OUR NELSON & WEST COAST LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2171, 3 October 1895, Page 17

OUR NELSON & WEST COAST LETTER.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) Motueka, September 25. Beautiful Brightwater, dotted well with co.-y homesteads, all around the mile agricultural blocks of which run miles of capital turuiiike roads, all encircled by thousands of kindlj -looking hills ; picturesque ßprinflrove, with its easily-con-tented folk and railway station ; remote Wnkcfield, with its quaint old gable-ended dwelling", ancient associ ttions, and remote farms ; happy 88- Valley, with its adjacent mountain*, rivulets, and Bunny terraces ; faithful Bclgrove, terminus of the Nelson railway, with its patieut denizens still hopiug for the line ex'ension, whilst popular Ho 4 (iiuvkrodgcr, of the Foxhill Honeymoon R-tre*t, perio ically entertsins Mr Meicor's Oyeliug Club ; suburban Kicbmond, glory of Nelwu city renownoJ, for ita natural beauties, princely homes, and lovely maids ; Arcadian Appleby, with its comfortable Travellers' Rest-Cave of Adullam for tourists; fertile Wwmea We»t, with Its baronies of rich, well-tilled land of unsurpassed quality, where nearly every farmer is brother, UDcie, cousin, or auut' to one another ; hilly Moutere, with its comfortable, artesian- well-supplied pub, its lonely situated sawmill — run, however, actively by Mr Benzomann, who, even as I am there, hurries up a 30,000 ft order for planed white pino boards to Messrs Moore and Co., of Kaiapoi, whilst Mr J. W. Drumiuond, at the other end of the villiage, grindß flonr, shears shetp by 6team, and invents a wool elevator, the patent 'of which may make his fortune; go-ahead Molueka.withiis "Hollyoake," longe of contentment, its picturesque poit, well-to-do-farmers, rich lands, genial climate, and salubrioui health-wealth-inspiring RiDak*- these are all smiling undor thefluod of the vernal tide, grass-blade and floweret, bud and leaf, blotsom and berry huving already appeared, only the hops are not yet above ground, although growers are busy wi-h rake and pruning knife relieving strong htalthy roots, which shall presently burst forth from under departed winter clods tj their fi.regts of pole 3, which shall shortly bear tbe weight of the hop-flower essence of our rich brown ale. The severity of 67 successive frosts having killed the blight and the grubs aud the million other fratricidal iDSecte, all tin so districts ara showing unmistakable Bigns of early and fruitful harvests, and tbe farmer and market gardaner and the wool and hop grower are happy under great expectations begotten of these and the " appals" to the Otpgo Witness of rites in the pricaa of wool, hop*, and grain. There is ono other circumstance adding to the general confidence, and tbat ia the fact of the G -nernl Government's intention to puth on immediately the extension of tho Nelsou-Belgrove railway, Mr Holmes and his staff of surveyors being now busy on the line butwien the present terminus and Motupiko. Nelson li»s a great and immediate future before it. " LOOK ON THAT PICTURE AND ON THIS." Mr J. Pitt, son of Lioutenant-colouel Pitt, one of NeUon'n most eminent firm of barristers, hiving won bis spurs at Cable Bay an au employee of the Eastern Extension Telegraph Company, left here last Tuesday for promotion at Singapore, and prior to hia departure the popular yo<ng fellow was not only entertained by the combined Cable Bay staff, Mr Browning presiding, but he was al-iO presented with a memento of his avocation there Of courso Mr Pitt was much better liked than the following unnotural son, \vho3e name I nra sdranply tempted tv publish, but content myself with giviug a brief description of hia doings in the following extract:— "A case presenting some very distresning feature's was reported to the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board. It was otatod that a woman (a widow) and her eight children (three of whom are imbecile*) aro in a state of extreme dtstitution at Fadinor. Thepaiuful position of the unfortunate family was stated in a letter read -to be i've to the recklcas and wasteful improvidence of tbe eldest eon of the widow, whoso husband died a abort time ago at Lower Moutere, where the family then resi.led. The eldest son and a Motue.a geotl*m»n were executors under the father's will, but the ton fell out with bis 00-executor, and, bo it was stated, sqnandcrd iv riotouß living the whole of the money ltft by his father (übout i'3'3s), as well as an additiu>,al £100 rained by incrensiiiK a mortgage on his father's farm. jJis mother remount rated with him, but ia vain, tho son merely swearing at her and tailing her to mind her own business. To ciown all, this prodigal sou has lately married and thftivby placed himself out of a position (even if willing) to aid his mother. It was reeolvnd to grant tbe woman temporary rations. Mr Rout and another memler spoke strongly regarding the