CENTRAL OTAGO.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20799, 19 August 1929, Page 12

CENTRAL OTAGO.

OPHIR NOTES. (From Our Own Correspondent.) OPHIR, August 17. PERSONAL. The death in Dunedin on August 2 of Mrs Hargrave, wife of Mr Mark J. Hargrave, proprietor of the Shamrock Hotel, Ophir, caused keen regret in the township. Two weeks before her death Mrs ■Hargrave went to Dunedin for a holiday and to be present at the double wedding of .a daughter and a son. Shortly after the weddings she took ill, and did not |B)cover. She was greatly respected throughout the district. BRASS BAND BAZAAR. The ladies of this part of Mannhcrikia Valley arc working- very energetically toward the successful issue of the bazaar which is to be held in Ophir Hall on September 19 and 20, in aid of the funds of- the Manuherikia Brass Band. Mrs M. Moran, Ophir, arranged for a gift afternoon in aid of the fancy sta’! at the bazaar. This was followed by Mrs S. Lcask, who gave an afternoon at Omakau, the result of which was a sum of £5 5s for the produce stall. On Thursday. August S, Mrs C. L. Caldwell, Omakau, had an afternoon to which over 40 ladies contributed, the proceeds amounting to £5 10s for the refreshment stall. MAGISTRATE’S COURT. The two-monthly sitting of the Magistrate’s Court was held on August 9. The only police case was that of Ranger FclIctt, who prosecuted C. Barnett, of Lauder, for killing game without a license on May 1. The defendant was fined £5 and court costs. Judgment for the amounts claimed, with costs, was given in the following cases:—F. J. Bloy v. A. Pritchard, £3 18s Id: F. J. Bloy v. W. Hill, £3 19s 6d; Purton and Wall v. H. Edwards, £25 ss. for board and lodging and goods . supplied ; Purton and Wall v. J. Rowe. £l3 10s, for hoard and lodging; Purton and Wall v. D. Baird, £lB 19s 6d for board and lodging and goods supplied; E. Duggan v. A. G. Cnughlau, £3 13s 3d, for goods. Several -thcr cases were settled out of court. WARDEN’S COURT. As Goldfields Warden, an application for a golj mining claim came before Mr Dixon. Messrs J. Stafford, L. Coulson, and A. Love, all of Ophir, applied for a lease of 50 acres in the locality known as Richardson’s Reef, on one of the minor branches of Wet Gully,’ about two miles behind Ophir, on the foothills of Raggedy Range. The hearing of the application was adjourned in order that the applicants might furnish a more definite description of the geographical position of the claim. ' The ground applied for will include a mine which was'opened up between 30 and 40 years ago. and worked with considerable profit while the quartz reef ran not far from the surface. A shaft on the line of reef was sunk some distance ahead, and the reef was again found at a depth of about 100 feet. Operations were then suspended, owing, it is reported, to want of funds. The plan of the present applicants is to have a thorough test made of the prospects of reopening the mine. THE WEATHER. As usual with the last month of winter, the weather has been considerably un settled. Though the majority of the days have been bright, and warm, with the solar temperature about SO degrees, and on several occasions over 90 degrees, the nights have been below freezing every night but one, with a fair amount of frost. The coldest days were 17 degrees of frost on August 13; 16$ degrees on August 14; and 16 degrees on August 2. The heaviest fall of snow for the winter occurred on the early morning of last Saturday, when two .and a-quarter inches fell, hut it thawed off by noon. The barometer has been very unsteady. On the morning of August 14 ’ cut np to 30.4”dn; early this- norning * was down to 20.35 in. It is now (9 a.m.) 2!),4fliu and rising slowly, indicating stormy conditions. —— %