FEILDING.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1264, 21 May 1896, Page 18

FEILDING.

Although complaints are made throughout the county of the scarcity of money, yet tho values of stock, cheap especially, are advancing, and no difficulty is experienced in sellidg tho same at good prices just now. Every lino offered at the stock sale held by Messrs Carr and Co., at Feilding, on Friday, 15th instant, was sold under tho hammer lit- and above the reserves placed upon Ikom. Messrs Carr and Co. have held two very successful stock sales in succession. The firm has also held stock sales at Apiti and Fowler’s, both of which wore good sales. The sale at Apiti was the first held by tho firm in that district, and was well attended, the success achieved by this first sale angers well for the future. As this district is settled by farmers who have holdings ranging from one to three hundred acres each, it is making rapid strides in improvements. The settlors have “pulled together,” voted for and obtained loans under tho facilities offered by tho Loans to Local Bodies Act made roads and bridges so that they can get to their various properties, and the substantial improvements made in various ways to their properties testify to their financial progress. I regret to!

state that the settlers on tho other side of tho river have not worked together so. amicably, and tho consequence is that some of their roads are How almost impassable. The Government have men at work under tho co-operative principle, supervised by Mr Snow, making roads leading into new blocks of land adjoining tho Apiti Survey District. It took the opportunity of a trip across the Oroua River into a portion of the Marten Block No. 1, and found two ltangitikei settlers hard at work, Messrs Stevenson (Bulls) and J. Follett (Crofton). Mr Stevenson has resigned the plying of the needle to chopping of trees. He was engaged during my visit erecting a house. lie is highly delighted with his prospects. Mr Follett finds it different to agricultural farming. They have some splendid land in this block. At present it is somewhat difficult of access on account of the roads. For the time being they have to pack all their goods via Apiti. They look forward to tie time however when they will have road communication with Ohingaiti and tho Central line. I was informed that the census man did not put

in an appearance on this block. 1 have heard that houses in, well-known settled districts were omitted. The Government enumerator should enquire into this matter.

I notice by tho New Zealand Times that attention is being given to tho question of tho dangers arising from bad shoeing of horses in the Empire City,

and some very good suggestions have been made in your columns. Owners of horses are not so careful as they should bo to have their horses shod by competent farriers. If the inspectors appointed by the Society for t he Prevention of Cruelty to Animals knew what torture the poor horses have to suffer through unskilled shoeing, they would seek to have imposed on tho owners of such animals as heavy lines as if tho horses weio found working with sore shoulders or bad backs. A correspondent, Mr Robertson, suggests that the Government take the matter up. L would ■suggest that the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals should investigate the matter.

Although considerable alterations have been made lately in connection with the names of various places for postal addresses, yet no notice has hern taken or alterations made in the Apiti district. The Apiti Survey district is a very large one, including, l believe, Fowler's (often termed Birmingham) and a large portion of the Pemberton district. Outside correspondents who are not acquainted with the district and the settlers address their correspondence to Apiti, and such letters eo addressed are taken to Apiti, and tho postmaster there finds that the persons to whom the lettersare addressed are residents in the Fowler's or Pemberton districts. Some settlers arc put to considerable inconvenience on account of their letters delayed in this manner. Of course, Fowlers, or what was, and is now better known as Birmingham, was at one time the only post office for the Apiti distrset. As the district became more settled Ihe township was formed, and the settlers across the Oroua River made a mistake when they named their township Apiti. As the settlors here are now connected by the telephone and have the prospect of a largely populated district, I would suggest that they have another name for their township. Mr W. Short is having a splendid new house erected at Apiti.

Tncre are three of the “ sons of Vulcan ” doing business in Apiti.

The settlers in the Wairaki district under* stood that tho Government were going on with tlie making of the road leading from their district to the central line referred to in previous notes of mine, but, during a late visit, I was informed that the works had been abandoned. This lias been a discouragement, to the settlers, as they were looking forward at some future date to being within ten or fifteen miles from the central railway. It is to be hoped that the matter will be reconsidered by the powers that be. Dr McCarthy, who was burnt out by the late tire in Martoii, has come to Feilding to reside.

Mr Card, who has bean on the staff of the Feilding Star for some time past was, on severing bis connection with the paper, pre-

sented with a slight memento. He is about to try Ids fortune in South Africa. The Marlon Mercury is about to be piloted by a Mr Kirby, a journalist of some experience.

airs Fov has taken over the Temperance Hotel in Feil-liug lately conducted lay Mr .). Wilson (deceased).