RATANUI.

Otago Witness, Issue 2310, 9 June 1898, Page 25

RATANUI.

June.— We had a snowstorm last "'Friday and I Saturday, bufc the weather this week has shown a great improvement, frosty "nights and bright sunny days prevailing. j Prom Woodlands to Rimu.— Some 1 time tago I j had the pleasure of a .trip to Rimu. .Great imI prcv&meatß in the shape-af .houses are noticeable. j Mr L'ujgmuir is erecting-a-comfortable house on I his "lately -acquired section; JSIr Wilson has put I np a .s>iee building on .pnrl of the State farm at I 'Burnt Flat ; .and Mr E. Ashninre has .put up it : cnmicoiioits dwelling on his section. After crosslog th? Tah*kupu Ford I noticed that Air G. Scott ; ij^i-utting up a large house, an.l jio doubt will* be | able to accommodate a good numb-en of touriats i duiiug the coming summer. After geti ing. thus | far, the road is very bad foivabout.half a miic. I j jvas astonished to .find the *ile selected for the i upper Tahakupu Ford. Whenever .the.river is in j flood the aettleis have to carcy, their milk over a .footbridge, 'which is nothing moie nor lese than a fallen 'tree -over the river. Evidently there has been gross mismanagement in the selection. It is somewhat ov.er four .years .siuce the settlers in this .block took np .their laud, and all that -time they have haeh paying interest on ;CSOO (being ±he lo.*tding,put on the land .to jaiake the roads), only .£3G(kof which his been :«.pen.t o.n >the roads. .To mak-e.mattera woise, an is going onTin .centiiu quarters ito -have .the (original, site, for .the bridge, done away .with, 'and another one substituted some distance farther oip the jiver. J/t'is to »be hopad,.f or the-sake of the first selectors, that this alteration will not be .made, -as ithey took up the .'land on the -distinct understanding >that ifche buidgeover the Tahakupu-was^o.he in a line,wlth ,the ibridgeover the Back Creels. Uo.great benefit .would accrue .to-any o'f ? the settlers by .the change. Some .metalliug ,is done on ithe' Tahakupu "y alley .road, and J am told .that ithe inspector'has taken a new. way of dealing with the work — viz , letting .the contract for metalling ito.one man, and giving him orders.as to what men -lie has to^employ at 6s ;per day. a his is a new form of cooperative works as carried out' here.

Night.'School.— Mr Thomson, schoolmaster ;at Tahakupu, and JVIr Murphy, teacher ,a£ .the M'Lannan School, have -started night 'schools— a move .Which is much -appreciated,. and .will no doubt do a gi eat deal of good. It shows a -good spirit-on .their part .to take so.much interest in 'the welfare of the settlers in their respective districts. -News from Elondyjce.— lt will be remembered that about last Ohmtmaß 'three of >our most enterprising sottlexu determined 'to try their luck at Kloadyke. -News was received ;of them ilast week. lam very pleased to be .able .to say-that they are*all well, and'haye got work on, the railway >en route for Klondyke, 'They are receiving £7 iper week, and it costs £3 per man .par week for keep" 3'his leaves a good -margin to be sent to their 'families. One'man declares it is the 'best placeiin the world for a working man, "as even the .cuttings through .which the railway passes sho.w 'payable gold. >Good -luck to .them'!