THE COUNTRY

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16726, 8 January 1920, Page 3

THE COUNTRY

NEWS AND NOTES. BELFAST. ; t The Belfast School Committer mot "» 1 Tuesday night. Present : Messrs Av. I ■ ■ Spencer (chairman), K. Harris *'• ; Cl«land, J. Boa-ley. W. Slcidinoie, .1. Musson, F. f'hiitls, -Mrs . I'. • v? P en £J' l • i and Mr A. £. Lawn (secretary*. Tlie report for the year on the Spenceni.lo school was read, and was a* satisfactory, considering the amount ot ( sickness that had fcoen in the district. ( 3 Irs Snencer, the first lady member to . he elected to the committee, was wei- . corned. Appreciation was ot the increased allowances granted l>y tn«» ]>?partnient. It was decided to ho U tho annual picnic in the local domain. . Messrs Clehind and Harris were ap-. pointed u Visiting Committee. j HALS WE "LL. ! At the annual breaking-up ceremony j and presentation of prizes m connexion i with the Halswell school each pupil n«- : prosented with a book. Tho <:hairm* ' of tho School Committee, Mr G. Smith, : distributed the prizes. During tne 'evening t' lo children, un<tier - • : Guinev, gave a pretty display or > * "I'd hoop drill. nnd t he d^ d Supper was provided. At the i»tan (3 examination fourcaudidates pnwentoJ. three-Nelson a ™ inc j, i Herbert TCood. and Royec ' gaining proficiency certificates, and n I -—Allan Harris-a competency cert ft Icate. Tho pupils .arc once mow "» 1 dob tod to Miss Thornton, of Te Jtepo, for her kindness in pronding the poises, which were won by Royce son and Maud Bird. . . | Miss D. Guiney, who is lcaTing diSt, and who hns been a school teacher for several 7™**' % t . presented bv her scholars with tily bound Prayer-Hymn Hook. mark of their osteciu. Mi>s Pa»*» takes Miss Guiney s position on . teaching staff. j LEESTON. ' Mr P. H.fleid P res^ cd "J C J r hool monthly meeting of the f ro n; Committer. Rwiyms to a letter ir« .

•ii.> ci-iiiiuittpp, asking for n yidc-chnn-ii,-! to bo formed in Darcy street, tho rleik of the TUJosukto County Council vtat«d thai the condition of this street r n caused bv leakage from thn school haili. and the* Council required the commttec to re mod v the trouble. It was do; ; d«'d to vcplv that the committer was awaiting a visit of inspection -front tli- architect to tlio-Educationßoard. A pronosal to hold :in excursion was dis.-used by the committee at its previews meeting, and the socrctary was insmictcd to ascertain the ..fher committees in the district. Rct.V. , were read from lrwell, ElWmcrc, r.nd Lakeside, and it was decided to invite nil tho committees in tie district to send representatives to a xneetinjr to be held at Locston on .Tunuary IGth. The general opinion of members was that the best time for the e?.cursion would be after harvest. Tho Board of Education wrote that the architect- would report on the condition of tho ilrsks at Jjccston school the application for the erection of a, partition in the main classroom, and for the rr.intiis* of the interior of the shelter shed. The Board did not er6ct swings .or i>rovide sand-pits for tho children to plav in. The headmaster reported ilie roll number to be 109, and the average attendance S>l. V vcrv hanpv little social function was held in "St. John's Parish Hall, Lvston. on Monday night, by the St. John's Parochial Club. Musical items worn fMven, and dancing took to muMc nrovided by Mrs R. F. Marshall mid others. The opportunity was tafeen to liand useful parting Rifts to the Ke\. j J- 1 . Wireinsff and Mr C. Rice, nho lire leaving tho district this week. In making the presentations, Mr I>. Mmr spoko of the interest both recipients had taken in the club, and of tho efforts thev had nut forth to make the social evenings held during the winter and sprinjr, successful and enjoyable. Good wishes for their future success were expressed. The Rev. Mr "Wiseman and Mr Rico, in replying, said thoy had f,nent a happy time in Ix;eston, and would always retain pleasant memories of their stay in tho district. The ladies provided supper. LITTLE RAKAIA. Visitors to the Rakaia mouth during tho holidays included Mr and Mrs A. ' McKelhir and family, Mrs Hay, Miss ■ Hay "Wra 15. Hav, Miss Cowlishaw, Mr iW B. Cowlishaw, Mr F. Cowlishaw, Colonel Cooper. Mr W. Jpynt, Miss Dorothy Cowlishaw, Mr Rcid, Mr and Mrs J. Beckett, Misses Beckett (2), Mr TV. Reeves, Mr G. Thomson, Mr and Mrs W. D. Lawrence, Mrs L. Lawrence, Mrs-Dav and family, Mrs O. P«?c oe and family, Mr and Mrs W. Godfrey and family, Mr and Mrs W. Vaughan and familv, Nurse Dale, Mrs \o ,in P> ! Mr Milne, Mrs blather, Blunt, ■ Mr E F. Stead, Misses Holdsworth <-), Miss Glanville, Rev. and Mrs P. Cocks, Mr W. Scott. Mr Charles Clark, Mr and Miss Meredith-Kiiye, Mr and Mrs C. Denby. , ~ ?o far this season anglers liaro naa very little luck nt tho Rakaia mouth. Pish focm to ho very scarce, but the j few that have been caught wcro found to bo in snlendid Tcry much better than those caught in tho eariy part of last spason. Some of the fishermen aro hopeful that salmon may make their way into tho river waters a little later on. ' , , Large numbers of tern have been nesting this reason amongst tho stones on tho beach near tho Rakaia mouth. The young seem to havo been hatched rather earlier than was the case last season, for most of them arc i,Vw able to fly. It is thought that a ; f;\irlv larse number of the young '> ir d w ' and >?cgs must have been destroyed by j the heavy seas which swept tho shingle st:i;> between the lagoon and tho sea j nlK)ut a fortnight ago. . On that occasion the waters came right tip to tne I Rev. P. J. Cocks's hut. ashbubton. The pass list of tho theory examina. tion in connexion with the Associated Board of the Royal Acadcmv of Music and the Royal College of Slusic, London, hold in Ashburton on Novcmbci 15th last, is as follows: —KOTraenM ol mu-ic—'Pass: "SVylls Jones and Bernicc I'utledge (Convent), Ha eel Smith (Misi 1... 'Watt). School examinations—Lowe) Division: Harmon v, distinction, Lynd! Phaup 'Miss L. lUtt). Division HI. Grammar of music, pass, Adeline -\L Col man (Mrs Cowan), Jlagdalene R Lane (Miss L. Watt), . Enid E. P Thompson (Mrs Cowan). Division I. Marjory Barr and John Lane (.iliss L