ASHWICK FLAT.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, 15 May 1925, Page 10

ASHWICK FLAT.

OCCASIONAL NOTES. Anzac Day . was celebrated in this district by a general cessation of everyday activities, giving all ari'opportunity to recall those years which, though tinged with sadness, yet were fraught with deeds of valour and heroism. Wreaths were laid, on our memorial, showing that many, reverence the day, and have taken to heart the inscription on the memorial “Lest we Forget.” At the annual meeting of householders, seats on the new committee were not keenly competed for, only two members of the old committee being, present. The accounts showed that an amount of nearly £2O was in hand, and in the P.O.S B. The children are now showing considerable keenness in their work after their long enforced holiday. After a general discussion on school matters, the meeting adjourned 1 sine di®.

A new departure, and one that will be watched with general interest, is the bus that has been put on the road to convey children daily to the Fairlie

school. Mr Bray has provided a suitable conveyance which will accommodate about 20 children. The bus picks up other scholars who live on the route. This innovation will prove of great convenience, more especially to children attending the Fairlie District High School. Although this will to some extent affect the attendance at the Ashwick Flat school, it is hoped to keep the flag flying for those who find the school more convenient.'

Frosty nights and' clear days have prevailed lately, and advantage has been taken of this condition to push on With farm work, ere winter conditions set in in earnest. Sheep flocks are now aiTanged for the winter, and though turnip crops have not proved a groat success, there is. an - abundance of second-rate sheaf chaff which will prove of value.

The drop in the value of wool will come as a shock to many, especially in view of all that has been in print emphasising the impossibility of this happening. However, a Tot of water has to go under the bridge before tho next woo} sales, and farmers hope that prices will anchor on a payable basis before, then.

Little wheat is likely to he grown in the district while the price of wool and lamb keeps at its present level. With the high cost of all commodities that a

farmer has to handle and the difficulty procuring suitable labour in the field and to assist the already overworked housewife, it does not hold out an alluring prospect. Should tho value of sheep products seriously decline, doubtless many will have to turn again to cropping of some kind. Until the farmers,see fit to purchase tractors, or the County Council enlarge their power plant and electrify our farms, the drudgery of farm work will not attract the worker, a fact that has caused our wheat yield to diminish. However, on Ashwick Flat we have one employee who has wprked on the one farm (with one short break of two years) for forty years, a tribute to a faithful worker and to an employer who recognises when he Is well served. The farmer has now reached the time of year when he can estimate the fruits of his labours for the past season. In many cases disappointments have eventuated. In early spring one felt sure he would this time reap a rich reward, but the rain and the rust largely spoiled the harvest. However, with fat lambs and cream, a little here and a little there, most of us have continued to hold out, and look forward to better times next season.

The death of the Prime Minister came as a shock to this district, in common with the rest of the land, yet after reading in the “Herald” the eulogies of Mr Massey, it brought, home to us the .fact that the world still appreciates honesty of purpose, and that underlying all our differen ces there is the realisation that a clean and earnest life will always shine out as a beacon to guide us lesser mortals and help us to understand that it pays to play the game for the game’s sake. t