ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 848, 3 January 1879, Page 2

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE EVENING HAIL. Sir, —In your issue of the 30th y»u give a description of a disastrous fire in Napier, caused by sparks from a railway engine. ...,^ Fires about the line are of almost daily occurrence, originating from the celebrated Yankee engine. The authorities have been repeatedly warned to use measures to stop this game of firing. Surely they must be a rich firm, for 5 : it must be palpable to everyone that as soon as these Yankee engines are allowed to. run unprovided with a fire screen the grain crops along the line, as you know extending for miles, property after property, being ripe and prime for firing* what is to prevent crops, houses, =&&> being consumed, with a chance of the ? inmates being buried in the debris on' some blowy night. It is quite time that some able pen took the matter up. It is quite a common thing for the women along the line to turn out immediately after the celebrated engine passes along each carrying their own peculiar kind of fire extinguisher. There has been so much said about fencing the unfenced portions of the line that one is almost sifrfid. to ■' bring the matter up again. There ir a, portion, and a very dangerous one, still requiring attention between Maheno and! where the road crosses from there.-, to Reidston. It is contiguous to the main. road. Here school children and stock run along ad libitum. It was only" the other day that it was a toss up whether the train or a pet cow rolled over the bank first. After a moment's suspense the poor cow was seen rolling pell mell down the embankment. How would this have read under the head of "Another railway accident just for the sake of a few posts and rails." I suppose the whole lot would not cost L2O. It is to be hoped that the County Council will continue this much needed want and fence the bridge approaches along the whole south road—the Island Stream portion especially. A few pickets on either side of the Kakanui bridge would keep the school children from being blown through some of the very wide apertures. Now the' poor little things have to take hold of hands in crossing during a gale, several having had narrow escapes of being blown through the sides. It would not cost much, and they have plenty of money. I am, &c, A Passengke.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE EVENING StfcJL. Sib, —I observe in your issue o! 27th December that "A Farmer " enquire! what balance remains to the credit of the Maerewhenua Ploughing Match Committee, and what is to be done with it t For his information, I beg to state that there is a balance of about L4O in : the hands of the Treasurer, but how it is to be expended I cannot tell. It will. bo necessary for the Committee to meet and decide what is to be done with the money. There will be a ploughing match next year no doubt. Why not hold the money even till then, at bank interest!— I am, &c., Okb of the Committee.