DEEP STREAM

Otago Witness, Issue 2817, 4 March 1908, Page 39

DEEP STREAM

February 25.— There have bean days luring the last month that would hwve done credit: to ihe tropiesi Rain- is vesy much wanted, aa the land is literally burnt up, but so far there iff no aign of amy. \ Mining. — The Deep Stream S-luicing Company haa been, obliged-, to sfiiut down owingto want of water. 1 heat om good arothdrity that Mr Thomas Reid has fleated hia claim at the German Spsir, Lammerlaw, and- that : a company will work it henceforth. W»i«r is t>be- great difficulty up, there, but if a race ia t»ken out of the. Taieri River a supply will be secured which no drought •will afEeet, and thi* claim will be a* very valuable property. \ Dam? Sites- on the Larumer-law. — Last year the Government spent a. considerable amount p of moEiey in surveying, above the Taieri Fails < for a- dam site- in' which to conserve water for irriga.tiott purposes. Within » week or twa t&e surveyor* will b* surveying another I site- on M*Hardy r s Swamp- as> an aMwraativ,© scheme. It. is proposed to place .a dam across the Loganburn st the entrance ta tike goig»througfc which it wins to the. Upper Taieri Plan. Thia, with probably a. dam on the Suttan side-, would turn Swamp • into a spleaadid sheet of water at a , comparatively small coat, but I understand that ; there would be some \»ery costly work in the nature of tunnels before the water reached the Maniototo Plain, where it iff much needed for irrigation. General. — During a visit paid to the- • Upper Taaeri Plain las* week I could not ' help but notice what splendid crops- the* settlera there have thia year. B»th oats and turnips axe quite equal' te> anything: to be seen on the &tr»th-TaieJ:i, and the- land' is not ■ burnt up or parched- like/ that in thelower conntßy. Fine houee* have been « erected by moat of the- sefcUera, and everything in and. about the plain betokens prosperity. A fin* bridge haa just* been completed over the Taieri' RLvex at the Styx, , and Mr Robea* M'Badde, t&e contractor, and hia aona have every reason, to be proud of their wc?rk. for both materials and workman- ' ship are of the- best. The main, bridge- is , 158 ft long amd 13ft widfe between the raila» , and.' ft smaller bridge over a% by-wast ie ' 44ft long. Rumour htw it that Sir J. G-. , Ward will open tfie bridge- shortly and pay ■ a visit to the proposed 1 dam aste atM'Hardy'a , Swamp. Anoihesr general- election is near, f and evil-minded folks are whispering that all this activity in searclrang for diam sites : may in some mysterious way be -tSbnnTt^cd' 1 ' with this- grea* event-— [Arjrived. too late for ' last week's issue.]