RIVERTON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2289, 13 January 1898, Page 25

RIVERTON.

January 8. — The summer hag been a pretty gool one for miners, as water was fairly plentiful up to Chi iatnias, and good clean-ups for the holidays are reported from Round Hill. The Round HjII Company have been iv full work until the Ja.st week or ten days, since when the water mppiy hai been falling off. The Ourawera Company has declared a dividend of 2s per share. Last week a l^rge reef was disc jvered in the Longwood, a few miles from Riverton. The reef is well defiaed, and bears gold, but whether in payable quantities or not is not yet known. A lot of grouud has, however, been pegged off on spec, and there is considerable local excitement over the find.

Bush Fikes.— The late bush fires at Colac and Rautd Hill are the first fires in unfallen bush that have been known here, for many years at any rate, as the bush is usually too damp for fires to run The summer, too, has not by any means beea a dry one, but the dry condition of the bush is no doubt due to the unusual amount of wind. The yeaily burn-off of fallea bush at the Waiau has been remarkably good, the ground being left well cleared.

Dairy Factory.— The supply of milk at the dairy factories has been very good, the new one at Te Tua being well patronised. This factory will prove a great help to the struggling settlers in that district. The land seems p*rticulaily suited for dairying pui poses, judging by the quality of chee3e and butter turned out ot the Orepuki Factory, than which theie i-i no finer in the market.

Holidays — The weather during the holidays was vi-ry fine. The principal locsl excitement was the regatta, which was very largely attended. The chief event, a dingey race for £50 a-side between Boniface (Riverton) and Dixon (Bluff), was won by the former somewhat easily. An unusual number of visitors are staling at Bivertou this summer, the supply of houses being far short of the demand.