SOUTH OTAGO NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 10395, 17 August 1897, Page 1

SOUTH OTAGO NOTES.

[Special to the Stas,]

With the rapid development of gold dredging on the Molyneux'River it is a wonder that Dunedin and Clutha people do not push on the • works for opening the channel for traffic, and thus secure the trade 9* PPP er Clutha, Years ago the late Mr Blair, C.E., traversed the river from its source to Port Molyneux in a whaleboat, and reported : “Noserious engineeringdifficulties in the way of making the river available for steamboats.” In the early sixties, several whaleboats went round from Dunedin to Port Molyneux and thence to the goldfields by water without encountering serious difficulties. Of late years Messrs Day and Pillams, of Balolutha, took a pleasure boat through, and therefore a Yankee stern-wheel steamboat, that can make her way over “ a dew-dlad field ” could stem the mighty current of the Molyneux if impeding' rocks were blown out 'of the fair way. What an impetus to Dunedin trade the opening of the river would mike, and it could be done in a few months at small expense. The trade of the Kaitangata coal mine would also; enormously increase,-as fuel could be put on board the dredges at a third .of the present cost. It must be remembered that at the present time the coal is railed to Lawrence and then carted in waggons to the Molyneux banks, and boated to the dredges. Besides the coal trade, Clutha farmers would be benefited by getting a market for tbeir produce. Rankleburn birch forests that the river intersects would also afford the miners with an inexaaustible supply of birch for mining props, cap pieces, etc. Then the opening of the water way for traffic would give a great impetus to fruit growing in , the upper Clutha Valley* and it would soon rival the Rhine, Rhone, and Danube in its vineyards, as the climate of the Molyneux Valley is superior to Central Europe. The opening of the Molyneux River for steamer traffic would cost but little comparatively to the benefits to be derived, and would be the greatest boon that has been conferred on Dunedin City for years. If the Government would send a thoroughly practical engineer like Mr Leslie Reynolds to the river, and eD S a K e Mr John Tyson, at present inspector of the Miller Flat Bridge, to show him the obstructions, a plan of operations would‘coon result.

There is a Clutha River Board in exist* euce, and they have one boat running as far as Taapeka Mouth. The Board hive littleinonry and no energy or push, otherwise they would long ere this have had the river open for treffic at least as far as Beaumont. From that point to the “ home of the dredges ” there is only one bad bluff of rocks—viz., at Band —until Miller Fiat is reached. The whole of the river and the sea beaches at Port Molyneux will be dredged at no distant date, and the opening of the stream for steamer traffic would greatly facilitate matters, and quickly doaolo the number of gold dredges employed.

Thirteen of Farnie’s pets—f.e., unemployed—arrived at Kelso last week at 2.30 p.m., aod instead of proceeding to their camp, five miles distant, put up at Dunuett’a hotel for the night. Next morning a neatlyappointed four-horse drag arrived frogi Tapau'ui aad conveyed these Government men comfortably to work. It was an eyeopener for laborers here, who had never seen Government “unemployed” before, to fiad that these gentry stayed at a first-class hotel and waited there a day for a fourhorse drag Intake them five miles to their quarters. -