WHITECOMBE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2014, 29 September 1892, Page 21

WHITECOMBE.

September 2.i— We havd had an oxtremely mild winter with an early^spripg following up. The gooseberry and purranfrbushes are already m full leaf, and the buds of tKe berries are showing well. Tlie young grass is also coming- on fast. Rabisits.— The fur season- is about over, but on these ranges the skins wjll'-bc -good, for another mouth. The take of skins has been about the average. ' Mixing.— There is a slight move in mining. Two new parties arc setting in on the Waikaia river, and there is nor. the least doubt that if they succeed in surmounting the difficulties of workin^the ground tliny will be handsomely paid for their enterprise, for it is well known" that the Uuper Waikaia i=? very rich in gold. Tun Burnt Bush —Much indignation U expressed at the Lnnd Board's decision to lease the Burnt Biuh. Now for my part I cannot sec the wi.-dom of blaming the board. The blame lies with two of the residents themselves, who ha>e a few head of cattle but are not' satisfied to leave well alone, and have each applied to the board for a lease of tbe land in question. So it is simply a case of would-be monopolists-who want to Ret a strip of land adjoining the bush and the little grass that is in the bush along with ,the rabbits for themselves. It certainly will be a great bardship to ihe miners aud other residents on the Upper Waikaia aud thjs Whitecombe—in fact, to all miners on the Old Man.' Range -who get their timber from the Burnt Bush, as,well as to those settlers on tho Molyneux Valley who wish to draw timber from the bush-should the ground be 1-ased— as it is the only reserve i a tbe district whßre teamsters, pawkcra,' and others, can turn out their horses for tha night. It is also the only tilace where the miners who keep a horse to "do their own pack ng can turn out their horse There nre also families ?f young children, where a little milk >s absolutely n-jsesKiry, and in the event of the ground bein-,' leased, they will lie dep ived of the advantage of being able to keep a cow It ■™*y*>%™io iiwulioned that there arc m the Burnt Busb ]) .tches of green timber, from which miners and others get their simply of timber from at the present time, an J will dv> so for many years to come Of course there is plenty of tinljeron the south 6 : -l • . f the Whitecoyib-j creek, but as there lb n.'ither ford nor lmdce bcivps the crcsk the ti nbsr is not available for the places afore-ni'-ui nied. There v another aspect of the /|.icdt.Tiiof losing the Burnt Bn*h, there being a I . ■"c amount of valuable timber within the area „-opoWd to ba leased, and the chances are iY.at.if ifcislcwert for giazuig.purpos.es that Ito bush may be destroyed to make room for the

grass to grow. Under these circumstances it would be wisest in the best interests of the State as well as the greatest good to the greatest number to let the bush remain as it is.

Later.— One of the applicants has just informed me that he has withdraw his application, and he is now anxious that the bush should not be leased at all.