IN THE CHEERFUL CENTRAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17634, 26 May 1919, Page 8

IN THE CHEERFUL CENTRAL

By T. H. Thompson.

Those -who pass through Central Otago on a flying trip may be inclined to disagree -with the expression " cheerful," and Jo dab the country they see as distinctly tho reverse; but should they have left Dimedin on a gloomy day, and from Middlemarch on found themselves in glorious sunshine and fine light air, the aspect of this treeless and tussocky region would not concern them. I -was travelling once in' the company of a man who represented a British manufacturing company, and I asked Mm if he had" - in all his travels seen anything finer than that autumnal day in which we journeyed to Alexandra. In no place he had been, except once in the Andes, had he experienced anything to equal it, and he had been in most of the countries in the world. Judging from my own experience, I should say that March is probably the best month, in the year in the Central, and if any other place on the globe can produce as many perfect days of heavenly .weather it is an eaithly paradise in that respect.

were anyone to take a trip in an aeroplane, if that were possible, from, say, Central Australia, arid land at night in midsummer in Central Otago, he would be surprised to find that he was in the far south of New Zealand when he awoke in the morning, perchance beside the roaring Molymeux. This gannt, barren, brown land, sparsely inhabited, with not a tree in sight for miles, would be anything bnt typical of the world-fa«med scenery of tho Dominion, though the songs of tho soaring larks at early morning, the beautiful light, refreshing atmosphere, and the host of scudding 'rabbits ho might possibly encounter would lead him to thmk that lie had flown about in some great drde. He would- not ] imagine, however, at mid-day that lie was in a latitude approaching that of farthest South America, for now the sun's heat would do justice to Australia, and he would be glad to take off his coat and put a handkerchief under his hat to cover his neck, so hot would it feel as he -walked along. A long walk at 130deg in the sun Would not be an inviting prospect, and he would not envy the old-time swagger his arduous tramp, of 20 miles. But at night, though till twilight ended it felt still warm, he might a little later feel it refreshingly cool in the open, though inside a dwelling his bed clothing would not need to be very heavy. He would notice also that the stars all seemed larger than usual, and that they scintillated "very distinctly in the clear cloudless sky_ above. _ If perchance he-possessed a _ maximum-Liuiiiniuin thermometer he might find a great variation, as I myself have seen, noting in one, day 90 maximum, 32 minimum in the early autumn. At various times when out late at night it is possible to be rewarded by a view of the Aurora Austialis. To describe one I remember distinctly. First, the sky seemed to reflect a distant bush fire; then it faded to light amber tints; again it reddened and faded to amber, and. finally long streaks of amber light, like giant straws tipped lightly with red, spread away over the sky for a few minutes, and then slowly disappear below the horizon. W-ere our visitor to arrive in_: winter after a snowstorm he would think he was in Antarctica, the whiterobed, treeless mountains and valleys reminding one greatly of polar pictures, minus icebergs and penguins. To go outside from a warm hearthside and , view this aspect is something requiring effort; but it will repay. _ The view in the clear, bright moon-, light of the lofty white-clad ranges, with, > maybe, a plantation of Pinis insignis at foot beside some statical homestead, standing out in black against the snow, tie icicles depending -from some old fuming carrying water to a distant duicing claim, some of them Eke stalactites, the cloudless blue sky showing up so distinctly against the white ranges, and the scintillating stars, will be worth risking the biting frost to see, although it will nip one's ears and adorn his moustache with little icicles. What must the old pioneers ■ have endured in tents, in weather like this! is the thought that will come to him as his shins burn before/the fire, while the keen, cold" air behind him creeps up his back and makes him shiver at the thought of going to bed. He will be told tales of b<SeT freezing and.bursting bottles, of ink freezing in the same room in which a firfe was burning, and he will see evidences of other frosts in stricken trees, 'lie blankets he will pile upon his bed will be weighty, but' he will surely need thfem; and when he arises to find the water in _ a bedroom or basin or jug frozen solid, he_ will have further ervidence to assure him of what the cold can do Should he be in Naseby or St. Bathans -he, will be invited out on the curling dams to take a turn at the " roaring game," which is similar to bowls, but played with large, flat stones, to which handles are attached, these- stones being thrown forward towards the 'tee," and rumbling like far distant ftrams as they slide along the ice upon the dams, which •will now be about Bin thick, and as firm as: an asphalt pavement. He will find ... the curlers most sociable good fellows, and in some ways envy their existence and their happy, care-free lives when hard ■winter forces them to make holiday. - Gathering round the fireside with them in; the _ evening,_ and partaking of a social in intelligent, if mixed, company, he; will realise that here a man's a man no'.matter what his calling. If perchance ■he;! attends a " beef and greens " v supper, he_ may hear some 1 tumorous speeches, and; realise that local talent boasts some fair-'singers, that good choruses are still appreciated, and that the brotherhood of mail for a time at least is well in evidence, and hexe a national league of altruistic principles for the time being does . n6t need to be suggested. ° When winter has nassed spring is ushered in by equinoctial gales and hailstorms and _ variable weather 'generally, but- there is a growing pleasantness in the, air and in the aspect of the tussockcovered mountains and valleys, now gradually showing touches of green. A° little later a view of, say, the Manuherikia ' Valley from_ some high standpoint discloses a series of farms, -round which tall, green-leaved poplars and other imtrees help to make so many little oases in the wddspread of yellow tussock, and show up is striking contrast to the brown-coated mountain barriers beyond, though at times these ranges will take on a purple tinge, and at other times a series of them will show brown, black, and blue, according to distance, with yellow . tussock and silvery streams in the foreground—quite a pleasant aspect, though not at all comparable with our coastal ; Bc-wery. As in the Manuherikia, so in Ida Wftiley. viewed from the barrier heights above Ophir, a long stretch of country that under irrigation should gTow fine crops. Tho sheep in this district are wonderfully fat. considering the apparent scarcity of feed. The soil exudes a kind oi white salt, which shows up here and there in the grass plots, and which tastes less like salt than magnesia, a bitter flavour, but which helps to fatten stock evidently. At any rate, it gets the credit of doing so. Travelling in the trains one meets many tourists who have been doing the lakes— : people from abroad, and occasionally among them amusing company; - I remember meeting once an American. from Chicago, who was grey-headed, but youth- . ful in manner. We got talking about New Zealand, America, literary lights, slang, irrigation, and other subjects, including, of course, the other sex. Here is some of the conversation: "According to Foster Eraser all the men in Chicago over 40 are in. the cemetery. You are over 40, are you not?" No, fear, old son. I got my hair grey having a dashed good time." "Yes. 0. Henry uses a good deal of American slang. You go in for more slang here than you think, though yon don't notice it, because it is common amongst you, and you are used to it, bat a stranger like myself strikes _ setae new phrases scatamongst it." I mentioned a sentence from one of 0. Henry's _ "What a guy a gazabo is to risk his whole roll on one turn of the gaboozolum!" He said: "It - sounds funny right enough, but I remember being in a large hotel once and see- . ing a man go up to the clerk, and, with a very ponderous air, ask him solemnly, ' Why is a gaboozolum? The clerk was dumbfounded.Hie American thought this a great joke, and laughed heartily

