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Hokitika Guardian, 3 October 1918, Page 2

One of the industrial adjuncts to provincial prosperity which it has boon suggested Westland might be taken up with advantage is beekeeping. There are some apiaries in the district, and from all accounts they are doing well. Hee-keeping like other occupations, cannot he taken haphazard. Tb achieve success requires knowledge and experience, but given these, important results are possible. A Southern settler who has gone in for bee-keeping on practical lines, nnd who has achieved a considerable degree of success, believes that the industry could carry about three payable apiaries in almost every grazing district, and produce from about £BOO to £I,OOO a year in most districts given reasonable seasons. 'l'lie number must bo restricted to achieve financial success, and the apiarist must be careful in his methods, otherwise enough disease may be spread in one year to ruin all the other apiaries in tlhe district. Foul brood is 1 tic. dread disease which threatened the existence of the industry in New Zealand and wa B the cause of the legislation leading up to the extinction of the gin case hive, and the compulsory use of flip reasonable frame hive. Some excellent honey is turned out of Westland and the primest of the output goes out of the country which lias to put up with the consumption of the inferior article. The settler whom we have just referred has had his output graded 11, or prime grade; and it was only two points off- grade A, the special or exliibitive class. -The honey was of a light amber colour, and secured the following points; flavour, 38 out of 40; c.olou», 9 out of 10; condition 14 out of 15; grain 11 out of 12; Aroma 7S out of 8; cleanness 9 out of 10; packing and (finish, .'ll out of 5, or a total of 92 points out of 109. This practical demonstration of what can ho done in the matter of a high grade article should induce the industry to be more generally in evidence.

Tv all the smaller centres of population the people hove to depend largely upon themselves, for these amenities id ufo

which go to make up the sum of human happiness. Our own little town has never been backward in this respect ami for many a k-ng '.lay past the amateur spirit fa Hokitika lias boon a live factor in providing amusement and entertainment for its people of no mean order. The town witnessed such an occasion last night, when the Princess Theatre was filled to witness the local amateurs in comic opera. Our folk have excelled before in operatic entertainments of marked success, and some ambitious effort* have been made. On those occasions the production was entirely of amateur origin, and looking back over a series of remarkable successes, we can say our people have done extremely well. Last night’s performance was added to the list of previous successes, but on this occasion there was professional help in the production. Mr Pollard get some idea in February last of what the local people could ilo in comic opera, and it was a compliment, to th(> performers themselves «tlint he took tlicid in hand, and undertook the production of the present event. Naturally it is in every way most creditable. The art- of the producer was noticeable in the staging, mounting, lig' ' ing and dressing. They were of a very high order, and equal to the best pi.I‘essh mil productions seen on any metropolitan stage. The voeaj and histrionic qualities of the performers are wellknown. and in the very congenial surroundings they were brought out in a high degree of perfection. The. production was an nll-Younil credit, nm a little of which must reflect: on our little town which can pride itself on its self-contained possibilities when high class entertainments are demanded.