COUNTRY ITEMS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1892, 15 May 1890, Page 19

COUNTRY ITEMS.

A concert held *t Pap=ikaio the othpr night netted £12 for the >c»l school fund.

Mr Harry F Mooney. ftition master a*; Greytown, succeeds Mr Francis Footeat Caversham, Mr J. O, Duff taking Mr Moonev's place.

As Captain Cassid> i>. tends leaving for New South Wales, there will shortly be a vacancy la tho esip taincy of the South District ii fie*. An* interesting description ot an extraordinary crop of oniors grown in Victoria in the early days wilt be found In our Riverton letter.

Mr Hugh Roxburgh waa presented with a purie ff sovereigns on th^ Bth inst., on theocaslon of his leaving Ngapara after a 17-years' residence. Complaints are made of the state of the road between Greytown and Henley on account of rotten rook rolling down from the adjacent hillsides. The Wyndham Farmers' Club have have decide to join the Farmers' Union.. Consideration of the

federation question at the same meeting was postponed.

The North Otago Times mentions that ripe strawberries were on sale in Oamaru on the 6th inst., and in several gardens a second crop of apples have appeared on the trees.

A fruitless attempt was made to scuttle the cutter Deveron, lying at the Bluff, the other night. The work Is attributed to the person who h».s been guilty of cutting nets, boat painters, &c, lately. David James, who was injured in a flax mill at Waicola a few days ago, had to submit to amputation of a h«ind and portion of the forearm. James, who is not robust, is a man of about 35 years. The Minister of Public Works has intimated to Mr Pyke that the Cabinet are considering the desirability of putting a sum on the estimates to aid the work of clearing the Clutha for navigation. Mr Noble has given notice that he will move at the next meeting of the Wyndham Farmers' Club that the member for the district be asked to support the club in getting a bill passed prohibiting any entire ;horsH from travelling for service without a veterinary certificate. The Timarn Hera'd states that the proprietors of the Oatmeal Mill have resolved, in the event of no Immediate purchaser coming forward within a few days, to sell to n bujer who is anxious to treat with them for the machinery. This, of course, amounts to dismantling the concern.

The store of Mr B. Naylor, of Clyde, was pillaged on the night of the 7th. 'J he thief apparently succeeded In concealing hfmsplf amongst the goods during the evening, and at his leisure during the night prowled about the store and selected according to his fancy. This iB the third time the store has been robbed in the came way

Some cowardly practical joker tied five or aijf lengths of flax across the bridge leading out of Milton the other night, it is supposed with the objpctof giving the returning Tuapeka footballers a surprise. Fortunately the horse la the first buggy which came to ifc was a quiet one, and stopped when the obstruction came In sight.

At the last meeting of the Kyeburn District Miners' Association a long discussion took place on the Bubject of an assay office, the establishing of a gold purchasing agency, or other means whereby a better price might be obtained for gold, but as no feasible scheme was educed the subject was ultimately shelved till some future occasion.

Mr Thomas Parker, of Milton, is taking another consignment of Ayrshire cattle to Queensland. The Bruce Herald says that the mob, though small (27 In number), is considered the best that Mr Parker has ever taken across the fea, and the cattle are from t he herds of Messrs Carruthers ( Kaitangata), Allison, Robinson, and Drinnan.

The following phenomenal yields are recorded : — Mr H. L. Johnson, Berwick. 112 bushels spurrowbill oats ; Mr J. A. Duthie, Lovells Flat, P0 bushels from one paddock and 100 from another; Mr A Hamilton, Walruna, 1000 bushels from 11 acres; Mr John Sutherland, Riverside, Port Molyneux, 110 bushels of sparrowbill oats from a small paddock. Mr E. MacGlbbon. of Gordon, had his stable burnt down on Monday night. The buggy harness and a lot of farming utensils, also a quantity of hay, were destroyed. The flames spread to an adjoining straw stack, and the whole was 6oon in a blaze. By this time assistance had arrived, and about 70 bags pf oats and grass seed, which had been only threshed in the morning, were saved

The credit of the introduction of the humble bee to New Zealand is due to Mr Thos. Nottridge, of Ashford, Kent. Mr J S.Baldwin, of Brownley, Kent, and Mr S. C. Furr, Ohristchurch. Two unsuccessful shipments were made before the correct temperature at which to keep the dormant queens waß discovered, and out of 282 shipped by Mr Nottrfdge on November 20, 1884, 48 were landed alive.

Mr Edmund Elliot, who died of inflammation of the lungs (succeeding an attack of the grip) at Maqetown a few days ago, came to the colonies in 1854, following the occupation of a miner for many years — until a strain incapacitated him from hard work. From Victoria he crossed to New Zealand In '64, and worked ns a digger in various parts of the colony. He kept the Half-way Houbb road) for seven years, and then moved to Macetown, where he had be'-n located for 14 years. i A sensation was caused at Riversdale on Thursday evening by the disappearance from the schoolmaster's residence of a little child. A large number of residents, armed with lanterns and variously improvised lights, searched the township and jts environments until considerably after daylight next morning, when they were rewarded by finding the youngster on a fence, to reach which it must ha]ve travelled through a good deal of difficult country. It is now none the worse for its adventure, — Mataura Ensign.

The Mokoreta settlers and tenants of the High Schools Board object to Mr M' Donald's valuation of improvements, and at a meeting held last week decided to send a deputation to wait on the board at its first meeting with a view to endeavour .to come to some arrangement. The position of these settlers is (says the Knsign's correspondent) an extremely hard one. They bought land which, is very inferior and unproductive, and which Is about 15 miles from market, at a time when it was valued at a high upset price, and undertook to pay more than double its value for it ; and while the Legislature have wisely provided for the relief of ,all Crown tenants, these unfortunate men (only seven or eight) are placed beyond the means of relief because they have to deal with a body which refuses to give the concession the Public Bodies Powers Act was intended to give. ,