COAL CREEK FLAT.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1158, 1 July 1885, Page 5

COAL CREEK FLAT.

( From, our own Correspondent. ) / W&yhad' ime of th 4 .unexpected! destrucfloods- ,in thp./jiver a, fortnight ago,* .caused greats loss to our miners,, whicti lods could have been prevented if (the telegraphic .clerks; did their duty by informing the, miners p. flood was coming down the river.' The weather .looked very bad up-country, and inquiries were made repeatedly at the Roxburgh post-office during the day before. the flood if the river was rising up-country. No word came to hand, and we thought the river would not rise any higher; but next morning it had risen very high, and causedjgreat loss to our's^rugglingniiners. I expect we shalf know if the river rises six inches up-country for a few months, Y^hen the telegraphists will become careless and we shall have another destructive flood. A heavy fine should be imposed on telegraph clerks who neglect their duties. When the Roxburgh bridge will be completed nobody knows, but everyone knows what a dangerous and expensive punt we have at Roxburgh. The excuse ; of the Government in sending for wire ropes is all humbug to bind the people 1 ;\ they could have had the ropes out' three or four times over if they had sent for them. I wonder why the County Council do not look after this matter, seeing the punt is so expensive,, as it co3t the County nearly or quite £100 lastw.eek. Our Coal Creek Progress Comnnttee have, written to Messrs . Pyke and Brown asking them to get a railway constructed to Moa Flat as soon' as possible. ';I hope it will not be delayed, like the bridge. A public meeting on this matter/.will be held at Roxburgh on Friday evening I am afraid our, County Council were " Penny wise and pound, foolish " H discharging Mr SmaiJl (their Engineer). Mr Smaili has been a. good servaiit v to the County, and savrd us thousands-of pounds on various contracts. If we get our County engineering-work done- by contract, what will the Engineer for the time being care about -the County's welfare? A permanent and competent, Engineer at a fair salary, although it may seem' large, in the long lun wi)'» prove far better than a man who is '^experienced and incapable. I hope our County Couucl will not have to pay heavily for learning these facts. " "V^"*-- ?~ Our Oddfellows' Lodge (M.U:i.0.0.F.) held their 17th anniversary at Heron's Hotel (Roxburgh) last Thursday evening. |There Iwas a 'good turn-out 6i members 'and th'e'r wives, "with several and Good Templars and their wives and ladyfiiends. Eve*/ one seemed happy. What took my attention most wf % the fact that £691 8s B|d was saved and held by 44 members asa provision against sickness for distresgj-nearly £16 per member. .. The Foresters, who were represented by M~ j. J. Smith, have 42 members and £20 ) saved. They have not been established at Roxburgh so long as the Oddfellows. If our working men would invest their money in these Societies, instead of the various sweeps, &c., they would draw safe and certain prizes whenmost.required. The Good Templars were represanted by Mr W. C. Smith, who stated that the Lodge numbered 51 members, and was vi a .thriving state. l ',k l^qjdr sub-leader in the Tuapbka TnrfEs on the 20th inst. on the evils of gaining is quite true, and gaming in its various, ways -is a .great .curse, New Zep^nd: | IJiB Pam^omfshonldijput a st&pWltiJ ifr> jeivewalol;teryi'prSBpectus , all .the \^ay 7 from Hamburg a short time ago. 11 "WhW Tnth sweeps, delusively promising. ( . us. sudden t riches for a trifle, arid' other gaming traps, tens of thousands ' 'of Ipbiinda" 'are ' 'drawn ftfdta 'our* pockets ;eye£/ yjear, besides the miserable results theref com, .which kee i a great many poor, 'and lead' people" into many untold {troubles.. ; y - ? ip- ; *. <],•;£ ,< ' „ The ( riyer,^l,thou.gh we,. have had hard frost; 'keeps 1 at a' high 1 level ; but I hope we shall have no more floods this season. Most of the claims had made provision for "layß.