DISTRICT PARS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 22, 22 March 1907, Page 2

DISTRICT PARS.

A party of permanentway inspectors, accompanied by Inspector Sellers of Te Kuiti, passed through the King Country by special train during the week for the purpose of examining the railway right through to Taumarunui, and reporting on the manner in which it has been kept by the various gangs. Prizes are given by the Government for the best kept lengths, and similar inspections are now beingmade throughout the colony. Most people who are interested in Native land dealings are aware of the difficulty that has been experienced when it comes to the interests of Native minors, owing to the absurd blunder made in the Act of last session, which practically prohibited any dealings where minors were interested. We understand that Mr Franklin of Te Kuiti, has been in correspondence with the Attorney General as to the necessity of making the law clear on the subject, and has received an assurance that the matter will be set right by an amending Act at the earliest opportunity.

At the last meeting of the Waitomo County Council Councillor Scholes, in referring to the dog; tax, said that he considered the amount charged fnr dogs, other than sheep or cattle dogs, was, in some cases, too much, and rabbit dogs should have been excepted. In the liangatiki riding the rabbits were very numerous in places, and settlers had to keep dogs to hunt them. The inlliction of a ten shilling fee would be a hardship, and he regretted that he had not been present when the subject was brought up. The Chairman concurred with the Councillor in his remarks, but pointed out the difficulty of discriminating. A short time ago a settler in the Mairoa district had had thirty-eight valuable sheep worried by dogs, and it was time steps were taken to cope with the matter. Mr Langley Shaw, Stock and Station Agent, Hamilton, reports the following sales during the past fortnight 1900 acres partly improved sheep country, Mangawara, to a West Coast buyer; 400 acres partly improved daiiy farm, Te Aroha district, to Mr G. Clothier, of Kaiapoi; also, ioo-acre highly improved dairy farm, adjoining the borough, at a substantial figure to the same buyer. In another column in this issue, will be found a notice concerning a meeting of residents for the purpose of forming a Racing Club at Te Kuiti. The project should have the immediate support and attention of all those desirous of promoting the " Sport of Kings " in the district, as there is a strong probability that the Bill, introduced into Parliament by Sir Joseph Ward last session, will become law, and thereafter there will be no opportunity of obtaining a permit for a day's racing. If the matter is attended to at once, there is every chance of having a day granted for Te Kuiti, and with such a fine centre for the sport, there is every chance of the day becoming a most successful one. The Winter Show, projected by the Auckland Agricultural and Pastoral Association, is to be held in May. The necessary arrangements are being vigorously pushed ahead, and judging by the interest already shown in the undertaking, Auckland's first Winter Show has every prospect of success.

A man who is well in touch _ with the sheep market, and the conditions as to stock and feed generally in Otago and South Canterbury, informs the Clutha Leader that many dealers and sheep buyers, have made a good thing out of the drought scare, which he hints was engineered to some purpose. In Otago, he says, most of the reports were exaggerated, and, as a result, many farmers sold their sheep at scare prices. He mentions the case of a man who bought a nice line of two-tooth wethers in that district at between lis and I2s. When he took them home to another district, he could easily get 16s to i/s for them, and to-day they are worth nearly £l. All this within the last three weeks. He also mentions lambs sold at 4s that were worth 8s a week later, and gave names. It is evident that this meant money for somebody, but not for the farmer in the case mentioned.

It is pleasing to hear that improvements are to be started immediately on some of the sections purchased at the recent Te Kuiti land sale. Mr Hardy is going to clear, fence, and drain his block adjoining Tokipuhuki, as soon as he can secure the necessary labour. If possible, he will start building at an early date. Messrs Onnsby, Rountree. and Mackenzie also intend pushing ahead with their improvements in the same locality, and with hearty co-operation a fair amount of draining should be accomplished before winter. There is a good deal of indignation at Stratford, Taranaki, owing to the tone of a letter received fom the Minifor Public Works. The letter, replying to resolutions passed at a recent meeting, says the Minister regrets to find that " the good work done in the dsstrict is not appreciated, as it would be in many other parts of the colony where needs are at least as great." Further, the Minister says With the many railway works on hand _ a large sum could not be provided for Mount Egmont and Huiroa railways, and it is a question whether it is not advisable to suspend these works until a larger sum can be annually provided for their completion. This will receive consideration when dealing with the Estimates for the ensuingyear." This is regarded as a threat that these railway works will be suspended. The County Councillors had an extremely bad day for their meeting on Monday last, and, for a considerable time it appeared as though there would not be a sufficient number in attendance to form a quorum. However, just when all hope of holding a meeting had been abandoned, Councillors Scholes and Ornisbv arrived from Hangatiki and Waiteti respectively. In scattered districts like the Waitomo County, Councillors are not to be envied in bad weather, and their services on behalf of their fellow settlers, should be highly appreciated.

