LIVE STOCK LOSSES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16896, 8 July 1918, Page 4

LIVE STOCK LOSSES.

HEAVY MORTALITY FEARED. GREAT DAMAGE ON RUNS. -Mm „Tho effect of the recent .storm on Imtfi stock in the North Canterbury district is a matter of serious concern; andi§# flockowners are preparing tin inselves fo» ;'| heavy losses, says a Christchnrch paper.-vis It is" reported that in some lo.\-.lities only fJtho heads of the sheep arc to be seen % above the snow, and in many directions ■'s the sheep are wandering about on iiiM snow-Mvered flats fearrning for food. ; i' Those farmers who have hay and other | fodder are fortunate. In me places | flocks of hares have been oldened wan. dering over the snow lnok.'r:; ' r food. ) ; J Trees all over the distent <■ ■ •■<! by \$ tho downfall have suffered i ,;.*!.! deal of;'; damage through branches 1 ■ ■>■: 'tripped si off by the weight of the ?'<<•'. aid live, *\ fences, too, have been beaten •'••■■ n. Re- <? ports are also coming in of ,i-,Herable > damage to farm and stall ■ • i. dings. ■'<~ Among those who suffered in '.• Aspect .- are, Mr. W. W. Mcßae. of Wninluna, and | Mr. C. Craythorne, of Glei allan, in the f AVaihri district, whoso large shearing, i sheds collapsed. ) On Monday, in addition to the snow* .. fall, there was an exceptionally heavy • rain in tho Omihi Valley, and damage was done to the Cheviot H'-ari 'v an ■•/ extensive washout near the Hnrunni .1 Bridge. The Cheviot Road »'»,< ,:ngoti- : , ated on Thursday from Spye to Wmpara ':< by a motor-car party from t'hrisfclnirch, " who had been weather-bound niter a week-end outing, but the '■ .wiling through frozen snow a foot dei vaa a >■; stiff trial for the car. I The weather was beautifully f:,e at' ■'■ Waimola on Thursday, followun, ■> hard -';' frost- Mr. J. W. Have.-, va-.<t of■-?, Centrewood, ' behind Waimale, spent tha . : whole of Wednesday out on the hills. Ha '■ reported that the snowfall was the heaviest for "15 years, and worse than,'* anticipated at first. Unless a thaw set in * soon, the sheep would not be able to get)."*; to the sunny face^. ':| After a threatening of a further snow. ' . storm in the hill country, bright weather ~ has replaced the glor.my conditions of the Q past week, and all through the Geraldina .; district tho farmers are anxiously await- j ing the moment when a thaw will again ;- uncover the fields and pastures, and - lessen their difficulties in providing for./, the stock. At present the land lies under 3 a depth of snow which varies from a few.: inches near the town of Geraldine to 16in at Upper Kakahu, and about the same j amount near Woodbury. 'On the open. % plains near Arundel the depth of snow. '*. was Bin or 9in, while 20in was measured ,; on parte of the Tripp Settlement w.d else- ■•« where along the foothills. On the higher J levels, which arc generally- considered \ ''safe Winter country " tibout 3ft of snow has fallen, and according to the owner of one of the largest, runs, it is the worst ; storm in. his long experience. h The Dominion meteorologist, Mr. D. C. | Bates, who relumed to Wellington from ', the South on Friday,.had some personal j experience i of ; the' severe snowstorm. He stated that it was reported to be thai..'. most severe' thai has been experienced for 1 ,

a long time. '~ The snowfall, though very heavy itv parts, was patchy. The hard frost following on the snow, however, caused ib* most damage. Sheep would be snowedin. VThey would lie in the ' snow—their breath causing an airhole. There was very i: considerable difficulty ,in " finding, sheep* under these circumstances. The* loss of sheep usually occurred some days subsequent to the, fall.

PADDOCKS A SEA OF WATER.

COUNTRY DISTRICTS SUFFER.

' Most of the paddocks between Christchurch and Kaiapoi were a! sea of water, according to the statement of Captain S. M. McGeo, command paymaster at Christchurch, to a reporter on Thursday. At Rangiora a man who descended from his railway carriage plunged into snow nearly, up to his knees, Further up the line Ufa country was under a white mantle, pierced only by fence-posts and trees. At Balcairn the train had to wait for about an hour while a man went on foot to sea that the line was all right. He added that . telegraph poles were " down all over the place," and the wires were in a terrible tangle.i ■. Iron poles had been bent over, and hardwood poles snapped in two like carrots.. The train had to stop on a-. bridge because a tangle of wires had fouled g a ventilator on the guard's van. This was •'.' cleared away by a telegraph gang on the ~; train. Snow loin deep was measured on ■' the platform at Waipara,. /'•. . The severest . snowstorm ever expert-. , enced at Waikari took place on Monday:;.' night. On Sunday evening snow com-"' mended to fall, and from three to foil? •;>. inches covered the . ground on Monday morning. During Monday afternoon th» weather became much worse, and snow./' foil heavily during tho whole of the V;night. The average depth. was about two feet, with drifts varying up to ten feet \i, deep. Communication was completely unit ; off, both by. train and telephone. Practic- .;■. ally every telegraph'polo between Waikari .'; and Leithfield , was broken down. The i.',

new line recently erected by the Post andrj.i Telegraph Department through the town- >;.?s| ship was all lying across the road. On " Wednesday afternoon an engine managed. '. to make' its way up through the Weka Pass. In j!ome>,of the, cuttings the snow jrjg •was .piled:up! to such an extent that tliß#J| emjine could not push its way through,' : jM and a way had tp he cleared by the line-_|y|| men.' Telephone lines recently erected by #|| the Waipar.y County Council were down,, and it would take some months before they , Were in' : 'working order again. '-^ral