UPPER TAIERI NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1581, 11 March 1882, Page 13

UPPER TAIERI NOTES.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) March Oth.

The blazing heat experioncod here during tho past week Culminated on Saturday night in a heavy thunderstorm, accompanied by a fall of rain. The floodgates of Heaven wero openod, and the rain do-, Scemlcd in torrents for a period of 20 hours' duration. An abundant supply ' of water will now be availablofor sluicing and othor requirements. Mr Hoffmann has beonlbusily engaged for some time past in the neighbourhood of the Scrpentino in' effecting the re-erection . of the Golden Link Coin- 1 pany's crushing plant ' iii a more advantageous position for , future operations. The plant belonging to , the above Company is said' to bo one of the best of tho kind in Otago. Mr Hoffman has announced his intention to resume crushing in the course of a little time. A largo quantity of stone has been extracted j from tho Company's reef, and trial crilshinga of sove- I ral other claims in close proximity will take place | shortly. With a magnificent plant erected in its centre, ' together with several practical experienced miners resident there, the Serpentine district' will no doubt ere long shine forth and take a prominent j place among the mining districts of Otago. The sale of tho pastoral runs has been a burning j question for some time past in this locality as well s as ehewhere, and the last issue of the Witness was 1 eagerly scanned for information in respect to tho j matter. The high rental obtained In almost every j instance has been productive of much comment. It ! is gratifying to learn from your paper that in almost ■ every case the original holders have been successful m securing tho new leases of their respective runs. I am persuaded that a worse class could easily bo settled in our midst than the present Crown tenants. I bare ever been opposed to the establish'

merit." oi: A publlc 7 ''CO!iftpanl6a -"in^our, midst. ■ "Bhe pronounced policy of the'several" land companies " ip Otago is » non-progressive one. Hitherto thousands of acres have been locked up by " foreign capitalists " beyond redemption. One or two solitary shepherds have found employment with them it is tj-ue, and that is all that can be said in their favour. Thousands and tcua of thousand j of nheop have for vjoara li-ea 'oft i:w eno y<^-' t« another to r,he mercy of Uri- t'ltj.ie-nts m 1 yh'f fencing. I'liank Her.yen, the iJ.ulur'-.i rutsd in t.nia district have not failoi) into their lutiJa. It will h-i a "day of if i eat wooping; and mourning " v/Kun public companies ace established here. We c,;wld ill ;iilord do lose such private firms or gentlemen iiom our midst as Ibo following- :— Messrs Rowley and Hamilton, Li. M. Turnbull, W. Shennan, Murray, Roberts, and Co., Allan and John Boyd, F. d. Pog-'on, and soveral othors. The above firms give a lar^e amount of employment all the year round. General satisfaction has been expressed here relative to their second tenure of rosidonce in our midst. Home pastoral companies endeavour to keep ill tilings in the oiiijinal. or as near it as they possibly tan. Their flocks aro ajovml to ramblo over a vast area unmolested "from Da:i to Bceraheba" perhaps — with the exception of, one solitary shepherd stationed iv the wilds to linger out a misorablo existence. ; With reference to aecliinatiHution affairs, I regret to note for the information of that much-abused society that there appears to be no immediate danger of our , having "a latge-bird post" as well as a small one. nfears ago the imported birds were much more numerous in this district than they are to-day. It is mani Jfont that, from some unexplained cause, they are {rapidly decreasing m numbers lam glad to report "that, there is every prO'pect of a good season for the >p»rtsmon in this locality. Broods' of young ducks are to be seen on the several lagoons and creeks along the margin of the Upper Taiori Plain. ,' The business transactions in connection with the 'cale of sheep for Southern requirements during tha ipast month have been something enormous in respect ito numbers. Almost daily of late thousands of sheep jha\o passed through en route to Southland. Tho number despatched from the North thjs season has been far in excess of any previous year within the knowledge of the writer.| " • Tho Taieri Council despatched a baud' of experts to adjust the Deep Stream suspension-bridge at Walsh'a crossing the other day. From some unknown cause tho bridge "canted over" onenivht. Matters have betn saticfactorily adjusted, and it is to be hoped that a freak of this kind will not occur again.