RAGLAN.

The weather is very changeable, and during the past few weeks has been very severe on stock of all kinds the cold and wet, with cutting winds reducing condition even faster than shortage of feed. Comparatively speaking, though severe frosts have cut down grass, and more especially clover, feed is not so scarce here as it is in other districts at the present time, a fact which is helped considerably by the general excellence of root crops, A good many of the settlers have made a start with swede stocking, and with the removal of the top the bulbs are making a capital show.

On May 24th a harvest thanksgiving service was held in the Congregational Church, the interior of the building being decorated with the fruits of the earth. On Tuesday night a Congregational concert took place in the Town Hall, and was well patronised by the public. At the dose of the programme the produce previously mentioned was disposed of by auction. Mr A. R. Langley wielded the hammer and somo spirited bidding resulted. Among other high-priced commodities two single pound sections of honey realised f.s 6d.

The second in a series of fortnightly Geisha dances eventuated on Friday, and proved a very enjoyitble function.

Owing to the prevalence of strong winds the roads are in a much better condition than is usual at this time of year. *

The flax mills are closing down for the winter months, as it scarcely pays to run them under the adverse weather conditions of this time of the year. A few years ago flax milling was largely done by boys who received a few shillings per day, now in these more enlightened (?) days a boy gets a man’s wage. For instance the minimum wage paid this season at Mr Rutherford’s Te Aoterei mill has been 11s 3d for a ten-hour day. It is contended that a boy engaged in a mill is doing a man’s work and should get a man's pay, but this is only true to a certain extent. A boy may be able to catch the fibre ns it drops from the beaters or perform a few other operations as expeditiously and efficiently as a mail, but take the same boy and put him at cutting flax or baling, etc., and it will at once be discovered that he is very far indeed from being equal to man’s work.

Mr F. Sutton, junr., accompanied by Mr W. Baker, slipped quietly out of the Raglan harbour at 1 p.m. last Monday in a 20ft launch of his own construction. It was considered a very foolhardy thing to do at this time of the year, but fortunately the weather was perfect throughout the trip and the distance from bar to bar was covered in the remarkably good time of eight hours.—Own correspondent.