CROMWELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2407, 19 April 1900, Page 29

CROMWELL.

April 16 — The apology for a summer we have had has at last blossomed forth into a vsiy enjoys ble early fall, and for the last week or two our weather has been perfect. There are indications that frost will set in early, -and we pppear to be m for a spell of dry weslher. ♦

Building. — The building trade i 3 brisk, and carpenters aie unprocurable. This eminently ■satisfactory state of the tiade is caused bj the success of our dredging industry putting a nuriber of ouj young men in a position to afford the luxury of a wife, and we have had more marriages during the past few months than during an equal number of years previously. And still there are more couples ready to be lassooed by tlie matrimonial noose. The census leturns, when next taken, should prove more interesting than the last, and show a great advance m the direction of populating the goldfields, for a laige number of strangers, little and otherwise, are continually settling among us, which all means more building and more work for the carpenters.

Where the Carcase Is. — This Easter promises to be a locord one for sharebrokers. On the Saturday following Good Friday the town was alice with shaiebiokers, including the chairman of the Slock Exchange, which led the local wits to say that it put them in mind _ox the tale of Ah Boba. However, no open sesame can ever extract the Hartley return till it is wired up from Duredin. This great influx of sharebrokers may be taken as a sign that Cromwell is going to bs a leading dredging town in the near future, and that a considerable amount of interest centres in us. We are gradually growing famous for our dredges and car marvellous returns. Previously we were famous chiefly for our sand storms.

A Live Body. — The borough council at present is made up of a body of men who have the progress and the interest of the town thoroughly at heart. Owing to the energy of the town clerk, Mr Holden, to the advance in tho rateable ■* alue of property, and several successful sales of borough sections, the finances aie flourishing, the borough now having considerably over £100 to its credit. At the last meeting it was decided to spend £200 this winter in ridding the street lines of sand. It was also decided to utilise the sand to form the streets, to fill up hollows, and level off inequalities; for expeiience has proved that when covered with stiaw and lightly gravelled, the sand soon gets solid, and forms a capital road bed. Steps aie also being taken to ascertain what it will cost to light the town with electricity. In the meantime the council is going to erect some more lamp-posts, and to lighten our darkness as much as possible. Tlie pre-_ sent occuppnt oi the mayoral chair, Mi 2lur rell, will not let the grass grow under his feet.