COUNTRY NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6622, 7 February 1883, Page 3

COUNTRY NEWS.

VTAIROA SOUTH'.

Thf. annual treat r:ive*> by the Sunday scho 1 teach-rs s» their schohm t— kpi «.»; this v «>;i rVi : *iy, r •• ; •;Ir , n a Mode t-> Mr J. >. Wi;-tn. •> • t!» • bulks ' " t: - river. As on former oce «mo:i.h, the

>yteriau and E,.i copal schools amalgamated their forces for a days enjoyment; til'; former under Messrs. M«.theson and Grandson, and Miss Spc-cc aud Miss \Vi ! s n ; ;;nd the lafer under Mi.*s Thorpe and MUs Ky-.e. Suing;, were erecte iin a beautifulg'-five o f karuk i trees, which aft" ird°d the needful shade l.o*n the liot r.»ys of t}ie sun. Races were got np, the succ' s'fui competitors being rewarde I with fru t ; also . various other game.*, when all were rega'ed with pear-, ap. les, •nd plums from vr. Thorpe's orchard. At four o'clock th; children were ranged in rows oil the gras* snd resale t with tea, cakes, and other good t things, iiQ-sniug up with a curiosity pie, which turned out to be a boxful of packets of 1.-lli«s each eh Id b.ing htJpc l to a packet (07 in all). ihe crops are nearly all *ccured, light straw, but a f «ir quantity of grain, Since the introduction of pm-.1l birds we can raise some «'ats lor threshing ; before tha* date the Citejpil ars almost invariably eat all tbe grain aud the 1-avs oil the straw. Even now some of the farmers grumMe at wnatour little friends eat. and talk at som<? seasons of poisoning them all off —[A Correspondent.] MANGAPAI. O.v Tours lay, t'>o IStli January, an eut rtainmeut w<is held at the Courthouse, Mangapai, for the \ urpose of obtaining fau'ls for a children's pic. ic. The entertainment was got up by tho Mutual Improvement Association, and ihe chair was occupied by the p'csi leut, Mr. D. C. Wilson. Alter the oveiture had been played by Mrs Snell, the Chairman gave a sh<-rt address on th- wanes and pro.speets of Manrapai. Lie said there wai no reason why Mangapai should not go ahea las well as other places. It po-sesse I a fine back country, wi;h SO or 100 miles of alluvial flats. A large portion of this was in the hands of absentee*, but it could be bought at a low ligure. Mangapai had been ruined by the want of roads to open up the back country. From time to time intending settlers had come up to look at their land, and a number of thtm never even got to it; I but whether they found it or not, the bad roads disgusted them, and they went away again. Thanks to their member, they had now a prospect of roads in their back country, anl they should also make the graut of importance. There was every reason to believe that the sam* coal seam which had done such wonders for Whaagarei lay under Mangapai, and he them to keep a bright look-out on every cr-ek and laudslip, where they might stumble across a coal seam at any time. Above all, he urged them to set th»ir faces against mean and petty jealousies between the different districts, and go together like < ne mau for the good of the whole. The following programme was then gou-j through Song. " Won't Yuu Buy My Pretty Fiowers," Sirs. Snell, Miss K. Snel), and Miss J. Wi s n; recitation, Mr. O H. Hewlett; song, "Barney O'Mea," Miss Wilson; recitation, Mr A. Carter; Canadian Boat Song, Mesdamc Wat- ou ; re- < citati »n, Mr. B »yd ; song. Mis* "W Ison ; • recitation, "Spanish Champi •n," Mr. B«>yd ; i song, "Child's First drier," Mr. and Mrs. ■*neil; song, Floa iug Away, * M'S. Stephenson; rscita'io , Mr. 0. R. Hew- j ie r t; S'»ng, *' Children a Vocfs," Mri. Snell and viiss Wilson. Tlie (Jha rnnn tli-n called ( on Mr. Fraser, who thauked the ladies in a j humourous speech. Ihe National Anthem closed a most enjoyable evening, although i some of the young people would have been i better sati-ficd if th- all dr hid wound up wi;h a ilance.- [A Corr spon ient.] <