action of the son, an<i it was re-olved thut he be applied to foi an explanation and failing that legal advice be taken m to further action 'fhe property was said to be mortgaged bejond iti value." A NEW FOOD AT OKARITO. Down at Okarito, where phenomeual crayfish, willowy- wal»tedi, charming sirens, great-bearded, red-shirt«d gold diggers, and "Mount Cooks" grow, there is a umafl famine consequent on the umvoikable state of the coastal liars f iom stress of weather. Tangle-f jot Mountain Rat has come to the benighted denizens with the manufacture of a new utatf of life, made from sea lion fat and flax root, winch is said by epicures to be excellent as a life retainer. MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS. The candidates for the triennial municipal honours of the City ef Nels>n last week wont the whole hog— at least some of them did. After the declaration of the poll Mr Josei.h Harley, a pnpular brewer, ascended the rosti urn, and thanking the assembled thon an-l- who placrd his mmc at the head of the poll, sp->ke kindly of frieud and foe ; as did also Mr liverett, a respectable silk mercer of half a century, the third . successful candidate ; but not ?o Mr Piper, who, as a way of showing his gratitude for gaining second place, poured out the seven vials of his wrath on the devoted heads of his opponent*, and for which he was deserved " barracked." Captain Hyde, an old drill sergeant during the Indian Mutiny (now captain of the Naval Artillery), spoko up nko a true Britain under defeat, and thanked friend and foe alike, for which he was cheered by the nmltitudo. The Nelaon folk evidently like not th« Govern-

ment's method for rectifying the tariff ; even the modifications of oar ruler's demands meet not with fivour, for the mouthpieces of the people htra fear that in tho Government's efforts to avoid Scylla th^y have lun slap-dnsh into OUarybdis, adding that the remission on the te.i will ease yet more the well- to do claw at the expense of the livrKO-familied, much booted poor, whofo £1 iv the purchase of tbe last-mentioned commodity will practically l»e only worth 15a I whilst tho tfusto/us duties will scarcely be augmented therefrom. Nz-l^onian Peelarism has gone in for "sxupmß partyisjn," 13 licensed houses having been so hoti'iuted last week without discovering an illegitimate spirit abroad. Nelson is tbe most moral, law-abiding city in tbe southern hemisphere. Although Brunncrton has been howled against by sections cf the press as a coal-bearing centre tbat is going to tbe dogs— a headlong departure the rush of which I doubt -the folk tliTe are still holdiDg their high teas, their soirees, their entertainments in aid of charities, and their newspaper, their churches, and their schools are also running. Brunnerton's ebb tide of depression will pass -when the fl od tida se's in ! Tho scheme, on foot for some time, to fi-»at a cifCKiitic timber cornoany to include TiirunaLi, Wellington, llawkc's Buy! and Weat Coast is litiding favour down iv youth Wcstlnnd. There are one or two mon about Nelson who, wh*.n you meet them, you seem to know instinctively. They are Nature's gentlemen, aud among them arc Mr George Hari>er, the clover barristeratkvv, who frequently practices Christianity l>y entering a butcher's shop of a S.iturd.iy night and by buying up whole carcases of the prune meattbwo, managing under the shade of ni^htaud by ifteilth and ctmniiig to distribute it as grateful offerings among tbe poor and the needy. Mr l'rank Trask ia another; and Frank Bird, yot oue more, has often gone 10 milej out of his pAfch to assist urgency, need, and distress. Ono feels good all over when one meets such gentlefolks, yet Nelsou city in full of such. The Nelson Town School Committee are taking leutd proceedings agvinst patents of tru\nt children. „ . , Tho llav. George B nd, eminent divine and incumbent of Rt. John's Wosleyan Church, Nelaon. who has juat returned from nn evangelistic tour through the West, Coast, says of that place that the weather there was phenomenally rough, the rivers flooded, the sea tempestuou", tbe bara unworkable for a fortnight, the po.'plu of Rosy Tlokitika, rCuniara, Brunnurton, ar.d Greymouth enthiisiustic over theosophy, but the temperance sentiuicnt v;as not utronff. liTc chuiches, however, worked together for the common Rood. . A eoile insect (Planchonia quercieola) known 60 years ago to destroy oak tiees in tbe Boh de Boulogne, Paris, was exhibited by Mr Kinsley, of tha Nelson Philopophical Society, ai having been found here. This is said to be the first sperim -n of the kind found in N<-w Zealand, and has been verified by Professor Mnskel. It was reserved for Dr Robert*, an eminent loral furgeon, to cure a certain epileptic named John Harris, of Waimea road, given up as incurable By a delioate operation necrssitatiug the " removal of a portion of tbe skull, the clever surgeon baa effected a marvellous cure. Nelsonian seagoing