NOTES FROM ST. BATHANS.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 199, 20 December 1872, Page 6

NOTES FROM ST. BATHANS.

• ,The agitation for .a.;.reduction in the price .of: water—which, by the wayj- originated* with the water squatters themselves resulted in a total failure At a meeting of the Scandinavian Company, 'convened for the'purpos'e of taking; the 'subject into consideration-—and: at Cwliich the sharehMd'er? in D'unedin were repre->i sented bya cojiple. of. jdelegates-rit was J resolved by a liarge majority that tlie pre-1 sent price/ should r: be maintained. * This 1 decision has caused great disappointment, i ;as it )was: generally understood , that a reduction would take place aoout the New Year. The water have; of i course, a perfect right : to. charge what i they please for their Water; but'it is the general opinion here. that their refusal to bring the water down to a reasonable price" will not, tend to improve the , ;dividends. Time wiil tell. One thing is certain. : the miners cannot . make both ends meet at .the present prices. \ -...j.The continued drought .is -rapidly-re-ducing our water supply; and,-should it ■ continue ia; week' or two longer; a number of hands will be thrown out of employment? The crops throughout the district are; also suffering the same cause, and will be extremely light. The'programme, for our annual races on the"'26tli and 27ih instant has beeii issued. The amount of stakes, to be competed for is £l2O. This is a greab falling offr } from previous, : years ;; but the smallness of > tlie stakes will not in any*way; interfere witib of the meeting;; and it is even expected that .attendance will be larger thaii ;usual, 1 on? account of tlie isftcracks " being debarred,! and the entries confined to second and third class hors'ek, iof which ; there i are t a. great ;many, in ,tlie r district.' nvimber of-mihers' Jiorses'"aije ! in trainmg;%nd:an 'extraordinary, amount of horsey, excitement is .abr6^l:, } .l33eiie w ill be a large number of .entries;,and some capital racing. X,have ho hesitation in that our; 1§72 meeting will be an immense; success,; : both as regards the attendance oi' bipeds and quadrupeds, and the quality of the sport. ! ■ - > Mr. J?. ..Hanrahan, of' the Ballarat •Hotel, hafr» purchased the right to the ' grand stand' and refreshment • booth, and a^ple ; provision , will be v made for the accommodation of visitors.