MATIERE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 494, 24 August 1912, Page 6

MATIERE.

Own Correspondent. Severe and continuous frosts here have left their mark on the pasturage, whitening and cutting back any growth that has obtained during milder spells. The last three days have been, however, quite genial, and the grass has taken on a tinge dear to the heart of an Irishman, and incidentally the grazing men. Quite the latest sensation here was the loss of a mail bag some three weeks ago and which was found near the sixteen , mile peg later, ripped open, and the contents the registered letters extracted. Rumour saith that the loss "was one hundred and forty pounds, but then she is a lying-jade and the police and detectives are as close as the well-known bivalves, and the man in the street has only conjecture to work his guesses on.

The railway survey party have been laying off the station yard for Matiere recently, beginning at a point near Mr CashePa store, and running inland. Moore's coach was laid up, and the mails were being packed in on horses a striking commentary on the roading method of the Ward party after all these years of lavish promises. The coach has just essayed another trip, nut stuck at the one mile, and arrived here about an hour after nightfall. The roads are drying up wonderfully, but, of course, the and adhesive state of the road ia heavier in traction than when it is slushy with a hard bottom.

A remarkable pest which once bothered Pharaoh has been apparent in our cattle,and as showing that it is general the manager of the Ruakura Stats Farm informed the writer that the farm cattle, though fat, were badly infested with lice. An infusion of tobacco is recommended as the safest and most effective, applied at intervals of ten days. Mr Harrison, our local saddler, is just now confined to his bed with bronchial troubles, but hopes to be about shortly.

We are exceedingly glad to see that Mr John MacGinlay has recovered from his protracted and dangerous illness and is following his usual vocation. We can ill afford to spare such genuine and kindly souls of John's stamp. Very few stock are being shifted at present, but no doubt when the roads are in better condition things will begin "to get a bend on." Some agitation is going forward to induce the Government to put forth special effort to get the road from the eleven mile to the junction of the railway opened for traffic, as this will save about seven miles of road, and also the surmounting of the "nine mile hill," always a bug bear to the fagged teams of horsemen plying on the road to Ongarue. A request has also gone through Mr C. K. Wilson, M.P., for a further grant of money to enable the Lands Department to get the rest of the township reserve felled, so that danger from a fire in later years may be obviated when buildings are erected on the sold portion. I hear that Mr J. Fitzgerald has gone out to Auckland to seek expert surgical treatment for an internal complaint. Mr Gilbert, manager of the local factory, is due to arrive shortly, and as the cows are now due to come in, we may expect that the winterstrained resources of the chronically hardup farmer will receive a reviver from the lubricant product of butter fat known as "palm oil."