MANIOTOTO COUNTY. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

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

MANIOTOTO COUNTY. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

June 8. The WeATHBu, &c.~ During the past fortnisht tho weacnor haa baeu v surprise to moat people For this mneuf jeai it has been exceptionally mild, aud tne snow, except ou tho uiouutam tops, iia.^ noarly diaajjpeiioi. iUoderste gaieaof wind occasionally Llow up in the ovcaii gs ; aud a-) those are said to be the procure rsof a chuuge, I expscii wo shall have dreary \vi te- dowu upji) no shortly in earnest. The diggers ujou tho h gher eluva iaua who have washed up for tno soaawi aro /egrett.i< that they did not continue work a I'.hllo kn^er ; bus who can foietoJl New Zealand woaihsr? They might havo bjen suddenly shut up by the t'roofc ; certainly the warnings which listened their flight to tha lower legions a month Bgj wore otuiuou3 enough. The farmers goaerilly rro hfcvJDg a good time, and a large area 0' land throughou tbe omuiy ha-j beon ploughed over, and will raj^ivo the full beaeflt of tne mellowing influences of tihJ trosts uf tbe co u,n-r three months. Toxicology— ruin dread science has boea revived a iwieaiy, »u<l one. ia inclined to shudder and look btck to tne times <f the mighty Borgias, whan he hoavi it coolly remarked tbat tho "poisoners" are busy at woik in his neighbourhood. Hi 8 m md i B j-u.iev-ed, hon-erer, when he learns that they uro only ihe doAth-'Jeahug amenta ol tho tquatf or engaged in the everUstini,' work of trying to extinguish poor bunny JI v y jjaiig-3 of the o men are now out, aud tho lvdmts ar- catching t hut ; in some places greathaula a c m.do, bu 1 ) thj peso 13 not by any mesna so general aa in former ye»w. Soino j.arts of Alaniotuto are couipaiauvely cloan, and I cannot notice tbat the trrass Buffers a very greifc dimi-mtion, certainly nothing nke some por.s of Oiago I have tsriveii^i over, where for miles not a green blado could b" sotn graas, bpeargrass, mata.'ouri, and all ot^ev ''"scrub havi,ig b.en obliterated. Whether kio havo more luxurious vegetation or less rab'urtb I oan't aay but, comparod -vich their feliov^ suiSorera in other p'acV tho fcquatt n h*vo much io be thankful for in ibis country. J doubt if ever thn yrolifr: and, in one sor.se U3eful litlle torment will over bo totally oradica;e,d, but it ib plainly proved here that ha cm bo kept within certain bouuda \<y our viVikink injpectorj, aud by mioi9toiini? at tho pyonsclime to his m Btaken faith in phcßphoriscd cato. " Charitable - our County Of.uaeif ub the lasL mitijv voted the Bum of 335 8o the Benevolent Institution, in respoi^e to an appoal f rom the secretary They are certainly no « niggardly with the county funds, which I trust will stand the stain Anyhow, it was easier and simpler than owvaasia» for pub, c aubjcnptiona, aud every mtemyc* has the satwfaction of knowlnir that his mite is contributed 1 notice the Tuapeka county councillor* when B T Ia V"L U - rg ? d> refl F°" de d '/4tb a grant of £5 ! Th y talk cf their local hospital, and eeoin to think that «• chant y bo^lna at ta,3mo." Wo ha-, c also au hoaoital to keep up but our cjuncillcra aro !*"ffQ.bea,rtecl--Jn do. dug wl,h the puw.c fu/ids, Vnoent Oouatv wltQ ub to ,oxoo*B of ret-cauo ovej expenditure and haifm,n<i\.in-Mv-powad tasitiau, cannot auroly t to lew thun follow \he tur-Si iwm eaawple i,f llaaio-

ton Mij U'JihNS Bar. -Telegraphic extortion wherp BiK-h w bo accomplished without Meat a>pons3, mviii add to the revenue, and p;ovu a jr-oai boon to rtsßidenta in any lo 1 ahty. 1* \v aa htn6i-d in me Kho oth.-r d. y that the rising vilmge 01 Hiil'H Ore k onijbt to be incluJou in fcho deciric circuit. I think tho good people there might for the p/eaaut bo content with a telephone connecting thoai v/i;h tho Naaeby ov St. B%than'a otfica. 'Hie esponae would bo nothing to speak of. The liao passes Iho poot office A few yards of wire, an in&trumont, a, ctatod htiui lor the auricular attention of llho'^aa^aiiiitrega, who

