Stratford and Ngraire.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XX, Issue 2324, 12 January 1893, Page 2

Stratford and Ngraire.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

We had a delightful time of it last week, tbe rain coming down straight on end for four solid consecutive days. Those who have hay and grass-seed at stake are having an anxious time of it, whilst reports of tbe state of the crops outside are very unfavourable. The farmer's lot, like the policeman's, is oft-times not a happy one.

The street formation business in Stratford is also causing the residents there some anxiety. The contractors simply cannot make headway. The earthwork gets cut up so badly with the wet weather that it takes several days for it to dry, and by that time the rain is almost due again. The contractors get in a day or two at crushing and laying metal, and then they are stopped for other three to six days. They have got a nice length done south of the bridge, bat in is being confined at present to tbe centre of the road so as to make sure of through communication under any circumstances.

The town board authorities have been forming Fenton-Btreefc past Mr. King's sale yards, and have made things somewhat inoonvenient for the present. The entrance yard is now some six feet above the roadway, and tbe cattle have to be passed in by a side track. The proprietor of the yards may, however, be trusted to make things comfortable for bia olients as soon as tbe roadwork is completed. Mr. King had a capital sale yesterday, although the morning was so wet and disagreeable. Those who were at tbe yards were there for business, not pleasure or gossiping, and tbe Bale consequently went briskly from start to finish.

The alteration of tbe date of the Union sales here strikes one as being a decided improvement. Hitherto we have had the two sales in one week, and none the next. Now there will be a sale every week, to the convenience, I should say, of most people concerned. The poll for the Cardiff-Waingongoro loan was carried on Saturday by 17 to 0. A cricket club has been formed at Cardiff, and a ground selected for praotice on Mr. March'ant's farm. There, ia plenty of youth and muscle to make up a capital eleven next season with the requisite practice. We were all sorry to bear of Mr. Cheeseman's being gored, and the extraordinary -part- of it is that when Dr. O'Carroll came to thoroughly examine him he found that he had two ribs broken as well. This latter' injury the doctor pronounced of some standing, although the patient bad no knowledge of it. < He was, however, kicked by a horse some little- time ago and bad not felt weiUsinoe, the break, no doubt, haying then taken place. . There would appear to be something defective about the shipping arrangements for cheese this season. The Cardiff factory shipped obeese by the cargo boat Tekoa at Waitara three weeks ago, and expected to get more away by the two mail boats -leaving since . the.n. ■ They have, however, been advised 'that those boatß have no cheese space, and that their goods mast consequently go. Hom&bjßjtbe same Tekoa, which has not yet left the coast, and. which is.tba only one that can takaithem. . When it 'is remembered, too, that the Tekoa is a slow boat, it will appear as if the shipping companies were

not doing their part. An expUwttioa if being asked for from the MuSflt Island Dairy Association, which is mnmoMd to have arranged with the ooS'es for spaoe. 7T^^