COUNTRY NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 3754, 5 March 1875, Page 2

COUNTRY NOTES.

(From our Exchanges.) The Queenstown annual races will bo held on the 18th and 19fch of March. A regatta is advertised for St. Patrick’s Day on the Wakatip Lake. • w ’ or k being commenced m the Manuka Crook tunnel, and if the Government does not take the work into it* ' wn hands the Tuapeka railway will not be completed this side of the millennium, Mr Watson, the contractor for the railway bridge at Balelutha, has made a start with work. The iren cylinder plates for the piers have arrived at the Koitangata wharf and ar bemg Caited te their destination. ~, Government intend to throw open the block of land on Captain Hecdorson’s station at Roxburgh, on the 9th of this month, under the agricultural leasing system. This system seems to be more in favor than that of the deferred payments, as under it those parties already holding laud under the 200 acres allowed by law, can take up land to that extent somewhere else. This they could not do under the deferred payment system, the residence clause standing in the way. Messrs McKenzie Bros, are making parations for commencing the tunnel on the' railway at the Round Hill, and have men employed making brie is for lining the tunnel A large number of Chinamen are employed on this contract, and a gang under a European foreman are forming a new track outside the great slip that occurred last year. Some unfortunate scribe has beea getting into hot water by info.ming the ‘Tuapeka Times’ that the doings in the rapanui hall during the race week “were most disgraceful drinking and debaunchery of all kinds being encouraged till all hours in the Forty-two residents of the place have for. warded a requisition to the paper, iu which they say “that the statement just quoted is mahoiouEftuid altogether with ,Jt fouoaatioi aa everything was conducted in a most orderly and respectable manner. As this sentence reflects not only on the character of the ladies and gentlemen present on - the

occasion referred to, but casts a slur on the wholecomraunity, we respectfully request you to publish the name of the writer of said paragraph, as we intend taking summary measures to punish riiat individual, and so put a stop to such dastardly attempts for the future.” Miss cope, of the Blue Spur School, has received the appointment of mistress of the Palmerston School. It must be very pleas mg to Mr Stenhouse, Rector of the Lawrence Grammar School, to see his old pupils taking up such honorable positions in the Province—Miss Nichols in Dunedin. Mias .Barton at the Clutha, Miss Pope at Palmer-aß-d- Miss Fowler at Wetherstones. Mr W. M‘Lelland, so long master of the Blue Spur bchool, baa received the appointment of master of the Tuapeka Mouth School, rendered vacant by the resignation of Mr 1). Campbell An accident of a very serious nature hapened to Mr Diehard Lancaster last week, e was returning from Dunedin, accompanied by another gentleman, and hired a ouggy from Mr Telford. On descending the Beaumont Hill the breeching broke, and the buggy overturned into the gully. Mr Lancaster had one of the small bones of his arm broken, and was otherwise seriously bruised. His fellow passenger was also a good deai shaken. The only wonder is that the damage did not assume a more serious form, as the bmjty and its occupants fell a distance of thirty feet. The price of oats is rapidly falling. Good samples are being offered at the Teviot for half-a-crown per bushel. At Milton oats are selling at a trifle over three shillings, - An accident occurred at Mr Potter’s sawmills, Kaitaugata, on Wednesday afternoon, when a workman named David Whitney allowed his right hand to come into contact with the saw, by which it was severely lacerated. Dr Smith, of Balclutha, was at once sent for, and found the palm of the hand much torn. The thumb and second finger also were so smashed that amputation of both was necessary. The Provincial Government have determined to proceed at once with the preliminary survey of the branch line of railway from Balclutha to Gatlin’s Eiver. The object is to get it completed before the meeting of the Provincial Council, which takes place at the latter end of April or beginning of May. The project has been well received by the Government, and it is generally understood they will be prepared to recommend such concessions as will induce a private company to enter into the work as a promising speculation. .Dqer-atalking is now a pleasure which the residents of Otago can enjoy. At Tapanui. lately, Mr John M‘Kellar and a party of sportsmen stalked and shot a fine buck 21(Tb3 WaS f ° Und t0 WCigh n0 le?s tha “ Partridges are plentiful at Mount Stewart and along the banks of the Molyneux; also up the river creeks. The carrying out of the contract for the construction of the railway line between Mataura and Clinton, which was taken up a few weeks since, is reported to be getting along very well. The work is going on in three sections, viz, at Clinton, Waipahee, and at the Mataura end. The Mataura section in particular is said to be progressing For the purpose of carrying out the branch railway line to Kaitangata, its original projectors have amalgamated with the Coal Mine Company, and the necessary articles of association for forming a joint stock limited liability company, with a capital of L25.G00, in 2,600 shares of LlO each, have been adopted. Shares representing one-half of the proposed capital have already been taken up by parties residing in the district. So confident are (he projectors of the enterprise being successfully floated, that they have already let contracts for farming the line, and for carrying out other preliminary works connected therewith. Advices from Home announce that the plant may be expected to arrive within three months. The principle application at the Licensing Meeting held at Tokemairiro, was for a transfer of the license of the Criterion Hotel from Maria Brady Langley to William Brady, which the police oppoaesd on various grounds. The Bench decided to grant the trmtfer, rather as a choice of evils than anything else, because they had no absolute guarantee that the matters complained of I might not recur. It would be unders'ood that Brady would be held solely responsible for the conduct cf the house; and if, at the end of three months, there was not a most satisfactory report from the police, the renewal of the license would not be granted. To cancel the license would be to entail inconvenience on the public and hardship on the landlord, therefore the Bench had, as was said, to make a choice of evils, and grant the transfer.