MATAKANUI.

Otago Witness, Issue 2762, 20 February 1907, Page 35

MATAKANUI.

February 15. — The drougkt has broken up at last. Far the past few days rain storms have been seen passing over the surrounding districts, but not a drop of rain moistened our parched ground. However, on Friday afternoon the change came. A heavy thunderstorm passed round our township and finally dropped on to it. A fine south-west drizzlehas set in, which has every appearance of lasting for a day or two. Our local weather prophets have for some days been foretelling a lainfall. White clouds have been seen on Blackstoue Hill ; whtte fog has streamed from a certain gully in the Dunstan Range , water springs long dry have again started flowing Jim the miner's rheumatics have screwed him. up again. These are all infallible signs of the approach of ram And the ram came A Fine Display.— Several very bul'aant displays of the Southern Lights have been visible here during the past week. Friday night's was a very remarkable one The streamers were very much in evidence, as is usually the case, but there was what is not so common, wave after wave of bright light surging up from the horizon to a height of 40 or 50 degrees. Had the colour of the 'igbt been red instead of being of a pale bilvery appearance, it might have suggested an enormous bush fire just below the- horizon As it itaß the phenomenon produced a very eerie feeling in those who were privileged to observe it. Mining. — The mining companies are pushing forward as rapidly as possible all work that ia most profitably done m dry weather, shifting pipe lines, driving tunnels, and such like. They are now almost ready to take the fullest advantage of the new water supply as soon as it is available. Sporting — We are nothing if we are not a sporting community. We have a jockey club, a coursing club, and now we have started a new clvb — an amateur athletic club Our annual meeting is on the 10th of March, with, a £35 programme of event 3 We are very hopeful of~having keen icmpetition in all the sports arranged for. even in th? committeomen's and married ladies' rates