LAWRENCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2210, 9 July 1896, Page 25

LAWRENCE.

June 30.— Mr Watt, of water-gas fame, ha* been giving a series of lectures in the Town Hall on the merits of his gas as an Hluminant, with the view of getting the burgesses of the town to adopt it for street lighting, as well as for private houses and business places. His lectures were well attended, and were illustrated by displays of coloured globes, gas stoves for heating and cooking purposes, gas engines for motive power, &0., and the hall being lit up .with ga.% a good opportunity was given to judge of tbe advantages of gas over kerosene. Our present system of street lighting is far from satisfactory, tbe kerosene lau>p3 being too far apart, and the lighting power of each lamp being very small. Whether Mr Watt's system is adopted or not, something should be done to improve oui present method, which only makes darkness visible. Hard Lucic — Our local bakers have recently had a severe lesson in paying for their sto>:k o f flour purchased before gttting deliveiy. If it Is law that the money they have paid for flour which was in stock at the time should be forfeited by them, and the flour again sold for the benefit of the creditors, all I can say is that that law is far from equitable. The position is this : A miller calls on the bakers, and offers them certain inducements, in the event of their paying cash, that they will, in addition to the ordinary cash discount, have the privilege of leaving it atored with him without charge, and have it sent on as they require it. They buy the flour, pay him caßh, get a receipt for it, and presumably the miller pays uaid cash in to his credit with his banker, who then closes down ou him and causes him to file ; and these hard-working tradesmen, on applying for the flour they have paid for in hard caßh, are informed they cannot get it, but must lank aa ordinary unsecured creditors. It is a hard lesson, and one that points a moral. Talk of commercial morality— we only seem to know it by name of late years. Agricultural.— Ploughing is well forward, the weather during the past month having been unenually open, with no snow and hardly any rain. At the time ofwritiog the Blue Mountains have not a speck of white upon them,° which is a very unusual circumstance in midwinter.

Mining —Sluicing companies are beginning to And their water supplies running short, and are anxiously looking for rain. Another new dredging company »is to be registered this week to wes&the licensed holding

taken up recently by Mr Laffey on tbe Tuapeka Flat, about three mile 3 from Lawrencf. The company consibEa of about half a dozen local shareholders and two or three Dunedin capitalists, and it is intended to push on the conitruotion of a dredge at once with all the latest improvements.

The pontoons for the other drtdge on Tuapelca Flat are now ready to receive the machinery, and the party contemplate being able to start dredging in about two months' time. The Tuapeka Sluicing Company in Mu&ro's Gully, continues to receive highly satisfactory returns, and the same remark applies to the Golden Rioe Company ou Wethentones Flat. The Beaumont Local Co-operative Company is pushing on with the erection of fluming ana completion of race, to be in readiness to receive the pipes, which are now being manufactured and will shortly be on the ground. I hear of nothing sensational from any of the dredges lately. I understand the Golden Treasure is on good gold, also the Island Block Company (Mr Rawlicgs's).