COAL CREEK FLAT.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1122, 25 February 1885, Page 5

COAL CREEK FLAT.

The action of the Government in send-* ing Mr Federli into the interior of Ofcago. to see its capabilities for fruit-culture is worthy of praise. Mr_ Federli, when visiting some of our orchards, expressed great surprise at the beauty of our .fruit-, trees when laden with their beautiful luscious fruit. He said he saw nothing, like it anywhere else in Otago. His reportto the Government will give them a correct estimate of the capabilities of the valley of the Molyneux for producing fruit. Our district received a flying visit from the Minister of Public Works,accompanied by our respected member (V. Pyke, Esq.), W. Smaill, Esq. (County Engineer J,;,with some other Government Engineers/ who inspected the piers 'of the ' Roxburgh bridge. We hope the. 3 Gjove--iimentyWill push on this most neoeMitywfcVfcrasSfast as possible, as delays are dangerous. Pending the arrival of the cables from ! England, could not the wo^ r work""H~the I bridge be got ready? d ' /', ' . '</ i

" The'cnntractora for the constTnction'of the<Waikaia bush road are pushing on he work. The contractors are offering lOs | ier day for men to work on this road, and this should induce a good many worki ng men to engage. The weather on the ranges is generally good up till . May. Cheap, timber, which this road will be the means ofcsupplying, will give a fresh impetus 'to mining where timber is required, also ,to £he building trade. Timber at Clyde;. Cromwell and Alexandra is very expensive owing to the price of cartage; ; ■ ' ' ' , The County should metal the main road from Allan's Hill (where a splendid deposit of tertiary gravel exists) to the County boundary. The recent coach accident is a proof of the miserable state of this road. As one surfaceman has to keep nearly twenty miles of main road, besides all the bye-roads in our Riding in repair, it is a mystery that there are so few accidents on this road. The Shingle Creek bridge, such as it is, with its approaches, is nearly completed. I hope the County will keep the old track and its approaches open. I anticipate a terrible accident here in a few years. The bridge-girders are of wood, which must rot in a comparatively short time. Why are wooden girders used when iron is just as cheap 'I It is a suicidal policy to use wooden girders for our County bridges. I hope the Council will replace all the wooden girders of our bridges with iron, and not wait for some terrible accident to occur. , The weatherTi as been very hot lately. Nearly all the oat crop is in the stacks, and some of the wheat. The crops are very heavy on good land. There is now a change in the weather and we have had some fine showers of rain. . Scarlatina, of a very mild type, made, its appearance in one of the families here, a few. weeks ago. Our School Committee" in consequence closed the school. for a* week or two. lam pleased to say . the fever has not spread to any other family, and those who were sick are quite well again. The school was open last week. The Committee have arranged for an entertainment to take place in the schoolhouse towards the end of March for the benefit of the school funds. We are blessed with regular services from the , Rev. Mr Telfordi who will preach in the schonlhouse once a fortnight in future, and from, the Rev. Mr Griffin, who preaches every fourth Sunday. • The rev. gentleman preached in the .Coal Creek Church yesterday a very impressive sermon on " Decision of Character," from the text, "If Baal be God serve Baal, or if God be God serve Him." His sermon, was quite in keeping with our^ Frqethought ' times,*" only it showed the f qt>her.Bide. .J. J , , . Paroquets 'and, other small birds can be seen in myriads "eating some of our v settlers' corn.- Why don't the*, Government import some small hawks ? The river is low and all the, claims are at work. The snow has nearly all gone from the ranges. There, are a, good many parties of miners working over the hills, and somejof the claims are paying well. . Wholesale rabbit poisoning is about to commence. The rabbits seem just as plentiful as in former years. 23rd February, 1885.