RATANUI.

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

RATANUI.

July 6.— The weather up to a few days ago wa remarkably mild and dry, and grass in most parts of the district is still growing. lam indebted to Mr G. W. Draper for the following report of the weather for the month of June : -" R»in fell on 14 days; maximum on the 10th. 35in: total for the month, rssin. Temperature: Maximum, 43rteg, on the 17th ; minimum 36deg, on the 18th ; average, 42Jdeg- Wind : 18 days northeast, 11 days calm; from the 22nd to the 30th, nine days, north-eaat without change. Heavy rain set in on the evening of July 2, and 4in fell in 30 hours— more than fell during the previous seven weeks." Influenza.- This complaint ha? been very prevalent lately, and a large number of people have been laid up. The sickness was worst during the long spell of easterly weather. Obituary —I have to record the death of Mr John O. Campbell, eldest sou of Mr Campbell, tailor, of Qwaka. Jack, a well-known, respectable, and popular young man, about SO years of age, will be very much misssd, especially by the boreaved parents, for whom much genuine sympathy is expressed. Inflammation of the lungs, resulting from a severe chill, was the immediate cause of death. The district, and especially parents, can ill afford to lose such useful members of the community as poor Jack. Surrender. —Several settlers have lately surrendered their sections owing to various causeß, the principal one being that they cannot live en them at the high rentals. Change.- Young man who has a lively or rather a big interest in a large boarding establishment at Owaka to Ratanui greenhorn as he proudly pointed to the train rolling along to his house door: " Wouldn't you like to see that at Ratanui i " Greenhorn : r< Yes, and we will wrt

.it past your house soon, and you can shut up shop." Prospective.— Some settlers Heem to doubt that the further extonsiou of the OfttHna-Waikawa railway will be proceeded with for many, years to come, but in this they are wrong, for if railways in ony part of the country are to be extended Burely this district is entitled to a sharo ot the money voted. I predict that the railway will be extended and completed to Cithn's Bridge within two or three years at the farthest. • Petitions.— Several petitions have beau forwarded from this bush district to Parliament promotive of our interests regarding roads and railways. Othere, some of them annual and private ones, have also bsen despatched, to meet the same fate aa usual. They will be recommended by a committee of the House to the Government for " consideration," and the Government will "consular'' them. TiMßEft.— Some weeks aao I noted that Messrs Murdoch and Co. would probably commence milling operations in the back blocks between tho big mill and the coaat. I regret to say that there has been a difficulty in obtaining an outlet, the company being desirous of having a tram line through the big mill property, which is under the control of Mr Wi liana Brown, nccointant. of Dunedln. It is reported here that Mr Brown wants to make the right to a tram line conditional on the timber merchants paying him £3(0 for the big mill machinftry, and buildings, and £33 per year as rent of ground necessary for tram purposes. This statement, however, is open to correction. If true, the company is fairly (or unfairly) blocked. The machinery is reckoned here worth only the price of old metal, less the cost of taking it to pieces and conveying it to market. The ground necessary for a tramway would not amount at tho most to more than five acres, co that the rent asked would' be over £7 per acre. Not much this for Und which I understand is valued by the trustee at £3 10s per acre as frftehoM. Measts Murdoch and Co. ara fully satisfied that the timbar they require exists in sufficient quantity to keep a large mill going for several years, and it seems a great pity that they should be so blocked in their endeavour to utilise it. Bio Mill Property.— This property was firtt ownedby the late Mr Fi. M'Glashan, subsequently by the Iron and Wood ware Company, the Bank of New Zealand, the late Thomas Brown, and eventually by the-jtrustees in the estate of the la'Bt-named. Part or the property is of vary inferior nuality; being composed principally of water, some decayed vegetable matter known as swamp mucki " with sand and shell bottom. Mr C. W. Adams, chief surveyor, on behalf of the- Government, has lately insptcted the property, with, I presume, a view to purchasing it. If the Government has any intentioa of purchasing, 1 would advise careful consideration before taking the final steps, as to a man who h»s to earn his living by hard work ono aore of Ardgowan would be better than 300 ef the Big MUI property. However, Mr Adams it shrewd and experienced, and may bo reli«d upou to give a faithful description of the property. Our M.H.R -It has been with profound regret that the people of this district— and I beh«ve I may iay all over the electorate— have heard of Mr Mackenzie's docUion to sever his political counection with them. The names of sever*! gentlemen have been mentioned as competent to fill the prospective vacancy, few. if any, of whom are entitled to the honour. Our worthy neighbour, Mr W. Carlton, is the only Ratauuite mentioned in th# li»t, which is, apparently, g ing to be a large one. I beg to eugfie-t to the editor of a Clutha paper that he should include "Blathering Bob" In hiß<next list. If "Bob" couldu't lepresent the people hs could give us such "blather" as most people for £340 a year ; and if, as Becky Sharp decKred, any woman could be good on £1000 a year, Bob would impiove, at any rate, on about one-fourth of that value. Anyhow he has about as much right to political attention as ' some of those in the Press list, and for £240, a year would not need much pressing. Serioutly, 1 think " Bob " might have a good chance of tying the wliUcal knot for three, yeats. I shall vote for *' Bob" in preference to tha candidates named so far, and try to forsot thd ' sttley aid episode. But if a hotter man than "Bob" should come along toeroro election day, especially if he be a (M. J. S.) Mackenzie, we must certainly throw "Bob" and the otheri over the fence in disgust. Strong.— l do not vouch for the following, but it has be«n reported to mo that a storekeeper in a locilUy which shall be nameless, for obvious reasons, is selling various grades of outter guarantied to kill at 50, 25, and 10 yards respectively. At another store a settler is said to have bought a quantity to poison dog* with. The ododferous nature of this sample is such that it can be scented through three wrappers, and h ' quite as effective as strychnine. Those who make good butter will never get justice until either the prices are more equitably graded or the inferior article is rejected by tradespeople entirely. Neither will the egg-raising hen-wife receive her due justice until tgg3 are sold by weight and tested for quality. Bush Felling.— As usual a large quantity of buth is being felled, tvmi at prices much lower then jln any previous seasons. -