KOPTUA.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5046, 6 April 1878, Page 2

KOPTU A.

1 / [from ovb, own correspondent.] Up in this quarter all is life, activity, and bustle, the weather during • the past month, having been exceptionally fine. The sheep and cattle men grieve over continued drought, but the contractors rejoice with exceeding great joy, the last. .^ four weeks showing full working time on the railway works. The heat,. however, has been very oppressive, the thermometer registering from 94° to 98° at noon. We have had one or two white frosts during the night, which effectively nipped in the bud the efforts that were made by some of the settlers to raise a small potato crop on the line. There is quite a large population at Kopua— l should say about 180 roughly; with a prospect of daily increase, as the different owners of saw-mills get fairly under weigh. While on the subject of population I would advert to the possibility, I might say the necessity, of some arrangements being made for opening ■ a school here* There are twenty eight children residing within half a mile on either side of the railway station, and of these 16 are already of an age to attend school. I think that as the parents of these young New Zealanders are anxious and willing to forward the establishment of a school, some enouragement should be afforded them, and while there is any of the vote for educational purposes left a small Bum. would be judiciously applied in this direction. ■ Mr Drower's new building is proceeding rapidly, the stables with eight stalls are finished, and the accommodation house will probably be ready for occupation in about four weeks. The plan shows large and lofty rooms, and the building will be an ornament as well as a valuable addition fco the clearing. The wants of the travelling public are at present attended to by Messrs Barron and Herbert. \ Splitting fencing posts and firewo)si& cutting for the Government gives employment to a good many hands, which, industry, besides utilising the fallen timber, clears the line on both sides. I suppose the mail coach will shortly run from here. A difficulty which the mailman will have to contend with, and rather a serious one will be the great scarcity of water for • his horses. Some of " the residents have to carry that most necessary article for nearly halt a mile. A well has been sunk on the flat to a depth, of 40 feet, and is now almost dry. The road leading from the station to the main south road is in excellent condition, and the Manawatu, which it crosses, is spanned by a strong bridge of 50 feet in length. The Papatu formation contract is making rapid progress, and gives employment to a daily average of 40 men. Mr Porter, the contractor, has been bestirring' the people in this neighborhood to have their names placed on tho list of voters for the Olive district, and has forwarded the names of several persona duly signed and declared to the Registration Officer. The train, which by the way, has latelybeen rather unpunctual, brings a fair number of passengers daily, and with transport of mill and bridge gear and timber of one kind and another must be reproductive on this section of the line. I would like to call attentum to what I cannot but think a hardship, which, beara principally on the foreigners. Jp^return ticket issued on Saturday is available for . Monday, " only if re-dated " c£ the Monday. On more than one occasion I understand some Scandinavians, through ignorance or in the belief that the regulation " snick " in the ticket is all that is necessary, have, in*their innocence, taken their seats in the train, and when the ticket collector, in the performance of his duty, examines the ticket and finds no re-date, they are required to pay up. Could not some notification be printed in their language for the benefit of Scandinavian travellers. .. ' Mr Graham, who has charge of the Papatu bridge contract for the Messrs Proudfoot, having got his working gear up, will probably commence work in about a week. Mr Tyson, who procures the timber, arrived yesterday, but I hear he has not yet arrived at an arrangement with the Lands Board. The general health of the settlers has been excellent, only a few cases of 'dysentery having occurred. Our spiritual wants were attended to twice during the month, of March, once by the Eev. Mr Shearman and once by the Rev. Mr Neilson, who conducted Divine' service in the Scandinavian language. I must admit that our foreign fellow-settlers had the largest muster. The services were performed, by permission of Mr Carr, in the goods shed. Our spiritual wants of another description have not been attended to in any shape, if I except the case of some enterprising gentleman, vvho a week or two ago brought up a small consignment of alcohol, which was most readily disposed of at, I presume, a fair remunerative price. As, however, the law discountenances enterprise of this kind without addition to the revenue, the trade has been discontinued. I really think that a license should be granted to the new premises, that is if the proprietors should wish it. Travellers by train or coach are, as a rule, drouthy, and' like their glass of beer or their tot after a journey or before starting on one ; and, moreover, I myself — and I am by no means singular among the Kopuaittes — like my corn. It may be said that the absence of liquor accounts for the sobriety which reigns here, but we all know that some men always did and always will get drunk, no matter what distance they have to travel for the means of gratifying this gentle weakness ; and when they '<qnce get to a distant pub. they are in no hurry to get back to their work ; the contractors consequently suffer, and the men themselves cannot be gainers. A robbery — the first, I think, that has occurred here— was perpetrated about the

middle of last month. The sufferer was one of Mr Porter's hands, who was relieved during his two hours of slumber by some more wakeful party of a cheque • for £10, which it appears has been cashed atf almorstou. That energetic limb of th? law, Sergeant M'G., was communicated with, and I doubt not will render an account of the midnight spoiler ere long.

"What can it mean ?"— Under thia heading the N.Z. Sun has the following singular paragraph : — " 'Previous to his departure for Europe from Christchurch, the Hon. E. Stafford put up all his household goods to the hammer. Among various articles unsold were three spacious ladies crinolines of antique pattern, which Mr Stafford, determined to realise the last possible ' bawbee,' had removed to another mart, where they were auctioned — for cash on the nail — at the sum of one shilling each.