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Clutha Leader, Volume IV, Issue 166, 7 September 1877, Page 5

The settlers in the Wat epa district liav 6 given a day's ploughing to Mr Riddell, who has purchased the farm formerly belonging to Mr D, Koss. This speaks well for the neighbourly feeling t"hat prevails in the district. The Ware'pa atid Kailiilm amiual "ball for the benefit of the Benevolent Institution, takes place in Mr Farquhar's "burn to-night. It is expected it will be a great success, as the Committee have spared no pains to make it superior to anything of the kind ever held in the district. The recent painting has effected a gf eat improvement upon the Balclutha schoolroom. The interior vow presents a clean and cheerful appearance, instead of the dark, flirty aspect it 'formerly "had. Thorn 'hedges arc "being "planted found the grotmds, and some extra tree-planting is being done, T^tie attention of tlie members oi the tUiitha Agricultural and Pastoral Society is called to the annual meeting to be held in the Crown Hotel heVe to-morrow afternoon. We trust tihere will be a large attendance. There is every : probability the Society will shortly "be incorporated, and gain possession of its reserves, &c. Thus its operations will be materially facilitated, and we trust to see a greater interest taken in ; the Society by the settlers of the district generally. The township of Wyndham is steaclily. increasing in dimensions. Several cottages have gone up of late ; and other signs of progress are •apparent. The Bank of New Zealand, which has liitherto leased a buildieg belonging to Mr Fletcher, is now erecting a handsome building in keeping with the requirements of a branch, of a banking institution, and which will most suitably fill a gap in the main street. Messrs Kidd, blacksmiths and agricultural implement rankers, are also enlarging their premises. In a recent ifesiie we deferred to the in- : efficiency of the present postal service to the ■ Warepa and other districts. We understand the ■ matter has been brought under the notice of the i Chief Postmaster, Dunedin, who expressed him- 1 •self as quite prepared, so far as reasonable, to , ■meet the wishes and wants -of the district upon . I these being officially made known to him. It therefore remains for the residents of the district 'to let Mr Barr know exactly what they ■want, and they will be attended to. Tt -will be seen from an advertisement . that Mr M'Donald, proprietor of the celebrated lime kilns, at Waihola Gorge, has made very t favourable arrangements with the Government for the carriage of lime to the Olutha district. It can now be delivered in Balclutha at 28s a ton It would be regarded as an insult to point out to ' "settlers what is 'so well known "by them, viz., the great value of lime as a fertiliser. We would : therefore only call attention to the very reasonable rate at which iVcaTi be procured, and express the hope that large consignments will find their . way to the Clutha. Monday la^'t was the first pay-clay of the 'men employed "by the Government on the railway works here. They were paid at the works in the evening, and the greater number of the men at once found their way into the township, which they kept pretty lively for that night and the following day. It was evident they had a considerable sum- of money over after paying their store bill, and "^hich was disposed of in a very foolish manner. The police were kept pretty busy during the stay of the men here. Our report of *the R.M. Court shews the result. The great pioportion of the tnen cleared out for their Wcrk on Tuesday evening. We hear that the live stock in this district is getting somewhat mixed. To a large extent -it is with them a 'community of pasturage, and the labour of drafting is rendered both a frequent and exciting operation. Such is one 'effect of otir railway works. Fences are torn down, gates are left Open, and cattle, horses and sheep are allowed to foam at large, and find out for thetfts.etves the best feed, altogether irrespective | of -ownership. Wheat and oat fields and'cabbag* gardens alike receive theft attentions. We believe some unpleasantness is likely shortly to result from this state of matters, and something should be at once done to remedy it. We do not know what obligations the railway contractors are under as to fencing, but some one must be responsible for the serious damage at present going en. Mr JameS Smith, Greenfield-, and Mr Brydone, manager for the New Zealand and A ustralian Land Company, have now definitely arranged with Mr Davidson, engineer, DXmedin, to build a steamer to trade on the Clutha river. She will be of such dimensions and construction as experience has shown to be most suited for the navigation . of the river, and will be ready for work "by the end of December.' By that time the railway will no doubt be opened to the Balclutha Station, but it is necessary that a short siding and wharf be erected to enable wool and oTiher produce to be dischaiged direct from the steamer into the railway trucks. We believe the Government plans of the Balclutha Station provide for this wharf and siding. We have no doubt were Mr Blair's attention called to the matter, he would adept the necessary steps to provide this accommodation for the river traffic, which undoubtedly will prove a very important feeder to the southern trunk railway.

