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Clutha Leader, Volume XXXIX, Issue 33, 26 November 1912, Page 4

The Inch Clutha Boad arid Biver Board, having resolved to resume control of the roads, drainage and bank vested in it, will henceforth m«* monthly, Bruce County Council hdvinj? acted for the Board {or some years past. A report of the first ord»wy meeting under the new conditions, ;held last Saturday, appears elsewhere. ; Most of the business at that meeting i was in connection with the Board r»" '■ suming operations, and also the repair* ing of the flood-banks damaged by the recent flood. It was pointed out that although the Board will shortly have £SOO as a nucleus to its fuo», none of that momy can be spent, on other than flood protective work, aw before any money is available to th* Board for roading or drainage, rate* for those purposes will have to bo levied by the Board. T™ personnel of the Board if - MmW* Joseph MosJey . (ohaiman), J* Bn Mosjey, P. Anderson, G. Anderiafc Joihn . Smith, and W. Weir, with* J** tfcttfaby m duck.

■ ; at Tu&aeka Mouth to th£HbnLJ*hie» Allen on November i j»rMßsftaVt# be biggest function ever Add there. It is being enthusiasti(silly taken up by'the settlers, and it is g fate to say the residents will turn out |;in masse,: * ■ . |, We learn that Mr D. T. Fleming has the vacant lot adjoining the Mate Mr Eyrie's premises in Clyde ?- street, opposite the Leader office, and is • to erect offices there at once, the bricks • being already on the ground.

I Evidences of the backward season for ,farm work are apparent throughout : this district. Last week several farmi/ era in different parts were busy sowing I the last of their oats. The acreage I under crop will be much less than it ¥ Averaged in previous years. ( Settlers up Greenfield way are loyal F supporters of the Freezing Works, and > last week the settlers there and at ! Waitahuna West applied for nearly f £730 worth of new shares. Greenfield ? is a prosperous settlement.

One cannot travel about much without having the conclusion forced upon him that the I.i.p. is an important factor in "bumping up" the price of £ land. Settlers who are disposed to sell can offer buyers the advantage of a perpetual mortgage at 5 per cent, and : are able to get handsome prices for : their goodwill

Some interest attaches to two houses about to be erected in Baiclutha under a new syßtem of building construction known as hollow-wall concrete. The contracts were finally settled last night, and we hope to give some particulars in an early issue. Judging by what he said at the Farmers' Union meeting on Friday, Mr Jos. Mosley thinks the farmers will get » "squarer deal" from the present Ministry than from those of the past. "We have a farmer as Prime Minister," he said, "and a Government which intends to face things in the proper spirit." Mrs J. G. Paterson, of the Railway Hotel, Baiclutha, has- purchased the Duntroon Railway Hotel, near Oaniaru, and takes possession the first week in January next. Mrs and Mr Paterson have occupied the local Railway Hotel for nearly five years, and while reluctant to leave a good house in a town in which they have great faith, the hotel just purchased is one which presents exceptional opportunities, being a licensed house and having attached to it a 100-acre farm.

There is still a lot of grain iu the stack on the Greenfield settlement, and a quantity that was threshed in the late autumn is still lying piled up in sacks in the. paddocks. On one farm near Tuapeka Mouth there are 400 sacks of wheat in heaps where it came from the mill. The sample is very good, and it does not seem to have suffered much damage either from vermin or the weather The late spring has delayed farm work, and bad roads have prevented the grain being carted away. Many of the farmers at Greenfield will delay the threshing of last season's erop until next season's comes in. Very few of the stacks were threshed then, and appear to have been well built and have withstood the- winter very well. The Greenfield settlers say the present is the best season for grass they have had during, the past seven or eight years. There is abundance of grass everywhere, and stock are looking well.

