LAWRENCE NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20388, 20 April 1928, Page 10

LAWRENCE NOTES.

(From Ovn Own Correspondent.) • LAWRENCE, April 18. THE WEATHER. Cooler' conditions now prevail in this district, though very little rain has fallen for the month. The rainfall during March was 1.28 in for 11 days, compared with 4.69 in tor the whole of, March last year. The comparative rainfall for this district for the first three months illustrates the difference in the two seasons. For the months of January, February, and March in 1927, 9.62 in was recorded, and for the same three months of 1928, sin was the total ' FARMING OPERATIONS. The recent showers have been beneficial to the turnip crops and will freshen up the pastures. The area sown annually tinder grain is a diminishing quantity in this district every year, and statistics show that less grai.H has been sawn this year than in any former year. Farmers are gradually going in increasingly for sheep grazing and studying top-dressing for the improvement of pastures. Grain production is considered too expensive. A local farmer recently threshed a small area of wheat, and the cost for 6 hours' threshing, which produced 110 ba?s of wlieat, was £8 Bs—this was exclusive of one ton of coal, and the expenses of having to provide paeuls fop mill

hands, and as this farmer pointed out, this cost was only one of the items in the production of wheat. TUAPEKA DOMAIN BOARD. At a meeting held in the board's office on Fridav, it was decided to vote the sum of £5 to the Sports Club for the improvement of the Recreation Ground. A letter was received from the Public Works Department stating that, the Government had voted £ for £ up to £25 to help to re-erect a bridge iri place of one that had been washed away during the recent flood, and which gave access to the railway station. LAWRENCE STOCK SALE. The monthly stock sale was held on Thursday at Lawrence Sale Yards, when there was a yarding of 2500 sheep. Owing to dry weather and the holidays the sale was not very spirited, and lower values ruled. However, 1600 head changed hands. Four, six, and eight-tooth wethers made to 22s Gd; a good line of two-tooth ewes, 32s 2d; sound-mouthed ewes, 24s 9d; failing-mouthed, from 5s 7d to 14s Gd, according to condition. Lambs.—Good quality brought to 25s Id: mixrd sex, 193 3d; and fat lambs up to 28s. Pigs.—Pig3 were dull of sale, and realised from 5.s to 8s 6d. Rams. —Mr J. Lockhavt sent forward some good samples of Romney breed, which brought from 4gns to 7gn«; aged Romneys, 2ens -to 4Jgns; Corrie. dales, 3gns to sJ*ms; Leieesters. 2gn-»; and old rams, from 10s 6d upwards. TUAPEKA HOSPITAL COMMITTEE. The monthly meeting of the committes of the Tuapeka Hospital was held last Friday, Mr Simpson (chairman) presiding. Letters were received from the Otago Hospital Board in regard to accounts owing by patients to the Tuapeka Hospital Board. Or 'mount was written off, one had be remitted in September, .'1927, "and ' tk?. third patient was given three months in which to pay. Another communication from the board stated that it considered the gardener at Tuapeka Hospital was being overpaid compared with the amount paid for similar services at Tapanui Hospital. After discussion, the matter was referred to a committee' consisting of the . chairman, Cr M'lnerney, and Dv Sutherland, to report at the next meeting. Accounts amounting to tS7 were passed for pay- 1 ment. EFFECTS OF AUTUMN. I This district is: now looking well with its autumn garb, and at Easter time, when visitors were here, they were unstinted in their praise of Lawrence and its surroundings, with its_ picture of goldyellow and bronze colouring. The Peace. Gardens have appeared at their best since Christmas and have been inspected by all visitors.. There is a prospect that a fine area, known as the old racecourse, with a good plantation, will be utilised, as a motor parking place" for tourists. This would be a very suitable spot, as it is adjacent to the town. MINING NOTES. The protracted spell of. dry weather has affected most of the mining claims in the district. The amalgamated companies at Blue Spur are still supplying all their water to the Dunedin City Corporation, but the staffs of the various claims are busy cleaning out and repairing the races of tho companies'. • The Wetherstone claims arc idle owing to shortage of water, and the men are employed oh race work. A good deal of interest is centred in the gold-divining operations of a local clergyman, who has located a reef at Blue Spur. Two or three men are actively engaged opening up the reef, but nothing has been divulged s?' far as to. its extent of goldbearing qualities. The same man has had commissions to execute at Roxburgh, Waitahuna, and says that the Lawrence district has reefs of varying size, spreading in all. directions, but capital is wanted to open them up. \ ■ LAWRENCE FOOTBALL CLUB. A meeting of members of the Lawrence Football Club wan held in the Returned Soldiers' Association rooms on Friday night, when the Rev. A. J. Dow presided. The enthusiasm displayed gave of a strong club being formed. The following bfficiJ bearers were elected: —President, Dr Sutherland; vice-presidents—all of last year's officers, with the addition of Messrs P. 0. Forrell. W. Duthie and R. Norman: committee—Messrs H. Bradley, R. Rumibaoh, Wv Bell and officers and ex-officers, secretary and treasurer, Mr H. Dent. Two wellwishers have presented a practice anrt match ball for the use of members of the club. It was decided that the colours of tho club should be royal blue, with the jerseys, trousers rncl stockings to match LAWRENCE BOROUGH COUNCIL The fortnightly meeting of the Lawrence Borougn Council was held on Monday night the Mayor (Mr Simpson) presiding' A letter was lcceived from the Public Works Department drawing attention to the change in the licensing year of motor lorries, and tho new definition of a -lotor lorry.—Received. A communication was received from tho Census and StatisticOffice, Wellington, asking for" the return of buildings erected in the borough for tho vear ended March 31. The council decided to call tenders for a caretaker to look Bungtown. Greeu Valley and Phoenix dam races. . The Reserves Committee reported th»„ the Peace Gardens were in good ordeand the gates had' been repainted. It was decided to sell the lease of the borough endowment at Tuapeka West at the Lawrence Sale Yards on May t 3. It was resolved that the collection of overdue rates should; be left in tho hands of the borough solicitor. It was decided that £4O standing in the balance sheet to the credit of the Transvaal Patriotic Fund should be transferred to tho Town Hall account It was also resolved to put the £IOO wth intere-si accrued m the Tuapeka Brass Band trust account into tho general account, _ and a separate account would be kept in tnis connection. ~ , The sanitation charge for the current year was fixed at £1 5s for fortnightly and £2 for weekly service. The additional charge was required to meet the deficiency that had to bo mot in the working of this department