EIGHTY-FIVE YEARS AGO

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27259, 9 December 1949, Page 6

EIGHTY-FIVE YEARS AGO

V- FROM THE FILES OF THE

©taoo Bad's? TElmes S-." DUNEDIN. DECEMBER 9, 1864.

The Post Office return of money orders issued and paid in the province during the month of November shows that 535 orders, representing £2495 Os Bd, were issued, and 205, amounting to £832 6s 2d, were paid. The total issued since the commencement of the system is 12,166, representing £61,224 9s 3d; and the total number paid is 3542, amounting to £17,387 3s.

Mr Warden Hardcastle reports as follows, under date December 3:— “The rush to McPherson’s has ceased and several parties have returned from there to Dunstan Creek. The two races in course of construction from Hill’s to the Woolshed are being proceeded with vigorously, as is that from the Kyeburn to the Hogburn. Notwithstanding the diminished population now in the neighbourhood of Hill’s, Dod’s party is able to sell all the water is can bring in.”

v ' in the Provincial Government Gazette of yesterday, the annual report of the chief inspector of sheep is published by which it appears that the total number of sheep in the province is 1,205,451. Of these, 985,208 are ewes and’ 220,243 are wethers, exclusive of this season’s lambs, which are too young to be entered in the return. Since September, 1863, there have been 117.811 sheep brought into the province ( 45,000 wethers and 30,389 ewes having been landed at Port Chalmers, and from Canterbury and Southland, 29 622 wethers and 13,150 ewes. About one-third of the males were sold as fat a nd the remainder as stores. On com- • sparing the number, of sheep slaughtered during the past 12 months with -the previous year’s consumption, there be a falling-off of about '45 000 the number killed m 1862-63 being’ 165.000, and in 1863-64 only 120 000 The number of wethers is equal to 18 months’ consumption.