LAWRENCE. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Otago Witness, Issue 1382, 25 May 1878, Page 11

LAWRENCE. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

; f , ! ' 1 f .• • • may , We have passed through a severe week of gnoV, ; sleet, and frost. Tho weather up- . country is reported as bad. Ths roads are in '■ucn a condition that it takes teams and bugtfes all their time to get through the deep mud. On last Saturday morning a well-known Dunedin gentleman left Lawrence in a buggy, and got as-far as the Big Hill when he came to the conclusion ■to return, and took first train to Dunedin. *The large quantity of snow prevented the Waipori and Tuapeka Mouth mails arriving at the time due. There are some very deep drifts on. the Waipori ranges. The melting ■now filled the Phoenix Water Race Company's reservoir/which is now running over the byewash. The manager reported to the meeting of directors, held on Saturday last, that he fully expeoted the Bnow and rain would cause a few slips. The Directors appointed Mr J. C. Brown a director in the place of' the late Dr Stewart. The sale of water by the Company lately has been very small, just covering working expenses. I hear a parcel of Phoenix shares changed hands last week at 255. ' The cement' is Wetheratqnes is being well prospected by Messrs Brown and Gascoigne, The last lot put through the boxes paid well for sluicing. I hear Mr Brown, has gone to Dunedin to make final arrangements with Me9srß Kincaid and M'Queen for a 10-head battery, which is to be at work by the middle of August.< --These two pioneers deserve every encouragement. I hear several other persons are contemplating, taking up leases. One shareholder in No.- 2 (Harrop and Co,) sold half his interest, equal to one-tenth, for L 25 to a Dunedin gentleman. . Our Cricket Club held a meeting on Saturday night, when it was resolved to plough up the Oval and sow the most suitable grass-seed, and plant a live fence and a few trees. The Club purpose holding a gift auction to meet the expenditure. . a> t Qm^Sospital Committee held a meeting last 'evening for the purpose of opening and reading the applications for the ofßce of surgeon. There Were seven applications, but one was not signed fcjf ;the party 'applying. • A second from our local doctor was read,' stating, in the event of none of -the 'applicants being willing to accept Ahejhappointment with the restrictions, he would take it if allowed to have two friendly societies, within a radius of four miles. A t^ird gentleman asked to withdraw his application, on, the ground that he did not think there would be sufficient practice to remunerate tW6 resident practitioners. This left the committee only four to choose from. The matter "has been adjourned for one week. On Sunday -we : had the smallest number in the Hospital that has been known since it opened, viz., two men and a boy. At present there are three men snd a boy in the Institution. t Our city magnates met last evening and got through the usual routine work. A rate of Is in the, £.was struck. A finance report showed our oyer-draft at the Bank of New Zealand to lie L 61918 sd. Some L4B lls 8d was struck Off as being very old rates, and not recoverable. A motion waa passed, suggesting "the advisability of using the Lawrence gaol, a classifica'tiori one, for short-sentence ' prisoners. The Minister of Justice wan to be written to to that effect. The bluestone metal for Ross Place has been delayed through aome hitch in "the Railway Department. The crossing over the footpath is simply disgraceful , The Clerk WM instructed to write to the station-master

about it. The matter of the water-rate was allowed to stand over until Mr James Smith's reply came to hand. We are still very short of Kaitangata coal, very little finding its \vay_ up here. It is very unfortunate for the proprietors of our local pit to have met such a serious mishap just at this time. It would have been quite a harvest for them. They are pushing with all Bpeed with their new shaft.