COUNTRY NEWS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 312, 16 November 1910, Page 5

COUNTRY NEWS.

Kiritehere - Mceatoa. Settlers are anxiously awaiting the Estimates. The potato blight has caused havoc among settlers' crops. Shearing is now in full swing. Farmers report a good all-round clip. The roads are in splendid order once more, much to the satisfaction of all and sundry. We have had fine weather for some time with the exception of about twenty hours of nice rain during the middle of last week. Pastures are now doing well and a plentiful supply of grass is expected for some time. With reference to the withdrawal of the Northern Company's s.s. Rothesay from the Marakopa trade Mr Ranson, manager has written to a Kiritehere settler that during the three or four years that the vessel has been running that an annual loss of £3OO has taken piace. Mr Hanson states that he will not be withdrawing the vessel until the end of the year, after which be will enter into an arrangement with the s.s. Pitoitoi to run the service to Marakopa. The price of freight would be the same % The s.s. Claymore running to Waitara would carry the cargo there and tranship into the Pitoitoi. Mr Ranson suggests a way out of the difficulty and that is to subsidise or guarantee that settlers will make good any loss sustained by the vessel in the trade. All the bush felled during the •winter appears to be drying well. It is to be hoped that when the time arrives settlers will have good burns to cheer them on their way. A considerable amount of sub-divi-sional fencing is to be done here during the coming summer. This is a good sign and speaks well for the energy of settlers in attempting_ to get their places on a paying basis as early as possible. Cricket has taken on.here this year and there is every hope that it will be a great success. Keen enthusiasm is displayed on every hand. The secretary, Mr R. C. Honore, has been instructed to write to Kawhia, Kinohaku, and Te Kuiti with_ a view of arranging matches. It is hope! to try and arrange a match with Kawhia during carnival week. Mr W. £ • Dines has offered to donate a bat for the highest batting average made by members of the club in a series of matches.