OTAUTAU.

Western Star, Issue 1850, 10 January 1894, Page 3

OTAUTAU.

Ad esteemed correspond mt sends us the following:— Shearing operations have been greatly interrupted all through the season owing to the seventy of the weather. Hurricane gales ushered in heavy showers of rain and sleet, while much snow fell on the higher country. Down here the wool is very light, notwithstanding that the sheep never looked better. The pasture land never looked so well at this season of the year, and everyone has an abundance of feed for stock, and as a result there is a fair amouut of ryegrass and timothy set apart for seeding, which is also doing splendid, and so far as Southland is considered I don't think the price will be high next year. About a month or so ago the crops looked very bad, indeed, hutare coming on splendidly now.and with a little fine weather as the season advances they will I think be heavier than ever. Potatoes are not doing so well, and the probability is that the price will keep up. The fruit crop is good wherever the trees are free of scale blight. Many and vatied are the remedies recommended for this horrible pest, including eastur oil, and one-fourth kerosene anc! a little sulphur, which I can prove will kill all blight, as well as the tree it is applied to. Last winter I dressed seven or eight of my apple trees with it, and, notwithstanding the trees being large and in full bearing not one of them lived. Turnip sowing is now about over, but on the who'e thej do not do so well as at this timelast year, the fly in too many instances having destroyed them and second sowing has been resorted

to. i Horses aießtill arriving from Melbourne for sale id our markets with the result that they, are somewhat down in price. Most people consider it unfair that our ports should be thrown open for this sort of thing, while a heavy duty is charged on the other aide: The argument that the horses are needed here will hardly stand good, and it is to be hoped that will be clone to protect breeders here. Farmers consider the present system of local taxation unfair and unequal, and that I taxation of improvements for local purposes tends to stop the development of the country, whereas were local bodies empowered to tax on unimproved values only, improvements would be materially encouraged. If the Government and farmers are satisfied with the present land tax, there is no reason why the system of rating for local purposes should still rf main pure and simple a property tax. And if you will allow me I will tell you exactly how the thing affects mo. My property is situated in the centre of a large estate most of which waa purchased from the Government over 20 years ago, while my own remained in the hands of the Crown for ]2 years later, not being at that time considered falueforthe money. But now comes the rub. For the past right years myself and faniilv have worked hard and lived hard, and fcy- so doing wo have managed to make things a little comfortable. My neighbour has fenced his land and more; my property therefore is assessed at £9 an acre, aad my neighbour's at £2 10s, which is nothing but fair and pquare. What I complain of is that wliori the local bodies f trike a rate, say Id in the £, ninepence an acre is demanded from me while my neighbour is lefcoS at 2id in the £, and in "conclusion I musl; say that the present system of local rating has not even a sparkling of justice.