CLYDE NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13874, 11 April 1907, Page 10

CLYDE NOTES.

Our Owir. Coeeespokdbkt.) CLYDE, April 9. The opening of tho railway is over, and people are onoo more settling down to everyday life and work. To-day the first waggons from the interior unloaded wool at Clyde and re-'.oaded for the interior. The cry hove just now is land! Jandl land! There will be such a-rush for Biackstene as will open tho eyia of tho most sceptical regarding settlement in tho iuteriox of Otago, Wherever'you go tho talk is of maps and runs, but tho Land Board is roundly denounced on all hands owing to its atti'uda regarding tho Home Hills- Eun.

In asking for the immediate continuation of tho Otago Central railway, Central Otago people have allowed irrigation te slip into tho background. -Xobc-ty s»m«d to notice that the Acting,Primo Minister struck a new note to that sounded by the late ilr Seddon namely, the forming of oou&arvation boards— in other words "going on our own." Tlho position at present is that the Government has leefexl up all water sources from private enterprise, and at tho same time it dees riot scorn willing to do anything itself. Either private enterprise should 1» encouraged or tbo Government should face tho whole question. At any rate tbo people are entitled to a plain pron-ounceinait on the question, which ia one of much interest, and one moreover that was , made a prominent question at tho late elections. : Sir Julius Vogel's dream of turning the waters of the Mdyneux into another channel is still in 'the mists of futurity, but surely it U practicable t» lift some of the mighty 1 torrent that daily rushes past the to™ of CJydo and distribute it over the poxolial lands that lie between Clydo and Chatto Creek. I wo 3 talking the other day with a practical man who has given tho mai'ter much consideration, and he fcfls certain that soma mcaiis could be. fomid of lifting the wattirs on to the heights and utilising the river to generate the necessary lifting power. Another ideiv is te utilise the Roaring Meg above Cronvwe'.-l. Those ideas may be dream 3, but ttere is certainly an air of practicability about th&nl which shouM mako the question worthy of .serious consideration. If tho water was ones lifted to the heights there would bo a never foiling source of supply, and , the cost of distributing it over the land would be very- little.

I notice that Mr P. E. Nottage, who lately visited Clyds, has some-thing te. say concerning tho .arrowing of grapes. I had.a chat with that gentleman, whilst he was here, and ho struck me as one who thoroughly. understood •the subject, and , had the kernel of tho malicr. I should be very pleased !o see more from his pen on that subject. There is one thing certain, and that is, that under glass, and without artificial heat, grapes ripen splendidly here, and this year , those grown in the open were excellent. •