travellers growl over the uncomfortable arrangements the Union Stenm Shio Company have for the isoue of ticket*, and rightly Rugßeit that the same should have a tick«toilice in the city, so a* to prevent undue rushing dt the post office when a steamer is about to leave. Mr J. W. Humphreys, of Collingwood, Ntlson, has scored three. Itccsntly he sent Home specimens of iron ore, limestone, and hematite, local productions, and last week was eiified by a meinor»ndum from the Agent-general, in London, showing th*t tho roaults of comparative tests of the specimons wore : Parapara iron ore gave 53 38 as against Northampton s 53 2 and 5188 respectively, the limestone yielded on analybb 54 63 per cent, of lime ; in hematite the teat showed that 171b of the New Zealand oxide required five ani a-half pints boiled lin«ced oil, one and a-balf pints turpentine, and 21b of patent drier 3, making up a weight of 2b"lb of paint, which covered 146 superficial yards, while 171b of the Torbav oxide when mixed mao'e up 251b of paint, aud covered 110 superficial yards; and so Collingwood is jubilant, and ns there aro vast deposits of both yellowish brown and purple brown in that district, and ai the price paid for the Torbay paint which was tried against tbe Pararapa article was £1 4s (5i per cwt, it is confidently hoped thafc an impoitant industry may spring up. Amongst its other many industries two new ones have sprang up quite unexpectedly in Nflson city. They had n burglary last week, and busbranging this time, a woman having jubt been stuck up one night by a gang and " her money or her life "demanded. Asthppoor lady had no money the bushrangers didu't think her life worth taking. The anniversary ball of the Motueka Institute, , held lnst week, was oue of the biggest of successes, and was signalised by the largest of gatherings seen here for many years ; Chinese lanterns, budx and blossoms, flags, evergreens, and ferns decorating the hall ; youth and beauty the floor ; and keen enjoyment and luxury the pattune, sweetest strains from tbe striDg band lad by Mr King, ketping time well. A large number of people from Nelson city attended. A private communication from a public source whispers that Miss Mabel Chittenden as " Night" was the belle. , „ . Mr Tyrce has just received ths following complimentary letter with reference to his patented b at lowering spparatus :— " Bunedin, September 9, 1895. Dear Mr Tyrce, -I am very much pleased with your boat-lowering patent. Tbeie luve been a graat number of boat-lowering inventions uuvitig the past faw years, but yours is by Ur tbe best I have ever seen. The fact of your bain* able to put i»ll the boats out on the one side of the abip is just what h.-w been wanted. There lmve been seveml cased of shipwreck which have c< me under my own notice where, if all ths boats coull have beea put out on the lee >ide, thorn would have been a greit many lives saved which were lo t owing to all the boats on the weather bide proving quite useless. In my opinion shipowners will adopt your patent as soon aB it is made public— Yours, &c, John Fairchild, mast:r s.s. Hinemoa." Riu'aka, September 25. MOTUEKA AND RIWAKA NOIT.S This was a rtd-lettcr day amon'st the farmers. A new milk tester was tried at theßiwaka butter factory by Mr Robert White, manager of the factory, and a noteworthy expert in all the science and art of extracting butter fat from dairy-cow milk. All the farmers fioia far and near were piesent, and witnessed the experiment—an unqualified success— with tbe utmost satisfaction. It would be superfluous to go into the dstidls of tbe Bubbecombe mtlk tester, which was the one used, but the farmers were made clear on the followiDg facts demonstrated by the machine in the hands of Mr White— viz., that whereas formerly where poor and rich quality milks went through the churn and all owners were paid alike, and according to quautUy, now the order of things is to be changed. For instance, Farmer A. may now bring bin lOOgal of milk, which the tester proves to contain, say, 6 per cent, of butter fat, and be will get p*id for it accordingly, without having to suffer a loss through having it mixed with an inferior class of milk. Kiwaka paseed highest eulogiuras on the new addition to the industry. I may add, by way of conclusion, that Mr Manager White, who has all the latest devices and improvements in work, has a special pride in keeping everything neat, cl*an, and in apple-pie order, so that one going through the factory goes away with tbe knowledge that Kiwaka, amongst its other attractions, pos&essea a model f.ictory with au intelligent and remarkably popular manager. Kiwak-i and its sister villnge Motueka have, like all other centres, had quite euough of county government, and both would much prefer to govern themselves by voad boaid, as if they had the latter the whole of tho large sum in rates paid by the farmers would be expended on road", tracks, and bridge. As matters now stand, a very largo proportion of the farmers' hard-earned money goes into the pockets of ztcedy county councillors in the shape of travelling expenses, and for useless county administration— a fiteady unremnnerative drain, vexing sore the souls of ths patient landowner. As ehowingthe durability of whitepine, Mr Conn

