WAIKOUAITI.

Otago Witness, Issue 2735, 15 August 1906, Page 35

WAIKOUAITI.

August 13.— Owing to the soft state of the Recreation Ground, the work of- filluig-in has been «t a stand■till for some time, but the Domain Board, intends, as soon as the contractor caa get to work, to have some hundreds of yards of^Boil, in addition, put down in various lowlying place* on the ground. The board has also decided to resume the work of tree-plant-ing, and intends to extend the present plantation" round eorue of the spurs on the east side of the lagoon. The directors of the Waikouaiti Dairy Factory have decided to pay out a bonus of 2d per lb of butter fat to milk suppliers -this week— the wbole amounting to £1333. This will make a total of Is per lb paid during the season. The factory is being enlarged, and the plant is receiving a thorough overhauling prior to reopening. The Waikouaiti Brass Band held its annual meeting on Tuesday last, when Mr Kerr was re-elected b»nd sergeant and custodian, and the following committee appointed : —Messrs J. Allen, G. Carling, B. Grant, W. M'Dougall, jun., A. Vanes, J. Gloag (secretary), and A. Fell (treasurer). The prospec+s of the band appear mare hopeful than usual ; -the members number about 17, with several new beginners "besides. Full practice is held every Tuesday, with a beginners olftss on Thursdays. Openair concerts are shortly to be resumed, and a Tisit is to be paid Flag Swamp on the' sth of next month.

Two or three years ago a quantity of marram*, grass was planted on the sandhills in several places, but there ia still a great drift of sand towards the north end of the beach, with a protpect in the near future of the mouth of the lagoon being completely blocked up. The Borough Council has been kindly promised another donation of marram grass from Dr King's place at PuketeraJri, ana intends holdIng a planting bee, on the same lines as before, %r soon as a suitable day can be fixed*

Syeonby, the horse for which Mr Foxhall Keene, the American owner, refused £30,000, has been attacked by horse leprosy, a disease that caused the destruction of ibe famous Hermit in England a pentury ago. Mr Keene's family physician jraa called in, *nd concurred in the diagnolis This i« the first time this disease has leveloped in the United States