COUNTRY NOTES.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 3, 1 April 1920, Page 9

COUNTRY NOTES.

OTAUTAU. The nxany friencU of Mr and Mrs B. r. I Svtord assembled in the Town Hall 011 | Tuesday 23rd inst. to bid good-bye. Mr I Sword has oecupied the position of staI ticnmaster for the past seven years, and I has been promoted to an important posiI tion in Invercargill. The Rev. C. Webb | acted as chairman, and during the evenI ing songs were rendered by Mrs C. Webb, Miss A. Holmes, and Messrs N. Q. Saun- | dera and W. Coulter, and step dances 1 were given by Miss D. Wall. The chairi man referred to the gnests' connection I witl St. Andrew's Church, of which he I had been a vahrd member. For abont | seven years he had officiated as lay I preacher, while his better half had occuf P'ed the position of superintendent of f the Ladies' Guild. On behalf of the | church members and the public generally, I he had mach pleasure in presenting Mr I and Mrs Sword with a handsome silver I. ica and coffee service, at the same time | wishing them both every success. Mr I Saunders supplemented the remarks with regard to the church. Mr M. O'Brien re- | ferred to the fact that as stationmaster Mr Sword had been very obliging, and r his place would be hard to fill. Mr John f Fisher, on behalf of the citizens, stated tha t as one who had been in contact with " 1*1 1 Sword, he had found him at all times obliging in his official capaeity. It was ; very hard for one in his position to do his duty to the department and still be popular with the public. He conveyed to, both the goodwill and best wishes of the people in their new sphere, as he had received well-deserved promotion. On rising to reply Mr Sword was greeted with applause and the strains of "For They ; Are Jolly Good Fellows." He said he had always tried to do his duty to the depart- - ment and the public, and, as far as F church matters were concerned, he [ thought that anything he had done for it had been greatly magnified by the church | people themselves, and that too much had : been macfe of the little he had done there. He thanked fhem very heartily. The monthly meeting of the Wallaee A. and P. Association was held recently, Mr W. J. M'Gregor being chairman, in ^ Ihe absence of the president, Mr F. Mal5 colm. It was decided to support the Marlborough Woolgrowers' Committee in I an effort to have the draft on wool re- [ moved, and to recommend them to bring \ the matter under the notice of the Board I of Agriculture. A subsidy of £5 was i voted to the Progressive League to asf sist in filling in the section for sheep hold- [ ing yards at the railway station. Mr ; John Macdonald, the delegate appointed, | with Mr D. Marshall. to attend tbe eonj ference in Wellington in connection with | Ihe meat commandeer, was given a free , hrnd to act in the producers' interests and it was decided that the Association \ share in the payment of the delegates' ; expenses. The ram fair was fixed for ; Tkursday, April 22, on the Otautau Show I Grcunds.