COUNTRY NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5493, 25 June 1879, Page 3

COUNTRY NEWS.

TE ABAI. Winds and floods have again visited us. Our little store for the reception of goods from the cutter has been bodily lifted from its blocks and deposited in a most inconvenient position on the banks of the river. The fonndation appears to have been rather shaky. The public works in the district are approaching completion. The cut.ings on Graham's Hill and Moir's Kill are rather heavy, but the improvement will be considerable. The contractors understand their work well. In the report of the Auckland Institute in last week's paper (June 7) Major Mair mentions that in slaughtering Eeveral healthy sheep, maggots have been found in and near the brain. This has been noticed here on several oo casions. The sheep wore mostly fat ones. It does not appear that the sheep suffered much, or they would not have been 30 fat. The usual average weight of sheep here when fat is about G510b., some have exceeded 1121bs. We are anxiously looking forward to the time when steam communication will be a baneful fact, and when we shall be freed from the influence of County Councils. We find ourselves quite competent to undertake the management of all moneys the Government have to give us, and more, I have no doubt. This year the Mangawai riding is charged £15 for a ferry, which is stopped from the County money. The fact is, there is no ferry, and even if there was, the County or country should bear the expense. At all events, a small, poor district, with a eparce population should not be mulcted of a bogus cnarge. The electors of thi3 riding (Mangawai) are disfranchised owing to the electors' list beiug returned to the County Council with some thirty mistakes, without the same being posted up for inspection for the time required by the Act.—[Own Correspondent, June 20.]