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Otago Witness, Issue 3149, 22 July 1914, Page 11

From information available it appears (says our Cromwell correspondent) that the Cromwell Development Party will undertake the settlement of some splendid land in the early spring. It intends to proceed also with the planting of shelter belts on the flat. Reassuring developments in connection with the railway have taken place this week. A small gang of men started on the 13th on the construction work north of Clyde, and has since been considerably increased. The settlers in the locality are quite jubilant thereat.

Mr Malcolm advocates (our Wellington correspondent states) that teachers in remote districts, who are under many disadvantages and unable to specially benefit by the tuition given at the centres, should have passes to teachers’ classes available over distances beyond 60 miles. “I have -hoard it said,” remarked Mr Anderson, in the House on Thursday night, “ that it costs a member of Parliament £SOO to get in, £3OO for subscriptions, and £3OO to get out of Parliament.” Mr Yeitch: ‘‘And the last is the best spent of the lot.” Mr Anderson: “I dare say it is, but we don’t look at it in that way.”

“One thing is quite certain, even to one ■who, like myself, has only been a short time among you, and that is that there is plenty of occupation for all who desire it in New Zealand, and that, like everywhere else, it is only to those who do not desire to work that this dominion docs not appear in a golden light,” observed his Excellency the Governor when addressing the Municipal Association Conference on the 14th inst. (says the Dominion). “I,need not add that I do not include in this number those who from other causes are incapacitated from sharing the benefits which would be theirs except for some misfortune; but even these are more generously treated by the community here than in many other countries.”

“ Wo don’t want any praise for ourselves, only for the injured man, and curse the roads.” These words were used by Ernest Sampson at the conclusion of a story of back-blocks’ heroism. Sampson, J. Dean, and E. Wells had just seen an injured comrade into the New Plymouth Hospital after journeying since Tuesday at pital. A man named Mohrton injured his foot, falling from a tree, 30 miles up the Mokau River. His comrades cut a track to the bank of the river, obtained a launch 15 miles down the river, and at daylight on the -Bth inst. a medical man from New Plymouth arrived. The injured man was placed on the steamer for New Plymouth, but, owing to the lack of water on the bar, the boat had to put back to the wharf. Sampson then obtained a buggy, and he and Dean left the wharf at 6 o’clock on Thursday' night for Uruti. Sampson drove, but had to walk beside the horses most of the way, as the night was dark and the road was axle deep with mud. Mehiton made no complaint, merely saying, “Isn’t there room for the driver.” Sampson fell several times, and it took 10 hours to cover 25 miles to Uruti, where a car was obtained, and the injured man was brought to New Plymouth Hospital, when his leg was amputated. “Now,” said Sampson, who was bespattered with mud, “we just want to impress the public with what a man injured in the backblocks has to face. Horses could not trot an inch of the way, and this road is the only outlet for a number of settlers.” The doctor who attended the case said he had never seen the road over Mount Messenger in such a scandalous state.

A public meeting at on Wednesday night, attended by over 40 residents of Balclutha town and North Balclutha, 'unanimously passed a resolution that the Government be urged to give a straight-out grant for widening one span of the Balclutha traffic bridge and erecting a footway on it. It was agreed by all speakers that a footbridge was necessary for

the safety of women and children, as the heavy stock and vehicular traffic which passed over the bridge (which, with the now extension, will bo 330 yards long) caused risks of accident to pedestrians. On the other hand country people in the habit of driving over the bridge are anxious that a span should be widened four or five foot so as to allow two vehicles to pass at one time. Mr Watson Rhodes, the contractor for the extension, stated that if the bridge were widened it would obviate the necessity of closing the bridge to vehicular traffic for two months or 10 weeks, and it would need to bo closed for only a few hours on two or three days. He also mentioned that there would bo enough material left over from the extension work to build the footbridge. The cost of the footbridge is estimated at £240, and of widening one span by four feet at £SOO. It was stated that in one week of six working days, taken at an ordinary time, traffic passed over the Bridge to the following extent: — 8060 sheep, 609 cattle, 130 motor cars, 1013 horse vehicles, 447 horsemen, 3211 pedestrians (of whom 1560 were children), and 268 bicycles. From these figures it will be seen that there will be a great inconvenience put on many people, if the bridge is closed for two months. It will also present motorists with an awkward position.

