ARROW TOWN.

Dunstan Times, Issue 719, 28 January 1876, Page 3

ARROW TOWN.

(from our correspondent.) At last fine weather has gladdened the hearts of the farmers, and th i wirm genial sunshine which has.followel tae niu leives us a most abundant harvest, the yield per acre surpassing that of previous years. The work of gathering in the grain will commence in the course of the week, and although the acreage un let crop is small it will be made up in quantity. In mining matters there is not much to report, work having only just been re commenced. The companies on the flat will commence pumping operations in the course of a few days, when the question of the fabulous wealth hidden in the bed of tin Arrow River will arrive at some degree of solution. The Sons of Fortune Comp my are improving their tunnel so as to bo prepared for opening out. The Rule Britannia a'-e putting in a syphon to drain their ground, and will get out gold as soon as it is fixed. The cost of the syphon will exceed LIOO. This company are b dow the Sous of Fortune and have gold staring them in the face. The reefs are looking up, the Homeward Bound (Messrs Raven and Co.) will have their machine ready for crushing in the course of a week. A new reef has been discovered »t Macetown by Messrs Hall and Symons, and the stone | looks remarkably well. | The applications to lease the Commonage for sheep runs gives great dissatisfaction to all classes of society, and public meetings awl peH'inna against are the nw’er of the day. Your old friend, Mr Thomas M ‘Morran. the Ranger for the Wakatip Commonage, comes in for a deal of abuse for not keeping it clear of sheep npd permitting persons to depasture great cattle

without paying assessment thereon, but 1 think it is undeserved. In the first place, no single man can attend to such an area of country and catch all the stray sheep; while, with regard to'the second, until the last day or so ho never possessed the power to summon delimiters for the con payment of assessment fees. Th ■ lists of impounding* will very soon show that the Ranger, having the power will not neglect bis duty. Shearing is now pretty general all over the district, the large sheds having finished already. The Commonage runholders have not enjoye 1 a prosperous season, the average of lambs being very small and tho fleeces inferior.

Volunteering is all the vojuc just now, and our rank and lilts muster some forty strong The course of d ill, however, is very amus ng, owing to want of knowledge on the port of the commanding officers. The other evening after having been marched out and drawn in line, ready for battle or anything else, our officer commanding, after ad Iresshig us in this wise, “ Comoanv, Hattentirn, llighes Ridit, Stand at Hcase was at a loss how to proceed, when he ng tin called attenti n, and dressed us ready •i. file off to the left, but gave the word fo the right, when some took ■ no direction ami some another, to the great amusement of 'he oulo keis. All this was 'bme under the superintendeive of a pompous lonian, individual from Queenstown, whom we first took for a full sergeant of police, but who, we were informed, was a village schoolmaster, togged off in milit.ry atliio, and who bad pounced down upon us to nir bis imp .rtanee and new suit of clothes, and de signed to be our future mo lei an 1 nattern A trial fhooting match at the Butts was held just previous to this parade or review, but here again the officers were lamentably deficient, not one of them even striking the target. Privates Brodie and Cope, junior, made thirteen points at lot) yards, each tiring five rounds. This augurs well for the latter, it being his maiden attempt wiih the rifle.