WAIRAU.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XVI, 2 December 1857, Page 3

WAIRAU.

[yBOM X COBBESPONDENT.]

Nov. 23, 1857.

After a spell of more than usually tempestuous weather, glorious summer has at length broken upon us, or rather, I would say, that delicious season, pictured by the author of the "Seasons" in the northern hemisphere, as "atween June and May." This must be as grateful to the lower animals as to man, and particularly to our woolly friends, so numerous in this district, who at this period of the year are deprived of their warm clothing to clothe and protect the health of man. There is something truly painful in witnessing the wretched appearance of sheep shorn almost in the midst of winter-storms, as they are seen crouching together, seeking in vain for shelter from the "pitiless storm." It is not yet a fortnight ago since a heavy snow-storm swept across the hills here, while the rain, which at the same time fell in the valleys and on the plains, was cold in the extreme. I suppose flockmastevs who commence their shearing so early as the middle of September, have good reasons for taking off their fleeces so early, or self-interest j would surely deter them from incurring the risks they run of losses and injury to their flocks by commencing shearing so soon. I am led to believe that the wool clip this season will be a very good one both in the Wairau and neighbouring districts. There may be exceptions, but the reports generally are very favourable. The disease of "scab," which was formerly looked upon as such a curse by sheepowners, is now come to be regarded with more complacency, and really, when proper treatment is used, the disease ceases to be a very serious matter. Although there is not now, I believe, a clean flock in this portion of the province, I have not seen one this year where the loss of wool from the disease is at all seriously appreciable. This arises from the plan now universally adopted at stations of having dipping tanks as a part of the plant, and systematically dipping the sheep after shearing, and again in the autumn, it necessary. By this means the scab is kept under — cured, in fact, in the sheep subjected to this treatment; but as it la a physical impossibility to make a clean muster of sheep in such a country as this, the clean sheep are always sure of getting re-infected on being turned back upon the runs. The plan which is now adopted by many of the flockowners, of growing tobacco for sheep-dipping, reduces the expense of this treatment to a very small consideration, the actual extra cost to the flockraaster being chiefly for labour in mustering and dipping ; but this occurs only once or twice in the year, and only for a few days at a time, Where tobacco has to b« purchased,

the case however is different, and the profits of' the year may be seriously dimished. There are many who use a solution of arsenic as a dip for sheep, which has undoubtedly the recommendation of economy of cost, and I believe, when judiciously applied, to be quite as efficacious as tobacco, as far as curing the scab goes. There is, however, a prejudice against the use of arsenic, many believing that it injuriously affects the constitution of the sheep and the quality of the wool. The men also employed in dipping are liable to sustain injury, unless they are careful to avoid the splash from the trough. As a simple matter of choice, tobacco, when it can be cheaply procured, which it ought to be upon every station, is no doubt preferable, and particularly so as it inflicts no injury upon the sheep, and is believed to stimulate the growth of the wool without injuring the staple.

Another source of congratulation to the flockmasters of the Wairau. this season, is the reduced rate of freight on their wool. Previous to last year, the freight on wool from Port Underwood had in no instance, I believe, been less than 2d. a pound— about three times the rate of ruling freight from Sydney or Melbourne. Last season, however, a vessel was found which graciously consented to load in Port Underwood at lfd. per lb ; but this not satisfying the sheepowners, who, although ready enough to fleece their sheep, saw little to admire in being fleeced in their turn by shipowners, they entered into a mutual engagement to pledge the freight of their wool this season to any first-class vessel which could be procured to load home from Port Underwood at Id. per Ib. A cargo of wool being thus ensured, Messrs. Baines and Co., of Liverpool, have consented to lay on one of their fine vessels at the rate of freight stipulated, and thus many hundreds of pounds will be saved to the district this season.

The success of this combination to get the rate of freight on wool reduced to a fair charge, should stimulate the people here to unite for other purposes, where individual and general interests suffer for want of some such combination. In a widely-scattered and thinly-popu-lated district like this, social action is particularly languid and weak, and need to be well roused before people will begin to look further after their interests than what lie immediately before them. There are signs abroad, however, which show that the leaven is at work here. Parents are beginning to talk of education for their children, settlers of roads to their homesteads, and there seems a general willingness to undertake some of the more important functions of real local self-government.

Communities, like individual meu, must learn to trust to themselves, if they are ever to prosper. To lie helplessly in the mire, looking imploringly to the Government for assistance, is not the way to reach the end of a bad road. " Heaven," which is the highest of all governments, " helps those who help themselves ;" and the same may be said of the governments of this world, ft is useless looking to the past, and to the large sums of money which have been abstracted from this district and expended elsewhere; to address the Nelson Provincial Council, and say " give back to us the proceeds of our land sales which have been unjustly taken from us, leaving this district rtholly neglected." As well implore the grave to give back its dead. The money has been spent, the Nelson treasury is, if not empty, very low : what chance then of a refund ? If a rate is levied in the district, for malting roads, the Government will supplement the rate in the same proportion as in other districts, aud it is in vain to look for more.

In my next contribution I may find something more to say on this most important subject.