Country News.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13431, 23 March 1907, Page 3

Country News.

URUTI. (From Our Own Correspondent.) The cricket tour to Awakino was abandoned owing to the principal players being unable to gejb away. Having visited Awakino on' two" different occasions with cricket teams, I can assure our boys that they have missed a treat. The residents there are keen supporters of the game, and very assiduous in their attentions to visiting teams. They have a splendid pitch. ' Oar president (Mr S. MoQuinness) and vice-president (Mr H. Joll) have each donated a ball to the club, and left it to the committee to award them. Our sports are now over. We had a Gretna Green race, which was provocative of some amusement, All the rehearsals were made on ilie ground, and the preliminary sports and trials kept the spectators in good humour. A local butcher was first favourite for this event, as he had been rehearsing the whole Lochinvar first a.ct one Sunday afternoon ; but the unmerciful chaffing ho had received made him shy, and also a non-starter. Talking about novel events being introduced into a programme, how would a married men's chopping match go? The heavy rain of -Sunday and Monday had the usual result — a flood and a, great deal of damage dome to the road works now in progress. Enough ink-splashing was done last winter over the "bog,' ; and I was just as bad as other scribes; but mo one suggested means by which these floods, could be modified to a certain extent. I nowlay the partial blame of our roads being swept away on the Native Lands Department, and this accusation is made from personal observation, supplemented by the opinions of our oldest ! settlers. Some time in April last year 1 had occasion to ride up the MimiMokau Road, when the river was in partial flood, and the "bog" was in it;? infancy. There was 130 water on the road up to the "bog," but on rounding

the point beyond I found water up to l&e horse's knees, and still deeper further up opposite Mr Hurley's farm. All along this piece of road, on the left hand going north, runs a block of native land comprising three sections, which has not yet been disposed of, ana. covered with standing bush. I thought then that this standing bush was the cause, and now I am convinced that I am right, because I know from observation that there are tons upon tons of dead timber, which has been carried down from farmsu ab,ovc, blocking the water back fqr a/ time .until it spreads with a rush and swoops like a Ibursted reservoir on to the place which was called the "bog,' ? and identical with the place where the metalling contract started l lately. The *Mi mi enters the bush just at Murley s, and the dead timher, thrown into the stream by the settlers 1 for the purpose of clearing their land, is' carried un the top of the surging waters into the bush, where a great quantity stiU remains, 'thus helping to dam back the waters for a time, when it acts as I have described, before. I have mentioned this view of the matter to several ratepayers, and they all agree with me that some steps should be taken to thave^ these lands disposed of so as to get the bush felled and a clear,, passage .given to the stream and give it/ac <c£anqe vfco scour. The County Council have spent enough money on the road opposite the bush to b^iy the land.. Our local Councillors, should .they agree with me, - should do, their utmost to bring the matter forward in the proper quarters; and. failing disposal of the lands, should try and induce the Gouncil to ;haye the bush fel-, led one chain wide on, each side of the stream. 1 would suggest also that the trees felled should be lopped into small pieces so as to float down the jciver without doing any serious damage. „ About two chains of freshly laid down metal have been, washed away by the recent flood, and a goodly portion of the raising done by the Council's men. All the damage was confined to the length of road referred to above, and confined to 25 or 30 chains in length.