Hollyooke'a popular tan. whfch was erected over 50 years ago, still stands apparently as sound as the day it was put up. It is a favourite resort for travellers and tourists, and when Lord and Lady Onslow visited hete some years ago they did not forget to Io.»vo tokens of approval— a talisman which the genial proprietor proudly shows t) all hi* guests. The Motuek» Inn has as many gable ends as had a certain Maypole Inn, and aiound tbe lire on a winter's evening frequently assemble honest Jobno, argumentative l'arkes, and a wild Hugh fccnsionally. Tbcre, too, on the shelves are the jolly, fat, Dutch kegs. Only the imster novelist, Charles Dickcn*. is not there. Ar-coraing to a correspondent in the Nc'.son Colonist things in the labour market must be vary " indifferent" in tho city of Nelson. Mentioning several cases of hardship, he in-tancas one family the brcAd-wiiiuer of which, having been unable to get any work, frequently goes " without breakfast iv order to leave a little bread for hia children ! " For drinking whisky hilariously, uproariously, and gloriously, then helplessly, for six or eight months at a stretch, an anti-prohibitionist named "Tom Lord " was fined 5s and cab hiiv. (2s) by tho my b-ak. Constable Mackay, a decent city bobby, slid the "buster" was a decent, industrious card at odd times. It appetrs, however, that when out of his "pruhib.tod" time ho always took toD loug to c?lsbrata the occasion. I knsw a poor "pro '•' once who, convinced that he wap a roonter, begr.n crowing so determinedly, and imitating all the other convolutions of coxcombicul alectryou, as to cause him to btcome the admiration of quite a colony of the softer barndoor sex, to the fury of other " strutters " of the countryside. Wheu at lenfith called upon to explain ho, to the ci'iKstM'tisUion of the court, told the magistrate th*t he wag St. Peter, and wished by-gones to be by rjoncs ! General collapse of the cour I Tiie Nelson city gas w*r is gradually subsiding to tkirmishing. Some struggling shots by sharpshooters fell into tho council list meeting in the shaptj of threats to use kerosene, and ova master plumber (Mr Hobbi) hud to be defended by Mr SamueUu'kel, tbeoity surveyor, who vouched for Mr Ilobbs's compel, ncy as a plumber, that devotee to soldcm, hot irons, aud ncids having had his handicraft and ingenuity somehow impugned. Tho consequent™ was that there were ructions, uutil the oil of Jickel cslmcd the ftorm Breaking it gently ! You pick up all sorts aud condition!! of yurns in your travel* aruuttowu nnd c.untiy, but berg's a sliffeucr: Years nan she was a blight shining light in the SalvAttou 7Mm)>, but lons mice be-aine a baek-tJid-r. A poor, decent hu<hand of tho rare and highly aristocratic n»me cf— T> m Junes died suddenly and >yent the way of all fle-h, leaving an uuconbcious widow tj face the world of woa all alone Someone had to brcnk the dr. ad tidings, and so this *entla unit of the " fd vld " fl'«k was told off to rto Iho sad husiness. And this is the way the nccompiiahed her Itcnovolent design : Leaving the ptouu'l fli,or room of hcart-stiiiikon Diourners with fitting wien and applicable deportment, one of her coiopan ions, hearing a sigh remarked : "If ever an 'evangtjl' came from henven it*elf to soothe the way for the^e direful tidings to that poor dear upstairs, it is she now softly climbing on her errand of mercy." "1 he way " the evangel " "soothed" tho unconscious widow wns to remark: " Old Jones is d«ad I " Stricken Widow : " What 1" Evangel (ulet fully) : " Ye» ; stiff as a bloomin' rat ! " Thi* was a M-itueka fact— was, because all the parties have long gouo to that glory wh< re no pad tidings are ever biokun. I have just unearthed an old celebrity who claims, and I believe correctly, to be a lineal d*;c«ndaut of Lord Nelson. 1 found him living in a " humsey " made of keroseue tins and gin cases, having for chimney an old steamer fuunel, with hobs of anchor-flukes, and for furniture a table of tar-barrel, with seats of old- timer heiwmen's clients— one focmeily belon<uiK to the Victory. This old weatlur-be--tten tar, who is happy hs the day is lontf, told me he remembei-s tbat while on board the tho I'riuce cf Waloß and Duke of Ediubutgh were about to bo<nl from off the royal launch. At ihe tuffr«iil, cap in hand, all ready to receive his illu>.triouH vimtora, stood th« captain of the noble man-of-war. Leaning over and addressing the Duke (bin superior officer) in hi-j wi'll-kuown wheezy voice, hu half whupured, "Khali lihillute, sir?" "No, thank you," hastily interrupted the Princo of Wales, who desired no fuss ; "we h*ve disroots I"