RAGLAN.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2221, 2 October 1886, Page 2

RAGLAN.

Dubino tho fine d.iys of the past week farmers here htwe boen very busy petting in their oats and potatoes. The former require constant care until well up, as thousands (if birds coma to devoir them. Poisoned grain no doubt destroys grout numbers, but unless it is systematically laid down by all hands it cannot do much good. Tho loc.il bodies should take tho mutter up. In former years »i good quantity of wheat was grown here, but now, owing to the destructivenesa (if small birds it is impossible to make suro of any return". Spung seems to have burst upon us all at once. Tho grass is springing up bright and green. Fruit trees are bursting into blossom, and nature onco more smiles again after our long and dreary winter. The seagulls that havo staid upon our harbour shores have retired to their ocean feeding grounds, the song of the blackbird and the tbru->h is heard in tho thicket, and the lark once more carols the sky. The tenders for fresh mail service from Hamilton to this place are now out, and whoever may be the party to obtain the contract it is to be hoped he will perform it as well as the present mail contractor has done. Vor in spite of tho most severe weather, and worse than wretched roads the contract time has been well kept— a very different state of things to former times when our mail has beon often hours late in arriving hero. It does not seem by some accounts that the Temperance Settlement scheme of Mr Glayden'a is going to be a great success. The letter which he wrote to the Herald seems to have done him harm. Whilst heavy rains have fallen in Now Zealand during the last few weeks, in England they also seem to have suffered. In one town in the north of England, 3^ inches of rain felt durnifjf twenty-four hours. The highest previous recurd being under two inches. The criticism of the Wellington Press upon Mr Vailo's scheme is certainly severe, but nevertheless be-ido tho mark in desiring that tho subject should be considered by practical men : as if it had not already been so considered. Having served my time in the samo engineering firm, and worked at the same binch with Mr William Conyer-*, who gave evidence in Wellington in favour of Mr Vaile's scheme, 1 can testify to his practical knowledge. But perhaps it will be as well to look over the water into Victoria and see what they are doing while we are suffering, for, as Zimmerman says, •• wo aie always doing or suffering," and it certainly seems that the latter is our portion in these inlands. Let us see, then, if cheap f.tres are remunerative there. The Age of the 10th August says : "The farmers ex cursion trips organised by the Kail way Commissioner*, and which commetced on the r>th July, have proved highly successful to the Railway Department from a financial point of view. The total number of pas-engers carried was 3332, and the revenue amounted to £3138 lCs Bd, or an average earning of 14s per train mile, as against (!b 4^l for ordinary traffic. Altogether 33 train-. w^ra despatched, and tho milage run reached 4450. ' Happy Victoria in having such practical Railway Commissioners ! Mr Vaile seems to have been blamed for not taking the goods traffic into consideration. But if passenger traffic is increased it stands to reason that the goods traffic must also increase, and therefore a great reduction can be made in its rates. Mr Va-ile's plans are correct, and one of the great reasons he met with so much opposition from men in high places is that they did not think and work out the scheme. — (Own Correspondent, Raglan, Sept. 25, 188 G.)