The b.s. Ino, after undergoing a thorough , overhaul.at Port Chalmers, has again commenced her regular traffic around the coast. On the 27 st she visited Port Molyneux, thence to Kaitangata, ; and then to 'Catlins River, WaikaVa, and Toi Tois, at all which places she intends calling regularly. Messrs Proudfoot and M'ltay are' the ■ successful tenderers for the Balclutha-to-Olinton , section of the Southern Trunk Line of Railway. The price is £37,600. In the hands of Messrs ' Proudfoot and M'Kay, there need be little 'fear , but the contract will be completed within the time, and thus the long-talked-of " breaks'' in the main line will in all probability shortly be ' filled up. We understand a few of our Celestial [ friends have been taking observations in the Clutha district, and have discovered the fertility ; of its soil and the salubrity of its climate, They : have therefore secured a lease of a few acres of i ground in the township, from which they intend to supply Dunedin, Lawrence, fee, with vege- . tables, and other garden produce. The lease is ' for ten years, and the rent £6 per acre. Our Tapantti readers will notice by re- , Terence to our advertising columns, that the Chicago, Minstrels intend giving entertainments • in the Town Hall on Tuesday and Wednesday 'evenings next. As it is very seldom the Tapanuittes have xa opportunity of witnessing such clever artistes, we hare little doubt that good houses ■will reward the enterprise shown by the Chicagos in struggling so far over Provincial Government roads in winter. We have of late had frequent occasion to Call attention to the work of larrikins in the township. It will be seen that tho police had two before the Court here ofn Wednesday for a very dangerous trick -tying a wire rope across the bridge. We understand the fines inflicted [ | were at once paid. Tt hau occurred to a good many that in such cases a whipping would he a very appropriate punishment, and undoabtedly it would have a deterring effect, not only/upon ' the same parties, but also npon 'others of the larrikin species. In aftother column we publish-, "by request, a letter to W. A. Murray, Esq., M.H.R., which bore the signatures of a very large number of the settlers of the Tokomairiro Plain, and others throughout the entire district of Bruce. !We also publish Mr Murray's reply. Tho step taken by the electors of Brtice does them credit, and it must have been gratifying to Mr Murray to receive such an exceptional and definite testi- ; mony to the confidence reposed in him by those he represents, atjd of th& esteem in which "he is ■ held by them. We quite believe that Tie will almost feel grateful for the unmerited abuse and ' insult that have been heaped Upon him, seeing that such sty expression of confidence and regard = has thereby "been called forth. The brass band of the railway employees gave a concert of instrumental music in the Newmarket Hall here, on Friday evening, which, considering the miserable state of the weather, was well attended. We know, however, that a large number were prevented from being present through the state of the weather and the roads. The concert was a very good one. Considering the short time since the band was , established, it is evident the members must have , practised very hard, and that they rnus't .previously been well .acquainted With the instru- '■• ments. After the Concert "& fiance was started, j anti'abott't fifty couples Icept tip the nmtrsement till ahdtvb three o'clock in 'the morning, when the whistle of the guard proclaimed that the hour of i the train was near, and the party left, it is to . be hoped they will renew their visit shortly during more favourable weather. The usual fortnightly headings "frerei given in the Warepa Schoolhouse on Friday evening. Mr I). Milligan presided, but owing to the wretched Weather Che attendance was not bo large as usual. Headings were given by Messrs W. Christie and L. Ayson. Songs Were given by Messrs Sf 'Neil, Mosley, AysOn, Denford, ! Knowles, and Master A. MT'jSTeil-. Recitations : were also given by Cnfistie ]iin., and 5. Deuford. The audience manifested their 'appre-. ciation of those efforts to entertain them, by: hearty and repeated applause. The Chairman i intimated at the close that the next and concluding entertainment for the present will be given on the 21st inst., for which a superior programme will be prepared. .Refreshments will also be provided, and other special arrangements made • for the gratification of the audience. A vote of ■ thanks to the Chairman concluded ~£he "proceed- ■ ings. Mr D. Sutherland has been engaged for some days planting trees in and cleaning tip the . Cemetery ground. A good and very necessary ; work has been accomplished, but much yet re-' Tnains to be doiae to put the grotind in decent ; ofrder. It is really astonishing the carelessness ' manifested by many regarding the graves of their ' friends. In many instances they ate totally ne- ' glected, left tinfenced, and all sorts of rubbish are allowed to grow up, destroying the appearance of the whole place. fc : is possible some are ! under the impression that it is the duty of the i 'Committee to attend to the graves as well as the ground generally. Such, however, is not the . case, as parties have to keep their allotments in , proper order. A list of those who neglect this i duty should be prepared, and they called upon 'to do what is necessary in the matter, bailing 'corripliance, the Committee should exercise their power to trim and keep the graves at the expense j of the owners. Messrs Vallance and Dykes, sub-con-tractors for the embankment through the lower reserve- portion of the Balclutha section of railway — deserve all credit for the energetic manner ■ in which they have 'carried 'out the work, which ', is now all but finished. They have all along had favourable weather, and have made the most of ' it. We believe about -'30,000 yards of stun: have been removed, and much of it raised to a good height. The work, we believe, would have been finished this w eek , but for the non-completion of the concrete abutment at the south end of the bridge, which hks pvevenfced the earthwork being finished at that end. Through the want of piles, very little has yet been done to the viaducts, but we understand this work will nO longer be delayed, and there is yet a possibility of its being completed within the contract time. The filling up of the grotind at the site of the station is now ' being proceeded with, the stuff being conveyed by a tramway from the sandhills in Mr Alex. AI f Neil ? s paddock. Messrs Maher and others have a sub-contract for this work. There seems i no move as yet towards the erection of the sta.tion buildings. If it is intended to have the work done within the specified time, there can* not be much longer delay.

In the Mokerita district, whooping-' cough has become so prevalent, and the state of ' the roads being so bad, it has been deemed advisable to close the school for a few weeks. In one family there are no less than nine suffering from ife. It has resulted 'fatally in one 'Case— Mr Cuahnie having lost a ohild aged three months after two weeks' illness. George Proudfoot, Dunedin, was yester- ■ day charged before the Police Court with hav- . ing committed a rape tipon his servant girl, Isabella Angus, daughter of James Angus, carpenter, The Grlen. After the evidence ole the girl's father aud mother had been taken, the further hearing of the case was adjourned till "today at noon, the prisoner being allowed bail in his own recognisance of MOOO, and two sureties of LSOO each. Mr GeO. Scott has j'ns't finished ploughing about 90 acres on his homestead, Waitiiti, South Molynex. About 'fifty acres have been ' broken tip for the first time, and the remainder is being sown with wheat. What with the ex- : tensive tfnd thort>ftgh system of drainage which ' Mr Scott has been carrying on for years on the [ low-lying portion of his lafld, and the many improvements that are being "steadily carried out, : Waituti bids fair, in a short time, to present one ; of the finest specimens of farming to be met with ' in the Clutha. In May last a number of new road dis- , tricts — Wyndham, Otaria, &c. —were proclaimed ' by His Excellency Hhe Governor. We have heard of no further action being talcen with reference to those— no election of members. We : notice from the Roads Ordinance that His Excel- : lency (who now takes the place of the Superin- : tendenti) has to nominate the day and make the , necessary appointments for the first elections of , Road Boards. This, we understand, has been : neglected to be done, and hence the inaction. We Would suggest that some leading individual in the road districts should write to the Colonial Secretary, mentioning the omission, and suggesting a suitable day, and giving the name of a person qualified to act as Returning Officer. Were : this done we have no doubt the matter would at > once be attended to, and the election would proceed at once. , According to advertisement, a public meeting was held in Clinton Schoolhouse on : Monday evening. Mr Robert Sconie being called , to the chair, explained the necessity of the pre- . sent action being taken, from fche great inconvenience to Which the citizens were placed on ' account of there being no J.P. within a distance of twelve miles on the one side, and twenty-two miles on the other. The