LAWRENCE

Otago Witness, Issue 2299, 24 March 1898, Page 28

LAWRENCE

Mabch 17 —To-day was only kept as a holidayby the banks, the other business 1 eopl° and the public Patrick's Day on the loth, wbtn the Govtmor honoured us with a visit, and 53 the weather ha* turned out cold, wet, and tempestuous it", v.ms ls well tbat the sports wcie held then. Uhs functions conneofcJ with the Governor's vis- it passed off satisfactorily, as did the spoits concert and dance. Evideisces ok Mim.no Activity.— l have no idea iio v the Governor was impressed with our district, but, as a s'sn of progression, if h" was shown the railway trucks laden with mining machinciy and timber waiting to be unloadert. to the number of fiom £0 to SO trucks; and if he could have witncs&ed, as J have done, much the s-arae state of things for a number of viceks back, be could not fail to ba impi eased ■ttith the fact, tbat theie is a considerable boom on, either in mining or general bu=ir.e?s— or in both. I have been makin? a rough calculation as to the tonnago of goo>'s, machinery, &c, which has arrived at our laihvay 6'ation, .say, daring a period cf fom weeks, and 1 thiuk I am within the mailc when 1 ei-tiimte it at l<"00 tous, besides timl ei— clo^eon 100,000 ft. To cope- with this quantity of tr.ffio we have a Mationrnaster, a goods cleik, two poiterp, and 3 small boy, snd J must confpt? that I do not i-nvj' any onu of them bis billet, as m addition to the regular trains there am 212 10 -^ "pscial 5 1 Miriing- at all lniura of the night, causing a lot </f extia work late and early. To keep the sidiugn at all woik.-ible the surfaceman bad to be put un fo.- a few days to an'-ist in unloading, but still there h an accumuUtion of stuff that will tok= some time to g*t avray. and the whole tf thn his to be cxrrffd by waggrns through a nai row right nf-w»y, wheratwn vehicles can no! pt-s ta h otber, iv which right of-way one man Iris alic .dj batn crushed to ueath and another auite leceuUy had »v almost miraculous escape '

A large portion of the mining machinery re- | ferred to is for ths O.P.Q. Quartz Company, j Waipori, and a lot of ironwork and timber for the Miller Flat biidge, and of course the buildin? of numerous dredges all around adds largely to the rail traffic ; and T hear of mining companies crying out about delay in their plant coming forward, vvhich proves that your foundries must be very busy also. i Agricultural.— Harvestinghas progressed well j during the past feitnight, but the present rain [ will cause a short lull.