LAKE COUNTY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2199, 23 April 1896, Page 23

LAKE COUNTY.

April 18.— There has been a complete change in the weather during the vast few days, and it is now. boisterous, cold, and wet. There will, no doubt, ' be a temp -rary interruption in harvest operations in those parts of the district where crops have not yet been secured, but nothing serious is anticipated.

Pre-sessional. -Mr W. Fraser, M.H.R. for the Lake 3, is on tour, giving an account of his stewardship. He has nearly completed the turn round the district, and was everywhere received with demonstrations of approval of his actions and of confidence in him as the representat ive for the Lakes. In his speeches Mr Fraser dwelt chiefly upon financial matters, Mr Ward's surpluses and the bank transactions coming in for the principal share of attention. In regard to the former our member pointed out that though the surplus was a fact in a Pickwickian senee, it was not a surplus arising out of revenue. Nor were the Government quite honest in claiming to have constructed public works out of revenue, as the monry spent w»s really sinking fund. With regard to the banking tr n'sactions, Mr Fraser held that upon the whole the best that could have been done for all concerned was the action taken to avoid very widespread disaster. He also referred in very plain termß to the unparliamentary manner '.n which the Government managed to baulk questions in Parliament, and other practices of which he did not approve. He declared that he would contest the election at the end of the coming acs-ion against allcomers. The speech was a thoroughly 'masterful one, Mr Fraser showing a wonderful command of figures and argument, succeeding in interesting his constituents ia a subject that is generally considered the dryest of the dry. It is not too much to say that by his visit Mr Fraser has drawn tighter the bond between himself and his constituents. At the conclusion of his speeches he was accorded votes of thanxs and confidence in every place he visited. A Bad Quarter op an Hour —Mr Oliver Johnson, while working in come- old ground at Bracken's Gully, liad a rather unpleasant experience the other day. Being engaged in clearing away some stuff inhis drive the ground near the face came away, and overwhelming him, buried

him up to the waist, Ao is always the case at such accidents, the candle went out, but fortunately having a shovel at hand hs managed to free himeelf in time before more stuff and atones came down. As it wag, stones of no small size were continually whizzing past his head, and, above all, there was that horrible grinding and creepy "talking" noise of the ground, the full terror of which only those can understand who have heard it under similar circumstances. What made matters worse in Johnson's case was that he was alone. However, he escaped without any serious injury. Struck by Lightning.— lt appears that young Mr Aspinall's death, reported in my last letter, was due to a stroke of lightning. Deceased was working with his mate far inland from Coolgardie at the time of his death, and it took his mate three weeks to reach the nearest settlement to report the sad occurrence.