LAWRENCE NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19350, 10 December 1924, Page 5

LAWRENCE NOTES.

MILLER’S FLAT-BEAUMONT RAILWAY.

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

Mt H. P. West (district traffic manager) tod Mr C. M. Benzoni (district engineer) passed through Lawrence on Monday last, en route for Beaumont and Miller’s Flat. This new extension will be opened for goods traffic on December 15, and the departmental officers are making the necessary arrangements at Miller’s Flat The department is putting a staff of officials here, but tho transit is under the control ot the Public Works Department. Only goods will be carried in the meantime, as it is considered improbable that tho line will be sufficiently advanced to allow of the carriage of passengers until four to six months have elapsed. The question of a recognised time-table service has not even been considered, but the residents of the Roxburgh district can feel that they have reached one step nearer their goal. WEATHER AND FARMING. The rainfall for November was ,97in. This is the third lowest fall per month for the year. The rainfall in August was .59in and in March .86in. It is doubtful whether the average rainfall for the year has been so low for a decade or longer. Tip to the present the season has been all that could be desired, _ but reports from the farmers and miners indicate that the critical period has arrived and that if rain does not arrive soon_ what •eemed a good season’s prospects will be nullified. The wishes of these communities were gratified on Sunday afternoon, when a storm burst over the district at about 2 p.m., and heavy, incessant rain continued until a late hour at night. A perceptible fall of the temperature accompanied tho rain, and it will do an incalculable amount of good to all parties. Haymaking has commenced in the district this year earlier than usual, and if weather conditions are satisfactory a second crop should be cut. LAWRENCE BOROUGH COUNCIL.

At the last meeting of the Lawrence Borough Council a reply was received from the Health Department in regard to tho complaint from tho council that the department’s monthly inspection statement was not explicit enough, and that the council wanted more information. The Health Department informed the council that this was an impossibility under present conditions, as their inspector had to supervise five boroughs and three counties in this particular district, and there was no necessity for detailed information on the matters involved, and the department treated rit as confidential. The chairman of the Cemetery Committee, in reviewing the work done and still unexecuted said that a largo number of graves belonging to absentee members of the community were neglected. and tho committee could not complete the work so as to give the cemetery a tidy appearance. It was suggested that the council would bo prepared to attend to these graves at a nominal fee per annum *o cover tho cost of actual labour. The I *orks Committee intended to do a fair amount of asphalting this summer. _ Some a* ;he footpaths had got into disrepair and needed attention, as a bigger outlay would be involved if the matter were deferred any longer. BUILDING ACTIVITIES. Whether the recent alterations and improvements to a number of business premises here have been the means of impressing upon tradesmen the necessity of making their shops up to date is difficult to tell, but at least three more business men are making arrangements to put modern fronts into their shops. This materially improves and makes more attractive the business portion of the town, besides indicating the confidence business men have in the district. The carpenters are working at their full capacity, and are busy erecting a new and up-to-date slaughterhouse at Weatherstones for a local firm of butchers. Several residences are also being constructed. SALE OF WORK. The annual sale of work in aid of Holy Trinity Church, Lawrence, was held in the town hall last Wednesday afternoon and evening and proved a great success. The handsome sum of £l6O was taken. This church is favoured with a very fine body of women workers, and as the vestry of the church is on tho evo of signing a contract for the erection of a new Anglican Church it made special efforts this year to establish a record amount to go towards the building fund. The Holy Trinity Church Ladies’ Guild is the medium of annually passing over a substantial sum to the general committee and it has up to date contributed the fine sum of £I4OO per the (medium of sales of work to the new Church Building Fund. SUCCESS OF SMALL HOLDINGS. When we hear so much of the success of large farms it is refreshing to chronicle tho good management and returns of small farms. An area of 50 acres adjacent to the town and looked upon as only secondclass land, has run 50 sheep during tho last year without any provision as regards winter feed. They produced 100 per cent, in lambs and 81b of wool per sheep was shorn. The success of this farmep is attributed to his action in cutting his ground into small paddocks, and ho is continually shifting his stock from one paddock to another. Cows and pigs are also a side line on this farm. It has been emphasised in more than one quarter that a bigger return is obtainable from intensive cultivation than accrues from larger areas. SHEARING SEASON. Most of the farmers have finished their shearing and the wool has been sent forward to Dunedin for the first wool sale which is to be held shortly. The larger wool growers are still busy and not likely to Iso finished for another week or so. Shearing operations have finished earlier this year, and it is doubtful if ever they experienced such a continuous spell of fine weather that enabled them to prosecute their shearing without any interruption whatever. One grower stated ho estimates his increase at 20 per cent, better than last season’s clip. All that is wanted is the maintenance of the phenomenal prices that have been realised at the opening sales. RAILWAY VERSUS MOTOR.

One cannot help noticing the increased motor traffic that passes through the borough since the Manuka Gorge bridges have been re-erected. It is ouite safe to say that the traffic has trebled. This has, to a certain extent, a detrimental effect upon the railway services. A number of motor services exist which pass regularly with loads of passengers from Dunedin to Roxburgh and vice versa. The whole position seems to constitute a direct challenge to the railway authorities. A large number of tourists and others are finding it more comfortable and more expeditious to go by motor than by rail. They are very emphatic about the unnecessary and annoying delays that take place at Milton between the arrivals of trains from Dunedin and the departure of the Lawrence train. It is said on good authority that the number of passengers that come by the slow train is so small as to make this long wait quite unnecessary. The Minister of Railways is making an alteration in tariff on certain goods and inducements in other departments to cope with the motor traffic which is in competition with the railway in ether districts in New Zealand. It is on the cards that the motor companies operating in the Otago Central portion of this district, are already formulating plans for a through service when the railway goes to Miller’s Flat. The Government cannot compel a citizen who has a car for pleasure to use the railway, but it is incumbent upon the railway authorities to put the service on a sound footing so that it can compete with motor companies which are operating, apparently successfully, in opposition to the railways. LAWRENCE SWIMMING BATHS. 'The annual meeting of the Swimming Baths Committee was held on Monday night, when Mr R. C. Moore occupied the chair. The secretary (Mr G. it. Talboys) submitted the financial statement, which showed that the total cost of the erection of the baths, with dressing shed, diving apparatus, and other incidentals, was £125. This expense was met by public subscriptions of £lO2, and a citizen paid the balance of account (£2O), relieving the committee of the immediate responsibility of the debt. The condition of the baths evoked considerable discussion, and it was eventually decided to take steps to raise the necessary funds in' order to concrete and raise the bottom of the baths and to shorten them to a more appropriate length of 33 1-3 yards. It will also be necessary to put in new pipes and to make t novision for the periodical flushing of the >aths, and to consider the erection of a fence around the swimming grounds. It was decided to form a Lawrence Swimming Club, and a recommendation was adopted that the executive consider the advisability of holding a swimming carnival during the coming season. A temporary executive of seven was appointed to draw up rules for the management of the club. WAITAHUNA PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. The now Presbyterian church at Waitahuna will be opened on Christmas Sunday, December 28. The Rev, Geo, Miller, of

North-East Valley, Moderator of the General Assembly, will conduct the openingservices. This fine church, which is nearly completed, has seating accommodation for 220, and is of brick, with a tiled roof.