QUEENSTOWN NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19200, 17 June 1924, Page 8

QUEENSTOWN NOTES.

Up to the present we have had a fine, open winter. The weather last week wassomewhat broken, being raw rather than frosty. Snow mantled the ranges more than half-way down, and indications were for a fall on the lower levels. However, when, it seemed very near at hand condition® began to improve, and a steadily rising gloss led us to expect what we are now having—namely, days of bright sunshine and hard frost. Winter pastimes art now getting into full swing. Two Cup football matches have been p’ay erf, Arrowtown (21) beating Glenorchy (8), last Tuesday, and Country Pirates the nest day defeating Queenstown by 20 points to 3. Taking the clubs all round, their ranks have been depleted of players since last season, and the accessions have not balanced the losses. Especially is this so with Glenorchy, which put a very formidable team in the held a couple of years ago. It is not expected, ihereiorc, tiiat tnere will anything like the same interest or enthusiasm shown in the game this season. -The local golf club h*s likewise engaged In two matches with an outside combination. A week or so back a Wanaka team came across to Wakdtipu and carried home witn it the laurels of the day. A return match, was played at Pembroke on Saturday, when the honours Lay almost completely with the home team. Fifteen or 20 club members made the trip to Wanaka, and a very enjoyable time was spent. It is probable a match will be played between Queenstown and Cromwell at the latter township at the end of the month. The installation of hydro-electricity in Queenstown is being eagerly looked forward to. The building of the dam in the One Mile Creek is nearing completion, and the power-house will soon be put under way. Some 70 or 80 of the poles have arrived from Australia, and when the balance comes to hand the work of reticulation will be undertaken. Our local electrician is busy wiring up shops and welling® ready for the time when the power is turned on. There ia, of course, much yet to be done before the scheme is in operation, so that it will be we»l into the late spring—probably later than that—before we will be able to enfov the comfort and convenience of electric light and power,. So far no trace has been found of the man, John Small, who disappeared from Halfway Bay .Station on Juno 6. Small had been engaged to look after the farm stock at the station during the absence of the proprietor at the Dunedin Show. Re had been there only four days, when he woe missed. His baggage and personal effects were found in the quartern he occupied, but he left no word of his intended movements. The police and a number of volunteers, aa well as the station hands, have been prosecuting the search for him for four day® past, but no trace has yet been found. Small’s dogs hung about the lake shore for days, so this led to dragging operations being canned on as well as the search in tho back-country. Small is a married man 37 years of age, and has a family of two. His home is in Lumsdcn. , With the winter upon us, affairs in the mining world are quiet again. , However, the survey of the Shotover claims is belli? proceeded with as a necessary preliminary to activity laten on. This is in respect of tho .lubsidia'Tr scheme of damming the Shotover diver at the branches gorge. The company s surveyor has ulso been nuav taking soundings, levels, etc., at Kawanau Falla in connection with the erection of the dam at tho outlet of Lake Wakatipu. The mining revival has made business in the local Warden’s Court brisker than it hafl been for a great many years. Each court dav for some months past til ere has been a long list of applications for claims in the Shotover, water races, etc., and the objections lodged, as well ak the dual applications for one and the same claim indicate tho keenness with which holdings are sought. Quite an interesting case arose out of two parties wanting a certain piece of the river, just, above the Lower Shotover bridge. One of the principals of the Kawarau Gold Mining Comuany pegged it out, some month* ago, but’ its area was considerably underestimated in the application, for some reason or other. This led to an ex-miner,. J. Thompson, and his son pegging out the same length of river-bed indicated by the Eawarau Company’s pegs, and applying Jor tho area contained in it, less the 19i acre® applied for by the company. The Kawarau Company repegged the area and lodged a fresh application for it, the extent of it being accurately measured on this occasion. However, when tho court was occupied with the hearing it was brought out in evidence that Thompson pegged first, but the K»wanau Company got in before him with it® second application. The warden reserved his decision, as this and one or two other fine points were involved. Last court day ho said he was going to grant the license to Thompson, who had pegged first, but had been prevented by unavoidable circumstances —to wit, the lack of application forms at the courthouse —from filing his application eanlier. The warden ruled the company ® original application as out of order— through the extent of ground applied for being defectively pegged and incorrectly described. The points involved were being fine, hence it is understood the Kawarau Company is lodging an appeal against the wardens decision. 1 . , First-aid classes under the auspice® of tne St. John Ambulance Association were held on Wednesday, when two lecture® tone to men and the other to women) were given by Dr Anderson. A considerable amount or success has attended these classes during the past three years, and some of tho pupils have been consistent in their progress four winning the medallion as the result of their last examination. . A very successful entertainment was given here on Friday night as a liencfit for a widow whose house property, furniture and. personal effects were severely damaged nT the municipal acetylene gas plant explosion just 12 months ago. Only about 6nc-quai»-ter of these who suffered losses through the occurrence received any compensation from the Borough Council. The other 7* per cent, did not make any claim. Some of those who did failed in their efforts because of their not following the right legal procedure for the recovery of damages In the majority of instances the loss omud b« borne without any considerable hardship, but in the case of this widow' it was felt that the burden was pressing more heavily upon her, hence the reason for her being accorded some monetary assistance bv the public as a whole. A number of Otago University students, who are in Queenstown on holiday, furnished a very refreshing item in the shape of topical choruses and local hits. The Arrowtown Amateur Dramatic Society lent its aid in the second half of the programme by staging a comedietta entitled “All in a Fog. The financial result of the entertainment M said to have been very satisfactory.