WAIPAWA.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 6779, 11 February 1884, Page 4

WAIPAWA.

(FEOM OUE OWN COBBESPONDENT.) Friday, February 8. The town district has been gazetted at la3t. On the principle of " all'B well that ends well," I suppose everybody should be satisfied that the district has been gazetted at all, even though so long after the petition was sent to "Wellington. The election of the new Board iB fixed for the 26th of thia month. There is no great amount of excitement as yet, Waipawa apparently coming behind Hastings in the matter or interest in local government. I suppose that Mr Guy, who was an aid to the agitation which resulted in the Town Board being petitioned for, will offer himfor election. He should do so, anyway, and a great many well-wishers of Waipawa, including " yours truly " will be disappointed if Mr Guy does not come forward as a candidate. We are to have a "harvest thanksgiving " in the Methodist Church on the 17th. Preparations are being made for decorating the church in an appropriate manner, and I have no doubt the service will be interesting. In connection with this subject, one cannot help wondering whether the present strange season (called " summer " by some people) will also be included with the harvest as a matter for thauksgiving. This train of thought carries one back to the old times, when tho prayers for fine or wet weather set by the Churches were regularly read if thought to be appropriate to climatic surroundings. The custom seems now more honored in the breach than in the observance, and the spirit of the old Scotch divine, who retorted, when asked to pray for rain, "Na, na, not while the wind is in that quarter," seems to be on the increase. I observe that the member for the district seems to be more successful in putting the " comether " on the Minister for Public Works than is either the Chamber of Commerce in Napier or the County Council in Waipawa. The two latter bodies applied that a train to Matainau might be allowed to run as Boon as the rails could be laid from Makatoku, and before the line waß completed to Tahoraite. They got " no " for an answer, Then Mr Smith set to work, and he has extorted a promise from Mr Mitchelson, the " carpenter " Minister, that a midday train shall be run to Matamau as soon as the rails can be laid, and that a station shall be erected. The concession will conduce to the new Minister being held in greater respect thun his predecessor. While on the question of railway matlers, I may say thnt the Minister for Public Works has also promised that a verandah shall form part of the projected improvements at our railway station that is to be. This is good news. We have long put up with most inferior accommodation, but at last seem likely to get a railway station. It wouldn't be a bad idea to present Mr Mitchelson with a testimonial. There are to be no more insurrections at Danovirke— no more frisky attempts to alter the laws relating to "master" and servant. One whole policeman is to be stationed at the rising township named. He will, it is said, be supported by a battery of Gatlings and a steam fire-engine. Thia latter rumor, however, requires confirmation. I cannot imagine what the Napier " sports" have been about to let Waipawa steal a march upon them in the matter of Donald Dinnie. Perhaps their souls were frighted within them by a few sneers such as were tried here, by people whose ideal of sport and manliness consists of a firm faith in the virtues of euchre and poker. The snarleyous were in a big minority here, and the more sensible had their way without much trouble. Napier does not seem to have been so fortunate, and your loss is our gain, as, even if you get Donald at all, we shall have pulled off a slashing sports meeting first. Our advantage is duo to the fact that, although much smaller than Napier, Waipawa possesses an Athletic Club. We can give Napier a few points yet. Another item re the Minister for Public Works. He is said to be shortly coming on a tour through the district. I should like to ace him introduced to our leading politician. When the two " chips " met there might be an exemplification of the old proverb "Two of a trade can never agree," for there is no person so prone as your Nazarene to believe that "Out of Nazareth coraeth no prophet." And then the Nazarene wonders why society believes that the only disgraceful thing about the Minister is that he once lived in the Nazareth of labor. I expect that when our leading politician reads this he will say "By gum." He will not be far wrong if he does, for it was gum, and not Nazareth, that made Ned Mitchelson a Minister. The road through the Waipawa bush has been again before the Road Board. This road, besides a number of annoying ups and downs natural to it, has experienced a number of other ups and downs at the intellects of the Board members. . It is good to know, however, that the formation contract let some time since is progressing favorably, and that it is intended to supplement the work by a metalling contract. It was decided at the last meeting of the Board that some 48 chains of the road should be metalled, and it is to be hoped the work will be pushed through before the winter commences. - One of our townsmen appears to be starting a professional wag businese. At the meeting of the Board previously referred to, a letter was read from Mr J. Chicken, asking the Board to take measures for draining the water from the road in front of his house. The fun of the request is seen when it is remembered that . Joseph lives a little above the Waverly cutting, and that his letter logically opened up the whole question of what shall be done with the Waipawa eyesore. The members of the Board, foreseeing that if Mr Chicken's letter was attended to they would have a handful of business on rather larger than would be comfortable, acted like prudent men and " took no action." The Waverly. cutting is a beautiful inheritance for the new Town Board, and will doubtless ba appreciated at its true value. The pedestrian marvels who were going to give such a wondrous exhibition here, to decide who was the best of the three of them, have either mutually funked or mutually concluded that running is " not good.. enough," as the projected matches I told you of are all supposed to be " off. I Bay "supposed to be " advisedly, for it is not improbable, even now, that after another outbreak of talk we may yet see the promised flying matches. There ia veey little interest in the matter, however, so far as the public are concerned, and the latter have up to the present decidedly shirked the arrangements, and have not backed their opinion a red ceut. Perhaps this fact has something to do with the hitch in the arrangements. The last meeting of the Council was a dull one, and little of public interest took place. Of the more important items dealt •with, one concerned Porangahau. This latter place, besides being blest with roads that for badness are only equalled by some of the tracks in the Makaretu district, has now a little bit of a native difficulty on hand. I do not mean the difficulty which a certain . sheepfarmer in that district experiences, in his efforts to persuade the natives not to put their land through the Court, but an objection by the natives at the Porangahau, pah to allow a county road to be made. It is a pity the natives should have been set against the road by interested persons, as it ia ..much- wanted. The Government were some time ago written to, and asked to cause a -line of road to be surveyed off. I was under the impression that the Government' had consented to do what was asked of them r but at the last meeting: of the Council a reply was read stating that the proposed road line could not be sur-

