OUR KAIKOURA LETTER.

Marlborough Express, Volume XII, Issue 945, 15 August 1877, Page 7

OUR KAIKOURA LETTER.

. [From our own correspondent.] Oh the 25th July, a meeting of the ratepayers of this county was held at the Court House, for the purpose of electing the three members who had retired by rotation. Messrs Keene md Ingles were again elected for the Rural district, and Mr Burrel was elected for the Suburban district. Mr William Smith,, the late member for the Suburban district, and Chairman of the Road Board, had previously signified his intention of retiring from the Road Board. At the last meeting of the board a vote of thanks was unanimously tendered to Mr Smith, for the generous and unselfish manner m which he had devoted so much of his time to the public service. This expression of opinion had the cordial concurrence of every one m this district. On the 27th July, a Concert was given m aid of the widow and orphans of the late Captain Anderson, who was lost m the schooner Kaikoura on the West Coast, by a number of lady and gentleman amateurs, who with a self-sacri-ficing devotion seldom met with, had repeatedly assembled for the purpose of practising together. It had been foreseen by the committee of management that the school room, which is the largest public building at Kaikoura, would hot contain the people who were desirous of obtaining admission. It -was therefore determined to give an entertainment at eleven o'clock a.m. to the children of the district. At the hour appointed a numerous body of youngsters. assembled m the school room, and were highly delighted with the performance, which has formed an epoch m their lives. The evening entertainment began at half -past seven o'clock, and long before the time appointed, the school room filled to overflowing. The programme was an extensive and varied one, being a selection of vocal and instrumental music ; also readings : "Mr Skinner going to a public dinner ;" the great trial " Bardell versus PiGkwick," dramatised, concluded the entertainment. Minute criticism on performances of this kind would be inappropriate ; nevertheless some of the songs and duets were admirably rendered. The reading "Mr Skinner, &c - " was given man inimitable manner and kept the audience m a constant state of merriment during the reading. The trial Bardell versus Pickwick has clearly shown that we have some dramatic talent of no mean order m this district. The entertainment was a great success, and it must be extremely gratifying to those ladies and gentlemen whoj so humanely came forward to aid the helpless widow and her orphan children, that a sum of £25 14s was realised by the entertainment. This sum added to the amount already subscribed will make the total sum about £100. A petition is being extensively signed praying Parliament to make provision m the new Education Act for the formation of an Education Board for the county of Kaikoura. Anotherpetition is also m course of signature , praying, that the Road Board may be merged m the County system. I presume from a late issue of your journal that I, have raised the ire of the great protector and propagator of those desolating pests, the rabbit. In extenuation, I beg to inform Sam Slick that if he will include debased specimens of the Genus Homo m his obnoxious aninr^ls petition, I shall swell the grand total of the signatures to the petition by affixing the name of your own correspondent. It is the intention of several members of the Local Cattle Board to resign their seats ; the labours of the Board have only resulted m causing the Colony, unless expenditure m the erection of several pigeon-holes m the Government Buildings m Wellington, where the voluminous correspondence of the Board lies — a monument of the blessings of Centralism. It has been clearly demonstrated that no disease exists amongst the cattle m this district, and. should the members of the latter Board continue to hold their seats they would be possibly consenting to the great injustice done to the people of Kaikoura, m closing this district to the markets of the Colony. The Scab Question is at present the all-absorb-ing topic amongst the sheep-farmers here, and it must be apparent to any practical man, that unless ample time is given to. the owners of the large areas of rough country m this district arkd Upper Awatere, at least two-thirds of the sheepfarmers m Marlborough will be ruined, a consummation which cannot be desiied by the Legislature. It is well known that the owners of rough country have always been the most energetic m endeavoring to eradicate Scab. I may instance the case of a gentleman m this . district, who has been endeavoring to clean his flock for the last six years ; and although he has expended large sums of money m fencing his run, and has made the most strenuous exertions to clean his flock, there is still a large number of sheep for which he does not hold a clean certificate. On the other hand the condition of the sheep depasturing on the low open grassy Country has been a byword and a reproach to the people of Marlborough. The writers of the Scab articles m your journal would do well to travel over the rough country m Marlborough. On their return home they would be wiser, although weary and worn out men, and unless they were of that noble class (the bloated squatter type) who deem it sweet and deoorous to shed the blood of their less fortunate brethren a matter of their common Country, they would bow- to that great principle (justice), which m ages yet to come will alone govern mankind.