MOA FLAT

Tuapeka Times, Volume I, Issue 27, 15 August 1868, Page 3

MOA FLAT

(JFrom our own Correspondent).

It is a hackneyed phraseology to say, well may August be termed an uncertain month as regards the weather, though, for my part, I should be almost inclined, to think the term uncertain, somewhat inapplicable, as for. the last six years, the compas of my experience in Otago, it has shown itself rather certain in the way of snow and sleet. Mount Banger and its twin brother the Old Man Range, have received such a battering from the recent snow storing, that in many places they seem to bo a good deal flattened, and the weather as may be assumed, from the constant alternate sleet and rain, is not very favorable for mining. Many of your readers will bear me out with compliant credulity wheu I say that the Molyneux is of a changeful character, very easily provoked, but experience has sufficiently proved that- its peculiar disposition is at all times agreeably servicable to the essential dict'ites of nature ; and tho minerSj especially the Beach G-ropers who anticipating a sudden "rise," begin to look very gloomy, and business people arc shaking their disconsolate heads very energetically, . but they are only murmuring as yet, and we do a deal of murmuring here before anything oomes of it, still such signs are not to be altogether lost sight of. If the miners in your quarter are likely to have a redundancy of political justice, we shall, I make no doubt bo able to -take it at a good figure ; theu aa to the weather it is the only thing in* the country, excepting the Government, that Has been inhospitable lately.- The runholders ' are not quite bo bad, though we are so beset with .them that one can do nothing but run against thriii. Tlvj occm»y thousands of acres in ■j y in:.i Mini; iii-sjhb.ffliood, under a chronic £}hl<yiO r " puvvvs.A aclfinmatrution, soroanU fcsklv pajoiianr to our Otagonian legislators, jieldisigjto tho general revenue no tangible i^oi^fit {whatever. What we want at the ' preJent time is an agrarian, reform, as the principles upon which the present Government have acted .plainly proves that they, are averse to tba beneficial influences of colonisation. It is not my province to hint afr, much less to generalise On the political digression of fur paternal G-overnmeut, and the utter fallacy of their land policy, which clearly exhifeiti the vgMqoivoetl tendency of detao-

ralising political virtue. In tho Mount BongDP district there are two run 3 comprising an area of fifty fire thousand acres realizing tho comparatively insignificant sum of 1.173 Is 6d yearly . to the general revenuo of iho" province. Ido not point this out to jour readers simply as an insulate fact, but merely as one of the many deplorable -instances of the retrogressive policy of the present Government, and their 'unfashionable manner of dealing wilh the public estate. Now sit' although tho inhabitants of this district have been hammering awny with due energy at each successive Government for the hist two or three years, to cancel portions of those runs for agricultural settlement and grazing purposes, it is my unpleasant duty to record the fact, -hat; we still find ourselves in tho seme vi satisfactory position, relatively speaking, as those of the descendants of Israel who died in the wildetneso iv light of tho Promised Land.

The people ab.mt here would be glad if tho Road Engineer, Mr Smaill or Small, I am not sure of the spelling, would pay the- Benger Burn a visit and take its measure for the promised foot-bridge. As tbe necessary amount for building tho bridge has been placed on the Estimates. I can aeo no eai thly reason for delaying anything 80 badiy needed. It is to bo hoped therefore that llw Secretary for Land and Works will give instructions to go on with the work at unco.

Tho Coal Creek Buees are creating considerable excitement amongst our local turfite?. The race course, I understand, has bocn put in first rate order.