PUKEURI.

Otago Witness, Issue 2363, 8 June 1899, Page 29

PUKEURI.

June s.— After an unusually long spell of easterly drizzle the weather has at length taken up. The wintei air is keen and frosty, but the sunshine of heaven is again warm and bright, and quite transforming in its influence upon the spirits of man. The roads, too, are drying up, and the superabundance of slush and mud will soon be a thing of the past, at least for some considerable time, we trust. One road in particular — that leading to the railway station — has been very much in evidence of late. One night a lady got temporarily bogged, and had to return next morning to dig out a lost boot. Another individual, floundering along, lost some money, and on another occasion two ladies had their piogress so impeded by it that they just lost their train. Mark you, these are facts, not fiction. They constitute the basis of a somewhat sultry correspondence in one of the local papers— hence their passing inteiest. Now, however, since the matter has been well ventilated, I tiust it •will lead to something being done by the railway authorities, who are the responsible offenders in the matter.

Prime Canterbury.— For months endless mobs and trains of sheep have been passing through here, to be converted in some mysterious way into " Prime Canterbury." For some weeks the average has been 1500 a day. On a recent Sunday a record train of 70 trucks went north. Why all this work on Sundays? Our stationmaster, Saturday and Sunday alike, is sometimes never off duty for a month at a time. Tiiat should not be. Is the local freezing company doing all it can to alter this unfortunate state of matters? Why don't the dilectors infuse some additional energy and enterprise into their business?

Library. — The library committee have just put a number of new books on its shelves. During the last two years the number of subscribers has fallen off, but it is to be hoped numbers will join again now that an effort has been successfully made to bring the leading matter up to date. The subscription is only 3s, which will enable a subscriber to get the reading of 50 books in a year. The library social which was recently held for tho purpose oi raising additional funds was unfortunately a financial failure. But for the fact that the roads and weather were just at their worst at the time, it would doubtless have been very successful.

Entertainments. — Of these there has been no lack for some time. The visit of the SteelePayne Family of Bellringers was greatly appreciated by an unusually large audience. It is no exaggeration to say that their entertainment was the best ever given here.