OTAGO AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL ASSOCIATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 1916, 10 August 1888, Page 17

OTAGO AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL A SSOCIATION.

The following report for the season -1887 wil! ba submitted to the aunual meeting to bo he-ki on the 15th inst. :— The committee now submit the annual statement of nee uiiti for the year ended 3lst July, which have been duly passed by the auditor. They regret that, owing doubtless to the depressed state of the colony, the results shown a<e far from satisfiic 1 ory, and wou'd urge upon thpir successors in ofllop, and upon members of the associutif-n gener.-.lly, the necessity for making during the coming aenson the most strenuous efforts to pay off a portion at least of the debt wheti so much hampers the efforts of the association, 'ihe various exhibitions held jn Tahuntt Park, during the past year wtre quite np to the usual sfciudarl of excellencs, and now that the Ocer.n Bencsh railway is again available there should be r much improved gate mjne.v in future. Ti e revenue derived fiom lettinu the park is gradually incrtfnslug, nnd as time 3 improve there must be a considerable amount receivable from this source.— John Hobekts, prei-ident. The balance sheet shows that the receipts amounted to £1086, and the expenditure to £1748 3s 9d. The chiof items in the receipts are : — Subscriptions, £862 16s Od ; entry fees, £217 11s 61; gate money, £231 3i 61 ; privileges, £115 14s ; rentals, £59. The chief items under tbo head expenditure are : — Prize money, £477 1956i1; iuttrest on debentures aud loan, £238 4s 4d ; interest on overdraft, £52 O.s 3d ; loan repaid, £262 10s ; improvements, &c, £123 4s Id; new biildingF, £161 15s; general expenses, £112 16s. The liabilities include £3249 12s Gd to debentures and loan, and overdraft, £774 53 ; but the assets show a balance over liabilities of £118 2s 6 i.

two vestas. In au extemporised bag he had the stinking entrails of some wekas with which to bait his snares for these birds. The plan upon which he caught the birds was much upon the lines of the Natives— flax loop and stick with a bait held in front, at which the weka woald peck till Rouse saw a chance to loop it up. To keep down scurvy Rouse had to resort to the pine berries, and when the bird food was scarce, supplied the cravings of hunger with sorrel and other plants and grass, satisfying thirst from " the crystal spring." He now states that he has no wish to continue his wandering life, but his greatest fears are that he may be sent to a lunatic asylum. Rouse states that he has no objection to going to gaol, where he will be regularly fed and have to work and know when his sentence expires, but his great horror is of being sent to the asylum, •where his liberty may be cut off for ever. The matter of the man's condition has been repotted to the police, who will probably bring him up as a vagrant. When he came in to the station he recognised the men and Mr Nicholls. How he had survived the rigours of winter was indeed a wonder, as his clothing was nearly all gone except the rough sacking, and he seemed to have no hut or camp, and not a shred of a blanket. His reason for moving on the uplands was to avoid observation. One night when he was on the low country Rouse saw a lantern which had been put on a culvert near Haylands.and concluded that parties were after him, which caused him to move camp.