RATANUI.

Otago Witness, Issue 2524, 30 July 1902, Page 45

RATANUI.

July 25. — The weather has been very broken since my last letter. Indeed, the past winter lias been very wet indeed, but there has been little frost, and no snow worth speaking of. It is mary years since there was such an open ■winter. It is to be hoped that as tlie spring appi caches there will be some drier weather. Roads. — In consequence of the wet weather, tin. roads are in a very bad state, especially where there is no metal. All heavy traffic is pir.ciically stopped, and nearly all the sawmills liuve restricted their output to almost nil. I *»cc the C.C. Council hnve passed a lj>v-la.w reetricting the loads and the number of animals r.p-essary to draw the load. I wonder if any o f the framers of this by-law ever drove s team oi bullocks on a bush road, or if they know anything at all about such work? 1 shall state a case to illustrate A man will leave ■Ratanui with a load which eight bullocks can easily take all the way, except for about a ouarter of a mile, where he must put on four xnore to take the load up this hill According to the by-law he must only put on eight bullocks for a certain load, and is liable to be fined if he puts any more on, and then, when he reaches Owaka, he may get a lighter load back, whe»~ he is supposed to take off so many bullocks to again comply with the law. It is a wonder to me they did not make it illegal for fciaji to cfiue tack with his ttaaiiiv *o*d. at ail.

To finish up with, they should appoint a highsalaried inspector to Icok after the carteri. on these roads. I notice the council is going to get a stone cru^hei Let me suggct that at the same time they rhould get a new sei of councillors, althorgh our own member has done \ery well in the past, and ro dou'ot he would go back with flying colours.

Railways. — The railway is progiess ng i ~ry slowly, notwithstanding the fact that there are a good number of meri now employed on the formation. The bad weather is keeping them back. There „eems little chance of tl.e train running to the Catling bridge for a long lime vet. At the present rate of progress the line wili not get to Tahakopa for the next 20 /ears The railway is supposed to be made on the cooperative system, but, m reahrv, it is made on day wages The men's time is kept as regularly as if they wpre working for a contractor Of course the farce of mensuring up is gone through, bnfc the men are really paid by the day. So much for the jiiuch-vaunted co-opera-tive system. It looks well on paper, but does not work out well in reality.