MATIERE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144855, 6 December 1915, Page 4

MATIERE.

PEOM OCR OWN COEEESrONDEJTr. Dec. 3.—Floods and flood damage are hulking largely in the public eye at tho present time, the recen t heavy and continuous rains having caused some bad slips, subsidences, and washouts on the roads and bridges of this county. _ On cue road alone, tho Waitawhcmia, R is computed it will cost flioO to put it in tho state it was in prior to tlio liond. Ohara township suifered more from Hood water than any part of the county, tiro bulk of the mam part being submerged. Tho township of Mnliere, lying'on higher ground, fared much better, only one building having water in the basement. The mill and other bridges which bad been erected since last Hood wore again ..wept away and a well-built bridge of totara at Messrs. Brown and Wooton's farm went downstream, To compensate somewhat for tlic continual rains and floods. Iho settlers, both slieepfarmors and dairymen, have obtained good priors lor tboir products, buttcr-fat being Is 2!d per lb. and wool fetching high prices liitherto unattainable. 'Hie Hoods were not devoid of tragic element, one young man being drowned at Nihoniho in a backwash of the Ohura Hirer. and another young man losing Ids life near the northern houndary of the county.

The election of chairman of the Ohura County Council caused no competition. ther late chairman (Mr. J. H. Lyon) being elected unopposed. A fair amount of crop is in evidence, there being few settlers who have ploughablo areas who have not a picco of turnip land in process of preparation. lutt the continual wet weather is decidedly disconcerting, rendering the ground unworkable. Hailway construction does not get along very fast, only, something over a hundred men being employed all told. A number,of Austrians aro now employed in the big funnel, and tho contractor is advertising for men. The Minister of Public Works has written to local bodies informing them that enlistment has caused a shortage of engineers, so that, no doubt the local bodies will ask to be banded all grants to administer themselves. ‘

Cattle and sheep ate very high in price, but the Hood seriously interfered with tho last sale, a lame number of entries not turning up. The advent of the bullock teams has had. in conjunction with steady rains, a very disastrous effect on the roads, and on tho strip between Maticre and the fonrteen-mile tho road is positively dangerous, trendies cut about four feet deep in the road hod allowing where the bullockies had “dug themselves out,” as the local parlance goes. almost wishes they wore on a distant “front, ‘■’digging themselves in.”

Speaking of l(io ‘'front" reminds one of patriotic mutters at Homo, and it must bo admitted that, except in isolated cases, settlers have given liberally. One of the few undesirable cases canto under the writers notice. A settler in comfortable circumstances was asked to buy a ticket for a social to aid patriotic purposes, but gruffly informed the lady collector that be dtd dot know whether ,bo would not be ns well off under Gorman ride as nnder British: and when further informed that this particular matter was lor the relief of the .Belgians, said lie was not satisfied that the Belgians deserved any pity—and parted not. Yet this man is of British pa rent ape! Odd eases like those dispose one to the vice; that tho local County Council should increase their monthly contribution nnd ut these fcliows'through the rates. Mr. Tom limit is cutting up portions of his property at Maticrc for building lots, and has already sold a number. Mr. Thompson is at present engaged on the snrvcv of the land. Our local constable is away on holiday, and the bibulous ones are also having a little ‘‘time off” on then' own account, or arc anticipating Christmas a little. A man namod Donald }l‘Kon?.io, driving a‘ wagon for Williams and Bruce, was badly hurt at the twelvemile, a draught horso knocking him down and tramping on him so severely as to drive a rib into bis lung. He was, after attendance by Dr. Lnnifidcn, removed to Tamil,-uninii Hospital. A flutter has been caused in the dovecot of the local county at tho heavy expenditure ‘contemplated by tho Taunnininui Hospital Board. Iho whole would involve about £20,000, and as tho AVost Taupo County is at present inoperative- and yields very liltlo revenue, the result is that tho Oliura County, having three representatives out of nine, is' called on to foot the bill for just about half the expense. It is generally thought that the largo timber areas in INost Taupo should be assessed for taxation mid rated to provide for the upkeep of'the hospital, which of all institutions is the one most vitally needful to an industry bo conducive to ghastly accidents, A proposal is'on foot to change the name of Okahukura station, the same having proved the hole noir of the railway men and tho public generally: indeed, some distant railway clerks call tho place “Hokey Pokey,” and let it go at that. A large stack of rails anti railway material has boon collected at

tho above unpronounceable station, where a start has also been made with the piling of tho combined railway and traffic bridge across the Ongarno River. Some of the workmen in this locality had an unenviable time in the recent Hoods, their houses being drowned dean out,