BALCLUTHA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2399, 22 February 1900, Page 39

BALCLUTHA.

February 12.— Crops of all kinds are looking w.oll in all parts of ,Ins district, but during the past fortnight the weather has been very wintry, and the heavy rain is doing considerable.harm to standing crops. Rust ig making its appearance, and much grass and seed has been damaged. Patriotic. — A more loyal and patriotic community than Balclutha would be very hard to find. With the first contingent we sent the largest proportion of any town of equal size in the colopy. We are also represented in the secona, and now, for the Rough Riders, about ' 12 are volunteering, including Captain Harvey, ' Clutha M.R., and Lieutenant Watt. Many i others are anxious to go, including married men. The patriotic fund has«done well. The committee are most energetic, and they are ably assisted by a number of young ladies, Misses Wilson, Paterson, and others. I hear that an effort will be made to collect sufficient j funds from the children attending the High i School to buy a horse. It is rather amusing to watch the rush of the male portion of our j usually quiet town a few minutes before the arrival of Dunedin trains, to get the latest war ] news. Your local agent, Mr Finn, has a busy time of it, and while he has no time to look at a paper himself he usually gets the first arrivals to let him know if there is anything new, and even our local critics explain to | others not so well informed what Buller should j do. It requires no prophet to predict that volunteering will be more in evidence in the future, and I am sure there would be no difficulty in raising a first-class volunteer corps here at three days' notice. Spielers. — The light-fingered . fraternity who usually frequent race meetings had two representatives here, who were not quite so successful as they could have wished. They had taken a_ purse and jewellery out of a bedroom occupied by a lady who had gone down for breakfast. The alaiin was given, and two men, Houlahan and King, were arrested. On being searched, the missing money and -jewellery were found on them. They went to Dunedin in charge of Constable Griffiths, and will be charged at the S.M. Court on Wednesday.