(i! I judge tha sex aright) would be glad to run tho coticern graus, and -there you are. I present the sugifasHon, without charge, to the enterprising villagers of tha,t charming slice of Arcadia. Now let them work out the details. In postal imttera I beg to suggeat what might be an vmprovfiment. I! the small bundles of letters uajoliy received at the roadside post-offiie* were enclosed in a small strong satchel or portfolio, simply f'eJ at tho side, tho correspondence would be dellvared in bettor order than now obtains. Photos, of cabinet size or views are almost alwiys damaijed in transit • the bundle iausu illy tiod with a string, which cuts thwigh the projecting edges of the larger enclosures or the corners are turned up and otherwise mutilated. At mich times blessiu.s ara not invoked on the great P.M.a Julius for permitting such vandalism. One of your correspondents compares him to Autolycus: if hia basket holdi a remedy for the above, he will earn the gratitude of us country folks by handing it outEducation. - Despite the facilities and advantages for acquirine knowledge afforded by our paternal Government, tho people in many places don' 6 roem to trouble themselves much to profit by them. If the school is a little over the prescribed distance from them -three railea, I bolievo -ib la too far; the youngatero nra wanted at! home. They wear out too many boots, or it looks like rain. These, and many equally csgent reasons, are adduced for permitting the children to remain in ignorance, and, as a rule the rielncr genoration are not slow to avail themselves of any exous* for non-attendance. Thia is bad and altogether discouraging, and r bosin to think the free aad compulsory system of New Z island ia a miatake and that we are still in advance of the age. The immense expenditure on eduea&ion should produoe greater results, but if people won't avaii themselves of tho opportunity afforded them there's an end of the m itter and " the game is not worth the cindle." Passing thrsugh life 1 have mot with hundred! of men who bswailod their ignorance and almost cursed their parents for their early negleci Despite our advancing civilisation tho leaven still works, and many of the coming men snd women may live to do tne s»me, and t-uly with far greater reason. At anvrite they aro doomed to a life-long regres if they neglect the present opportunities.

Minino.— Alluvial mining is being vigorously prosecuted throughout the district, and water is plentiful , Tha exleision of the Trust waterrace to Main and Spec Gullies, at Naaeby, i* beginning to m»be itself felt tho receipts for sale of water are increasing and probably will contimn to do-so until the limit of the. supply is reached. There is work for three times the preaont available quantity around Mount Ida if -ah ! if it w.is only cheaper. The quartz branch "drags its Blow length along." The O&ago Central Company are now driving from the tunnel to the shaft for th© purpoaca of drainage, the water proving too much for the Hinitod number of hands employed in sinking. The management of this company U not as active aa o.e cou d wish, and I think i& is time the shareholders, who a«e scqtt&red widely apart, should be favoured with a report of tha work done, money sp^nf), and the future prospects of the mine " Your 0 vn," of Macetown, spaakkg of the field, says, "Legal managers and directors in this Provincial District soein to think it their duty to reserve all the information regarding the management of the minea to themselves, allowing the shareholders to know only when caDa are du<*." The same remarks will apply here, and I hope soon to see a little light ahed on the subj.efc of the Otago Central, whose very large proprietory are anxiously looking for a favourable report on tbeir propei t.-. 1 have tried to fiil tho hiatus from time to time, but however truthful "Your Own" knows Urnae!f to bj, ha knows also that the general public are iavnrhbly sceptical in mining matters, so, to remove all doubt, will the management favour us with their accredited report as early aa may be ?