LAKE COUNTY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2660, 8 March 1905, Page 39

LAKE COUNTY.

March. 4. — Several times during the -week rain Las threatened, but each tiih« it has passed over. A good steady rain for a day or two •would bo welcomed by everyone. Tlie roads are very dusty, grass is all burnt up, and the turnip fields, though, still fresh, would be the better "of water. On the flats the crops are baiiig cut, but on the Crown Terrace rain -would do a lot of good, as the ctitting will not commence here for 10 days or so. A good number of visitors continue to arrive in Queenstown, and those who take advantage of the week-end trips axe singularly fortunate. It is almost invariably clear and calm for, those occasions. Crops.— Despite the hot. weather, the yield this year will be good. In the Hawea District the wheat crops are reported to be unusually sood. In many places in this district the wheat has cut very w&U, and barley is quite up to the usual standard. There ueems ~"to be a good deal more wheat grown this year than in previous years, and almost the wuole of it is sold to the local flour mill at 'Hayes Lake. Turnips are much better this jtir than last, and some very fin© fields may te seen in passing through the county. Roads. — The work done by the gTader en the roads throughout the county is extremely* -satisfactory, and' the result -would have treen -mdre --pleasing if we "Cad been.' "blessed with occasional showers of rain to settle *the formation after it was thrown tip. At present travelling is heavy, and there, is -a ijuantity-'olf diist. "There is* one- suggestion- 1 would make. in the grading of the roads, end thai- is to make^bem/a 'little * wider. Already in. many places' there is the 'narrow track on i £he-"centre of the-road where all "the .raSzc as carried; and ' the> surface is -being cut <ic-Tvn intorfcwo defined- rut-s. In other places, wntre the roads have been Mnade wider— ior ins-tance, the jiewly-graded length in the Arrow Borough — there is no sign of wearing. I am -convinced that width is the secret of good Iroads. We are at present in a period of calm upon calm, of fine days sticceeding fine days. It is always so in the autumn. But soon we shall get the cold windy days of «rinter,_and ere that time comes something should be done to have the -dead trees bordering the public roads cut down. On almost every road these- dead gtuns stand in patches., and with every gale shed their smaller boughs and long strips of bark direct' -upon the von-i Til a strong wind the trees themselves cr«ak, and thcugh as yet it is only the boughs that have fallen, it will be a very short time bofore -some of the trees themselves come crashing down on the road. There are in the County Council members who a-re no douM alive to the .danger, and I am sure it c • ]y needs mentioning iere to be taken up and carried through: by that body. New Library. — Some time ago the erection of a new library hall at -Skippers was mooted there, and with the energy characteristic of the residents the work"- has been carried out, Tind w -the scheme is now an accomplished fact. TheThall is* a spacious building- with a.flooi 24ft x 4€ft. Its opening! will bs marked by a grand ball held in the -building next Friday evening. -The aafiir . promises to -be a great success, the energetic secretary. J. S. Collins, .having ■arranged ' for a drag from ■Queenstown to the" scene of- the festivities.' A irumber of people- are -expected from Arrowtown. T*ark.— At the -last meeting of .the Borough Council in Queenstown the, only news in. re gard -to" -the Bark -was a ■ telegram which had been received by the Mayor from Sir -J. G-. Ward,*- asking -what 'were - the rights of "the ■townspeople -which ■ must he ■> conserved. The Mayor replied that .the same -freedom as existed at-Hotoruawae required. The Mayor at the rueetijßg threw out' the suggestion tfeit the Minister' be asked ,to visit Queenstewn if possible, so that tourist matters could be talked over. His suggestion met with tiue cordial . approval of the- council. School Excursion. — On Wednesday lasty-a perfect summer day — an excursion from Dipton and other schools came to Queenstown. Arriving at 11.30 and leaving again at -4 p.m., the children and others £a& a splendid opt>ortunity of seeing- a little of the country. The danger of lighting fires for billy-boiling -was obviated by the forethought of the Borough Couoicil, -which arranged -to supply "hot water to the visitors.

"Volunteers. — :An examination for -officers •was lield in Arrowtown on "Wednesday last, •when Major Hislop, examiner, and Lieutenant Hiddleston, a- candidate from Queenstown Bifles iy oame over to Arrow. Three men ■were to go up from the Arrow Monnted Rifles, but it -was disappointing to find /that two of them -were absent, and the third ai-rived late in the afternoon instead of early in the xr.orning, consequently those three must v/ait another three months before they can be examined.

Obituary. — Last week a very Bad death — that of Miss Catherine M'Mullen — took pla«e at Arthur's Point. "Deceased .succumbed at 'the age of 21 years to consumption. For her parents in • their much, sympathy is felt — within 16 months they have ' lost three of their children?"

MINING-.

The old Chorazin claim in Jennings' s G-uHy, Skippers, once-ield ,by Cotter, Maclrin, amd party, and afterwards by a "West Coast syndicate, has recently been cancelled, and is being taken Tip afresh by, another "West Coast, party. A good deal of stone was taken out by H. "Dunker. "who repressn+ed the late syndicate, bc;.t, notwithstanding good prospects, nothing permanent was arranged, and the venttire collapsed. It is to be hoped the new men will be successful.

I tear fhat the last retnrn from the Shotover Quartz Mine was considered satisfactory, and 1 that rothing was lost on. the month's work. At Macetown. or rather Caledonian G-nlly. the sc-Mis of Batch's new find, a start^with be made at the beginning of the week to send the -stone down to the TipperaTy battery to be crusted. The find is within a few minutes of the Tip. battery, so that if it is in any way permanent, there should be yen little expense in getting the crushing done The county contributed toward the cost of a sleigh track to the new reef. While new ground has been discovered by Balcb, the old Premier mine, after prospecting for some months in an endeavour to pick up the stone again, has had no luck. This mine ha<* now closed down, acting, I believe, •upon cable instructions from Home. I should like to see arrangements made to give it another trial.