WOODLANDS.

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 22, 26 August 1893, Page 12

WOODLANDS.

No extraordinary activity characterises our township just now. Measels seem to have left us now, and net too soon. We can well spare them, having had a very fair share of their effects in our district. The school attendance has not properly recovered from the scare yet. This is unfortunate in view of the inspector’s prospective visit of examination, while the present mode of payment of teachers’ salaries makes itself felt when the attendance falls short. There is a decided improvement in the weather within the last few days, coming after the recent stormy weather we ought to

appreciate it. Even these few dry days have done wonders for the roads, making them a little more passable, but great room for improvement still remains. While writing of roads, wouldn’t the Road Board and other bodies be wise and well within their ground, in prohibiting the travelling of traction engines on the newly-formed roads, during the wet season of the year? These ponderous machines play great havoc where the roads are newly formed: they are bad enough in all truth without being rendered utterly unfit by such damaging vehicles. Where the road is anyway solid they do little harm, but I think greater control should be exercised over the owners, and in the direction of prohibiting the use of those ways which have only recently, and at such a cost, been laid down. We have lately had the old station platform removed, and a gravel one substituted. This is as it should be; the old timber one—expensive to keep in repair, and out of date — was dangerous to the life and limbs of guards and shunters when wet and frosty, the great amount of their work having to be done at the platform. In other respects the railway people have been making some much-needed improvements about the station yard- The original mistake of those responsible is, however, always apparent in having placed the railway station, in front of which the train always stands between arrival and departure, too close to the road, thus forming an obstruction to road traffic for a short time anyway, and without consideration of the public’s interests. The dairy factory people are going in for improvement also, a large brick chimney is now being built in place of the old one of iron. The telephone is coming, so I hear, and will be taken advatage of extensively, no doubt, by those doing business with your town. As local “Knights of the cleaver,” in addition to those already with us, Messrs Matheson Bros, have commenced business, and apparently are striving hard to work up a trade. The Rev. J. McKellar now discourses from the local pulpit, although, as yet—contrary to what has appeared in some journals—he is not called to the charge. The facts are, that he is not yet eligible to receive a call. At the end of a certain period he will be. He is, therefore, only elected to carry on the work until the lapse of that time, when he is assured of a call from the Woodlands parish—of course with agreement of other portions of the charge.