The manner in which the Sports meeting was conducted last week at Te Kuiti reflected credit upon the officials in genera], though in some respects the arrangements were open to criticism. However, the catering for the public at the refreshment booth left nothing to be desired, and the efforts of Mr Murphy in this respect were widely appreciated. A lawn tennis match was played at Hamilton on Saturday last between the Te Awamutu Club and the local Club, and after some good games, the local team won by 13 matches to 3, or 113 games to 68. Afternoon tea was provided by the Hamilton ladies. The winning double at the Paeroa races paid £404, one ticket being invested on the winners -Hikuai and Sweet Alice.' It was held by four young men, one of whom was lucky enough to hold a half share in the winning double, which paid over £6O, the first day. The influx of sheep lo the King Country still continues, and the wool industry promises to take a leading place among the farmers in many of the districts. Last week Mr Standish brought through a mob of 1400, and Messrs Roper and Cornish have already begun to stock their place 011 the Mangaorino road.

In consequence of the exceptionally heavy rain on Monday last, many of the gatherings, in celebration of St. Patrick's Day, were postponed. The Taumarunui Sports, which attracted a large number of visiting competitors, were put off till Saturday, the 23rd inst., and the Ohura races were held on the Wednesday, instead of Monday. ! hi.: Tonga riro Timb.T Company is evidently pre])ared to undertake work on a large scale. I n connection with the application which was before the Maori Land 'Hoard at Te Ktiili last week, for the La-v of a large area of Native land, il i-> estimated th:;t the railway proposed to be erected between Kakahi, on the Main Trunk line, and the shores of Lake Taupo, will cost considerably over £IOO,OOO. The approximate distance is 35 miles, and the cost per mile is to be about £3OOO. The line is thus to be a permanent work, and in addition, there will be side trams into various portions of the bush. Since the recent land sale at Te Kuiti, land speculation is in the air, and several lots have already changed hands at increased prices. It is stated that four sections, close to the Roads Department's office, which were taken up a few months ago at the upset prices, have been sold for £25 each. According to the amounts realised at. the sale, the prices are reasonable. Compared with average prices realised at the sale, one of the cheapest investments was the section with the billiard room, in Eora street. The purchaser of the section was offered an advance of £3O on his price immediately after the sale, but would not part with his bargain. The highest priced section was £lB 10s and not £ls 10s as previously stated by us. Steps are being taken by the Railway Department to improve the condition of the station yard at Te Kuiti. The approaches to the station are being well metalled with finely broken limestone, and pedestrians will now be able to reach the station, or postollice in wet weather, without suffering the inconvenience of wading through water and mud. The practice has also been adopted of uncoupling the trucks and leaving room for people to pass between them on each side of the goods shed, instead of having to pass round a long line of coupled trucks, in order to reach the post office.

Sheep-worrying has been going on at Tokipuhuki during the last week, and owners of dogs are notified that their animals will be destroyed if found trespassing on this property. With reference to the demands of the Commissioner of Crown Lands, requiring full particulars as to work undertaken and paid for from accrued thirds in any locality in the. County before the same could be scheduled, some remarks were made at the last meeting of the Waitomo County Council. The majority of the Councillors considered the demand too exacting, as work was often required to be done by thirds after grants had been expended, and until the Council knew how far the grants would go, it was impossible to supply the particulars required. The thirds should be scheduled and ready for expenditure, and the particulars could be furnished. Councillor Hunt considered it a ridiculous position that the Council could not be trusted to expend the thirds in a proper manner.