WAIROA.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4282, 18 April 1885, Page 3

WAIROA.

[from our own correspondent.] Tho Frasertown householders havo at last elected a committee. At tho meeting on Monday night last, tho following woro elected as a committoc:—Messrs W. Couper, C. Smith, T. A. Couper, A. Steed, S. Stacoy, T. Seward, and G. V. Kemsloy. Thcro wore not a dozen peoplo at tho mooting. MrLocko, our M.HR., is oxpected licro next week, and it is intended to givo him a banquet at tho Clyde Hotel on that occasion. Tho compliment proposed is a.welldeserved one, as Mr Locke, since his election, has labored faithfully and earnestly for all portions of the electorate. Not one of the promises ho made when on tho hustings, did ho forget, and all his electioneering pledges have beon redeemed so far as he was concerned. I learn from Mohaka that Mr W. Light, of the s.s. Wairoa is about to purchase a steam launch to tender that boat at Mohaka. Mr Light is anxious to givo tho Mohaka peoplo the same accommodation which the Wairoa

people possess, in tho speedy and comfortboat now running here. As the s.s. Wairoa passes Mohaka twico a week up and down the coast it will be a great boon to the settlers there if Mr Light gets the launch, as he intends to do. ' Constable Shaw is now engaged preparing a first-class militia roll. As soon as all V tho names aro in, the corps will bo armed with the weapons which are now on the way from somewhere or other, and Komaroff aud his " Rooshians " may como as soon as they like.

Mr Hill, the Inspector of Schools, has made a slight mistake in his last report; he states that of the total number of schools in the Eeducation District there are two in Wairoa. As a matter of fact, however, there are four schools—Clyde, Frasertown, Mohaka, and Tarawera. Tho people of the Clyde town district will shortly find themselves face to face with a formidable difficulty, and one that must bo grappled with sooner or later. Of late years the river has been making great encroachments on Kopu road, which runs along' the last reach of the river. During ' south-easterly gales the heavy wash erodes \the foot of the bank, which then becomes

.quite perpendicular and soon topples over. tho last few years the cncroacJihave extended more than 50 feet, and now the river reaches to the middle of the road. Thus, not only is the road being washed away, but as the river becomes wider it must become shallower and the navigation of the lower reaches rendered more difficult. In my opinion it will take either a concrete retaining wall or sheetpiling to prevent further encroachments. The Town Board cannot afford to do the work, which would cost at the very least £12 a chain, and another special rate is not Lto be thought of. I would however sug/gest that the Board should get an estimate prepared of the relativo cost of a timber and a concrete retaining wall, and devote a

sum of £50 per annum towards this work. The County Council should be asked to supplement this by an annual grant of £50 also. For this amount the county would have tho work completed in four or five years, and neither body would feol the expenditure much. The arrival of the ss. Bella here last weok with a cargo of timber for* Mr Brown (of Brown and Abbot) by whom she was chartered, has led some peopleto offer inducements for her to bo run in the trade here. I remember when the Manaia and the Clyde were running here a number of people used to say '' wo ought to havo a purely local boat;'"' these people complained that the boats ran to suit the Napior merchants, by whom they were owned, and at one time a joint-stock company was talked of for the purpose of getting a local boat. Now we have a local boat admirably adapted to the tr„dc, both fast and safe, and run by a skipper who is deservedly popular with the general run of passengers, I should be sorry "that anything occurred to induce the owner of the s.s. Wairoa to take his boat elsewhere. Trade is still very dull, and the exports and imports very inconsiderable, and it would bo a pity if tho patrons of tbe Bella should deprive us of tho excellent accommodation wo now possess in the s.s. Wairoa.

Tho Town Board have decided to strike a rate of three farthings in the £ this year.