STRATFORD.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 March 1917, Page 3

STRATFORD.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) [All communications,' letters, etc., left with Mr. J. Hopkins, bookseller, will receive prompt attention.]

Stratford, March 23. Vtc had a slight drizzling rain yesterday, hut not for long, and to-day the snn is shining as clear as ever. The heavy dews falling at night are helping tlie green crops to make some sort of a stand against the continuous sunshine, lint just now the farmer wants rain, and plenty of it.

It is very noticeable at present that few farmers are in town. Some, who profess/ to know, state that the farmer is busy at home working out what lie has to pay by way of excess .profit tax. There are plenty of people who would •he pleased to see their incomes reach figures necessary to be penalisd by the new law.

Judging by remarks made, the Ohura settlers were more than pleased with the hospitality showered on them during their short stay in New Plymouth.

Several inquiries have been made of me as to the prices to he charged at the new picture show now in course of erection. The chairman of the Stratford Amusements Company informs me that the prices downstairs will be 6d and Is, and dress circle ladies Is, gentlemen Is 6d. In due course full particulars will be made known.

Those attending the Moa (Inglonvood) Road Board meetings are frequently notified "that the settlers on certain roads had assisted the Board by giving free labor. The Stratford A. & P. Association has also had good work" [accomplished at a minimum of cost on their grounds. So far the writer lias not been aware of any free assistance being given the County Council. Perhaps the settlers believe their rates are high enough to ensuro the work by county roadmen. Again, perhaps, the settlers are so far that it would take too long a spell to round up the settlers for any particular class of work.

Yesterday several inotabersi of the Stratford A. & P. '.Association met oil the grounds to assist in dismantling the people's stand. The attendance was disappointing, and it is noticeable that it is the same few at each working bee called by the association. Those wio grafted hard for no money and bruised knuckles did receive some reward, as several ladies attended, and with afternoon tea and cakes made the workers comfortable and helped to bring oblivion to damaged shins whilst engaged in the task of sampling the dainties provided. The Bishop of Wellington, who has been holding confirmation classes at Haweia this week, joined the south express there tliia morning. As a result of the late Normanby Horticultural Society's show the fund's have received a' substantial lift, the show proving a great success. The complete financial figures are not yet available. Prize money to be paid out totals £BO. Votes of thanks were parsed at the last executive meeting to tlie secretary and the Mnnaia Band (23 members) for valuable assistance.

The great Allies' march continues. First we have the capture of Bagdad, then Bapaume, and now Peronne is wrested from the enemy's grip. Writing of grips, reminds one that there has been quite a run on ladies' handbags in Stratford. This is scarcely to be wondered at, seeing that C. E. James, of the Jewellery and Fancy Goods Warehouse, has been offering some, which for price and quality are unequalled in the Dominion.

OUT IN THE COUNTRY, Recently I took an opportunity offered to see some of the country roads. The county's crushing plant was en route to the easterrt portion of the county, and the engineer (Mr. Lopdell) having to go over the grounds, the writer made most of the opportunity to see what the roads, bridges and country in this part of the county were like. The time was hardly an ideal one to see the country at it's best. Indeed, the dry spen would rathei tend to show things at their worst, but it may be said that the roads generally were in remarkably good order. ■vr-J'r there were isolated occasions when'the car suddenly dropped into a dust-filled hole, and the rebound to solid clay liftfd us for a few seconds a few feet in the air, whilst the eternal winding of the roads at times caused one to rock into the man at the wheel with the closeness of a honeymooning couple, and again another curve would have us cannonading against the extreme width of the car. The dust was everywhere. It was something approaching a mud bath, but the writer did not mind that, it being all in the day's work. During the run out Puniwhaku and Tututawa were visited. The first, portion of the road had a solid foundation of metal (shingle), then m patches one struck clay and shell-rock. The latter makes a roadway something approaching limestone, and one would imagine that a tar-sealed surface with a shell-rock foundation would, next to concrete, prove the ideal road. There are several small but substantial concrete bridges on this route, and whilst being permanent, are also strong enough to meet any heavy traffic i:kely to go over this, route for years to come. Getting past Douglas one motors into country that must at times prove a nightmare to engineer and surfaceman. There was a time when the numerous ridges and saddles designated the Mangaehu, were clothed in forestry. Now .these ridges are destitute of trees, and slabs of papa, with dwarfed shrubs, greet the eye. The substitution of native forests by clearing lias not enhanced tiu scenery, but has added to the cost of the county. In what way the city men may ask? The answer is the continuous slipping away of sidings and cuttings, A belt of trees will hold a hank for years, but expose the cliff and it seems ashamed of its appearance, and promptly slides down into the river below, and before getting that far loaves many tons of cold sticky rubble on the highway. Although slips have not- been prevalent lately, traces were evident of past happenings, in some portions of the gorge it is probable that more are to come down. At present the creeks are dry, and the rivers low. But rivers are not always calculated by inches deep. One noticed some bridge men at Hodder's suspension bridge. Roughly speaking this crossing is thirty ffiet abo-ve the present stream. Yet there are times when the platform is perilously close to mud-covered, treelittered, swollen racing waters rushing under. Further on we passed a bridge that is no longer useful. The foundations at one end are decidedly good, at the other end they are anything but good. As a matter of fact, one solitary pile stood like a lonely sentinel bewailing the loss of. a company. This disaster was mainly attributable to the phenomenal flow of water in the locality, and alio

the vagaries of the stream. Usually creeks can be reckoned on to flow in welldefined directions, but here the creek seems to behave in a manner that is bewildering to engineer and costly to the county. Other engineers have ■ had trouble in this locality, but Mr Lopdell believes he has now struck a good lasting foundation a few yards further from' the bridge in question. In the meantime, a small temporary structure fulfils requirements. In this locality one has plenty to observe. He can see about 24 inches of freeboard between the ear and the river below. He can look across the gorge and sen settlers' houses that show there are some people in .the locality and that the car is not altogether in the wilderness. One can imagine the pleasurable anticipations conjured up in the mind of Mrs Jackson when luibby comes home with the information that the next section has been secured by Mr Johnson, and that probably in IS months' time her new neighbor will be half a mile away instead of one mile. One or two schools were observed, and the youngsters are sturdy and of good physique, large heaps of shell-rock boulders were strewn along the road ready for the stone-crushing plant, and when this metal is distributed and rolled 111 the settlers should have a good road to move over. This riding is represented by Mr. Worthington, and coming into Stratford one passes over the ridings of Crs. Walter and Were. The surfacemen hold no job a townsman may envy. One, J. Savage, deserves particular mention. His length of road is famous for slips, and it is frequently a dangerous task attending to these sudden falls of papa. Still the roadman swings his "banjo" to some purpose, and smartly pushes or carries the debris to the edge of the road, where it soon joins the otlie mullock that discolors the river, and indicates to the sailor at sea that they must be having some rain inland. The stone-crushing plant is a very heavy and cumbersome piece of machinery to move over roads that appear to twist like a corkscrew, but they made the journey safely. With the horse caravans following, their entry into Puniwhaku was quite an event. Later on when the results of the crushing are on the road the benefits will bo very apparent. As it is the roads fire, all things considered, very good; indeed better by far than the'writer anticipates.