HINDON.

Otago Witness, Issue 1917, 17 August 1888, Page 17

HINDON.

August 13.— The weather during the past week has been, even for this rugged district, exceedingly severe, and storm and flood have been tho order of the day. As you will no doubt have enough space devoted to the floods in the lower parts of the Taieri, I need not enter into any particulars of our own little troubles In this respect. Our Coal Measures.— This district being essentially a woodless one, dependence for fuel has to be placed on tl-e local coal seam, and herein lies a grievance Instead of being conserved for the ÜBe of the inhabitants, the seam was included iv the land granted to Mr F\ Singer some time ago, and as a consequence the unfortunate village settlers find themselves charged 10s per ton at the seam, while better coel is sold at the pit's mouth at Green Island for Bs. If the landholder had gone to any expense in opening out the seam by tunnelling or sinking a shatr. there would be little to grumble at in his making a fair charge for the lignite, but under existing circumstances it is thought that a charge of 5a a ton would be an ample impost for the privilege of simply backing a dray into the seam and filling it. There is some talk of getting up a petition to tho Land Board with a view to having matters placed on a more satisfactory basis, but whether this will be done or not I cannot say at Dresent. Village Settlkmbnt.— in the previous note I denominated the village settlers in this district "unfortunate," and I did so advisedly. Thirteen sections were originally taken up, of which six are at pra- ' sent occupied, the remainder having been abandoned. The selection, is limited to 15 acres, and the selector is debarred from taking up any other section. The price to be paid for the sections was £2 per acre, bub this hus since been reduced to £1, without those who tcok up land in the first place being allowed to participate in the reduction— surely an argument in favour of the Fair Rent Bill which even tne sapient membe r 8 of the obstructive chamber in our Parliament would find it hard to refute. If the land was suitable and the climate passable it is possible that a man might be able to make a bare existence out of so small a holding ; but', I would ask, how can anyone do so in such a district as this ? In the first place, the site of the proposed village settlement it quite unsuitable. Many of the sections are simply steep hillsides which it is impossible to work ; while even in the most favourably situated sections it is impossible to grow anything but oats. I speak from experience when I say that it is impossible to grow enough potatoes for family use in consequence of the severe frosts. I myself have tried every means, but all to no purpose. I selected the most favourable ground in my holding and put up a sod fence to protect the tubers, but it was of no avail ; it ib no use fighting against Nature and Nature certainly never intended this wild district to be tl c home of the cotter. The Hundred.— While on the subject of land. I may as well criticise the action of the Government in spending £40 last year in rabbiting on the local hundred. If instead of spending money the 9000 acres had been divided into three, many settlers would have been only too glad to have taken them up in return for keepiDg down the rabbits. By this means the desired end would have been much more satisfactorily obtained.