WAIKAKA. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Otago Witness, Issue 1751, 13 June 1885, Page 14

WAIKAKA. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

POLWiciti ~- Jlr G. F. R'eh*rd=en, M.H R. roMataura, met tij} electors at 3j'don ou Saturday evening, the 6th iujjs, Mr M'Qill o:cupiorl the ch*it, and in an approp laAs speech iutrorlucsd Mr hkba dson, who appeared far the fi a r , tbite as Matauraa sepresentitive at this pirj 0/ thd e'eutorate bit Bichardson on riftiosr wis cordially received, ana spoke at considerable length en mailers not rnly Immediately interesting to hi-i election, bu: to tie count-y generally. Pernaps tho matter which be treated of at tho greatest length was that of local government He ww in favour of enlarging the counties. The ratepayi-ra in the Southland county, he aaid, received bett-r value for the r \tO3 paid by them than any other county in Now ZeaUnd Ihis was ■sttribu able partly to the bizj of the ( ountv. He cxj)re3 ed regref at the abience of the Waikaka settlers from the meeting, >s he wiehid them to hear his views on bis proposal for the laying of a t-am«ny up th« Wait 'ka Valley. H« Baid t^cA no special survey ha^ been made, it not biin? consid-red necessary, as the country through wh.ch tho ra;lway wou.d pats was easy, but an estjma.e h^rt been prepai«d which showed that the cost of the line, equipped as a branch railway, would le ab";m &^O,OOO. He wns pretty sure h'roßelf that there was not much chance of getting the Government to vote tbat sum f'>r tbe railway. Although they had been successful in floating a loin lately, co fir as he understood the situation a gio^t deal of that loan was required to meet the votes cf last session, and the leison why a lot of P'Omised works had not b' en carried oui wao the ii ability of the Government to flhat the loan earlier. Further, he was oi-ipoed in think thai the available surplus would iuvo Lad a big hole m^de in it b« the defence measures. And he ih'<u^ht the Govtrument shoul-' ba looked upon at pire=ent as a govevnmpr.t a bljj" nurse, well-fll'ei?, but rathet as one in the po-iuc.-i of oni>' being ablo to meet their engage enbs. All ' things cC n9 '4 e - e d« ti en, Mr Kichard-m thought it not u^'ifcely that the Wakaka settlers cou'd obtain" .1 trtmway, who i tho fact that the Government wotj giving facilities for sug^r plautatiDnß, &c was tair en into cinEideration. Tie tramway, he prop sed woUi J fonsisb ut light rails over which a liirnt eugiao dfaW^.n/ two-ton trucks .could run. It won d cost. acco>dl»£ to an e.-itimate gji-epared. about £3a9 per ujil->, or £1500 for the whole Seitfcth of the lino to be connected wt'h the innin ■railway. And were it construe ed adjacent to the •counts ro%d id ccul I be utilised for metalling that Toad.aui would in this way alone go far towards paying tha ecu', of con.tructi..fi it Fom an engmeo irq [point of view it was no expo.-imeiit. and was worthy oi a trial here. Judong from what he saw in hl3 own distres the gfain irafll . wa- h>-avie-t during th < flmt four or fivd yea^a fei a newflettloment, ao that did traffic at any time fall off cansi cably s'K-h fl tramway could be removed to another district. Mr Bicbardson, cot dueling this *-v ject. stated his intenAion to biing the acueine before £he H v. the Miciiaccr <fo* Public Woiks. Kepliip io que^rione. To iMr A, Aitken: Mr Eichard.OD, Uipu.h desirous .of .git'ing the counties eniai'gei, did not •wieh ,tha ridings auda hmaller Jn iii v opinion /tho rid.i&£'s were not t. o large. VV>>*o a ,member cartle s anoufi a large riding It was nc-*; Vkely .that he would bs less carel' s j about a small one Oiw objection against small ridiugs was thh : When one ,bsa men to deal with bn ine33 v/as not facilitatid by .jncr«»t)lng the number. By looking a'ter tho members he thpught the electors havo tho reads vwell look(><l jaf ter. S vcral othor w.tc then aatisfacttr'ly Cviswered and Mr A. Aifeon moved aud Sir John M Caw-ftocondcd— " Thit a vote afi^anks te to Mr Ki^ardton for hi* ablo address, and .■also a votu of corifitietwe," which wa> carried unaul-anou-ly. Mr XUchardEon ihen thanked the mpeting jZor their eKpresaione, and tuoved a voto cf thaiik3 to Ahe chetirman

