Country News.

Southern Cross, Volume 5, Issue 32, 13 November 1897, Page 5

Country News.

(From Our Own Correspondents.) WAIAWIWA. The advent of summer, besides the face of nature, creates in people’s minds a change of taste .and disposition in the matter of enjoyment. This fact is very in the district at present. Socials and concerts are memories of the past, and the young people are mow turning their attention to athletics. The Waiamwa Athletic Society is once again showing signs of vitality. The annual meeting was held on the 30th nit—Mr P. McDermid occupying the chair. The report read showed that financially the Society was in a very satisfactory position, there being a small credit balance from last year. The election •of office-bearers resulted as follows : President: Mr P. McDermid; Vice 1 *; Mr Wm, Young. Treasurer: Mr Thos Swale; Secretary: Mr T. W. Stevenson (re-elected). Preliminary arrangements have been entered into with characteristic enthusiasm, and there is ample reason for believing that this year’s event will be highly successful. The Black Family, in the course of their peregrinations through the district, gave an entertainment in the Waianiwa hall on Thursday evening, 4thinst.,to a very large and appreciative audience. The performance was very interesting and in some respects it was decidedly artistic. The term popular,” as applied to these entertainments, is very appropriate. A dance followed and was attended by a fairly large number of the devotees of the terpsichorean art. The lot of the farmer, like that of the policeman, is frequently not a happy one. If this is not a true statement in general, it is at least true of those farmers who cultivate land subject to floods. To farmers in this part a flood in the spring time is never a surprise, but the number of floods this season is quite unprecedented. The Oreti has been running high for about three weeks, and the lower portions of adjoining land have been covered continuously tor about a fortnight. The damage to young ■crops will in consequence be very great; indeed, if many of the fields are not re-sown they will be practically useless. This is a most disheartening and discouraging state of •affairs. Reference to the floods naturally brings up the question of river banking. This mode of self-protection is becoming very common ; indeed there seems to exist a determination to stem back the waters not less strong than that exhibited by the Dutch. But after banking has had a fair trial the general verdict is that with the river in its present crooked state it won’t work, at least in the case of large floods. What the river wants, and what will have to be done it farming in the flats is to become lucrative, is straightening. If some of the larger bends were cut off the water would pass away much quicker. Further, this banking business is esentially bad in principle, for it prevents people from carrying out the golden rule—‘Do unto others as you would that others should do to you.’ When a farmer erects a bank he drives the water quite unintentionally of course, but that makes no difference —on to his neighbour. Thus what is one man’s gain is another’s loss. November 10th.