RATANUI.

Otago Witness, Issue 2168, 12 September 1895, Page 23

RATANUI.

SkpikhhkuO.— "With the exception of a saver gale, accompanied by h'-avy vain, which swept through thi» district on Wednesday, the 4th inst., thrre is nothing new to chronicle, th<s usual mixtures prevailing — snow excepttd. Am. Bkhino.— Those settlors vrho havo a bit of giound ckared for garden or farm crops are all behind with their work, the ground being very wet yet, especially on the surface, owing to prevailing showers. Mail Boat. -The bi-weekly mail for Ratanui is at present r&rried across Catlin's Lake on account of bad roads, and a great difficulty ig experienced by the contractor, Mr J. H GaUh^han, in keeping posses«ion of his boat. Often vhe-ti he is kind enough to lend it be has to fetch it horns when he wants it, and on Friday last two m-n — Rtraujji'is, I believe— not needing the bofct, took the paddles only. The people at lUtanui i-xpsr-t their mail punctually, and the coniraotor being bound by time, it is too bad to Utnper w.Mi fhu mail boat, especially on mail day* Qeri-j .«!!•/ some 30 people or more are waiting at the office I sugaest to the contractor to print a big V !l. od his b^at, and give the next offonder a ducking. Illness.— Our county council repre*enfcotiv^ Mr T. Knowlea, is etill in the Duuodin Hospital, and his illnesß is giving much anxiety to hli family and- friends. 1 hope to see him abou again soon. Mr Kuowlen has been a very useful member of the council, and whoover he hot pleased or diapleased, he has alwayi endeavoured to do his duty without too much of that abominable "studying to please." I notice that Mr Knowles's absence is giving Mr W. Hay much extra work. Truly, the office of a councillor i& no sinecure. It is, however, always rather gratifying to see councillors and engineer about when the roa'ls are at their worst. Homesthad Block.— lt is my intention at an early date to review the past doings and future prospects of the earliest settlers of RaUnm, and I promise to make my remarks specially instructive to tboae who have continuously and persistently twitted settlers with having got their land for "nothing," and will show in some measure what that nothing" means. Our Girls —My remarks about girls m a previous Lesue have been misconstrued. I made «orue remarks about slaveys (plural number) and as there is oaly cmc of them in the Uataaui district, so far as I know, 1 think it might reasonably be expected that I did «ot refer spe- wily to KaUnul. It has come to my knowledge tbat certain s»*lltniuded, ill-natured people have pointed to a lady in the district who employs ouß servant an tne keeper of a slavry. My remarks were intended to refer to servants and mistresses in genaral. There exists a begrudging, ill-natured spirit dominating in the minds of a few or tlie Ratanuites— a spirit which is ever on tne alert for a chance to exhibit its ill-breeding. Jealousy of their best friends (if they only knew it) coupled with ill breeding and want of more active employment or moie of it seems to engender this disease, which in this, as in many othor small communities, is so hard to stamp out, and whose venom is an sure a-s that of the asp 1 to secure its victim. Let those who have pointed the finger of scorn at the lady I mention ktow this— the girls she has severally employed have been in her house for three, four, and live years. This is a good record for both mistrea* and servants. Were all nri«treß«es as kind, aa generous, and as thoughtful of their jjirls interests there would be no need for me to write anything about the so-called slaveys. When the i-riticisers become as good neighbours as the criticised 1 predict that the community will be much more happy. Grubs —The kind of grubs I wrote about some weeks ojro answer the exact description contained in the Witness of August 29, p 5. They have not been much in evidence in this district during previous »ea«ons, but within the last six months they have made great havoo with the graa3 pasture m sime places. On some sectionis fully one- fourth of the ground has been riddled by them, and in many large patches there is not a root of grass alive.