ARAMOHO

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1686, 22 June 1904, Page 27

ARAMOHO

(From Our o ; wn Correspondent.)

Our local stationm aster (Mr Simons) is at present enjoying a few weeks’ wellearned rest and holiday, and Mr Andrews is relieving him of his duties. Mr Simons lias invested in an oil-launch, and Mr Henderson, an Auckland gentleman recently settled here, has built himself a launch which is propelled by electric power. What with oil and electric launches, sailing craft, etc., our fine river is presenting quite an animated scene on Sundays and holidays. We hope that by next Christmas they will bo still more numerous.

By-tlie-bye I must tell you and your many readers about what is to take place then, events which we are all looking forward to with pleasurable anticipations. We are to have a carnival on a grand scale in Wanganui on Christmas week. What a time we are going to have! Maori events, regattas, military displays, eto., etc. I promise all an enjoyable week, and a. pleasant change from windy Wellington. Everyone will

enjoy our snug little town, onr river, and scenery.

By the local contemporaries I abserve that quite a number of dairy farmers are selling out their stock. The exceedingly low price of sheep and wool a few years ago and the high price offered for butterfat induced many to produce the latter in preference to the former. Now the tide is turning considerably. Blitter-fat is going down in value and wool and mutton have gone up considerably. Fat sheep are worth £1 per head and flock wool is making as much as 8d and 9cl ped lb. which reminds us of old times. o ! ne farmer of many years’ is selling out as he intends going to Western Australia, another is going home to Ireland as he can buy land cheaper there than here, which reminds me of a gentleman who some years ago threw up a good billet, sold all his possessions, went to Ireland and was glad to return to New Zealand in less than twelve months. There are worse places than New Zealand in the world and very few better. Cheap laud and easy conditions are very good and desirable but they are not everything. Where under the sun can a mail find a country with more freedom —personal, religious, and political—than in dear New Zealand?