The Omaha District.

Hastings Standard, Issue 76, 24 July 1896, Page 4

The Omaha District.

From Our i hr.i C'oyreKjxmdint. We have had a break in the long run of fine weather we have been lately enjoying, although we have no room or reason to complain as we have still spring weather accompanied with slight showers. Overcoats have been fairly at a discount this season notwithstanding the low prices they are said to be selling at. There are a number of unemployed passing and repassing here daily. If oar fellow creatures really are looking for work and cannot obtain it, they are to be greatly pitied. Again I must say that there are faces amongst them as familar to me as the days of the week, seeing them so regularly ou this my private beat. Masterless dogs have been playing sad havoc amongst the sheep in this district lately, and I hear sad complaints of their ravages amongst the different flocks round about. They have in turn paid visits to Captain Hill, Messrs Donnelly, Brought on, and Arona, of Owhiti, making greatdepredations at the different places. I only hope that either Captain Hill or Mr Broughton may get a fair shot at them, and I imagine that their sheep worrying would be over. I think the County Council should strictly enforce the Dog Act—kill every unregistered dog no matter to whom it belongs, European or Native. Out here the dogs are as plentiful as blackberries in summer, and most of them are as poor as crows, and we all know a hungry dog is not particular whose mutton he eats. It is hard lines indeed that sheep owners should go to the great expense, trouble, and care that they do to raise the standard of their flocks, and then to have them ruthlessly destroyed by roving mongrels. The puff and whirr of the steam engine is still to be seen and heard out this way. Matetahuna, better known to your readers as Matthew, the Te Aute college boy, after finishing chaff-cutting for Messrs Loury and Broughton, has crushed about three hundred sacks of barley and oats at Ngapuke. He is now busy cutting firewood, of which there is a great stock at the latter place, composed of drift-wood from the river and timber that has been grown on the estate (Ngapuke). Now we see where the good of young tree planting comes in. It gives me great pleasure to see and chronicle Matthew getting on so well as he is doing, notwithstanding the late depression and hard times we have gone through. He is only quite a young man as yet, and not such a long time ago left Te Aute school. In the football team of that institution he was always a prominent figure, in fact always " on the ball," and at the same time no dunce at his studies, as can be ascertained by the marks and prizes he got at school. He is now known out here by both Europeans and Natives as Matthew the worker ; he is always on the job, never idle. He has interests in waggons, horses, reapers and binders, combines, ploughs, and other agricul- I tural implements too numerous to mention, and I prognosticate that if he goes on as he is doing he will finish a second John Jacob Astor, a millionaire. We sadly felt the want of your matchless fire engine out here the other night, but I expect the engine would have been useless unless accompanied by the gallant fire brigade captain and his good man, true and burly engineer Livsev, although we could have well dispensed with the services of that very useful body the • fire police, as there was little or nothing to save or protect. The large building next to the dining hall used as a storehouse was totally destroyed by fire. At one time it looked as if the dining house was doomed to also go, but little or no wind blowing at the time saved it. The origin of the fire cannot be accounted for, unless through the ever ready " rat." At all events we had not the mad rush of insurance agents poking about and burning their fingers in the hot ashes. It is the intention of the Native owners to rebuild, which will be a good job for timber merchants and carpenters. It is an ill wind that blows nobody any good. An accident happened to Campbell, the well and widely-known Ngapuke servitor, which might have resulted very seriously : but I am glad to announce that the old party got off with nothing worse than a severe nervous shock, fright, and a thorough plastering of shingle and sand. Last Wednesday on his return from Matapiro, where he had teen on his employer's business, he went to cross the Ngarnroro river to look for some ponies that had strayed. In crossing he got into a deep and treacherous quick sand, and in the plunging and struggling of bis horse got thrown off, unluckily his foot sticking in the stirrupiron. The horse managed to scramble out of the sand, dragging Campbell out by the foot. The old horse being perfectly quiet when he regained terra jirma, Campbell managed to get his foot clear of the iron and get himself in a perpendicular position, lucky to find that he had got out of the trouble so lightly. I consider it would be an act of grace on his employer's part to try and soothe the very severe shock he has sustained to his nervous system by giving the old and faithful servant a new suit of clothes to replace the ones that he got destroyed by the accident. By these acts an employer endears himself to employees, and they are ever ready to serve him faithfully. I am morally sure that it has to be only mooted to his employer and the old man gets the suit.