THE LAKES.

Dunstan Times, Issue 375, 25 June 1869, Page 3

THE LAKES.

(from our own correspondent.) Arrowtown, June 21. There lias been a tremendous foil of ■snow upon the ranges during the last few days, but on the flats we have only experienced a few showers of rain, the weather upon the whole being exceedingly mild. Out-of-door operations have not at all been intern pted. The rivers and lakes are low but I have every reason to believe, judging from experience of former years, that July will bring floods; a warm rain will melt the snow wholesale, and then good bye to river dredging and beach claim workings. The parties who have lately set in to work the bed of the Arrow-river are all doing well. Throe men last week ■obtained fourteen ounces of gold in two day°, and in no case have I heard that less than what is denominated as “ wages” has been obtained. Cheap living is all the rage here just now Mutton is two pence and three-pence pci' pound; beef four-pence and six-pence; and bread eight-pence and ten-pence. So we have' nothing to complain of In respect to the ‘Knights of the Cleaver’and ‘Dougheys’ The Bakets are even civil now, and will deliver, bread at the doors of their customers.

I am informed, and it may be a useful hint to your squatters that think of boiling down, that since the kill in the price of meat, the consumption of sheep in Arrowtown alone has enormously increased, fifteen sheep per week was the number consumed under the old prices, now two butchers are killing seventy each per week, the third being too aristocratic to deal in mutton. With respect to beef the consumption has increased almost in proportion to that of mutton. The low pi ice given for wheat at the Mill, 4s. 6d. per bushel, is giving very general dissatisfaction to the growers of grain, and the result is that there will not be so much grown in future. A considerable number of farmers intend laying down their land with grass, and will coniine themselves more to the breeding of stock and ■dairy farming. People are viewing the combination of Messrs. Eobertson and Hallenstein, the proprietors of the Flour-mill, as little short of a giant monopoly, it is of course nothing more than business-like to buy in the cheapest marketandsoll in the dearest, but even that may be carried too far, more especially in a small community and where people do not approve of benefits being only on one side. It requires a considerable amount of logic to convince everybody that they should soli cheap, while you practice exactly an opposite course yourself. There is no question but that a Flourmill somewhere at the Dunstan would be largely supported from here, and, were such the case, a very great deal of the trade of the Lakes would find its way to Clyde and Cromwell.