LOCHIEL NOTES

Southland Times, Issue 17558, 23 January 1914, Page 2

LOCHIEL NOTES

("From our own Correspondent.) Weather conditions have been favourable for the furthering: on of farming pursuits, and the district is looking well. Large areas are cultivated to provide winter feed for the dairy cows, This is in contrast with many years hack, when the chief crop grown was oats. I venture to say That n'ot one acre of oats is now grown for twenty acres a decade ago. The local factory is well patronised, and the suppliers are well satisfied with the season so far. The need for a traffic bridge over the Oreti river in the vicinity of Loch lei has in the past been sorely felt. This want of the bridge prevented many farmers from sending milk to the factory. Tam glad to say that the bridge is now in course of erection. The Southland County gang is busy carrying out this work which is so urgent ly needed. The bridge will be the means of increasing the trade of our district, as the Messrs Kilkelly Bros,, sawmillers. of Spar Busli. intend starting a timber yard at Loehiel Crossing. The bridge will supply a much felt want. Messrs .1, Brass and Sons have now finished their maintenance work through out tlie Loehiel district. They are busy forming and gravelling a footpath from the Xorlh Bond *<> the railway station. Tliis is also a much-needed work. The high, price of cattle lias induced dairy farmers to rear large numbers of calves. The calves thrive remarkably well on whey mixed with a little pollard or oatmeal. The early sown turnips are coming away well. Mr Malcolm Macdonald has a crop of swedes second to none in the district. Quite a number of late sown turnip crops are not yet allowing forth, perhaps on account of so much dry weather. Tlie rivers of Southland, owing to their shifting their courses, are the means of much valuable land being wasted. It is not too much to say that thousand of acres of Southland's best land are being lost annually by the constant change of rivers in their courses. Often an obstruction which could tie removed with little labour will cause the river to alter its cour-0 and wash away acres of valuable land. The trouble in question is of serious moment to the farmer who owns the land. Tlie farmer would willingly enough, even at his own cost remove the obstruction, hut tlie farmer owning land on the opposite side of the river may take exception to tliis. as lie likes to see tlie liver alter its course. leaving his side safe from the river's destructive force. The matter then is too serious for a farmer to take upon himself the onus of removing obstacles to allow the riser to take its proper course. Now. I think that this matter could be easily dealt with bv a Board to see that the river is kept in its proper course. The Board would be vested with power of authority to deal with the matter, and I am sure the constitution of such a Board would be bailed with delight by all those farmers who have rivers running through or past their properties. One Board could easily deal with one river. This calls for the urgent attention of our legislators who will do much good by, passing into law the constituting of such Boards.