NGAPARA NOTES

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXVI, Issue 8228, 16 September 1901, Page 4

NGAPARA NOTES

(From otir Own Correspondent.) The one and only absorbing topic of conversation up this way is not the attempted assassination of President M'Kinley, neither is it the position of affairs in South Africa, but it resolves itself into 'the one small, pertinent-, and persistent- question, "When is it going ta rain?" Not all the music that oould be produced by the fingers and voices of the greatest musicians that the world holds, could so charm the 'hearts of the people hereabouts, as the continuous patter of the raindrops on the window-pane and roof. I think I may safely say tihat for some weeks now, with -the majority of people, the last- look out at night and tihe first look out- in the -morning, were t'o see the weather indications. To-day, Friday, we seem to -be in for a change, for which we are truly thankful. As a result of the shortness of feed the lembing is causing a great amount- of work for those interested', indeed, it is difficult to know how. in many cases, the ewes are , getting enough feed to keep them -alive not ta speak of having to support-two and sometimes three Limbs. The creamery is Hearing completion. ' Mr Harris appears to have made both a good and a rapid job and we may reasonably expect- to have it iu operation early .next month. Our school examination --was held on the sth, Messrs Goyen and Richardson being the inspectors. The examination was a most satisfactory one. Of course we. in common with more populous centres, had to bow to the iniluenza microbe, and scarcely a house m the district escaped the scourge. There js one tl.in- about the visitation this time, viz that vou certainly are :n no doubt- as to whether vou have it or not as the symptoms are unmistakable. As usual there was any amount of amateur doctoring on tins occasion. However, the advocates of the ■vvhiskv-quinine cure Lad to take ft back seatafter 'they had nearly poisoned themselves.