Every creek has grown into a torrent, and the low-lying paddocks are studded with sheets of water, many of the crops standing inches deep in places.
The rivers are swollen and are running bank high.
Near Makikihi the railway line is under water, and the second express yesterday was slowed to a mere crawl to cross several places where washouts were feared, men being stationed to flag the traffic.
Should there be an early recurrence of the rain it is feared that there will be more serious interference with the traffic.
The second express was 30 minutes late at Palmerston, but the time was made up on the run to Dunedin.
• The shock of earthquake experienced in the southern districts on the 29th ult. was felt in St Bathans about 10 p.m.
At Kokonga it was felt at 9.50, and was the severest experienced for many years, several brick and stone buildings showing cracks.
Bricks were also dislodged in one or two chimneys.
The shake did not last long, perhaps for only five or six seconds, but it was slightly alarming while it did last.
• A man who elected to walk down the streets of Timaru on Monday only in a sporran caused a mild sensation in the town (writes a correspondent of the Lyttelton Times).
He was considerably under the influence of liquor, and, walking into the Fire Brigade Station, he divested himself of all his garments, and buckling on his sporran proceeded into the city as far as the Bank of New Zealand, followed by a crowd of about 400.
He was then apprehended by a constable, who marched his interesting captive to the Police Station, where he was seized with a violent attack of delirium tremens.
• An abnormal number of arrests were made in Auckland on Thursday of last week by the police (says the New Zealand Herald), no fewer than 31 alleged breakers of the law being taken into custody. The majority were arrested on account of having partaken of alcoholic refreshment too freely.
Two others were arrested on charges of theft, and six for vagrancy.
Five absentees from the steamer Zealandic were also taken into custody. The prison cells were taxed to their utmost to accommodate the unwanted crowd.
• The increasing demand for motor cars is shown by the fact that almost every vessel leaving American and Canadian ports for Australia and New Zealand carries large consignments of these vehicles.
On the last trip of the Marama from Vancouver (says the New Zealand Herald) over 20 motor cars were landed at Auckland from that vessel.
When the cargo steamer Star of Australia left New York she had stowed in her holds no fewer than 63 motor cars.
Some 45 of these cars were landed at Melbourne and Sydney, the remaining 18 being for New Zealand.
The Tokomaru also brought several motor cars from Montreal, and again the great majority were for Melbourne and Sydney.
- ODT, 3.1.1912.
