LAKE COUNTY.

Otago Witness, Issue 1652, 21 July 1883, Page 13

LAKE COUNTY.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRKSPOJiDEM ) July 10 FIRK —A fire occurred the other week aC the Deep Crcuk ccal pit, by which tho d*elli»g-liouso of Mr i eter lUndurhon, carter, waa totally dus'.ioycd. Tne fiie bioke our, eariy one attcrnoou, and inutit have had considerable hold of the building- when it was discovered, for Mrs Honderaon i ad barely time to t-hcapa with her b*by when rhe whule house lmrut) into iliinus. Tho origin of the firo is a mystery, and is likely to remain an. XoUung whatever was saved, and although tbohomc wus ins rud to the exieut ot £ 00 in the British Insurance Company, Mr Hundercon will be :i Jteavv loser, as he Ciliuiatea his loss at £tr>o over and alt <vo tlio amount for wn'ch ho was insured. The firo is j-i u!u t.niidii ot the old sayiny, "One luMorcuue hi in/. ulon< | ai. other." It wasdily afahort tune a^o that Mr Humduison had onu of h s legs brcen, from the eittcts 01 which he has not quite recovered. " TiiK LiF« OF 1 iudk " If opposition be the life of trade, then bu r ine--s must be pronounced as being txceedin^ly lively in this district at the pre-ent tj.ue. Ihere l- q .ite a rush of "Ch-ap Jacks" of all sort to the towiib of Lake County — nay some of the more advonturourf ones h >ye penetiated even s~> tar ns Cromwull and Bumoc.burn. Thu co>. sequence is that the diotric. is flooded with in enor articles, an.i impoverisheU by tho abstraccion < f a Considerableamount of the circulating medium. Our stor kci peis uud general dealura hive themselves to blame to a vory gieat; extent, for b>' keeping up prices and giving uniiuntid credit they b <vo been ca<ryiugoa budneks 0 • a ticm.ious basis, which sooner or hi'cr muit biing disaster if not ruiu upon them. So high aio the pricus of the ntceubaiißS of life in this district that, uuuiiios have been compulled ti> 1 a\e here on i hat account It wni be se. n that under »uch circumstances tho progress uf tho i laca muit Uu impeded, a il thus t c very men who try to rnalie money out ot tho working bee. are actually killing the gooso which la>b the go den egtfs, ana it is unnecessary to say that they aitoareih loudest growlers ab u u the piovauing depression. Cela va sans dire It id time that our business men locud the difflcu.ty tquaroly m the face. The satno may be said of tbe dgaiers in meat and bread. The former is retailed in the large seaport towns of the Island at from 2d to 6d per pound, while inland, where the article ia produced, the price is from id to 8d per pound. Bread, which U sold in Dunediu at 5W per four-pound loaf, is charged 8d and 9d in JLakeCuunty, where wheat luxuriates, and where there are flourmihs to repletion. Queknstown Watbrworks. — All the preliminnries in connection with these works are arranged, and the plans, specifications, and estimate* will be in the hands of the Town Council in a short time. Tho scheme is a thorough one, as it includes the higher hections bituated on what are known as " tho terraces." A sample of tho water has boon forwarded to Professor lllack for analysis. Mail Comract. — To show what agitation, if peruevtsreu in, may acoiupl'Sh, 1 may quote the recently obtained noon <f a daily m,.il between Queen town and Arrow town. For neatly five years hia bln-i subject, boai k pt> l)Lfoi'« the public »nij the liovt-rmnunt, in d while, tho great butielit, of a, daily mail between the two plucu< an.l bi-twutn them .md Uunedin wii-- solf-evid i.t, ihe G VLrim eat reij. i lil ur^nm for five jears before i.ncy woulu grant, tho public this boon, which it is MiM will c i->u thu Doj/artnieut i.60 a year. Tho ciutmutor is M>- John J"p ( ., a 1 roved Juhu of puncruaiity and carefulness. There i\r.e now no lees than three dii y cuaehua aud an additional bi-weukly ono ruiiinng between yueeniiown aud Arrowtown, so that the travelling public have no reason to complain of a waut of the means of transit.

Waimba Plains P ailway.— The potition circulated here asking the Go 3 rnment to take over this railway

is of obscure origin. Nobody seems to know where it comes from, or who is the originator. People have signed io on tho principe that most such documents .11c bi.'iied-viz., for sake of the man who presented it to them, and not on the meiits of the qut-sti >n. No doubt this county would be benefited if the rrtiliva\ Ijuloiiired to the Government, but thia is taking a s> lti-.ii vii w of the subject, and, on the other hand, it must b«» conside ed that it is throwing the door open to a dantroious picceileut. Nbw Posr-oKFicE -The building to serve for a now p >-a <<liiee at Arrowtown is nuw completed, ari-1 although it is buo small, and does not flatter the importance of tho town, it is an improvement on the oid office. While speaking of local postal matters a woid of praise where it is due may not bo considered out of place. Air Dolany, who has held the office of postmaster at Arrowtown for the past 11 years, has trained for himielf the esteum and confidence of the residents in this district by his even urbanity and general readiness to serve the public upon all occision<s and it ia the universal wish that he may long continue to preside in the new offhe.

Hospital Affairs.— The Arrow Hospital Committee arc once more finding fault with thair doctor. Considerin,j than the pro-cut doctor is the sixth or seventh the Committee have appointed to their Hospital during the three years of its existence, the query arises whether the fault does not lie more with the Commutes thin with the doctors. In one case at least the Committee exposed themselves in a most unenviable light.

Qubbnstown Athbn/eum.— The annual mcctiDg of the Athemoum was held recently, 'ihe balance-sheet showed the healthy position of the institute, and many evidences weie furnished of its increasing usefulness. The Athei'ißum, in whichev<r way ie may be locked upon, is a credit to the town. Couniy Contracts.— The second and final portion of the uacutown dray road has at last been let, afcer u.uch uniX lamed delay. Mr Peter Henderson, of ir>;an'.s Gully, '3 the successful tenderer, and th-.) <• mount ia £3290 9^. Mr Heiidernon's Lender was also Auuep'eii for the No Ipoition of ths Cardrona rca.l, the atnou >t being £1290. The fust portion of the bkippers dray road contract has been let to Messrs Davis and Co. for £1750.