WAIKAWA.

Otago Witness, Issue 1875, 28 October 1887, Page 17

WAIKAWA.

Octoijer 15.— We had a very severe thunderstorm here on Sunday morning with heavy gusts of wind and rain This place is assuming quite a settled appearance, fences aud gardens springing up in all directions where bush and scrub stood a short time 1 ago- Potatoes are up and looking well, although the market seems glutted with them. The moderate sum of fls per biig is the present rotail price here. This price will scarcely be maintained next year if all goes well. Mining.— So far as this industry is concerned the field was supposed to be worked out years ago. At the present time about 14 miners manage to knock out a living on the beach, where there is a medium wage to be made. I aaw in your columns some time ago that a correspondent has his eye on this locality. Well, what ho said in reference to rough gold being found here is quite true. There is rough gold about three miles from here on what is locally known as the Clear. There are three parties working there now. Mr Erasmus Wilson, a very energetic miner, is bringing in a race, <md when completed he expects to net something handsome. Mr Stirling (late of the Stone Quarry) is, 1 hear, on payable gold. The place has not been prospected to any extent, and the miners mostly married men with families— cannot spare the time or afford to go to the necessary expense. If a party of good men, aidfd by Government, were to thoroughly prosppct that part of the country it is probab'e something good might come out of it. At Wallace's Beach— ls miles further north- a party of four have been working for the last six months, and (hey have done pretty well during their stay. It is a difficult place to take stores to, aud it must have cost them a good bit before they were able to make a start. A boat can seldom land there. There is a bush track, but it is very rough and steep in places. Our Industries. — The Stone Quarry is at a standstill and there is no appearance of it's going ahead again. Mr Jack's swmill is also standing idle, as a result of the low price of timber 'Ihe sawmill erected by Mr A. Sellars — a man of large ide^s and small capital— is now in the hands of Thompson and M'Colgan, who are keeping it going. This gives the s.s. Kakanui a little trade from here. — [Shall be glad to hear from you as suggested. — Ed.]