HALCOMBE.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXI, Issue 8732, 5 February 1907, Page 4

HALCOMBE.

•' (From our Own J -—■ y ~ - * v < '1 Ott Monday last groufldr’flr’iniivd in’ mamomiiqm g&vn, presented quite a gay and animated picture, the subject being tbs annual school picnic and sport*. The arrangements were unaor the experienced direction ot Messrs Strachan and /Adam, who, with their fair and willing 1 assistants, and aided by a superabundance of appetising cookeis, had no difficulty in making the first school muster of 1907 a pleasant gathering for adults or giving the children “ anither gay guid time. following day the Chairman of Committee handed over a hundred carefully selected books to the children within the school building. In so doing ho spoke of the time when he was a school boy, when books came to them like angels’ visits, and how much they were valued by their fortunate recipients. Books now were wonderfully cheap, and they were being showered upon the children of to-day in almost countless numbers. Books introduced their readers to the best | possible company —to all that was noble and Godlike in man, and to all, that was grand, beautiful and complex in nature. Like Bacon, he would rather be a poor man with plenty of books to read than the greatest monarch on earth deprived of their ever-oourteous and stimulating company. , Writing of books reminds me that the London Times has apparently fallen firm its proud pedestal of journalistic purity and has gone in for the questionable American puff and push methods of doing business. Its gigantic book club and boycott system introduced to soli the threepenny Thunderer has brought the old-time irreproachable Times into disrepute. Authors, publishers and booksellers are up in arms and arrayed against the would-be dictators and monopolists. The Times people declare they are actuated by philanthropic motives, and wish to cheapen books for the million, while the makers and sellers of books say it is a selfish attempt by the proprietors of the Times to exploit them and corner and control the book business iu order to boom the Times newspaper. The Times people bought 756,920 volumes in 12 months and sold 311,165 boobs during that lime at about half their original cost, and thus, it is contended by the bookmakers, shortening the “life” of new books, bleeding their authors and practically killing the “ trade.” When remonstrated with the Times people asserted thoir right to do as they liked with thoir own. This, of course, may be fair trade, but it docs not appeal to the other side as fair trade, and this novel war now promises | to become a furious fight to a finish. Buying 2126 books a day, the Times | purchasers not only insisted on speci- [ ally favourable terms but in addition ■ they stipulated that 15 per cent of the i sum paid to booksellers should be spout : by them in advertising their business lin the Times newspaper. Books that j cannot be obtained on these terms are 1 i-.mrnr.ffpd nnd the members of the

Times Book Club are instructed not to j ask for them. The position at present j is one of absorbing interest to all bookI worms and if tbe people in tke old i country are to be the ultimate arbiters ; I think they will act wisely _ it they ; refuse to be tempted by this cheap , Look and dear paper business and cease to feed this big book bug winch j threatens to develop into a monstrous I octopus. | Our farmers have been favoured with , another week of ideal harvest weather j and those that are experienced have I strained every nerve to profit by this •. exceptionally long continued opportuii- ; ity to secure their crops, i ‘Those interested in gardening and i agricultural pursuits can spend a pro--lii table and pleasant hour with Mr Straehan in Ids school gardens, where 1 the various crops grown under varied j conditions are now being gathered in I and the results noted, j The Hon. Secretary and Treasurer j of our Sports Club (Mr AVilliamson) tells me that the balance sheet to be , submitted to members on Thursday | next will show a credit of over £l2. i In view of the unexpected blight which hias adversely affected the receipts of ’ other and more pretentious athletic clubs this result must be regarded as . highly satisfactory, j I understand that Mr 0. C. Plea- , sants has received orders for 50 tons of ’ oaten chaff and that his traction engine j which, for the past three months, has i been cutting and dressing timber is ! now employed in cutting, dressing and bagging prime horse feed.