The Otago Labour Council decided on Thursday night to contest the Dunedin North, Dunedin West, and Dunedin Central seats/ and the secretary was instructed to write to the affiliated unions notifying them to nominate candidates for selection. The nominations have to bo in within the next five weeks, and the final choice of candidates will bo determined by process of ballot.

Mr Statham is to ask the Min.eter of Marine (our Wellington correspondent states) whether, if it is decided to replace cither of the Government steamers with a new and up-to-date vessel, an opportunity will bo afforded to the shipbuild'ng firms in 'the dominion to tender for the work. Day baking of bread has only lasted a weok in Melbourne, and by arrangement between the employers and the operatives night baking has been resumed.

Notwithstanding the gloomy predictions of pessimists that the Merrivale Settlement would turn out a failure (says the Feldwick correspondent of the Southland Times), evidences of solid progress and comfortable homes meet thei eye everywhere in the Orawia and Feld wick distr.cts. All the river flats contain first-class land, while the downs and terraces resting on a limestone formation, produce splendid crops of grass. The chief expenditure in connection with bringing land into a state of productivity is drainage. A big outlay in this respect is absolutely necessary to produce satisfactory returns for capital and labour expended in cultivating the land. A few settlers, with little experience and loss capital, who took up sections under the Land Finance Act, found that, they had paid too big a price for their holdings, and being faced with difficulties and heavy expense, they could discern little prospect of success, and consequently abandoned their sections. But those things have happened in the early history of farming settlement in many other districts in Southland, notably in the Hokonui, Waimea, and South Hillcnd, where to-day farmers realise from £l2 to £2O per acre. The Local Grants and Subsidies Bill, which provides for the establishment of a non-political board of three members to supervise the allocation of Government grants in aid of development work, will probably (our Wellington correspondent states) be brought down {&£» W6S&.

A return which has been prepared by the secretary of the Otago Harbour Board shows that the trade of the port for the first six months of the year totalled 231.322 tons, as compared with 228,074 tons in the corresponding period of 1912, and 220,495 tons in the corresponding period of last year. The increase was entirely accounted for by an expansion of tlie imports for the six months of this year, which totalled 155,572 tons, as compared with 145,862 tons in the first half of 1912, and 140,813 tons in the first half of 1913. The exports for the past six months totalled 75,750 tons, while in the corresponding period, of 1912 they were 84,212 tons, and in that of last year they were 79,682 tons. There was an increase this year of 378 tons hi the export of frozen meat and of 271 bales in the export of tow, but in general cargo, in wool, homp, skins, and timber there was a decrease.

It is well that cases of pitiable poverty and want, such as one which came under the notice of a Christchurch Star representative on Wednesday morning, are rare, extremely rare. In a small cottage in Milne street, Spreyclon, live a woman and her three children, whose ages range from two to six years. The house has four rooms, but the family occupy only two of them. Three old chairs, a tiny table, and a few pictures on the wall comprise ihe furniture of the kitchen, while two small stretchers are the sole contents of the bedroom. The woman and the three children were neatly but poorly dressed, and it was evident that they were having a hard struggle to make ends meet. In the course of a conversation, the woman said that her husband was at present in a mental hospital at Porirua, Wellington, _ and that there was very little chance that'he would ever be discharged. During the late strike, when her husband was out of work, she went out washing, and had kept herself, her husband, and live children, the two oldest of whom were now in the charge of her sister in Wellington. It was now 11 weeks since her husband had been sent to Porirua, and ever since then she had been

the eolo support of herself and the three children. She earned 12s a week, and 7a went in rent, so that the family had practically been living on 5s a week for two months. Two days in the week tho woman goes out washing, two days she takes in washing, and for the rest of tho week she is unemployed. Asked how sho managed with tho children on tho days sho went out washing, the woman said: “ The baby I send to my sister’s, tho boy of six goes to school, and the boy of four I take with me. I wonder if I would bo allowed to send him to school?” A month ago, through the kind offices of a deaconess of St. Andrew’s Church, she received a pair of blankets and a bag of coal from the Coal and Blanket Fund. She has now applied for charitable aid, and is also making application for a widow’s pension. Tho neighbours have been very kind, and but for their help she would not have been able to live.

