ALEXANDRA.

Dunstan Times, Issue 875, 24 January 1879, Page 3

ALEXANDRA.

Communicated. The contractors have at last made a start with the light traffic bridge across the Mauu* herikia. All the timber is on the ground, the only thing wanting being the wire ; but as the County authorities have to provide that the whole fault of the delay rests with them, and not, as many imagine, With the contrartors. A very great deal, in fact too much of vexatious delays have occurred over the building of this bridge ; but it is now to be hoped that we have seen the last of them, and that the bridge will prove ail that is expected of it. There is no doubt it will he a great convenience to the residents of the Manuherikia Valley as well as those living down the Molyueux at Butcher’s and Doctor's Points. The track, by the by| down to those places is in a terrible state, and it is with the greatest difficulty it can be travelled, in fact, it is dangerous. In speaking of a track, iam somewhat in error, I should have said what was the track. The p isition is this, when the river was at its height during the late floods the track war, feet under water, and when it receded i-ff the track nothing was left of it but a mass of boulders, over which it is impo-sibl* to take a horse, and it is just as much as a man cm do to walk. The County a uthorities, I hear, have put a few men on to make a passable track, but not having been down there lately I am unable to say what they are doing The proper thing t'j do would be to make the track above the Inchest water mark, as ie would be as easily and readily made at a high level as at a low one. an I void I then he out o* danger. I am aury to soy the claims Doctor’s Point, ■over which so much noi ,e was made, are not shaping anything ike what wus expec'ei. of them : about wa.es, or a little more is all that is being made. Those who disposed of their interests weir,fortunate ; hut the same cinnotbe said of the purchasers. Such, however, is the fortune of war (gold dm •nm) Fn" every prize there are hundred of blanks, ami lucky must he be considered who draws in the lottery the lucky number. The town of Alexandra is beginning to present a very respectable and solid appearance. The public and private buildings, or Di my of them, are of a substantial ami first•cl iss character, and, from what f bear, there ■are to be more shortly added. The Court L use, which is the last new building, is a -decided improvement upon the old rattletrap of a shed, and will be a great convenience both to the officials and the public. There was a gf at deal of planting in the ne ghbi u.hoo . the last season and the returns will be good. The patches of oats exceed all expectations, and demons rates clearly what the arid sandy desert flat between Alexandra ami Clyde would yield with inigation ; the fact is, if the water races-the Manuherikia and Ovens—that command the Hat were used for irrigating instead of washing away the banks for a few pennyweights of gold the result would be a treat deal more beneficial to the district. Dozens of families would then be supported whe e at the most now there are only one ■or two There is no end to the list of good til ngs i hat w- uld ha produced’if this were d yin, and the only wonder is that the people of Alexandra have been so blind to their own interests as not to have seen it ere now. Tli-ro i- really no excuse to he made. The land right away from town to town is open for selection under the agricultural lease eystein, ami every hit of it could be flooded by these races, and that too, at little nr no expense, as there are old abandoned water races c nising through and through it in overy di ection. A good ar'a in patches was planted with fruit trees last year, an 1 »M are thriving admirably. Emit growing about here, in the course of a few years wiil be a recognised pursni ; both the soil and climate being adapted fur it. The only thing against it is pm baps the high winds'; but who ever heard of nnalloyol blessing. 1 heard the other day that yon received a pietty considerable ear-wigging from one of th ■ “converts i,” all elderly member of I<lG T. “ Pair ould body', he gets a wee bitciankie a’ time*, And Is no worth fashing about. One swallow don’t make a summer ; nor let us hope will the loss of one subscriber prevent the due appearance everv Fridav of the Dunstan Times.

[This should have appeared in onr last issue, but by some mischance did not reach Us in time.— Ed. D.T.]