WAIKAWA VALLEY

Otago Witness, Issue 2412, 24 May 1900, Page 32

WAIKAWA VALLEY

May 22. — The settlera heie and in the sturoundiitg districts are bestirring themselves with a view lo have some real work done on this- extension, as Ihey are not quite satisfied ■with flying surveys and the taking of a few defels. 'mad tort oi thing does not .seem to ~be of any perceptible assistance in getting in .stores, manures, and other thmgo nece&c.viy ior the successful running of a tarm, nor does it help any oi those wiio are fortunate enough to have any produce to tend away. To begin with, the Fortrose peopie got up a petitio.i (out of pure native " ctissectness i suppose) to have the railway deviated via Fornose, ana I believe this petition was extensively signed not only in JTortrose, but alto in Invercargiii. Even the mayor, 1 belie ce, appended his signature. JSfow x can iorgive most of the townspeople who signed thib precious petition, but the mayor, who is, by the way, also ex ofncio chairman of the liiv'ercargiU-Seawaid Jbush ' Extension Committee — he, ac all events, might have been expected to have been discieet, and have delayed signing until he had at least mado himseit acquainted with the real meaning and object oi tne document he was signing. Mact -„ lie done so, I have not the slightest dou_b(f that he would have retrained fiom signing what he would have discovered to be a one-sided affair, got up with, a view no doubt of adding a few pounds' value to a few quaiter acre sections m that .very nicely situated little township. Ths neiA move was made by the Tokantti • committee, which includes delegates or "mem- j faers from Fortrose, Otara, Six-mile (or Hal- ' dane), "Waikawa, Niagaia, Waikawa Valley, j Quarry Hills, and Tokanui, by holding a meet-ing-at Tokanui on the Bth mst., whereat the following resolutions were cprried: — Moved by Mr C. Turner, J.P., Waikawa Valley—" That the Minister of Public Works be respectfully j requested to comzneiice operations on the for- ] - ination of the authorised extension of the Sea- j ward Bush railway to Tokanui. ' Seconded by j Mr G-. Patlon, Tokanui. Mr Peterson, Quarry Hills, proposed, and Mr Wild, Tokanui, j seconded — "" l'hat a copy of the abora re&olu- I »tio'i be forwarded' to the Invereargill committee, with a view to obtaining tlicir co-opera-tion. ' A hearty vote of thanks was, on the motion of Mr J. Eobson, -accoided to Messrs Samuel Millai and W. O. Duthie for the very able manner in which they had 3:ept the matter ; before the public through the medium of the public press. Tho^e present seemed to generally think that there was little to fear from J the before-mentioned Portrose petition, as the railway had already been formally authorised to Tokanui, which is also within very reason- I - lble distance of Otaia and Halda.ie. On 4?atur- j day, the 12th, a, meeting of settlers was held in the Waikawa "Valjey Dairy Factory, convened by Mr W. O. Duthie. The day was exireniely wet, and very few turned up, but I _ \fcr.derstand that the following resolutions were 'luly carried : — " That the Minister of Public works be petitioned against any deviation to Fortoose and Otara; that the Minister of. Public Works be petitioned to take the railway. ■ by the most direct and practicable route with' a view to its ultimate junction with the Catlins railway (by the way, the most direct and practical route is not that which has already been duly authorised, via Tokanui, thereby seiving the- settlers who have been working and waiting- tor the railway for ypars. but will go through two 6r three large estates, sheep and cattle runs, via Fortification, thus w ( not touching any real "" settlement until * getting opposite Quarry Hills. l x he third and last resolution passed was — " That the Minister of Public .Works be reqvested to make an early aim simultaneous stare on the formation of both lends, and that the co-operation of the Catlins and Mokoreta , settlers be requested in bringing the matter before the members for Mataura an 3', Clutha, • with a view to pressure bling brought to bear on the Minister 'in such a way as will best -bring about the objests"^bf "the' meeting." Mr Troup was deputed to write to or confer with Messrs Carlton (Taukupu) and Bews (Mokoreta).- Mr , Duthie was also requested to write to the Mayor of Invercargill, ex officjo chairman of the. -Invercargill-Seaward Bush Railway Extension Company, the member for the 'district , (Mr R. M'Nab) and the Minister of Public Works. " . The Roads. — The weather here for some weeks now has been such as to effectually stop all work on road contracts, and the state of the , road up the Valley ■is very bad in two places, . where the contractor began to impiove matters, but" unfortunately was forced by the weather o to abandon the work until the .weather, takes up. This is really a. hardship to those who < have .to use the road, -as- it is far worse now * than it has been for some time, and there is little or no prospect of its being improved until the spring. However, the weather is drier just now, _and I think most of \ts can do very well now without any -^further supply of .moisture for some time at any rate. The stock are everywhere in Al condition, and there is ft piospect of an abundance of feed to last right through the winter. It is quite surprising to strangers to see how well cattle come through the winter here, if they are lucky enough to have a little ,native bush to take shelter in during any bad weather, and we rarely experience anything like the severe weather in winter that is to be experienced further inland. | -Dairying. — Our. dairy factoiy closed on Fri- ! day, the 18th. I do -not propose to say any- | .thing about the success of the past season, '! further than- the suppliers have received up to the present at the rate of 6d, per lb for butter fat, and they do not know if they are to receive anything" more, but they hope to . get a little more when our proprietor has struck a balance. However, let us hope lie will not be long in striking the aforesaid balance, and that he will have a sufficient "surplus" to enable him to at once hand over to the supyliers their share; of the " surplus "—I had alUiost said " spoils."