PORTOBELLO.

Otago Witness, Issue 1602, 5 August 1882, Page 13

PORTOBELLO.

(from our own correspondent.) August Ist.

I thought that in my last I had exhausted my need to record the badness of tho weather for some timo to come anyway, but I am sorry to say that the week just ended has been as bad as, if not worse than, any of itspredecessors this winter. It rained nearly every day la"jt week, and on Saturday afternoon it be?an to come down in torrents, which continued till Sunday morning. Added to this, a fierce gale set in from the acmfch-west, lasting till Monday. During Saturday night the rain and wind were aomcthing to be remembered. There have been a few landslips caused by the rain, but fortunately none of any magnitude have occurred on tho roftf|» in f*ia locality, but liho. buach load is blocked, • ' •

Saturday last was the ordinary meeting-day of the Road' Board, but owing to the inclemency of the weather only four members put in an appearance, and the meeting was postponed until Saturday, at the same hour. , , I staW i" my lait that the petition ? n re tho alter*tionof the district had bsen roturnod from We Hilton us it was not in accordance with some standm* order of tho Hou»e. I understand that the defect lay in the fact that the sheets containing the name* h»d not been pasted to each other, so an to make a continuous rol,, and our M.H.E could not stoop to the indignity either to inform the Boa.rd what *a.s tlw standing order referred to, nor yet to rectify it himself, but returned it Of course 'ho 'emit is the petition has been delayed, and tho bill ha* parsed its second reading with ut any objection having been raised against it. 1 havo no doubt the promoters « f che petition will get up a testimonial to their member for the anxiety he has di«. layed in furthering their interests by doing that which they were opposed to. Of course he knows far better than they do what is for their benefit, for v ha not pai t for looking after tneir iuterests ? On Tuesday night last an entertainment was givon at the Otago Kaik by their fel.ow pupils to the winner* of the »(;hoUr«hi|)s thero, Messrs Mlliaon and Anglaiu, on their leaving to outer on their studies at the college in the North Island. There are «om« siifns of the improved times to be seen here, the Presbjterian congregation having got their church newly pulnted, and the hot»lkoeper ia gutting an addition put up to the Portobello Hotel, to accommouattj the summer visitors.