STILL ISOLATED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23884, 11 August 1939, Page 10

STILL ISOLATED

PLIGHT OF WAIPORI TOWNSHIP OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE WORLD RESIDENT’S PITIFUL LETTER The plight of Waipori township, which is still almost cut off from the outside world by huge snowdrifts, in places 20 feet in depth, is an unenviable one, and the settlement is like a besieged village in which supplies are daily dwindling. A somewhat pathetic letter, written last Saturday, has been received from one of the residents by a Dunedin person, and in it are revealed some of the hardships being suffered. “ There must be nearly three weeks’ mails and papers in Lawrence,” the writer states, “ and to have no mail and no papers seems to me to be even worse than to be short of food. But we are going to be very short of food in about a week, and I don’t know when anjrthing will get through. The supplies of bread, butter, and tinned milk sent through by pack-horse last week were very welcome. It was five weeks yesterday since the grocer was out here. I never want to see another scone. We have been having scones, ■ fried or with jam, for breakfast and tea every day, and curry and rice, potatoes, and soup for dinner. We have no milk, so there have been no puddings. I felt quite excited about getting a loaf of bread by pack-horse on Friday. We had early tea and two whole slices of bread —and then indigestion.

“ I am terrified of another snowstorm before we get supplies in. Our tea is nearly done, and we have very little left of barley, split peas, lentils, wheat, kerosene, and lots of other things. It is' like being in a trap.” Since this letter was written, another lot of supplies has been sent through from the Waipori power station to the township, and a third trip will be made by pack-horse today. There was a welcome thaw yesterday, but with snow up to the tops of the telegraph posts in places it will be some time before all the snow is away.

The chief postmaster, Dunedin, stated last night that there wgs no post office at Waipori township, and the residents had to collect their mail from Lawrence. A resident from the township got through to Lawrence a day or two ago and took the bulk of the letters back with him. The remainder of the mail will have to stay at Lawrence until someone from the township can collect it.