over-it. Ho was surprised t o find Mew Zealand.ouch alive country. "I expected to find ?ome Maori villages around the coast, bnt here I find five fine cities and crowds of handsome girls in them who can give our American girls points for looks, especially the Dunedin ones. You certainly do raise some peaches down there, old son, but they are some shy, sir, and don't get themselves up as spick as our -women. You' have a fine breed of men, too, particularly in Taranaki and Southland, where they tell me No. 10 boots are common. You have lot of sheep here also, but if yon were to sink some dollars in one of our great expositions you'd soon have as many people as you have sheep, and I guess that's a fair number." Looking out of the carriage window he continued: " I see you're going in for irrigation. That's the game, sir. See what it has _ done for California. I held some stock in an irrigation corporation there, and got my money back several times over. Irrigation's the thing, old son, and if you take my advice, ana you only have 15 cents, put it into an irrigation company." As he left the train at Ranfurly I stood on the platform and lifted my hat to him, saying, "Well, good-bye, colonel!" " Good-bye, Senator!" he promptly responded -well equal to the occasion.

With this digression over, it is meet to say a final word or two about the Central Otago towns, now all feeling more or less the passing of the digging days of yore. Lawrence, still the biggest, seems to me but a shadow of its former self so far as life is concerned, but there is a good fanning district about it, and it may still have a fair future. Roxburgh is lucky in its possession of such a fine fruit-growing _ locality, some of the older reaping fairly lucrative rewards for their foresight. It boasts also the biggest thing in sluicing that Otago ever saw, under the management of one of Otago's most progressive pioneers in that line, Mr John Ewing, who deserves well of this province for his enterprise. Alexandra, always progressive, with nif desperandum for its motto, keeps going. Dredging becoming a thing of the past, it has turned the rabbit to good account, and runs a big, up-to-date canning factory, which has given many rabbiters a chance to make almost professional incomes, in the creation of which, no doubt, the grea't war has been a prime factor. Fruit farms also have sprung up in plenty round Alexandra and Clyde, and the cutting up of big runs has made money for a fair number of sheep-farmers. The same remarks apply to Cromwell, now the railway terminus, which is for this reason, plus the fruit-growing prospects and the dissection of the runs, the town with the best chances at present in the Central. Like Alexandra, it has coal within its precincts, and a few miles out, at little Bannockburn, can secure a good quality coal in plenty, which went last year to Christchurch in hundreds of tons. Pro- , vided the irrigation scheme from the Kawarau proves successful, Cromwell and Bannockburn should reap a rich reward in a few years' time. Naseby, prettily •situated, sadly wants something to help it along. If such a place existed in New South Wales the Government would foster it for winter sports, but people here do not. care for travelling in the cold weather. In summer-time it would be a good place for health-seekers needing a quiet time, or holiday-makers who do not find it convenient to go too far, and yet require a change inland to mountain air and salubrity. St. Bathans still keeps sluicing, though not on such a big scale as of yore, Naseby doing also a little in that direction.

No matter what is doing, however, in any of these towns you will always find a kindly, hospitable, and cheerful people, who will remember your stay among them for many years after you have yourself forgotten it, and who, if you ever go back, will give you a welcome that will do your heart good. If ycra-are a stranger you will only be one for a few minutes; and, as they help the city to keep going, the city people should do their best for them, and spend some of their money amongst them annually, remembering the old adage that every little helps. The cause is good, and, as some fanatic has expressed it, a cause is higher than an institution.