COUNTRY NEWS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 200, 22 August 1905, Page 2

COUNTRY NEWS.

MATAMATA. (From Our Own Correspondent.) Dnring the last three weeks or more, fine spring weather prevailed In this district, and in consequence the grass ami young crops are looking very well all over th'- Bi-tlit aieut. General fm~a work Is hi active process everywhere in this ipca.ity aud bbi.Uiiig. opera nous still continue iv and arouud Minamata, sevciaJ new uouses being at present in the course of erection. The Waliaroa, Gordon >md township creameries have now resuimd operations four a ays in the week, and, considering that ir is still so early iv the Season, the supply of milk su far is' most sutisfactoiy. anil the shaieuulders art again anticipating another very prosperous daiiyi:;j; season. The other two creameries in Mutauiata art , expected to opeu ai the beginning oi uext month. Lamuing in this part oi rh,.- country stil. freely continues, tlif ylfjd brlny a very satisfactory one, aud the percentage of losses so far heiug very tew indeed. Everything Deiug vow eatis/a'-rurUr arranged in i-pgurd to the transfer of thtseiected site, Messrs MoXicul and; Co. have begun building tne uew s-aleyards in the Matamata township, and expect to have them completed in alxjut three months. These yards wi.l prove a groat convenience not ou*y to tnc Matamata seltiers, but also to a gieat number more in the adjacent distruis. over 200 hfad oi cattie baring been driven this week from the Matamata district to the Waihou asm.-, a distance of over tweuty-tive miles. Messrs Foreman Bros., of Waharoa, are busily engaged in erecting a new flaxinHi oi' thi' property of Mr A. Watts, near the statlou, aud hop' ro have it in thniough roinjr ord'T very sooa. There is la this p£.rl of the province a steady demaud for land, Dian> both largt and small properties having recently changed hands at very satisfactory prices The Assets Board is lapicMy dlspos.ng of tinRichmond Downs estate, most of rhe pur'"biuers being now occupied in erecting riwetlibshousc-t upon thei' holdings. The I'lako County Council arc at present re-uah-in? the Waharoa-Gordon ropri, which a though one of our main thoroughfares, has for some tjmc past been both impassable and dangerous. On Fiiday evening last the ladies of Matamata gave a most enjoyable social and dance in the woolshed. which was tastefully decorated for the occasion. Quite a crowd responded to the invitation, every district for miles around being largplv represented. Mr J. Stfcn acted verr efficiently as M.C.. while the Carroll Bros., from the Gordon, provided a varied programme or excellent music. The supper was sunplied by Mi James, the local baker ana was quite up-to-date. The floor «-a S iv Sne order, and dancing was enthusiastically indulged in nntil daybreak everroue thoroughly enjoying themselves. Great credit Is due to the Ladies' Committee for the emm-nt success of the function. Last Saturday in the township reservp the Matamata footballers met and defeated the Mamaku payers l>y 22 points io 3 th ■ local team proving tSemselves supeiior to the visitors in every department of tingaine. The Matamata Clnb has now nlaved six matches, having won five and lost 6w

BKOOKLYN. This district is displaying grea, activity at present. A large area of bush i s being felJed, one settler having 100 acres in course of felling, and soint miles of fencing bcluff dove. The object is to put on she-p, which do very well here. Several plates hare changed fctanda, the prii-es ranging from three to four pounds uer acre. One small place sold at £12 per acre Everything progresses but the roaas and thsy are quagnjires, as usual. By a "letter in your paper exception has been taken to the statements made ut a meeting of settlers to protest ng.iiu.st the waste of money on a wharf at th > Huia. The meetiti" was iUti'niled by all the principal settlers of the district, who arp married men with families, and are also ratepayers and resiuents, and owners of land, with all their interests bound up in the district. The road to the Huia is passable to vehicles in the summer lime, and they are no worse off than those of Brooklynn in the winter, as all vehicles tease running there, as well as at the Iluln "Wo j;ot mir stores by water from Onehunga. acd the freight is 7/C per ton, but to the Mu'a it is only 5/ per tou. The d upon for a wharf is at the IJttle Huia and there are only three houses there, one being a but occupied by one man. Th Lluia is over a mile away., and the wtiarf would be of no use to them, as they can get tneir stores by launch ana cutle' - nrou-ght close to them, and would never hump their goods one tind a half to n:i!i-s. The writer must have me:mt leagll'-s instwid ot miles, and to set th? pi"p!e U.- mentions, he vrculd have to count every man, woman, child, and baby for four mile? round. As for the pleasure seekers, that happens only two or three times' a y-ar. A petition has been -sent to Government for a grant for the Xew road, which the Hnia people use as much as thoso of Brooklyn, nnd the proposed wharf p,-.-judices that. There Is no do? in the policy, but we are waking up. hnving been silent too long, and w tirod of sceii;i the money always gdlng pßfft us to the fi»r •ad o< tli'e dli«rl«t