COUNTRY NEWS.

Evening Star, Issue 3898, 21 August 1875, Page 3

COUNTRY NEWS.

(From our Exchanges.)

The building trade in Havelock is very brisk at present. Messrs Coghill, Morris, and Low have erected new premises, and several other buildings are in contemplation. Altogether, Havelock is fast emerging from a “ one horse ” village to take its position as a leading goldfields town.

Saturday last was a gala day with the Chinese residents in the Tuapeka district. It was the 14th day of the seventh month, celebrated as the anniversary of the day on which the release of a soul from the custody of Josh (the Chinese ideal of the Evil One) took place. All were made welcome to the feast prepared at the Chinese camp, and for the nonce Asiatic civilisation and Western barbarism fraternised and made merry over a common object. Stops are at present being adopted to establish an Agricultural and Pastoral Association at Tapanui, and should the efforts succeed, a good number have promised to bring forward stock for exhibition at the first show. The_ road between Lawrence and the Beaumont is now in a frightful state, the mud holes in places being almost bottomless. On Monday two Lawrence teams laden with Black Horse beer, bound for Switzers with three tons of freight, hauled by nine staunch horses, got fast several times and had to be dug out. The mud was so deep that the horses could not get foothold, and at one time the whMe of one of the teams went down together. Whoever is responsible for this piece of work, certainly deserves censure forallowingitto getintosuch a bad state. The local paper has no hesitation in saying that the money spent in effecting useless work would have made the road passable at all seasons.

Preparations are being made for the erection of a bridge over the Pomahaka River near Tapanui, A boat has been built for the purpose of sounding the bed of the river, and as soon as the survey is completed, the contract for building the bridge will be let. A practical illustration of the fertility of the land along the banks of the New River was furnished recently at the thrashing up of the [jroduce of a small plot of virgin soil (rather ess than two and a half acres) on the farm of Mr Angus Wallace. It turned out 296 bushels—or about 120 to the acre—of Providence oats.