DISTRICT NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 March 1921, Page 2

DISTRICT NEWS.

KAIMIRO. (From Our Own Correspondent.) Tlie Kaimiro School Picnic was held in the school ground on March 3. The weather was threatening all day, but despite this a fair crowd came along. Mr. F. Mundt (chairman), assisted by a committee of ladies, had charge of the refreshments, and saw that every child was well attended. The tables had bien set out in the school room, where Mrs. Geo. Gibson had most tastefully decorated them with fems and flowers. Messrs. Lilley, Shoemark, Wellington and Taylor had charge of the sports and were kept busy getting each race off and deciding some of the very close finishes, the following is the result of the races:—

Short Race, (big boys).—Reggie Reid 1, Jack Peters 2, Bennie Schrader 3. Short Race, (girls).—Carrie Wellington 1, Mabel Ashman 2, B. Baker 3. Long Race (big boys).—Percy Mundt 1, Jack Peters 2, Reg. Reid ,3. Long Race (little boys).—Hector Reid 1, Laurence Potroz 2, Lance Peters 3. Long Race, (big girls).—M. Wellington 1, C. Wellington 2, Mabel Mundt 3. Three-Legged Race.—Big boys: Reg. Reid and Ben Schrader J, Percy Mundt and' John Schrader 2, Robbie Zimmerman and Hector |Reid 3. Little boys.—Toun peters and Lewis Potroz 1, Laurence Potroz and John Potroz 2, Malcolm Yeates and Lance Peters 3. Big Girls: M. Wellington and Carrie Wellington 1, Fanny Baker and Beatrice Baker 2, Nellie Peters and Mabel Mundt 3. Egg and Spoon Race (big boys).—Jack Peters 1, Bennie Schrader 2, Percy Mundt 3. Little boys.—Ted Lilley 1, Laurence Potroz 2, Lance Peters 3. Big girls.—Carrie Wellington 1, Fanny Baker 2, Beatrice Baker 3. \ Little girls: Mabel Ashman 1, N. Peters 2, Eileen Ashman 3. I Thread the Needle Race.—Girls: M. Wellington 1, B. Baker 2, M.» Mundt 3. Skipping.—Girls: M. Wellington 1, B. Baker 2, Nellie Peters 3. Dog Race.—Boys: P. Mundt 1, H, Lilley 2, T. Peters 3. Long Jump.—Boys: John Schrader 1, Jack Peters 2, Ben Schrader 3. High Jump.—Boys: J. Schrader 1, J. Peters 2, Ben Schrader 3. .Hop, Step and Jump.—John Schrader 1, Jack Peters 2, Ben Schrader '3. Thread the Needle (boys).—John Schrader 1, Jack Peters 2, B. Schrader 3. Donkey Race (big boys).—Percy Mundt and Hector Reid 1, Reg. Reid and Ted Lilley 2, Yeates and John Potroz 3. Stepping the Chain.—Lewis Potroz 1, Ted Lilley 2, Alfred Gilbert and Ronald. Buckley dead heat 3. Tug-of-War.—Reg. Reid, Tom Peters, .John Schrader, B. Schrader, Percy Mundt. Sack Race.—Boys: Percy Mundt 1, Robbie Zimmerman 2, Lewis Potroz 3. Girls: M. Wellington 1, M. Mundt 2, N. Peters 3. Boys: Jack Peters 1, John Schrader 2, B. Schrader 3,

Potato Race.—Big boys: J. Peters 1, Reg. Reid 2, J. Schrader 3. Little Boys: R. Zimmerman l r H. Lilley 2, Lance Peters 3. Big girls: N. Peters 1, M. Mundt 2, M. Wellington 3. Little girls: Myrtle Reid 1, B. Baker 2, M. Peters 3.

In the evening a concert and dance was held, and the hall was well filled. The school children had been trained for several Items, and the teachers, Mr. Ewart (head), and Mrs. Gibson (assistant), must be congratulated on the way each Item was put through. Mr. F. Mundt acted as chaiiiman, and at the conclusion thanked all for their help. Following is the programme, every item being well received -Overture, Miss Mundt; song, Mr. G. Prince; song,/“Fisher Boy Am I,” school children; recitation, “Yours Ever,” school children; song, “Beautiful Ohio,” Mr. H. Shoemark; song, “Far Away Under the Sea,” sehoo] children; recitation, “Labor’s Out of Work,” senior boys; song, “The Swallows,” Mrs. J. W. Paterson; song, ''Mountains’ of Morn,” Mr. Price; recitation, “When a Wo-

