money required for various purposes by a personal canvass. A good deal of money would bo required in connexion with lied Cross work, and also in assisting those who had suffered' so much in France, Belgium, and other places, but now tho war was ever .it might not be wiso to hold a patriotic show. . On tho motion of Mr C. held, seconded by Mr F. Frampton, it was unanimously decided to rescind the resolution passed at a previous meeting, and make the show an ordinary ono, members by no means to relax their interests in the returned soldiers, or war funds. Tho chairman reported that up to that afternoon tho actual sum received towards wiping out tho overdraft of £1000, was £709 17s, and he was pleased to say that the overdraft was practically a thing of the past, as tho balance of the sum required was assured. A special voto of thanks was accorded those who had given special prizes. ! JOTTINGS FOE FARMERS, The attention of the public is drawn to tho 500-a<sro farm at Springbank to be offered by H. Matson and Co., in their rooms, Cashel street, at 12 o'clock on Saturday, February Bth. Tho property will not be offered at Itangiora stock sale, as was previously intended. 1 That there is money in side lines was forcibly and pleasingly brought liom© to a Maniototo farmer (telegraphs our Dunedm correspondent). Turnip seed, which was responsible for tho rise in the case in question, is now worth 4s 6<l per lb, tho pre-war price being only 7d. The farmer had a small area (about j an acre) in turnips, which had not been eaten off, and had gone to seed. He was about to commence ploughing it in, when the representative of a Dun- j odin firm of stock and station agents suggested that it would be a payable proposition to save tho 6eed. The j farmer was led to see tho wisdom of the advice, with pleasing results to himself and to several others, to whom lie j gave half shares in return for harvest- | ing the seed. Tho method of saving the seed was primitive in the extreme. The heads were simply cut off and thrown I into sheets, ahd 'the seed flayed out, i but ib paid liandsomely, the: harvesters ! and the fafmer dividing'£looo. A gentleman in the T&rras tustrict is at present harvesting a 10-acre crop of turnip seed, which is expooted to yield anything from £500 to £1000 . per acre. HAWARI>EN. A meeting of the General Committee I of the Hawardcn Agricultural and Pastoral Association was held on Saturday. Mr W. White presided over an attend- ; ance of twelve members. It was ro- > solved to send letters of oondolonce to ! the relatives of Messrs T. Shields, Vv. Trail, and M. Shaw 1 , members of the Association who had died recently, audi i to Mr G. Gardner, whose son lost his life at the front. The annual show was fixed for Tuesday, April Ist. Mr J. H. Thomas was elected secretary, but Mr 0. Fox. who :s retiring from the position, agreed to continue in office until the prize sched-ile and special prize listi are issued, and also to assist with the. secretarial work on show day. At the close of the stock sale afc Eawarden on Thursday, the directors received a deputation from tho auctioneering firms,, with a view to adjusting the dates of sales at various yards so~as to carry on a more uniform system of their duties at such yards. In the future Hawarden -will commence selling the fat sheep at twelve o'clock noon, or immediately after the train arrives, and will take effect at tho next sale, January 30th.

RANGIORA. Tho Prosbyterian troop of Boy Scouts, under Scoutmaster Gibson, in--tend going into camp on the IStii igst., at Waikuku beach. KAIAPOI. The 40tli annual meeting of the Kaiapoi Woollen Mill employees Sick : and Accident Fund was held on Friday, • Mr F. Richards being in tho chair. The balance-sheet was considered very < satisfactory, in view of the effects of tho epidemic. Contributions amount- ! od to £103 8s Bd, and sick pay to £1-2 Is Bd. The following committee was elected: Misses Colman and Eagle, Mrs Staff, Messrs Richards, Murphy, Rollinson, sen., Pearco, Templeton, and ltollinson, jiln. j secretary, Mr C. Bennett; treasurer, Mr A. Smith; auditors, Messrs G. Ellen and A. Blakeley. Thanks were accorded to the manager and foreman, also to doctors for their untiring eftorts during the opidemic, and tbo directors for a donation of £25 to assist needy ca&es. lit WELL. A public meetiug was held in the Irwell schoolroom on Thursday evening to discuss the question of a Avar memorial. Mr T. A. Stephens, who was voted to the chair, said that altogethen 33 medals had been presented by the Irwell residents to_ men who had left for tho front. Nine of those * men would never return, and it was felt that something should be done to perpetuate their memory. There had been a suggestion that a national memorial should be erected in Welling- . ton, something that would be a credit to the whole of the Dominion. Another proposal was that there should be a provincial memorial in Christchurch, and a third suggestion was that the Ellesniere county should erect a monument at Leeston. Some of the Irwell residents considered that there should bo a local memorial. After I some discussion it was unanimously 1 agreed that there should b« a Trar memorial* in Irwell- A considerable amount of discussion ensued as to the form the memorial sliouJd take. Some speakers advocated tho erection of a public hall, with a brass tablet inside bearing the names oi all Irwell men who had gone away. Others favoured a monument, their contention beinf that a hall was not suitable. A library and a recreatiou ground were | suggested. It was « v eatUßl| v decided that the memorial should take the form of a recreation ground, and Messrs T. A. Stephens R T. McMillan, W. Young, J°bn Heslop, anr ] j A. McMillan were aDDointed a cow- 1

mitteo to make the necessary enquiries and report to a fnturo meeting. BBOOKSIDE. r? e tho Brookside school held their picnic in a paddock kindly lent by Mr W. B. Cunningham, chairman of tho School Committee. Tho spot chosen was an ideal one, and tho afternoon passed all too quickly with sports and games. Mrs Cunningham presented the prizes, as follows: St. 6. Keg. Higlit (proficiency), Grace Kamsay (competency); best and most Rod _ Cross knitting, I>. Buckley (St. o); conduct and progress, Georgo liussell_and Desmond Wheeler; St. 1, Helen Lawrenco. Votes of thanks to iVlr and Mrs Cunningham and the teachers -were carried by acclamation, llie ladies provided tea" LEESTOX. Mr D. Reid presided over a meeting of the Loeston School Committee called to arrange for tho annual picnic. It was decided to liold the picnic on the 2oth iust., on tho Show Ground, .Leeston. ASHBURTON. Ensign and Mrs Podmore, who are charge of the Salvation Army at Ashburton, have received word of their transfer to Grevmouth. They will be succeeded by Captain and Mrs Hawke, of Temuka. A fnuterer in Ashhurton states that during his 17 years' connexion with the ®rade he lias never experienced so much difficulty in securing supplies of fruit, rsever before has he been without bananas and oranges at this season of the year.