STRATH-TAIERI.

Otago Witness, Issue 1966, 29 October 1891, Page 20

STRATH-TAIERI.

Octobbb 24— Mr Grindley, on behalf of the Farmers' Agency Company, held a tale in the yards, Middlemarob, oc Tuesday, 20th inst. Not;muoh>took was sold, but the sales will no doubt be more freely patronised by and bye. On the same day Mr Samson held a tale of Mr Swnneon's furniture. Mr Swanson having sold his property to Mrs Webb, is leaving the district. There was a large attendance of buyers and the bidding was brisk. Altogether last Tuesday was a busy day In Middlemaroh. Babbit Factor*.— On the afternoon of Tuesday a meeting was held to take the initial steps towards promoting a rabbit factory in the dietriot. Mr John Elliot, of Gladbrook, occupied the chair, and Mr Grindley supplied the meeting with a goad deal of valuable information about the rabbit tinning industry. After some disoussion it was decided on the motion of Mr Nelll to form an interim committee whoie functions would be to find out how I many rabbits the district could send daily to the factory, and to gather suoh other information as might be necessary. The following were eleoted members of the committee :— Messrs J. Blliot, G. W. Pogson, B. Neill, H. J. Murray, Wm. Bennett (all of Strath-Taieri). J. J. Bunsay, Kenney and Mattbewson (Hyde), A. Whiteley (ETentbora), J. Sldey (Mount Stoker), J. Feat (Deep Stream), and G. Fenwick (Taieri Lake station). As the members of the committee were chosen from all the places likely to send rabbits to a factory at Middlemarob, they can, by each making inquiries, discover approximately the number of carcases likely to be supplied. Court.— A sitting of the B.M. and Warden's Court, presided over by Mr Dalgleisb, 8.M., was held on Wednesday, 31st intt. The only B.M. case was a cross action between Messrs Gottrell and Peters, both of whom won their cases. A good deal of butinesi wag tramaoted in the Warden's Court, and ■everal mineral licenses were granted to empower the search for and mining of antimony at the antimony mines near Deep Stream. Unemployed.- The unemployed artived here on Thursday. There was a grand exhibition of j " sprinting " by several of the local storekeepers who were racing for a prize, consisting of probable customers. It would be a diffioulfc matter to decide who won. Most of the • men went direct from the station to the camp, but a few of the wilder spirits went for refreshments to the local hotel, and, [ taking more than enough, became uproarious. It would have warmed the cookies of an Irishman's heart, and brought fond memories 'of Donnybrook floating before his eyes, to see the workmanlike manner ia whioh Constable O'Brien oleared the premises. Three of the noisiert made their bow before Mr Pogson, J.P , nest morning. Two were fined 5s and costs ; convicted and discharged was the fate of the third. Weather —Since my last we have had a very steady rain of 13 or 14 hours' duration. Everything looks fine and green, and feed is not quite so scarce as 16 was last year. The prospects of both pas tor alist and agriculturalist look far brighter and far more cheering than they did a short month ago.

—The use of the electric light has been found to materially reduae the'amount of illneaa ia factories which bad previously used gas or oil for lighting.