man I Am,” senior girls; song, “The Long, Long Trail,” senior girls; song, “I Was Standing at the Corner of ti e Street,” Mr. Geo. Gilbert; song, “Farewell, Sweet Maid,” Miss Nora Sinclair; recitation, “My Parosol,” Beatrice Baker; song, “Jean®McNeill,” Mr. J. W. Paterson; recitation, “The Profes-

sor,” senior girls; song, “The Wreck,” Mr. Geo. Gilbert; song, "Belle Mahore, 0 Mr. H. Shoemark; recitation, “Ten Little Nigger Boys,” senior boys; song, “Mr. Jock Makay,” Mr. J. W. Paterson; song, “I Passed by Your Window,” Mr. F. Price.

After supper most, of the parents and children went home, leaving the hall to the younger folk for dancing, which was kept up to an early hour in the morning. Mr. H. Taylor t acted as M.C., and the music was provided free by local talent. . Several of the residents have expressed the l ope of the school committee giving the children a change next year, by either taking them to the beach of Ngaere Gardens. Schools further back than Kaimiro have managed to take their pupils to the beach, iftid one sees no reason why Kaimiro still has the annual picnic on the school ground, frhere the children play all the year round. PUNGAREHU. v (From Our Own Correspondent.) The Easter holidays passed off very quietly here, this and surrounding districts presenting a very deserted appearance on Saturday and Monday. A few of the residents visited Opunake sports, spending a most enjoyable dcy. Although the weather was dull and threatening everybody managed to escape a wetting. Several sports from the coastal districts journeyed to Hawera to assist at the Trotting Club’s meeting, and some of them had the pleasure of collecting. A large number of local residents went up to Rahotu one evening last week to swell the crowd attending the circus. As a rule the coastal people are certainly not of a changeable kind, but changes seem to have become the fashion lately, and one amongst the most notable of these is that caused by Mrs. Harrison's transfer from Rahotu to Tariki. Mrs. Harrison has occupied tl q position of head teacher at Rahotu for 'the past few years, to the satisfaction of parents and to the advantage of the children. Since going to Rahotu from Pungarehu she has been a general favorite, and has always willingly shouldered her share of any burden to be borne when the interests of the district were concerned, so that. it. is safe to say that all those who got to know her since she came here will wish her every kind of good luck in her new home. It is anticipated that the “Rahotu Hall will be packed for the farewell social and dance to Mr. and Mrs. Harrison to-morrow, Wednesday, the 30th inst. The recent rains have brought along another plentiful supply of mushrooms, which keeps the youngsters busily engaged in the early morning collecting.

The property business is rather quiet along the coast at present, and agents are finding it much unore difficult to dispose of farms than was the case some time ago. . A visitor from overseas expressed the opinion that the resources of this Dominion would make it ultimately one of the greatest countries in the world. It should be impossible to view without concern such prices as were obtained at a land sale held some months ago. Several sections of a block of rich dairying land were sold at prices well over £lOO per acre, the highest figure being £177, and the average £ll4. The land ; s exceptionally rich dairying country, and it is presumed that at least some of the buyers were experienced farmers who went into the business with their eyes open. Taking a long view of prices of priunary products, have men who take up land at £l5O or £l7O an acre a reasonable prospect of paying their way? It is feared that one or two motives are behind such purchases; either the intention of selling again at a substantial profit, or reliance on export prices being maintained at their present level or going to a higher one, which of course is now very remote. Speculation in farm land has been going on all over the country, resulting in under production and dangerous inflation of values. It is quite apparent that to buy land at a figure that will pay only If mrices do not fall is a gamble. It is a formj, of gambling that has been widely practised, and if

prices fall appreciably the consequences may be disastrous. The Government itself, by its policy of buying so much improved land for soldiers at high rates, is partly responsible for the fact that values have soared to such an extent.

By all accounts a marked hniprovement is shown in the pastures In the Taranaki province as the result of the recent rains. Paddocks that previously appeared quite brown have taken on a verdant tint that tokens well for the winter. In some cases the rain possibly came a little late, but none the less it has► 'done a great amount of good, and farmers who had commenced to take a pessimistic view of the prospects for the winter dte rtow' incHfied to look to the future with some degrde b?. optimism. News received) from oilier" parts 1 show that the late summer has been : eifeepticrhally .favorable. A fair number of buyers attended Newton King’s sale "at Rahotu on Thursday, March 24. The present unsettled state of the fat stock market and other circumstances had a very depressing effect on the sale.