Land Board overwhelmed by applicants

The new Waiau bridge at Tuatapere, Southland, opened for traffic on March 17. - Otago Witness, 31...
The new Waiau bridge at Tuatapere, Southland, opened for traffic on March 17. - Otago Witness, 31.3.915. Copies of picture available from ODT front office, lower Stuart st, or www.otagoimages.co.nz
Six hundred and one applications were received at Timaru and Christchurch for the land at Otaio.

The members of the Land Board assembled in Timaru on Wednesday for the purpose of examining the applicants, but so great was the number that, though the board sat till 10 p.m., it got through only 90.

The result was that many of the applicants had to remain in Timaru over night, and on Thursday tickets were given out to all who applied for them, and the holders were examined in order of these.

There was a great rush for them, comparable, the Timaru Herald states, to the storming of a fortress.

As evidence of the keenness of the applicants a young man from Christchurch, a dairy farmer, got up at half-past 2 on Wednesday morning in order to get this work done and catch the first express for Timaru, only to find after waiting some hours, that he could not be examined that day.

He went back to Christchurch by the second express to attend to his stock, intending to return to Timaru in the morning.

Although applicants had had some weeks to apply several were too late and lost their chance.

One, who was 20 minutes late, went away in tears on finding that the difference between 12 o'clock, and 20 minutes past 12 on Saturday, meant that she had lost her chance of participating.

It is worthy of note that the beneficial amendment of the Land Act, passed by the present Government, in allowing the holder of a Government section, whose holding is too small off which to make a living, to go to the ballot for a larger block, is fully appreciated, and is being taken advantage of in this ballot.

Living within cooee of a railway train, there are few who think, and less who care, about the troubles of the way-back settler and his wife and family.

Yet, in confines beyond Whanga, exists a man, who, in order to give his wife a taste of civilisation once now and again, has to carry her on his back over six rivers in his journey to and from the nearest township (says the Stratford Post).

Nearly 10 years of this sort of thing finds the settler no nearer satisfaction, and now he is making another despairing effort to secure a formed dray road as access to Whanga, via the Rerekino and Mangare roads.

About a dozen of these unfortunate, but plucky, fellows have petitioned the Stratford Chamber of Commerce to support them in their request to the powers that be.

A proposal which will enable the welfare of children who have been improperly fed to be looked after continuously was adopted by the Wellington Hospital Board last week, on the recommendation of the Hospital Committee.

The clause reads as follows:- ''That a system be established of following up cases of infants (malnutrition cases) discharged from the Children's Hospital, and that, in connection with this, an endeavour be made by the board to utilise the services of the Plunket Nurses; and, further, that Dr Platts-Mills, with the medical superintendent and chairman of the board, arrange with the Plunket Society accordingly.''

The effect of the new system will be to do away to a large extent with children constantly returning to the hospital after they have been discharged, owing to the ignorance of mothers in the proper methods of treatment.

The depth of Lake Wakatipu has frequently been a subject of speculation (says the Mataura Ensign).

According to one who is occupied on the lake daily, soundings were recently taken, a depth of 2100ft being plumbed. - ODT, 26.3.1915.

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