WAIKOUAITI.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 827, 16 August 1864, Page 6

WAIKOUAITI.

(FROM OUR OWN 00KKESPONDENT.)

13th Au"_a>.t, 1864,

On Wednesday last A. G. Fisher and Co. offered for salo at public auclion, about 3(10 acres of rural land in this vicinity, the property of Mr Griidwood, and situated in the Flag Swamp. The )ar,d is said to be particularly gcod. The highest bid, about L 3 an acre, was refused, ifc being considered beneath its value. Mr Beal's stud of 20 horses was afterwards offered, together with two bullock teams, drays. &c., but buyers we'-e not 1 fco be found, and consequently no sale effected, lam lotd, not even of a sicgle horse, A market for the latter is very difficult to be obtained, unless it be for heivy draught, which, taken from private sales, range from L4O to L 75. Horse teams have so far exceeded bullocks, since the proclamation declariog fchis an infected district, that the latter are rarely to be seen at work. The farmers also give ptecedeoce to horses for ploughin*, and other work a-.tending their branch of industry, and whicb, 1 am glad to write, is rapidly increasing in tbis neighborhood. Most of the settlers possess land of their own, and are endeavoring to turn the same'to good account. ■ In whatever direction one enters tbe suburbs, he . cannot fail to observe ihe improvements that a*-e being made in most of vie sections. With 1 tiie quantity and richness of fche soil ia this district, there can be lii tie doubt but that it will .become one of Ofcago's finest fields for agriculture. I suppose the Sling Valley can scarcely he surpassed for the quality of its land. In this quarter most extensive works a'e going on by way of f-ncing, and nexfc year there will be some tlioustsdii of acres erclo&ed and prepared for the plough. The Flag Swamp is another rich field, and is scarcely excelled by the Shag Valley.; there, also, a gi eafc many farms are beiu°- formed, aod iv a year or two ibe whele Flat will be under croo. These two places named by ao means possess the. only goo-j land for farming purposes; for-ia the entire district, very little, if-any, inferior or souv laori is -ta be found; A greater equallness io the alluvial nature of ths soil could hardly bs obtained than in this district. A great advantage is also derived by having a steam flour mill near afc hand, with machinery, I belii-ve. calculated to turn seven pairs of stones, so capable of grinding an immense "quanfc'iy of grain; therefore a savins; wilt ace ue from not being obliged to srod.it to the Dunedin mi lis. The consumption here, together with'the uo-country disl-icts will no doubt be a sufficient market for tbe pwluce grown. There cao be no better indication of fche P'osperiryof a country than when'we see agricultural pursuits entered ioto by all clashes, provided- thafc the land is productive of good crops. In speaking of the settlers around here, there are possibly many who will have a haid stnigsle before they receive any remuneration from their farms; bufc theic aim—lhat of getting the land into a fit state for cropping, once accomplished, •thoir harvests will undoubtedly fully co'.pensate for their toil and outlay. Everything; has a beginnin.', wbioh io many cases proves very tedious So wifch farme* sin a young country: Ihey have much to contend with, before they caa even put a plough into the soil. But the difficulties attending the fo-mation pf a homestead ouce ovf - come, and the farm once in working order, the 7'esulfc will not only prove advantageous fo him who lakes the work in hand, but will add to the welfa.e of the whole district. . As ihe farms incer.se, and return a sufficient income to their pioprietors, they will feel justified in extending their improvements, pnd instead of a'l the woi-k'eing d.me by themselves and families.' -as at present; they will bave to employ Jabot. Their capital will be produced year by year, consumntiou wiU be insreased, and theie is little doubt the district whose inhabitants tura their attention to tha cultivation of the soil, accom piuied by fche breeding and fattening of stocir on t,he home system will always be in a heiltby state. Havhig some of the finest a?iiculiural land io the Province, what is to prevent our on • wai d progress? The difficulty of getting our produce to market may. by some, be considered a bai-uel-, but what is to prevent a che p railway being ma*le for twenty or even fifty miles ud ihe ?hag Valley, composing as it does nearly a dead Jevel road 10 the novfc, with fine rich land ou either sioe, would nofc such a railway pay ite cost iv a very time % To what extent wou'd the value of the land be increased ? and let us also bear in mind thai the country makes tberailway, bufc the rail wav also makes tbe cmntry. What can possibly add more to the advancement of a cornmeicial town than to be stiong'y supported by its suburbs, as there is little doubt but this town will be. Though business mac may now be termed by the usual phrase, " very dub," we think fcbai; the same term in a few years will not be applicable, fot* I believe tbat my present remarks will be fully realised, aud the most sceptical will be convinced, that after all, Waikouaiti is destiaed to become second fco no district in Otago. Yes.'ero'p.y J. W. Murdoch, Esq., R.M., wns occupied in a case, John Jones v. R Mitchell, the plaintiff seeking to recover L2O tor loss and injury to a flock of sheep by defendant's dog. The lattrr drew his Worship's attention to an informality in the charge that accompanied the summons, no date having been attached, and on that account sought for an adjournment. Mr Jones said that,' through the negligence of the Court, he had teen put to much inconvenience, and (bat it was the second , time he bad ridden from Dunedin. In the first instance he found that (.he summons had not been 'served,-arid he , was now required to perform the same journey again tbrousdi the ca-elessncs of the Bench. _ To piove tbe loose manner in which the business of the Court was conducted,'_ he would produce a summons which his overseer had received, that did not bear a signature .at/all; he would notsay what the result might,have been had his overseer nofc attended, and had a warrant for his appearance been issued. Such utter neglect he considered most extraordinary.. Here hia Worship explained that the party who came fbr the summons served ifc himself, and tbat it was taken from the Court during his absence at an inquest. Mr J ones replied that in the present case rather than attend the Court again he would •withdraw the case, if Mr Mitchell would promise to have the dog destroyed. Mr Mitchell sai Ibe wished it to be understood that he was prepared lo produce a: witness upon any future day who could prove that both he and his dog were miles away the day that the sheep were killed. He, however, appeared to have some idea whose dog it was, and promised that if the killing of the sheep by the dog in question could be asceilauied, he would do his utmost to have him destroyed. Tbe ca?e was accordingly dismissed. Dog 3in this place are becoming a perfect nuisance, and if one half of them are "registered the amount of the tax collected must be considerably augmented by the number from this district. The bridge over the Waikouaiti River is progressing very slowly, and unless more rapid progress ii made will be a generation bsfore the work is completed. The Wardens of the Hawksbury Hundred appear fco have some difficulty in collecting the as-essment. The other day^ they applied for a summons to compel a certain person to remove diseased cattle from the hundred. His Worship declined to grant it. Where on earth can they waut them removed to, when the whole district is declared infected, and beyond which they cannot go