MILTON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2456, 10 April 1901, Page 29

MILTON.

Apiil B.— During the past three weeks the weather has been all that could be desired for harvesting, and, consequently, the great bulk cf the crop on the plain has been got safely into the stack, while excellent progress has been made with the threshing. So fai as can be asceitamed, the yields this year do not come up to their usual high standard, neither oats nor wheat turning out so well as might have been expected. In the outlying p"rts of the district a good deal of gram is still in stook, while a few isolated patches still remain to be cut.

Property Sales. — Notwithstanding tho low prices ruling for grain, agricultural land is still in good request. A farm of about 60 acres, formerly the property of the late Mr Robert Melville, was sold by auction the other day for £20 10s per acre, the purchaser being Mr W. H. Salmond. Considering that the land had been allowed to get into a very neglected state, the price realised cannot be regarded as other than satisfactory.

Fortification. — The sale, of sections in Fortification township created a good deal of interest locally. The township has been surveyed on the opposite side of the river from the present mine, and in the meantime the river has to be crossed by boat, although in course of time a bridge will no doubt be built. The sections, which are mostly quarter-acre in size, sold, at prices varying from £3 10s to £16. The town was presumably laid out and the sections thrown open for sale in order that the miners employed m the mine might obtain building sites convenient to their work, but, with a few exceptions, they failed to take advantage of the opportunity, and the bulk of the sections have passed into the hands of local speculators.

The Holidays. — With the exception of a heavy shower this foienoon, which rendered the remainder of the day somewhat bleak and cold, fine weather has prevailed for the holidays, and outdoor amusements have in consequence been the order of the day. A contingent of local bowlers visited Invercargill to take part in the tournament there. For the pairs Messrs Scott and Bewley have succeeded in getting into the final round, while a rmk skipped by Mr W. Taylor were runners-up m the Consolation Rmk match. From all accounts the bowlers are having a pleasant trip, and are thoroughly enjoying themselves. On Friday a match was played on the local ground between a team from the Milton Football Club and a mixed team from the Pirates Club. Dunedin, resulting in a victory for the visitors by 10 points to 5, and the same day a team from the local volunteer company suffered defeat in a shooting competition against the East Taieri Rifles after a, well-contested struggle by 11 points. To-day, Easter Monday, the annual sports under the auspices of the Gaelic Association were held on the Farmers' Club's grounds. The attendance of the public was very fair, but tho sports themselves were not of a very high crder. The principal event, the G-at^ir Handicap, was won by Shivas, and tho hurling match, Dunedin v. Milton, which has been an annual fixture for seven or eight years \iow, resulted in a victory for the former after a keen struggle.