COUNTRY NEWS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 322, 21 December 1910, Page 5

COUNTRY NEWS.

I Own Correspondents. Honikiwi. The chief event in this district during the month of November was the opening of the telephonic communication with Otorohanga and hence with the surrounding townships of the King Country and Waikato. Already it has proved a great convenience to a number of settlers. Shearing has been in evidence in all directions lately. A good clip and a ! fairly high percentage of lambs gives I promise of remunerative returns for I the year's work. | Several hundred more acres of bush i have been felled during the year to j prepare the way for the spread of the j ever-widening area of grass. A meeting was held in the schoolroom on Saturday night, the local manager of the school (Mr B. Budden) being voted to the chair: to consider the question of the site of the annual picnic and ways and means to make it a success. As Mr Carter had kind]? offered the use of his land on the banks of the Moakurarua,which all admit to be an ideal picnic ground, it was decided to take advantage of his kindness and hold the picnic there. Those present formed themselves into a committee to arrange the details of the picnic and to collect money to buy prizes for the programme of sports and also prizes for the school children for the best attendance, best writing, best drawing and neatest figuring. Messrs Dassler and Williamson were appointed to act as judges of the work done by the children in the school garden for which members of the Farmers' Union offered special prizes to be awarded about next Easier.

Maihihi. Since writing last I am pleased to say things are improving in this district. The settlement has only been open for twelve months, and was previously bush and fern, while now compact houses and grass paddocks can be seen from the hills. Road work is going on steadily and we have also a weekly mail service from Otorohanga which is a great boon to the settlers.* We not only get the mail, but the same conveyance brings out our meat and small parcels for which the settlers are very grateful. A meeting of settlers was held here last week and the secretary was instructed to write to the Education Department re the building for a day school, and to urge the necessity of putting this work in hand immediately. Other matters of importance to the settlement were discussed. It was also decided to hold a picnic and sports on Boxing Day and invitations were sent to the surrounding settlers. With good weather it should be a redletter day for the settlement.