meeting thbn proceeded to nominate a number of gentlemen for recom* mendation to the Government to be placed on the Commission of the Peace, and as some of the gentlemen nominated were absent, and in order ' to asertain their willingness to act, the meeting was adjourned till Monday next, when an elec- • fcion will take place. It was also pi'oposed to consider at next meeting what steps should be ' taken regarding a medical man for the district, when those who had not already subscribed were requested to do so before nest meeting so that • some definite action may be taken to secure a doctor for the district. V The sinking of the test well so long ar- ■ ranged for by the Town Council, has now been accomplished. A- trial was first made in Clydestreet, near to George-street, btifc although Sunk "to a great depth, no gravel was met, and con- . sequently no water wa^ found. Several trials ' were made towards the east, but with the same .' results, "until Mr Hogg's shop was reached. A well Was sunk 22 feet at that spot, and after : boring about four feet lower, good water was found. A long box, 3ft. 6in. x 3ft. 6in. Was \ then lowered and the -sinking continued till the gravel was reached. The box was then filled up abotit 8 feet "with screened gravel, and the remainder filled in with sand. The pipe of the ; pump, of course, reaches to the water i« the layer of gravel. After the pump shall have been properly fixed, ahorse trough will be provided, and it is expected there will always be a plentiful supply 'o'f water both 'for "man and beast. We have no doubt it will be found a great convenience, and will be fully appreciated by the inhabitants. , Our Inch Clutha correspondent writes : — Within the last ten days we have had very boisterous and cold weather, accompanied with heavy showers of rain and hail, proving backward for apring sowing, and Tinpropitous for the lambing season, which has begun in 'this locality. Considering the inclement weather it is reported the loss of lambs has been light.— Of spying sowing a large area has yet to be accomplished. , The return '6? good weather will enable the farmers to overtake this work. — Since the erection of the Matau bridge a very marked and progressive movement towards the reclaiming of waste land has talcen place. The erection of this bridge has been one of the greatest bo«ns ever "conferred upon the inhabitants of the island ; antl surrounding districts. Surely those who tried to throw cold water upon this euterprise while "negotiations werfi pending, cannot but feel ' the absurdity of the position they assumed. This was the missing link between the island and ' the railway station, and what has been thft effect of it having been supplied ? This year a tew , more thousands of bushels of grain will be tient to market. By another year & very great addition will be made to the export «f graia. Also a large additional area of ground has been reclaimed. By reference to out advertising columns it will be seen that another important business ' firm has been established in Balclutha — we refer to that of Messrs Whyte Brothers, Stock' and Station Agents, Accountants, Ac. fivom the experience Mr James Whyts has already had in the 'Clutha in 'Conducting the same kind of business on behalf of Dunedin firms, no one Can better know the requirements of the district, and from the connection he has already formed, no one could be placed in more favourable circumstances to make provision for meeting those . requirements. The Dunedin firm •with . which Messrs Whyte have associated themselves in the business is well and favourably known all over fche country. The agricultural and other indus. tries of the Clutha and surrounding districts are at present progressing at an enormous rate, and the materiAlfe and climate are such as to permit of a continued progression to an almost unlimited ' extent. 'Thus we regard it that the inauguration of additional branches of business is oilty keeping paCe with the advancement to be "witnessed on every hand, and w« therefore look for the most favourable results both as regards the several , business firms in the township and the community generally. We have no doubt there is ample room for all, and we trust the new firm will have a long and prosperous 'Career in the 'Chitha.

The Guardian says : The Land office at the Government Buildings was literally besieged oti Wednesday with applicants for land on the deferred payment blocks thrown open on Mr • ATNab's Run in Chatton district. We heard more than, one person remark that, [judging from , the appearance of the applicants, a better lot of men have never tried to secure homes for them- 1 selves and families on the land of the country.