FIFTY YEARS AGO

Dunstan Times, 20 November 1944, Page 3

FIFTY YEARS AGO

(From the Dunstan Times) Bishop Moran is improving in health and hopes to shortly resume work. Tt will probably be news, to most people, to bear that Buily Hayes, the hero of Rolf Boldrewood’s “Modern Bucaneer” kept a public house at the Arrow in the sixties- Lake Hayes, it is said, is named after him, Sweet are the uses of advertisement ! The bomb of an anarchist would fail to drive that fact into the beads of some people in Central Otagos Two cows, the property of Mr Pat Scott, of “Waikoikoi, were killed by lightning last week, Mr William Moir, puntmanat Clydevale, was accidentally drowned in the vJntha river on Friday last. He bad taken two men acioss and was return iug when the men saw bis body floatingin the river. He is supposed to have fallen off the punt. •. A young man named John Cogan, working near Roxburgh, whilst out rabbit shooting, met with a painful accident last Friday, when, through an overcharge of powder, his gun burst, blowing his thumb and two fingers cff. Under the treatment of Dr Mullin Mr Cogan is doing well. Following the gale on Monday last heavy fell rain and this was followed by floods in creeks and rivers. The Fraser overflowed its banks and nearly flooded out the Station - the water being knee deep in tbe stables. The Molyneux rose 5 feet in as many hours and its surface was strewn with flotsam and jetsam—from flax sticks to cradles, which, at the various townships along the river were fished for with ,Izaak- Walton like zeal. In a Rabbit case against the New Zealand Agricultural Company at Gore a witness deposed that at snnrise “The whole hillside seemed to be rising with rabbits ’’ He also mentioned that in flood time ‘a rabbit would climb a flax bush or flax stick.' These acrobatic capers so paralysed the Company that they forgot to defend the case and were mulcted in a heavy fine. Our Matakanui correspondent writes —To-day—Monday—The wind has been having a frolic. From lla.m till 4p mit blew a perfect hurricane The roofs of some of the huts in Sugar Pot were blowu off and several outhouses have been demolished, The school outhouses were lifted bodily over the wire fence and deposited on the tailings suffering much damage. The brick chimney of Mr Sheppard’s bakehouse was blown down, and some of the bricks found their way through the skylight. The tent of a party of rabbiters- Mr H Henderson and two lads—Cavanagh & Wilson-near Chatto Creek, was blown down and completely destroyed by fire. Besides the loss of clothing etc,, one thousand rabbitekins were more or less damaged. Hyde <fe Party’s dredge obtained 23 ounces of gold for 3 day’s work last week. —BLACKS SHOW— There is no doubt that Friday las* was a red-letter day in the annals of the district, owing to the great show held by the Central Otago A. & P. Association, Not for years has there been so successful a gathering, or so representative a one in Central Otago. The success of the society is the more credit to its management when it is remembered that the show took place in a district where the population is small and spread over a wide area. Only two years has the society been in existence, but already it ranks with the leading country agricultural associations of Otago. The total number of entries in IBs* was 216—this year [that number doubled. Once more the number of horses in the various classes a long way over topped any ether section of exhibits. In 1892 tbe number was 82— this year it was 145. Unfortunately, what ought to be a leading feature of tbe show— namely sheep and cattlewere very few in number; in fact, sheep wtre about the same as last show, while cattle, although double that of last year were not nearly so large in numbers as this district warrants. A very pleasing improvement in number and merit was to be seen in the exhibits in dairy produce and sundries Taking the show from all points it was a brilliant success creditable alike to the people of tbe district and to the Central Otago. A. <fe P. Association. We hope that tbe association will go on improving year by year. Commercial— Dunedin Nov 20Lambs brought from 7s 9d to 12s 6d, extra fat to 14s. Sheepskins—green crossbreds to 5s 9d each; dry to 6£d lb; merino 4#d. Tallow— l7s fid to 20s per cwt. Fat cattle—Best bullocks £8 17s to £lO 7s 6d. Beef £1 3s 6d per 1001b. Ryegrass— 3s 9d to 4s 3d a bushel; Cocksfoot-6|d to 6|d per lb. Rabbitskins —Best skins 13d to 14d blacks to 13id. summers 7d to 9d. Pheep —Fat wethers 14s to 17s 6d Fat ewes— l4s crossbred ewes 16s 6d broken-mouthed 9s 6d. Crossbred wethers—l4s OH to 17s Od Chaff £2 7s to £2 -5 per ton, Good Wheat 2s lOd t<> 1 d bushel Oats—ls 5d lu is 7d pr bushel