LAKE COUNTY. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Otago Witness, Issue 1751, 13 June 1885, Page 13

LAKE COUNTY. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

May 8. Lasb Couktv Council ~ Our f'ounty Co'incil v acquiring a notoriety for secrecy and rejUuug ititif into Committee o£ the whole, which U becoming Strongly aucpfrst've. Io would, hiwv.vef, peih&p-i vat •bo fair co cafj tho la l -t Meeting a hole-and corner one, tho'igh ouough transpired to siiake cue wieh it had been so through jut ita whslo length. The mi e.'ablo upabb'e which took tip Jhcur-i cf tho Council's time oitweuu ihe uijmb.'rs a"id Mr PreJ. .Evans, t>'e tn rge.io mine uvular of she Phwiix cl&im at Skippers, who appears to be tho Council'^ " buss," or ut )ea3t a thorn— and often a useful one — in its tiJo, might have bson saved, or i* tho councillors require these th&mfiglit3 and tili3 at windmills to bruhttn up their wi'e, they taight as well indulge In tbtni whou they have le-tolvod ttiomeeiWß lv o a ojmmibteo of fcfae ''holo," uud nu>ah them beio othey come out o! it. It wi 1 be remembered that a short whilo ago a deputation from tho u'ounc 1 waa sent ti Wellington, aud their ropojtwas to bu ptojentcd at the las,t meeting of ihe Council, and public curiosity, of cnurte, was raised ia oxpoc ation ol something giod Inutepxl of hasiug thin curiosity a tisfLd the chairui«,u, a 1 tha • peuunc oi the mooting, atatod kiatiis v/m deemed advi3jb!o"to «0i,,i0 Coninifcteo tut the purpp.ho of rtosiviui; thorepoitiw the oeputatim, as if niftde pubi.c it vvaa h.-.ely Co be p<ojudicial to ih'i iuteuati of ih<> o<iiiiuil And sj for whe present tho >etutt ul th) great exneritnent of eeudin^ a depuutio.i us Wellington lies bu.:od io tlie wu&ib of li'Jie, and it ictnaus to bo teen whether tho experiment will ovo* bocuiue &nj thing else than pre jud'.ciU to ttio Ui uocil. amoagsG the covre -poniei cs lOi't was a letter {faux tb.3 Mines Departmeni, st.titijf fiita'i p'ovini n w U'd bo nia<!o ou the histimatca of ths Departiiiont f. r tho curr. Nt j'i.m: to ca-'ry oiu w I'M niflutiou d by ihj Ojuucli, and whUb tha Miutebeif of Mm » hal agreed io a ibs.-iao .it ibe ralo ot £i to iil; Kothutho aiX'ity.'eK ivt ihe prof.JaoH'Bji.l tibe Ho i. ihe Mlaistor oc iiinoV p? ixusea ua* baou greatly a Siyud - A teii ost fr in mo iJeaovolant A.«yiuni ior a ci )iiai'oi) tow Aids the f midt >.f thatijB'i*utloniwaß evaded by the plea of impeuunicmity A latter from Mt A. Gr-int, diftrict tra'tic miuager, atated tbat t!y nmUe could not; bo allowed to bo curried on paß3 ngor train-, ou account of iis daujjer. I wo lid bo eirre^ioua to ar^ue agalrst roa3Onabla pretautiDns being taken for tho svety ot tho traveling pubic, but ihia ehou d cert»>n y Btop thorS of prf jud'ee. However, th<> Uiffiou'ty has b 'e^ got over by a, promise fiom Sir J. Vobcl that g'iod3 t'a.us should In run at convouient iuierva s, and that storeko 'pars should bo inform, d oJ the time of a^artU.!;, so aa to be ablo to inuUe tkei. arrangements to obtain the supplke which thoy require. A Uniqos Part? me 1 ; at She Arrow Atboniß im upon the invitation of Mrs K. Boad, v/ho is le.ivi..g Arrow, town, to take over the Mountaineer Hotel, Queentt >wn. One of tho largtat — if nit tha >arj(oat—xatheringa of the bind ev«r freen iv the town, waa brought t gothcr, and certainly th3ie never waa a more enjoyable ov Boelal one. Eferyono praseut s emrd to ontoi' into the spirit of the affair, and contributed his Bharo to mako it a • h ->rough auccoaa. ija'iclni; wa3 entered into with much animation, and was kept up till the light ol morning spoiled tho effect and appropriateness of the Bcene. Substantial rotiejhtnenlia were pruvided in great profusion and abundance, and the arranKemant and decoxatlona of tho tables amply testified that neither money nor caro hail been ppared by the fair hostess in produc npr a tout c isemble which in every ronpect waa a credit to her. During the evoniug the hoalth of Mrs Bond and hor family v/ua propo od by Mr J,. «">'Kau9, and responded tj by tho whole force of th» com auy

Tim tiAßßir Crop thU yfar soemi to be a fa'rly a'aindintoiio f tow 600 t<> 1 00 bklna per' week in twj ino'i, appearing to i o tbo lim'ts between which the avenge earnings) of tho rabnire-s »"in';a. But tjtifro a>e pUcea where l«umy in so ecarou thafc'he Hifiaa O'Cu od hari'lv p«-l' *-"' the tKv-Mu laid. Bid, tknsa an<t want .>f om;>(i>> moiit c mumo to roaVu j-j h..t for poof buua}', and one w<iu!d think thit wholebi q destruction would, co/no niftn, (;o bis exterinumllbll

rT\ci^ Fiw^s -Two etaok flvoi which ooiurued a<, widely i-oour^io Bpot-i, huo by whirh grcjj belooginir to tho san'i- P'y y wan do'itioyed, occurred h-^ra "n Tuesday aud Wednesday ni«htt last. The first fire, by wht'.h 2(3ii baga of bar ey ware destroyed, happened ad Mr Frauds M'lJrido's farm at tha Lowar Shotover, and the following evening two btacks of wheiit on a pioce oi ground at Sp;ari{raßj iTlat, recently acquired by Mr M'Brido, wero dlBcovor(xl to ba on firo, and it was only with the greatest difficulty they wore eav\d

1 <>m to u al d s! ruction. In both instances there aro but to 1 well g oiind d suspicions of inoendiansm, and kh- M Ufl ie )ihs cffeied a rewa'd of £10D for the diicovory of the parpetrAtor of so dastardly an act.