TARATA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 38, 16 February 1900, Page 2

TARATA.

«. (FEOM OUR OWN CORUESPONDBNT.) Surely this closing year of the century is a somewhat erratic one, J>oth locally and generally! Here wo are getting hot days and frosty nights, and the thirsty land has not had a good wotting since the new year commenced, and for about ten days before that, making a total of about eight weeks of drought, for, with the exception of a shower or two—only enough to lay the dust for a short time—we have had no rain. Now, to make matters worse, wo have had two frosty nights, on Saturday and Sunday night last, and considerable damage is done to tender plants, such as late potatoes and pumpkins. During the first week in last month wo also had one or two frosty nights in tho very heart of tho summer. Feed is getting scarce now, and a day or two's rain would be very welcome. One of Messrs. 11. Brown and Co's timber waggons, in charge of Mr. Jury, was precipitated over the zig-zag on Friday last. It appears that on turning a sharp bend in the road a vehicle driven by Mr. J. Pennington, of Inglewood, ran into tho leaders, caasing them to swerve, and the waggon and horges were thrown over the steep embankment. Fortunately, the horses were uninjured, and the waggon received no more damage than a broken beam. Assistance was got from Tarata, and after tremendous exertions tho waggonwas got back on to the road. On Sunday week a bullock dray load of oats belonging to Mr. Cameron, contractor for the road metalling, was capsized over the river bank near Mr. Clifford's. Fortunately for the bullocks and their owner the pole of the dray broke, so that the bullocks were not dragged down with the dray and oats. Luckily the dray was stopped a few yards short of the river by some scrub, so the oats were saved. It took about 30 hands to get the dray up to the road again, and cost the owner about £2 to repair the damage done to the dray. It is about time some of these dangerous embankments were fenced, as accidents of this kind are very frequent. I suppose some human lives will be sacrificed, as usual, before anything is done by the County Council for the public safety. Settlers are busy bow getting in their crops of oaten hay, but owing to the spell of drought the crops are lighter than they would otherwise have been. Mr. W. Laurent is erecting a substantial addition to his residence on the Wiri Road, Tho settlers in the neighbourhood of Kaimate have had an anxious time of it of late, as the withering fire has spread over most of the farms in that neighbourhood, endangering their homesteads and hay stacks. Much grass has been scorched up by the fire, and some of the farmers are, in consequence, short of feed for their cows. T'io bridge over the Manganui river also got alight, and only by the strenuous efforts of Mrs. and Misd Goller, who live near the bridge, and Mr. J. Ohinn, the Tarata carrier, who was passing when the bridge caught afire, was the structure saved. Much praise is due to tho two ladies above mentioned for their presence of mind, as the bridge might have been burnt down and direct communication between here and Inglewood cut off for a considerable time but for their exertions, Since writing tho above, a most welcome warm rain has set in, and is likely to give us a'l the moisture we want.