CENTRAL OTAGO.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20311, 20 January 1928, Page 10

CENTRAL OTAGO.

CROMWELL NOTES. (Feom Our Own Correspondent.) CROMWELL, January 18. THE WEATHER. The long spell of dry weather continues, the heat during the past few days being excessive. The country generally presents a very dried and burnt up surface. On all sides rain is badly needed, the growers of root crops, pastoralists, and fruitgrowers are all experiencing anxious times with the prolonged drought. In many parts the position is serious, as the grain has not tilled and the growth is stunted. The stone fruit is now ripening rapidly, in fact too much so for many, as they are unable to cope with it. The weather conditions are very calm and settled and at the present time there seems to be no prospect of a break. The only people to benefit by present conditions are tourists and holiday-makers, and the weather certainly has been ideal for their purpose. Of late there has been a continual stream of holiday-makers passing through the town to and from the Southern Lakes district, each and aU met with are most enthusiastic about climatic conditions pertaining to Central Otago. With the parched and burnt up nature of the herbage there has lately been some danger in the town from grass fires. There have been several calls to these lately, and but for the promptitude of the local brigade they would possibly have assumed serious proportions. The town also has been most fortunate so far in having a good water supply and has every reason to congratulate itself as, while towns nearbv are having a bad time, there has been no curtailment here to date.