CHATHAM ISLAND NOTES.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18230, 14 November 1924, Page 6

CHATHAM ISLAND NOTES.

(tZOiC OUS OWS COBBB3POHDXHT.)

WAITANGI, November 10.

The Tees arrived on Thursday last on her three-monthly trip and lias visited Pitt Island, Owenga and Kaingaroa unloading stores. She has had very good weather at each port and is likely to leave to-night, which will be a record at this bad weather island. Anything short of a week is considered very quick work.

Cricket has commenced, but as yet no matches have been played. All are practising hard for a series of matches between Te One and Waitangi, which will commence on the loth inst. _ The club is putting down a permanent wicket of concrete this season, a suitable site having been procured on the racecourse. A few enthusiasts are also looking for a site for a tenns court, up till now with no success. Level ground is at a premium and somewhere _ rather far from "Waitangi must satisfy the club that is in process ot formation. In the meantime the summer sports are cricket and ping pong. The lattor is as rife as the epidemic of the same thing about 20 years ago. A well-known and highly respect rd native of the island, Mr Jack Dix, bar. passed away. He was spending a holiday in New Zealand and took very ill on the boat coming down and died three weeks later. Upwards of 200 people attended the funeral, which was conducted by the Rev. A. L. Canter and Mr Paniora.

There have been two epidemics lately—one, in Owenga, of a mild form of influenza 1 , which has visited every house in that fishing village, and another of accidents with horses. On one day recently four spills were reported—tho Magistrate's wife, the parson and his lady, and a lad named Waitiri. Fortunately only one was serious, the lastnamed haiving a leg broken. All -who own anything with a touch of blood just now are eagerly discussing the prospects of the forthcoming 50th Annual Race Meeting. Training has not yet serious commenced, although a few horses in different parts are in work. This year is the Jubilee Cup and the club has doubled the stake for the occasion—£2s in cash and a clip valued at £25 to be won outright. It is understood that the club has applied for a totalisator permit, and witii the passing of the new Gaming .Bill, the officials are looking forward to having a properly regulated means of allowing the public to back their fancy. Hitherto the meeting has been of the picnic type—an enjoyable day's outing, racing or no racing. But the club with its long history of 50 years (a cluo, the officials tell you, older than most in New Zealand) wants to make a change and live up to its age and reputation. Dr. s}. P. Ellison. Magistrate and Resident Medical Officer t has been appointed Temporary Director of Native Hygiene in New Zealand, and will be leaving the Chathams about the end of January. Dr. Ellison will be greatly missed in the Chathams, where his short stay of eighteen months has marked many changes. His great memorial here will be the hospital, which may be commenced before he leaves. His energy and devotion to his work have done much to forward the building of the hospital. He has also taken part in all sports. "We shall lose, one of our football referees, the captain of the Waitangi Cricket Club and president of the Literary Club. The doctor is also prominent in Church matters, acting as churchwarden and lay-reader. Altogether his departure will be felt in many directions. The site for the Hospital has at last been bought and paid for, a Government subsidy of £> for £ helping considerably* There will be a surplus of purchase money, which is to be spent on improving the site. There is talk, too, of the Soldiers' Memorial taking the form of ornamental gates to the grounds. Nothing remains but for the Hospital Board to build, staff and maintain the Hospital, which it has promised to do—and a magnifioent offer, too. Our weekly wireless news-sheet has taken a fresh lease of life. The editor has made an arrangement whereby the news sent nightly to is made available to the island, lliis has made a great difference to us all. Now we quite a comprehensive pummary of tho world's news and two sheets of foolscap instead of half a sheet which was mostly confined, to market reports and results of the races.

The annual meeting of the Literary and Social Club was held recently. The first,year of its existence lias fully justified the venture. The club, with its room in "Waitangi always open and available to members, is supplying a long-felt want. Under th© able gufdance of iXr, Ellison as president and Mr G. R. Drew as secretary, the club has been enabled to reduce the subscription and still pay its way. The Mongoutu Hotel and etor o (bettor known to Chatham Islanders and voters as "The Lower House") has again changed hands, Mr B. H Hend eram having Bold out to Mr J. Santos, an old resident of the Chathams, who takes possession to-day.