COMMERCIAL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3385, 13 December 1889, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

Sydney, December 11, Wheat— Chiek t'eod, 2s 3d, with a plentiful supply; New Zealand milling, 3s, market dull. Oats—best teed. Is 9d to 2s '3d, Maize—New Maud, 3s Id; Cape, 2s Gd to 2s Bd, nominal. Bran and pollard quiet at 7{d. Blue Prussian peas, 'ls Gd to 4s ( Jd, Oatmeal, very quiet, at £ll to £,['}, Old potatoes are unsaleable ; new crop, plentiful, at £3 to .£3 10a, The onion market is glutted at £6 to £7, Butter—Dairy made, 3id to fid; separator made, Gd to 7d; local factory make, ?d to Bd, CheeseBest local made, 5d to Gd; New Zealand made, Gd to (jjd. baconLocal cured, Gd to 7d; New Zealand cosed, 9d; hams, Now Zealand cured, lid to Is, with market qniet,

FIRE AT ERETAHUNA.

(From Our Own Correaponclont.) Between 8 and -1 o'clock this morning the Railway Hotel, occupied by Mr Guttler, was burnt to the ground. From wlrnt I can hear by enquiries on the ground it seems that the fi;e originated in the kitchen, Mr Malborg, proprietor of the skating rink, was alarmed by tho smell of burning wood, Ho rushed out, and saw smoke issuing from tho kitchen and spreading through tho house, The alarm was at once giveu, tho railway whistle blown to arouso the inhabitants, but scarce anyone in Eketahuna heard it unfortunately, sq there were very fow people on the ground to help. _ Tliero seems to have been great difficulty in arousing the people in tho house. Mr and Mrs Cuttler were the first to escape. A gentleman named Craven, stopping in the house, had a narrow escape. He pitched his clothes out of the upstairs window and then had to jump for life, but landed safely. The alarm was then given that the servant girl had not been seen, and it ■ was feared cho had been .overpowered by the smokp. How-, ever, eUp was arotisoi aVlast'&ad

managed to escape,; I hear thai; Mr Hood, cleaner for the railway department, wns : the first :to see the fire, ( anil gave the alarm by blowing the engine whistle, 'The night was very | .calm or else oilier buildings would lmve gono, h it was the stables | were slightly scorched 011 tlio one ( side, and the windows of Mr Neilson's : boarding-house were nearly all broken by the heat. Nothing whatever was ( saved! The whole building, a wooden ( one, is levelled to the ground, one , chimney only standing. The premises. ( belong to Mr Anders Anderson, who purchased them sometime back from , Mrs Tuck for 1800. There is mi . insurance on the building of £4OO, : the premises being let to Mr Guttler. . The latter gentleman ha 3 an insurance of c£2oo ou tlio furniture, and £IOO on the stock. Mr Guttler estimates his loss over and above tho insurance at £IOO. Mr Anderson is a heavy loser, to the extent of L7OO. From the time smoke was first seen by Mr Hood to the falling in. of tho roof did not exceed 40 minutes. Another correspondent writes; — The Railway Hotel, Ekolaliiina, owned by Mr Anders Anderson, and occupied by Alfred Guttler, was completely destroyed by fire this morning. The fire, which is supposed to have resulted from a defective cliiumoy, was first noticed roping along .the lean-to roof by Mr Hood, engine-cleaner on tho ; Government Railway. Hood imroo--1 diately gave the alarm, but although 1 every olfort was used nothing was saved, and the inmates escaped with little else .than their lives, i Tho house was insured in favor of the mortgagee (Mrs Mary Tuck) for 1400 in the Golonial, furniture £2OO in the Standard, stock £IOO in the same Office. A new piano, also destroyed, was separately insured.

Wairarapa North County ] Council., i

ENQISEER'S BEI'ORT. !