t The settlers around Clydevale, Tuapeka Mouth and Greenfield are greatly elated at the authorisation of the railway and the prospect of a start being made next year. They are also satisfied that the present Government will push the construction on in a businesslike way. They favor small contracts as against the co-operative system. Already the form of ceremony in connection with the turning of the first sod ib ; being discussed. The settlers think Balclutha should take the lead in this matter. A meeting of the Balclutha branch of the Society for the Protection of the Health of Women and Children was held in the Borough Council-Chambers on Friday afternoon. It was resolved to solicit the assistance of the clergymen in the various districts by getting them to announce from the pulpits the \ time and place of the meetings of ladies. A committee from the local branch will go to each meeting in the country and explain the position. By this means it is hoped to establish several subbranches. Up to date the collections, by subscriptions and donations, amount to £63 Bs—a very creditable sum. The Industrial Exhibition promoted 'by the Trades and Labour Council was opened in Brydone Hall, Dunedin, by the Hon. Mr Fisher on Friday night. The exhibition may be' divided into two glasses— (1) exhibits representing the industrial, commercial and financial rejwurces of Otago; and (2) handiwork of and efforts of apprentices. •There is a multitudinous collection of :home industries and examples of work iOf pupils of technical and primary Mhools. The Chamber of Commerce and Association lent valuable jUsistance, and as a result a very fine [display was made. The exhibition will JTemain open for about three weeks. l The Clutha Timber and Hardware \ Company is having installed at its factory a new Tangye suction gas engine !le of developing 33 b.h.p. A .1 feature of this engine is that it ed with two fly wheels, ensuring r running. This is a most imlt feature in operating woodng machinery, as it ensures an 3 of high finish being turned out. jlant is being erected in a Bubal building adjoining the present ues, and the new "engine will drive le machinery in the factory, the it engine—which is operated by gas —being discarded. The power iperating the latest addition to imber Company's up-to-date plant ;aincd from an Atlas producer, extracts gas from the local ligiuels. This style of producer has d .itself of high efficiency in the ng of similar plants, and we underthat this type is the first to bo led in timber premises such as the a Timber Company's. The engine iroducer require veryJittle attena few bucketfuls of coal, say or four times a day, being all that |uired to maintain the power. The i of the plant is being installed by m Chambers and Sons, direct imrs of the well-known Tangye en- , and the work is being supervised r G. M. Angus, erecting engineer ie firm. The Clutha Timber Cornis to be commended on its enteri and we feel sore that the latest ion will help materially towards ng up the standard of first-class whkh tto tea, an wfc np.

On account of Baiclutha show, the nest Owaka sale will be held on Thursday, December sth, instead of Friday, the 6th.

Despite the cold spring, mushrooms are unusually early this year. On Friday some were found near Baiclutha which measured about eight ioches across.

It has been reported that there aid a few cases of diphtheria in Balolutha, but we have authority for nyii<g that the Public Health officers do not regard the sickness under mention as diphtheria.

The weather on Saturday and Sunday was glorious for a trip to the sea beach, and several Baiclutha and Kaitangata parties drove to Port Molyneux to inhale the refreshing ozone. Some Baiclutha trippera declare they saw—without the aid of "glasses,"' optical or otherwise—a whale spouting about 200 yards from the shore. Holiday trippers to the seaside should take a lesson from the penalties inflicted on two youths and a young man at Milton last week for having flounders in their possession less than the mininmm length of iJiu. The youths (Hand and Tough) were each fined £1 and 12/1 costs, and the eldest of the trio (J as. Powley) £3 and 10/ costs.

"Riccarton" Russell's paper, the Spectator, complains of all, the Ministers but two being away from Wellington at "tin-pot banquets." "Gadding about like a travelling menagerie. This sounds particularly good, coming from the official organ of a member of the late Ministry—one known to fame only for travelling and banqueting.

Messrs Bragg Bros, have the main brickwork of Mr J.. W. H. Clarke's building completed, and it ts expected that the end of this< week ivi'l Bee the finish of what the "brickie/* rav® to do. Owing to wet weather and the shortage of bricks the work has been considerably delayed, but there is still a possibility of that portion of the building reserved for Mr Clarke's business being in readiness for occupation by Christmas. A once, well-known resident of this district, Mr John Carrick, lost his life by a drawning accident at Otautau on Saturday. He was, with an employee, straining a wire fence alongside a lagoon when the wire broke, Mr Carrick falling into 9ft of water. The employee tried to effect a rescue, but to no avail, and the body was not recovered until further assistance was called. A medical man was promptly on the ground, but failed to restore respiration. We have received from the N.S.W. Bookstall Coy., ot Sydney, a copy of "Norman Lindsay's Book," a unique Australian publication—the first attempt of the kind by an Australian artist. Mr Lindsay's work is well known, and some good specimens are amongst the drawings, which are about 70 in number. Good stories are by several well-known Australian writers—"Kodak," Ed. Dyson, Grover, G. J. Dennis, Granville Medley, and two by the artist. Altogether, Norman Lindsay's book is a creditable production in light literature. The "Madcap Entertainers" gave a concert on Friday night, this time at Stirling, in aid of St.'Mary's Church. There was a large audience, which highly appreciated the capital programme submitted. The entertainment was similar to that recently given at Balclutha, with the exception that Mr L. Green, instead of performing classical statue posing, eang '''Go to sea." Several of the Stirling ladies kindly provided supper for the performers, for which Rev. Mr Woodhouse thanked them, as well as the Entertainers, and expressed his gratification at the concert being so well patronised. Last night the company gave a repitition of its entertainment to an appreciative Kaitangata audience, the proceeds going towards the St. Paul's Churoh fund.