The shipping entered inwards at the port of Otago for' the first six months of this year possessed, as a return prepared by the secretary of the Harbour Board shows, a net registered tonnage of 574,789. This is a substantial increase upon the figure for the corresponding period'of last year, when shipping of a not registered tonnage of 546,934 entered, while in the first half of 1912 the total was 527,884 tons.

A special meeting the Roxburgh Borough Council was held on Friday even, ing (our own correspondent states), when the question of the raising of a loan for street improvements was considered,. After the matter had been freely discussed, it was decided to go to the ratepayers for authority to raise a loan of £2OOO to carry out the works, which include concrete kerbing and chanelling and asphalt footpaths throughout the main thoroughfare, ft is hoped by many that the ratepayers will sanction the proposals when they are put before them in a definite forni.

The question of an agricultural labourers' union was discussed at the monthly meeting of the Taranaki Executive of the New Zealand Farmers’ -Union (telegraphs our Wanganui correspondent). A letter was received from the Auckland Provincial Executive, asking what the position was in this province, and what steps the farmers took in the matter of an award being applied for. Mr Dunn (vice-president) said that the forming of a union and the filing of an award in the farming industry was a very difficult matter, owing to one special reason —to the varying prices obtained for their products. On his motion it was resolved that, as there was no award in the Taranaki province, the information applied for could not be given.

The secretary of the Gore branch of the Goro-Hedgchope Railway League (Mr J. M. Barron) has received the following reply from the Right Hon. W. F. Massey (Prime Minister) through Mr G. J. Anderson (M.P. for Mataura) relative to resolutions passed at a public meeting held at Gore on June 23;—“1 beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 6th inst., ./together with copies of resolutions passed at a puo.ic meeting held on the 23rd ult. with regard to the Gore-Hedgehopc railway and the acquiring of suitable land for closer settlement. In reply, I may say that I have had pleasure in transmitting the resolution regarding the railway to my colleague, the Minister of Public Works ,(Hon. W. Fraser) for his consideration. With reference to the question of acquiring suitable land for closer settlement in the Waimumu district, I shall be pleased to give this matter my careful consideration. —Yours faithfully, W. F. Massey.” In Mr Anderson’s covering note he states that he had already spoken to 'the Hon. W. Fraser on the subject, and understood that the flying survey was proceeding, but the report has not yet been received by the engineers.

A Palmerston North business man has just received what he rightly regards as a curio. It is a memo, from the official assignee in Wellington, enclosing a penny stamp as the dividend in an estate iii which the local resident is a creditor. Attached was a receipt and a stamped, envelope in which to return the receipt. The sending of the penny stamp cost the official assigmeo twopence—one penny for the envelope Containing the remittance, and one penny to return” the'receipt. Another creditor in the same estate received a dividend of 2d,.

Mr H. D. Smith, a Balclutha chemist, had an unpleasant experience on Wednesday afternoon, getting “bushed” in the hills adjacent to the Clifton estate (says the Free Press). Mr Smith had motored out with Dr Brugh, taking his gun along with the idea of shooting rabbits. At the Stone Ford on the Kaihiku the doctor left the car, and waded across the stream on his way to make a call at Whitolea, while Mr Smith said he would remain on this side of the stream, and have a look round for game. He changed his mind, however, and also crossed the stream. Animated by a sportsman’s ardour he penetrated among the hills, and, night coming on, ho started to retrace his steps, but found ho had lost his w r ay. Ho managed after some time to reach the coniines of the homestead at Clifton, and was directed to the main road by a shepherd. Here ho was picked up at about 111 p.m. bv a search party who had gone out in Mr R. R. Stewart’s oar, taking with them Constable Harvey. The doctor had returned to the ford, and not finding Mr Smith, after diligent search, came back to town and gave the alarm. When the search party were returning they encountered two other carloads on their way out to join in the search.