• Masierton Bidikg.—Maslerton to Waimnta Eoad. Mastortoh lo Kahumtngi Bectiou. With tho exception of a few days work tho metal carting contract has been completed for tho f)resont t owing to want of further f un«l«. In ordor howover to put the road in suitable condition for next winter's traffic it will be necessary to undertiko farther repairs on portions of the lino during the autumn. Complaints have been lodged at tbis oflico with leferoncß to the enclosing of the Buamahun«a river bed in proximity to the bridge at To Oro Ore. The obstruction complained of is a fimco recently erected liy tho adjacent property holder, and which to save labor and materials bas been connected with the biidge approaches, It is atated that considerable inconvonienco is suffered by drivers and others, who in aiuuraor would travel by preference through the river, by closing out tho old line, I would ask whether the Council are prepared to instruct lue to have it reopened by removing the fence to the proper ' road boundaries, •

.Opaki-Manawatu Eoad.—The contract tnetalliu" repairs have bra completed on the portion of this line within tho Masterton Riding.

Oastlkpoini Riding,—Masterton lo Waimata Koad. Contract No, 581 (road formation and metalling), Good progress has been made with this road, which will bo completed in the course of a few days. The contractors who were aho the successful tenderers for tbo road repairs recentlyietfiirther along this lino, will shortly coiomenco carting on the road from the Tinui township towards Mamuva and Whakatuki.

Tenders have been invited to close this day dealing with the surface repairs between Kahumingi and the junction of the Black Hill track with main line.

Ai,hiedton Hiding.—EkeUlimiu to Tcmii Road (Eketahuna to Tirauraca section), Contract No 21. (bridge painting). Thiti contract was satistactorily comi»lutetl a fow Jays ago. The work in-all respect 1 ) lias been faithfully performed, Contract No 22, (Tiraumea road repairs) was linishcd on Monday last the 9ih ulto, Contract No 23 (road formation). The contractor for tliis work has arrived on the ground and commenced operations. When lust inspected nothing of importance bad been done, Tenders for bridge construction on thin lino will be placed before the Council at the present Bitting. In accordance with the Councils instructional visited and cxainiued the road survey receully executed by Mr McLacblan through Mr Henry Burling jar's, property. The Council were in error, however, in supposing that the lino located by the Board was intended to hu ut dwiutiou ol the present main road, 'J ho physical character of the country in thn locality would scarcely permit of any advantageous alteration of tlio present course of tlio main line, and the line through Mr finding's takes a route somewhat at right angles to it, and is separated from it by a range of hills of considerable altitude, From this staudpoint, therefore, the Council may bo said to possess no interest in the undertaking. It is only right, however, to poiut out that the county road Irom the point of divergence from tho board's road to its junction with the Manawa lino is pnctically of little or no value to tlio district. This portion traverses through occupied country for some miles. by a route which cannot readily give access to tho homesteads; besides which the ruggedness of the country

will render iis formation most costly, while no commensurate advantages are to bo derived by its construction, owing to tho indirectness of its course between the points-which it sought to connect by it,

Tljo continuation of the Board's road will lead into the Crown lauds in tlio Boutli I'ukeloi, besides giving

rond access to several resident settlers and it is on this ground only that the Council could entertain fcha Alfrcdtou Road Board's request for assistant towards acquiring the right of way. The connection of the Alfiedton iind Tenui districts would bo secured by the Castle Hill road, which for directness of route and economy of construction, possess great advantages over the present main line, and is that which I consider should have been originally selected as the County road, Contract No 27.—Opaki to lianawatu road-Progress on this work has been somewhat retarded during the month, by wet weather, Considerable -earthwork has hem removed from the heavy cuttings, und construction of the roadway will be proceeded with during the ensuing month. It is anticipated, with favorable weather, that metalling will be taken in hand ou the northern povtionof the contract in the course of a week or two, The metal repairs contract on the Eketahuna to Pahiatua Section is now in process of execution, and will he completed at an early date. "

jhe RMS. Arm from Plymouth, loft Hobart at 10 yesterday morning for New Zoaland; She brings 82 passengers (or Auattalia, and 107 tor M Zealand.