Local Intelligence.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 5, Issue 280, 10 May 1862, Page 4

Local Intelligence.

' Waipurektt Ferry. — The old ferry house has been moved to its intended site, about midway between the willow trees of Pokeno and the garden at Waitangi, and the contractors are hard at -work preparing the approach to the new ferry on the south side of the river. One of the dredge punts was towed round yesterday morning for the purpose of conveying shingle across for the purpose of metalling the road between the original ferry and the new approach. The bridge over the Muddy Creek, the state of which has so seriously interfered with traffic and even the traveller on horseback, was finished a day or two ago. It is expected that in course of a month or six weeks the punt will be moved to its new position. Sharp Practice again. — By last mail a demand came down from the General Government for another six months interest on the Wellington debt — £1250 ; or, rather, the Receiver of Land Revenue was summarily instructed to stop this sum from the territorial income of the province — no previous request that the amount should be paid having been addressed "to the Superintendent. Now, considering that at this particular season of the year money is most valuable to the local government, as enabling it to proceed with necessary works during the little fine weather we may expect to have before winter finally sets in, we cannot regard this arbitrary impounding of the public resources as other than a most ungenerous and uncalled for exercise of what we trust will be a very brief authority. Maori Newspaper. — Our readers would observe some weeks ago, in the columns of the " Herald," a prospectus of a local newspaper in the native language. Several natives have told us that the idea is very good ; but only one, as yet, has come " down with the dust." His name is Waka Rewharewha, of Te Aute, and he writes to the following effect : — " E hoa, ma tenei ka taemai ta koutou reta kiau ka kite au i te pai o nga hua o rato ko taka kupu atu tenei, ai, taikiha. Tenei ka ho atu c ahau ki a koe ten hereni te utu, o, te nuipepa." We have sent him a printed receipt in Maori, engaging to return the money should the requisite number of subscribers not be forthcoming to warrant the publication of the proposed newspaper. The Taupo Road. — The General Government having on a late occasion complained to the Superintendent of the state of the Taupo road, which was such as to prevent the carrier of the mail from keeping his time, — the Provincial Engineer recently paid a visit of inspection to the localities pointed out as most requiring repairs, and made arrangements on the spot with the natives for the prosecution of the needful works. The time from Tarawera to Napier is set down as two days, and it is worthy of remark that, although in this time the natives found that the journey could not be done, our active Engineer travelled to the pah and back, including the time consumed there and in inspection, in four. We attach a value to these works quite apart from the mere transit of the mail, and hope some day to see communication so far opened between the Taupo and Ahuriri districts that: a. dray can be taken from one place to the other. At this moment, as will be seen from an extract in our first page, there are 5 tons of wool lying in the Taupo country, for which no convenient outlet can be had. Tautane. — Great complaints, from the mailman and other travellers, having been made of the state of the main road to Wellington in this neighbourhood, the Provincial Engineer, we understand, is now on the spot to see what can be done in the way of remedying the evils complained of before winter shall have finally set inJ The Civil Commissioner, Lieut.-Col. Russell, left town on Wednesday last en route to the Wairoa and other northern districts. He intends visiting all the native settlements in that portion of the province. The Herald, in its two issues this week, contains nearly 36 columns of reading matter. »