WAIRIO.

Otago Witness, Issue 2561, 6 May 1903, Page 31

WAIRIO.

May 2.— After a few days the weather broke, and while I am writing it is raining away— a warm rain that will do great damage to tho oats that are still in the stook. My sympathies are with the farmers, for I am sure they must be having a very anxious time. It is to be hoped, it will soon tako up again, and if there is a good wind the crops will not take long to dry. Tho days are so short, v/ilh so many dewy mornings, that the hours for working are not very long. However, the past few days saw a lot of oats put in the stack — some, I fear, that were not quite ready, for I see a few are having to pull down their stacks and rebuild. Farmers have found it very hard to get men for the harvest I really thdnk, with harvesting so late and men so scarce, that the Government should stop co-operative works and let the men go into the country to assist the farmer. At the present rate of high wages and bad harvesting weather, etc., what will the poor fanner have for himself, after his year's toil and anxiety ? Amusements.— Our little township is very quiet, not much to break the monotony. Mr Aitken (our genial guard) and Mr Gray have started a ping-pong club, draughts, etc., two nights in the week. A good number have joined, and there has been so far a good attendance each night. On Dit.— Dame Rumour haa it there la to be a wedding shortly. Mr Peterson is erecting a fine building not many miles from here, and the question is, Who is to be the mistTess of it? More power to the young bachelors; "if at first you don't succeed, try, try, try

again." Social.— l hear that the young people of the district entertained Mr G. Brown at a farewell social in Mr Dodds's barn on Thursday evening. Mi Brown is about to take a trip to Auebraha. During the evening Mr J. Thompson, on behalf of ''Geordie's" young friends, presented him with a silver albert and greenstone pendant as a small token of the kindly relations that existed between them. Personal.— Mr Anderson, who a short time ago started business as blacksmith at ihe Aparima Siding, has be»n doubly unfortunate lately. While Mrs Anderson was laid aside with" a rather trying illness a piece of iron from the hammer entered his left eye, necessitating its removal. He has yet to be very sparing m his work. However, tho Fympathy towards him is of a real and practical kind. Hooligan*? Ab-oad —This district is, generally speaking, fairly free from acts of larrik.nism. Unfortunately, certain Tumours lead one .o think that there are still one or two about, whose exploits show them to have no idea of certain" qualities which adorn tiue marhco:!. One js c,uilc vi abe to find any base of courage, wit, wisdom, or anything man'.y in such an act cs a midnight i rowl into a piddock for the purpose of shaving off every hair of a horse's mane and tail. If the police succ<»ed in tracing the individuals who performed the outms' 1 . htt'e sympathy will be givei th?m when made to s nart in the law courts It is to be hoped, for the credit of our district, that they are not residents.