KOAD Eoarb FtßOTiONa.— The dilatory electors in 4kia district at the late annual electionb < elected to exeiclse their privilego. Jho consequecca nf this was 4hat no member was returned for this subdivisioi of. ttie Koapdnle road district Annth^r opportu- ity ■wai givea them lately, when Mr James JJonalcl «aj eleo.ed Tfa«re wai another cand'dits, but as he, t< r some reason bd t known to b m>e'f, tigiicji the nom'-nation-j_arer in pc eil. it ws iut asidu. I'nic sh'uld indue.) nominators and c»tt'Jid;U-S nob to do .tsiugd ia a slipshod mannpr

Babbits and frM'LL Girds.— Kfl'ica ha? been givon the aeit et:i hero io lay poo « tut rablnts tiaini-taneou--ly Just now Of coursu it {J to tho advantage jti evpry farmer to do thii, and it ia tJ bo hop L d nouo ..•w^bedikt r> in the m,tcor. But rablnta aro not , looki'd upon hern now i.s a \ery serioui pefat. «Vj oul|ijV«vt9.l land fhey are easily kept dv>wn. Two ~ things ccn'ribu c to the entertaining of thi-* cp nloi.— viz , the .{*ct that they promote settkm -nt ; and , aecondly, the appeal a.co of wh t Beoms to be a Jar v .worso j CBl-.I alljiila to the linnet! and sparrows. The ,Mrveat before l'a&fc only a few settlers lost much by

them, but during lagt harvest they app^arr-i ia Jvgo numbers on the majority of farma It ia ta'i! thai in the Old Oovmtry tiny onflno tbxlr ravjg a to wifhin a thort distance of hedges. Tf they dltl «o fcoro I h *vo no doubt they could ha tolerated !> ut i T - is not no; thevFcattortaemiPlv saUovfi-rlbo firldi Noo?t'ani a o r l itppa have as yet been taboo to d »tr">y them, b it it la V hoped th«., srmathing will bfi <t n no hefor« tho winter » over. R'b )iw eat the s»ra s, bit the other tests ea<i that wbici id produced at a much gtmthor C3Bt

—la con^equonjii of ih*, very bad weather 'vnich hcs heon th > . u'o fir m ft io rn'd JK> of ■»p il and during 1101 10 sjreafer ,'ir«i of &\y ag.iuullura.l matters are 3 'raowhat in a h ick /<v-i\i st Vju a nuia'i ;r hal tho >>ood £ rt.jnn to hvra 'b'ir tlus-ih ing ever btforea deal or the bad wrath -r was pxotr.enced; hub they had mutbtroub'ecirtinxavt* y Shelf „'rai i, as the roads vverewor c at thai, re 'bin tlsan th y hato been since they we to flrit foimod. Ttifiso who >v>to hie with the threshing (vnd they wore not a fer7j bad a bad time indeed of id. Wei stacks, difficulties in removi g the threshin? machine*, and frequent stoppages during thre-ibincf wero sovno of t'leir troubles. I hear thftt there ia ft Rood deal o? «Am»Re<l grain in this and the surrounding rtis'ricts 'Hie majority bad the stacking il-ni iii gond tioio, but unfortunateiv many fartne-s built their sb.cks hurrlertly. But for tbi3 I balievo iho ia would ba little damaged crrain Tho yield was roo<l. O it. farmer secured from 40 acre 3 103 bushels pe<* aer . But it should bo stated that -uraipi wh'c'a wero Oiton off by eheej grew on the griuud dur'ojj the 6"O previous years. 'I here was very littlo w h \at produced It was cood, howewr, both in Doinfc • f quiliCy a»id quantity. 'Jho heaviest yie'd which oi o uirlor rry notice was that on a three-acre i i''fie of inn<>u>o i pround, which grew potatoos tho previoin * ear, where it was 53 busheh per acre Ta*nlpi are a very poor crop this yeir even on manured ground Stcck Sale. *Jhe flrat sale of any importance which took place in this district, Uio gra'if}lng 4j relate, was a success, despite the drawbacks occasioned by the chanijeableness of the weather I alludo to the sale at Kougheraif?, the properly of Mr W. Wnd Ml. It took placo lately, and buy from con 3 rtitrab c distances attended His nrizo Ayrshire si> ck woro bought by people from dfisronS parts i f the country where they were best kuow.i.