COAL CREEK FLAT.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 382, 15 August 1874, Page 2

COAL CREEK FLAT.

where other Governments used to keep a man or two filling in the ruts with ciay. --Erery district in the Province hasre«3ye.d attention and benefit, through him )( aTsL'this-iB appaI tently the ''Height of his 6ffend|ng." ' The sevei'e frost has had a serujus effect in retarding mining th^s wiaterV* Water .for sluicing purposes. is veiy scarce ; a good many claims cannot '.be-workecl.half the time,' so th» yield of \gokL must be v-vetyv -vety- email. The farmers alsi? coin plain of the severe frost, for they cannot plough the land until the sun thaws the surface, and then the day is half gone. I have heard that Mr. Etching intends --•this year- to plough five thousand acroa.on-.the , Aloa Flat block, in the Spylaw valley. This is a splendid piece of land, where fifty families could live in comfort.

{From our own Correspondent.) August 10th. Your leader in last Wednesday's issue gives statistics which show that the New Zealand forests are fast disappearing* and very little practical effort is made to replace them, although there is a great deal of talk about it, for everyone must be interested in such a vital matter. Some time ago the Provincial Government apparently held out inducements to people willing to plant forest trees.. Some of the residents here, seeing the great benefits likely to be derived from planting a forest, applied- for a piece of land for this purpose. The runholder's consent had to- be obtained, when, of course, the runholder refused. ; so forest planting, like settlement, is at, the mercy of the runholder. To the runholdera burning the grass may be attributed the destruction of nearly all the scrub and foreSts which have been destroyed in New Zealand. What chance, I ■would ask, have young trees to grow where the grass is periodically burnt? If the Government are really in favor of forests- being planted, let fchem offer sufficient inducements, and compensate the runholders for the loss of- those parts of thoir runs eeleeted, and then we should soon hare-forests growing to replace those destroyed. I know several men on Coal Creek Flat who woujd plant forest trees if they could obtain the land in which to plant them.. Mr. Bastings seems to be the only member of the- Waste Lands Board who wishes to retain the goldfields for mining purposes, so I think the sooner the control of the goldfields is placed in the hands of the General Government the better for the miners. Then we might get a fair proportion of the revenue derived from, the goldfields expended in making roads and bridges to them. Because ■ Mr. Bastings truly represented his constituents and the goldfields- of the province, be was politically martyred. In what, I would ask, has Mr. Bastings offended ? Honor to whom honor is due ; even Mr. Turnbull gave him a jrood character. Mr. Bastings has done more good for tho interior of Otago than any other member we have had. With Mr. Turnbull he visited the interior of the province, inquiring into the people's wants, and as far as lay in hi& power attended to them. A good many miles of road between Tuapeka and Alexandra have, been pitched, and grareljed,