THE COMING SESSION.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 808, 9 June 1903, Page 3

THE COMING SESSION.

BILLS TO BE INTRODUCED.

In his speech at ITukitika, the Premier H ( Btpd that bills would be introduced in the coining session dealing with the following subjec.B :— Shops and Offices Intestaes' Estates Local Bodies Loans Amendment Payment tf Members Lind Act Amendment Orchard and Garden Pt-sis Grown Tenants Kent Rebate Act Amendment Tenants' Bights Counties Act Amendment Local Government Franchise Land Agents Weigh id and Measures Legitimation Act Amendment First Offenders Probation Amendment Law Practitioners Government Valuation of Land Act Amendment Rating on Unimproved Values Amendment Sand Drift Witless Telegraphy Roads and Town Districts Rating Supreme Court Judges Streets Betterment Public Revenue Hi- r bo u r Board* Public Health Amendment Referendum Public Works Land for Settlements Amendment Municipal Corporations Amendment Shoddy Medioal Practitioners Banking and Bank Note Trusts and Combines Stafe Firo Insurance In addition, there would be an ninendment of the Labour laws to meet such cases as had been disclosed in the recent cabinetmakers' dispute at Auckland.

(Continued from page 2.) 1 fully negotiated, b,ut on rejWobing' the . Upper Awakiao, which was in high flood beyond Mahoenui, where there was neither bridge nor for*d, the * party had to cross on a wire, and ar- j rangemenls were mad© with the natives on the other side to convoy them oa to Paemako in a brake, the s buggies being despatched with a tent 1 back to New Plymouth. \ Paemako was eventually reached' on , the isixtto day instead of the second, , when the party were met by Mr T. i B.urt, District Road Surveyor, and j \ Messrs Hunt and Paterson, Govern- -» i ment surveyors. Eiding and pack horses were also here in readiness. A , i start was then made, and the Upper j ; Mokau was crossed in a punt above j the Warren Palls— the river overflowing its banks, and the falls presenting a magnificent sight. The Crownlands were reached, and the northern end examined, and from a prominent hill an excellent view was obtained o£ the country for 20 miles, which comprised' rolling hills and dowps, consisting of open and forest country. It" was soon apparent thlait it would be impossible to carry out the route intended, as messengers oame in stating that the rivers were quite unfordabie, and the low country had been converted in many places into lagoions .and lakes. It was therefore decided to gjo round via Te Kuitj and Ongarue, into the Ohura Valley, see what was to be seen from that end, ;atod if the river went down to come back to the Upper Mokau irom there. The party, taking, their horses and baggage with them, entrained at Te Kuiti, fcoing by rail to OngaiTue, and from there down the Ohura Valley for nearly 40 miles. Mr District Surveyor Skeet was met at the Government whare on the Mongaroa Hiver, where a nigttit was spent. The co,untry everywhere was full of water a^id soaking, and the rivers all being; of a sluggish character (althoiugjhi the rain had largely abated) were still high, in fact in some instances even rising more. The Board confined themselves here to looking at the lands recently taken up, and inspecting a proposed town- i ship site at Mongaroa, which they | hignly approved of. The non-oflicial members were amazed at the quantity of splendid country that was beingi opened vp — on what tothenn had beeii a "' terra incognita." As it jvas hopeless to carry out, under such unfavourable conditions, the original programme, it was decided to return to within 18 miles of Ongarue, swim the horses across the Ohura River, and^ then strike north through, the Crown lands towards Paemako. This was accordingly done, two days being! devotedj under very adverse circumstances, to examining the country being opened, Tho par.ty were most hospitably entertained and put up by Mr Murcott, Government surveyor," and his party, who had made special arrangements for their comfort. The Commissioner met all the surveyors on the book here by arrangement, viz., Mr District Surveyor Skeet, and assistant surveyors Patterson, Hunt, Weir, and Murcott, when Departmental matters connected' with the completion of tho surveys were discussed, as also road matters with Mr Burt. It was found quite impracticable to get through the back country to Paemako, so the Board, had to content itself with going about half way. A very good idea, However, of the country was gathered, as, in addition to what they travelled over, at least six times the quantity was viewed, and the impression generally left on the mind of the Board was that the new districts had great possibilities, and, if judiciously opened in areas of from 300 acres aud- upwards, there was a great future for this- part of Taranaki. They were also much impressed with the important necessity, from a Taranaki point of view, of completing the Ohura — Whangamomona and Moki roads, which form the naturmourth and Stratford. Having completed all that oojuld reasonably be expected, the return journey to Ongarue was started fr«?m Mr "Murcott's camp, in the Ma&gepa Valley, at dawn cm. a. frosty mjorning, in a fog, and it was understood by the man looking after the pack horses bringing up the rear that the pack horse with the Board's swag 1 was with the main party, comprising the four members, Messrs Road Surveyor Bird, District Surveyor Skeet, Assistatat Surveyor Murcott, ' and others, but after sliding and skidding through seas of b,ack mud, twjo -hours afterw&rds, on reaching the Ohura River, still in high flood and had to be swam across agaiin, it was discovered fthat the animal in question did. not answer the docile " roll call/ and some, of course, had to go back asad make a search. The party, however, after crossing the swollen stream, and being photographed there, pushed on to the township, but when the Board left Ongarue for Auckland the following morning tflie wanderer had not then put in an appearance. Subsequently it was ascertained thiat it had gone a cruise "on it's ownj" and was found two days' afterwards bpgged in a lagoon, with everything soaked. These, after bein&j dried, reached New Plymouth about a week after the -Board returned home. Jt should be mentioned that on arriving at Ongarue, the resident engineer, Mr Louch, courteously put a Special train at their disposbJ, and run them out to Taumaranui— where certain Crown lands in Northern Taranaki were also viewed at a distance, b,ut. this part of the country did not leave a favorable impression frjom a settlement point of. view. Next day, the 23rd May, the party took train to Auckland. -The Commissioner and Mr McCluggage returned almost immediately to New Plymouth, and Messrs Healop and Ratteribury remained in Aucklfejpjd for a few days. Notwithstanding their sompwiiat rough experiences, the unofficial members of the Board saw a Ibt of entirely new and most interesting cofunitry, while the knowledge gained will be of great value when afterwards dealing Avith matters coming before them. Itwill also give them some idea of what the survey parties and new settlers have to put up with in the winter in such country with no roads, as the districts could not have been visited under more unfavorable donjditipns, and it will, perhaps, in future, make tihem hesitate before attempting such a trip in the depth k>f winter, if for" no other reason than that witih their present Commissioner, at any rate, they will have to go through with it, some way or other, once they start. In their journeyings tMoiUgh the) wilderness the Board were treated with: the utmost kindness and courtesy everywhere, the' survey pairties, settlers, and natives doing -all in their power to make amends for the untoward state of the elements and tho moist surroundings generally. Mr.JEtoWd Surveyor Burt accompanied the party during the lajrt pigiht days of the trip, 1 and his knjowledge of the district, combined with- -his' aheerflul willingness to assist in any diffi,c|ulty, made himself in jmore ways .thajn one 'a most desirable acquisition, arid he ■Mala especially responsible for a desirable detour to the famous Waitomo caves, whicih was able to be, imdiulged; in* whilst waiting six hours for the train at Te Ktiiti.— Tlaranalci News.

''h New engines for the North-Eastern E&ilwdy axe"^eSi^ : pointed black, with bands of light and dark blue, and' if satisfactory 'this color is to displace the long-established grgen; Dr Grunitag, a young Russian doctor of great promise, has lost his life through beine bitten by a litte boy whose suffentojep from diphtheria he heroically trying to relieve^