OTARIA. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

Otago Witness, Issue 1681, 9 February 1884, Page 12

OTARIA. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

„ Febmary i. LxPLAKATOP.y.- After threo mouths' abhe P c*.frcm the dittnet l have just ronirncd, and hitsteu to supply you with a few notex, as 1 have no doubt you will be wondering at my long silence When 1 left Otari* tbe crops were not much more than through the ground and considering that tho season has been a very back' ward one (raiii falling almost continuously I am informed) they have made go- d prcgr-si indeed. I have travelled through Tapanui, Teviot, Itla Valley, Maniototo PJaina, Manuherikia, up toAnowtowu, and returned by I>aUe Wakatipu and the Waimea Plain" and I havo not been any bolter crops than those growing in this district, vith the exception cf wh.ac. Lc seems wheat does not grow to p.^fection with us here at present, but 1 believe it would if th * ground were town d mv for a few years aud then lUted and sown with wheat. O? all the districts I have enumerator! abovo I certainly give the palm to Arrow town as bang the best wheat-producing oue. I caw nomo splei.did cro' s there last_ week, eg .al to any I have seen anywhere EUrvesii/iK had commenced there last week but i«s will be four weks before any takes pl.ice heiO Good cro. bof tun.ipa should bo the rule this bcason, as they give p crnUe of bei.g a sp endid crop at present Ml that ih now required is good weather to bring the cr^ps to ma unty. Smut haa made itn appearai cc on a small scale, caused no doubt by a i much wi t weather. Church Affairs. — *c will acou havo a church es aoli.-htd in our midst. 'lenders are to bo called prisently. At a mtotiog of tha bouttiLinJ Presbytery Utely, it waa removed to annex Utaria to the v Mataura di.-trict, and Pukurau to ihu Knapdale dis•trict; but to this 'he settlers o( Otaria and Pukurau \ery properly otijecttd, as they -are, with tho assistance ot Wuioaln, quite able to support a minibtrr of iheir own, and besides, it uoes not seem iiaciua,lto divide Otatia and I'uke rau, as they nearly always «o haud-iu-haud ih everuli ng that takes place, aa what benefits one benufUs the other. They s»r<i determined if fiossib o not to allow tbeuiselves to bo separated, and tor this i-p;uon a deputaciou cf the church membei3 from Ot'iiaiindl'uktrau are to wait on the members of tho boutlilaud and Ciutha J:Ye^bytery vhen they all niett together an Qoro ou the 12th. Otarla, Puvcrau, and Waipahi desire to be formed into a separate charge. , &CIIOCL ft) atteus —The following gentlemen were appointed a bchooi Committed at the recent < lection : Me-srs l'urvis, (^aertier. Collins, BurKv, Al'Phail.fcOtr, and Wetherburn. Mr Purvis «ai elected chairman, ana Air Scott was appointed secretary and tre.^^rer. We aie about to lose the services of Mr Bjnaott, who leaves Jihe school at the end of the month. Ui.dtrr Mr lieifnet.'s tuition the chiid<en made go id progress, aid I am fcure iir Bennett will be mused, us he U a \cry kind aud pamsfcakiu/,' teacher.