DRUMMOND NOTES

Southland Times, Issue 17620, 7 April 1914, Page 2

DRUMMOND NOTES

ll* rom our own Correspondent.)

With the days rapidly and perceptibly shortening, accompanied by autumns' tints and the falling of leaves, we are forcibly reminded that summer j K now gone and autumn, slowly giving way through tiie effluxion of time with each succeeding day and night, is heralding the approach of winter. The late harvest has been the shortest, and unfortunately the lightest, we have had for a considerable number of years. The crops have been so easily and expeditiously handled that it seems hard to realise that the crops are not only safely secured, but all tlie threshing finished as well. Th« mills pave all pulled in for twelve months, or nearly so, for as there will bo no spring threshing they will not be oul again until required for grass seed threshing. Tiie railway grain traffic will also bo light, which will tell upon the revenue. One party, who has not much crop and most likely light to boot, when reference was made to tlie traffic of the prospective Winton-Heddon Bush line, remarked on bow meagre it would he. as he thought he would have no difficulty in carrying Ids on his hack to Bluff. Taking this part of Southland as a whole, and from tlie coast to tlie Taringatura ranges and hounded on the west by the Bongwood. it has scarcely ever been barer or drier looking. If tiie raiirfal-b recorded for March in Invercargill lias only been ..IT inches it, must have been less here. During this montli we have already had showers during tlie night, which, though not heavy enough to help tlie pastures much, the turnip crops have to some extent .benefited. It will take very much heavier rains to make tlie ground sufficiently workable for autumn and winter-sown crops. Not until anyone has attempted to put the plough into stubble paddocks can lie have any conception of how hard tlie ground really is. and how difficult to work, and it most cases to do anything with it. and not until it gets a very heavy soaking will there be much ploughing done hero. f notice from newspaper reports from other localities, where tlm surface soil is less clayed and more porjjus. ploughing is well forward.

I notice there have been some very glowing reports of the fine crops of turnips. and that plenty winter feed is an absolute certainty. It is just a little 100 early to t ay how abundant the winter feed will be; so much depends upon wen titer conditions from now until June. Tb" very dry weather has been telling on some crops very much, and if they can recuperate sufficiently to take full advantage of favourable growing weather from now until the lime reierred to. it may turn out all right. T lie late crops arc looking better than they did at litis time last year. The high prices being paid for sheep will require plenty of Winter feed. Most people are of the opinion that store sheep are ruling too high, and tire at a speculative figure and not at a paying price for neither fattening nor for breeding purposes. Wallace County ratepayers arc at present being faced with a problem which requires a little ventilation and a little more consideration before being given effect to. What 1 refer to is in view of the six ridings as at present with nine members, havine two members for three of the ridings and one for each of the Others. It is proposed to subdivide (hose llt fee ridings, thus making nine with one member for each. and thereby necessitating an adjustment of the amount of debt each of the hew rid-in-m will have to bear. The ridings at present having two members will, so to speak, make thn-e new ridings. and while the Council has decided on the adiustment of the debt on the basis of the rateable value, it is held by some to Its inequitable and unfair in principle Mr s, W I lodger of Uirchwood. and others, contend that it should be on the basts of assets in the form of roads, culverts, bridges, and other works, or. in other words, the amount of money spent on improvements should be taken into account. With nine ridings and a member for each will tell possibly upon the prospects of some of the members for re-election. In Olautau it is generallN . ~, licit the present members will be re-elec ion. 1 bear one or two other can dblates spoken of. huts these rumours <omotimcs come to nothin??- . With the tli resiling all finished and verv little calling to do. unless we have an exceptionally severe wintci w oik should be got well forward, and the roads continue in good ordei.