veyed until a 6taff surveyor waß in the Porangahau district. It was resolved to again apply to the Government, and to take the needed road through the pah, as the only other available route crossed hilly country. We had quite a big Court day here on Wednesday. The piece de resistance was an action brought by Mr H. Arrow against Mr H. J. Baker, to recover £10, the value of two shares in the Waipuwa Mail Newspaper Company. Mr Guy appeared for defendant. Plaintiff alleged that on the 22nd of January ho was in the Empire Hotel, in company with Messr? Guy (defendant's solicitor) and T. Cowper. Mr Baker was expressing dissatisfaction at the condition of the Mail Company, and said he wished to sell his two shares. He then addressed plaintiff personally, and offered to sell his interest in the Mail, represented by two £o shares, for £1. Plaintiff replied that he did not want to purchase, and Mr Cowper, who was present, asked defendant "Do you really mean it, Harry ?" Defendant said he did, and again offered to take £1. Mr Cowper pulled out a £1 note, when witness thought the shares would be worth £1 to him if worth that aum to Mr Cowper. Witness then handed £1 to defendant, who took it, and said he would sign the necessary papers when disengaged. Witness observed that as Messrs Gruy and Cowper had witnessed the transaction there was no need for a receipt. A few hours later, when witness went into the hotel again, defendant offered the £1 back again, but witness , refused to take the money, and demanded the shares transferred. Witness had preferred a claim for the shares twice oince. Mr T. Cowper deposed to the offer of the shares for £1, and to himself and plaintiff each proffering the money. Defendant accepted plaintiff's money. Defendant's case was that he never intended to sell the shares, and that the whole transactionwas a bit of fun on his part. Several other witnesses were examined for defendant, one of whom stated that he had that day sold his share in the Waipawa Mail for £2. Mr Guy urged, first, that the proceedings were informal, inasmuch as a specific performance of the alleged contract to aell was not included in the plaint; and second, that the whole affair of the supposed sale was in fun. Captain Preece deferred judgment till next Court day. 1 Thirteen other cases of no importance except to the respective debtors and creditors who were parties to the summonses, were also heard, so that we had a yery fair legal innings for a town of our size.