CLUTHA NEWS ITEMS.

Bruce Herald, Volume LI, Issue 67, 30 August 1915, Page 4

CLUTHA NEWS ITEMS.

' —« »*» (From Clutha Leader.) Yesterday the five South Otago "queens" went into Dunedin, at the invitation of the Otago Queen Carnival Executive, to rehearse for the coronation ceremonies in Dunedin, in which they are to participate. In this week's casualty lists the only local name we noticed was that of Private David McNeil (brother of Miss K. McNeil, Benhar), who was admitted to First Australian General Hospital, Heliopolis, suffering from a wound in the shoulder. The Clutha river is now running so low that it entails careful navigation to safely traverse the Clutha's run up and down river, and should the river fall slightly more the steamer service will probably have to be . temporarily stopped. Fortunately the bulk of the grain has now been brought away from up-river sheds. On the return journey on Wednesday night from the Owaka Queen Carnival coronation ceremony the five South Otago "queens" were each presented with their respective pennants used in the contest, as a memento of the carnival. Mr R. Hutton, who made the presentations, spoke in glowing terms of the hard work so willingly and nobly performed by the "queens." The Otago Farmers' Co-op. offered at their rooms on Wednesday, on account of Mr Geo. Smith, senr., 19 allotments in the town of Wairawaru, Kaka Point. ■There was a fair attendance of buyers, and 10 lots were sold at the following prices:—Lot 1, 9A poles, £18; lot 2, 8 poles, £l4 10s; lots 3 and 5, 8 and 11 poles respectively, £l3 each; lot 4, 8 • poles, £l4; lots 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, of 13, 14, 25, 20 and 20 poles respectively, £ls each. Mr W. F. Tubman, one time manager for the Clutha Timber and Hardware Company, and now traveller for the New Zealand Pine Company, has received notice to report himself at Trentham on September, his offer for active service as a n.c.o. having been accepted. Mr Tubman has been privately presented by several friends with a wristlet watch, a fountain pen and a pair of field glasses. On account of the phenomenal spell of dry weather householders in bouth Otago are being faced with a purewater famine. Of late the municipal water has become "riper" in coloui and higher in odour, and is practically useless for all domestic purposes, consequently the fortunate housewife who still possesses a good store of rain water is held in high favour by her less fortunate neighbours. In Owaka the •water famine is also felt, but one resident philosophically informed a Leader representative that "we've got any amount of good creeks about." Apparently the motor is superseding the horse even with stock drovers. The other day a well-known local cattle dealer was noticed to be mounted on his motor bicycle while driving a line of cattle to the Finegand freezing works. A certain farmer, not a hundred miles from' Balclutlia, who owns a motor car, went one better. A Leader representative on Tuesday, hastening on a push bike along Hasborough road to a meeting at Stirling, was delayed at the cliffs by a mob of sheep, but his annoyance passed to amusement when he noticed that the sheep were being driven by the farmer aforementioned, who placidly sat in his motor car. Proceeding, the reporter reached the meeting in time to hear 21 farmers against two declare that it would be dangerous and unwise to allow motor traffic on the Riverbank road! On Tuesday Mr Seal and his gang drove a bore to a depth of 50 feet near the well from which the present borough ■water is pumped. That is about 25 feet below the depth of the well, but at that stage the water was still found unsatisfactory, and the engine and boring plant were removed to try for water in the vicinity of the cordial factory. At the further borings we learn that once a certain depth was touched so _as to ensure a sufficient supply the quality of the water deteriorated, and was marked •with the same objectionable characteristics as that found in the water which comes from the well at the power-house. Consequently the municipality is faced with the fact that, unless the water supply is to continue a proverbial white elephant, some new scheme must be devised for obtaining the supply. The water contains so much iron that there is a danger of the whole reticulation plant and tower being totally ruined in the near future, and it is being suggested that the supply should be pumped up from the river or a reservoir made in the borough's property in North Balclutha, where the water would get the benefit of aeration.