TAUPO.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 2984, 18 January 1881, Page 2

TAUPO.

(fbom oub own coerespondbnt.)

January 13,1881. Nothing worthy of note has disturbed this the embryo City of the Plains—since the Lands Court has risen, except the launch on Monday last of a little schooner of some 15 or '20 tons. She is intended for the Lake trade, which is gradually assuming proportions that ere long will be respectable. She is the property of Mr John Axford, the genial host of the Tokano Hotel, and is rather unique in her way, being built wholly of totara, and if appearances are anything in those matters she does infinite credit to her designer and builder, Mr John Cane, who also is to run her on the Lake, and as he is a man every way up to his work, and moreover does not expect to make a fortune " Right off," why there is every probability of his giving a good account of the Dauntless (the crapf's name) in the time to come. And we all here henrtily hope so. There is no doubt that the very amiable correspondent of your contemporary here will seize upon tbe launch of the Dauntless saa wherewithal to work off some of his superfluous bile on Taupo and us its unfortunate inhabitants. It is indeed strange that that gentleman, with hie many pleasant surroundings, cannot look upon poor fragile human nature with a more pitying eye. But, no ! Even the sweets of matrimony (I am not a Benedict myself) have failed to soften the accerbity of his taupio, though, bye-the-bye, hair dyes, &c, have come as far as Taupo. No, it is simply apparently the outcomings of a truly contented life. He can now look down from the height of his happiness and hit out right and left at everyone's short comings. Not long ago he made a cowardly attack on a gentleman connected with the Telegraph Department here—a gentleman who has won the respect of every person he has come in contact, always excepting " your contemporary's own." I say cowardly, because he knew quite well that the gentleman he was vilifying was precluded from his position as a public servant from retaliating had he felt so inclined. And later on he has a slap at our little amusements here in the shape of horse racing, and even goes beyond our own neighbors in Hawke's Bay, by sending his wretched caligraphy to the Southern papers. I am neither a " raciDg man " nor an official of our social club. But I know that the stewards and the committee of the Taupo Racing Club are gentlemen as far above the motives the Herald's correspondent imputes to them as that gentleman is not. He does not subscribe any of his coin to any single amusement here, and why does he not allow those who do, to carry out their amusement their own way. We are only a very small community here, and endeavor each and all of us to the best of our ability to fill that niche in collation that an All-Wise Providence has built up for all his creatures, and we know that we can carry out with aa cheerful a purpose and as hjnest an interest, any little local amusement of ours as among other British communities. If my senior here cannot criticise social matters in a view of goodfellowship, why in the name of everything pleasant let him leave Taupo alone, and I can assure him on the part of his fellow-townsmen that we will try and struggle on without him.

Mr Gilbert Mair is expected at Orakekorako to-morrow to pay the natives there the balance of the purchase money on Orangaroa No 2. There are other monies that our Maori citizens are entitled to on different Government blocks in the district, and that, they are waiting anxiously for.

I cannot omit remarking upon the very good behavior of all the Maoris here during the sitting of the Lands Court. I have never witnessed better, and I have seen a few Lands Courts too throughout the colony. There was no lack of money either amongst them, but each and all of them seemed intent on attending to their business and leaving ivaipero alone.

The new mail contractor, Mr Griffiths, made hia first trip this day week. But we have no mail from Auckland. Fancy, only a gap of fifty miles of a good road between here and Ohinemutu breaking the connection. Such a thing is simply ridiculou? in a colony like New Zealand. We all here trust the Government will see their way to altering this state of things.

We had a slight shock of earthquake here on the morning of the 11th (Tuesday) at about 6.25. a.m. The wave seemed to travel from east to west. It is the first for many months. Until yeeterday we have had about five weeks of most extraordinary summer weather, quite cold and dry, but since 9 a.m. yesterday a splendid soft rain h an been falling.