MANGONUI. Since list teport the district has bean favoured with a most scrollable fall of rain, which bus gladdened the hearts of our farmers. During the week the Ada C. Owen cleared Irom here with a full cargo of baulk timber (or Melb urne. loaded by Mr. R. M. Houston. The Wild Wave clears this week with a full cargo of baulk for Launeeston, loaded l\v the iiuekla-.d Timber Company. The Woodbine, which arrived here en New Yeai's Day, is stiil loading baulk for Sydney ; bub it would be difficult to s»y when she will be loaded. Mr. Rhodes, manaycr of the Auckland Timber Company's m il. iu this p ace, met with a severe acci 1. ut last week. Two heavy flitches fell on him, brui ing his feet and ancles very much. It was a nio>t fortunate thiug for him that his legs were not broken. As it was, lie was confined to bed several d;>ys, under the care .of Dr. Trimnell. I am happy to say that Mr. Rhodes is now able to move about, though his feet aud ancles are much swollen aud discoloured. The timber in the company's booms is beginning to look scarce, aud unless a fresh coines soon the mill will have t-> stop for the want of timber. There are large quantities of timber in the creeks ready to c one if we had a fresh. In lact, the crocks are so full of timber that some of the bushes are at a standstill. —[Own Correspondent, Jan. 31.] DEATH OF AN OLD IDENTITY. A very old identity, perhaps the oldest New Zealand identity, has passed the Styx—in the person of Heury I\ arson. According to his own showing, he has been in the colony between 50 and GO years, and at the time of his death was af outSO jears of age. During the early days he carried on the business of a trader ou the East Coast, and seemed to have done a fair amount of trade wiih the natives. For a number of years he li.ed ac Raugiawbia with a half-caste woma , and was remarkab'e for his hospitality to any European who happened to vn-it th.t part oi the district. Of fate jears he has lived by himself at Otengi, near \lan t onui. About a fortnight ago he visited Mangonui, but the change did not agree witn him, aud he gradually sank away. He died at the Cjettlers' Hotel on Tuesday, the 30th January. Ou Tuesday night there was a sort of a wake held over him. The pl'ee where he was lying was decorated with flowers and the necessary pipes aud tobacci were provided, free of co-t, to any who liked to indulge, by Mr. Grogan, of the Settlers' Hotel. His remains were interred in the Church of England h iryiu.-ground ou We ii:osday, the 31st Januar*. The old nan who usually performs the duty oi grave-digger seemed quit-? overcome. —[Mangonui Coi respondent, January 31.

ORUAITI HIGHWAY BOARD.

At .1 nieetiuj/, held on th<- 14th Doc mber, ISS2, there uere present—Messrs. Ch'pnan, Houston, Henderson, Foster, and t dwards. The minutes of the last mmting were read and confirmed. It was resolved that Mr. \V. A. Harris bs paid for work do e at Canaan. Mr. Henderson proposed, sec uid< d by Mr. Houstou, "That the swamp on the road leading from C.tnaan to Mongonui be repaired." Mr. Edwards moved, andC'ptiiu Chapman seconded, an amendment to the effect, "That as the road in quostion was not within the boundary of the Oiuaiti district, the Boaid does not ente tain the application for repairs." The amendment was loit. It was ihen resolved "That teadtrs be called for repairing the swamp and for the construe ifti of the culverts on the Canaan-Whang-iroa road." The following resolutions were also passed : —" That the Chairman confer wi h the Chairman of the Oruru Board with a view to making the Oruaiti-Oruru districts coterininal"That a sum of 10s be allowed for clearing the tea-tri-e on a roul leading from Jlr. S. Foster's to the landing;" "That Mr. Jabez Foster be allowed the sum of £2 So make repairs on a road that passes through his p.opertv "That a turn of 10s be sp-nt in clearing the tea-tr- e on the Whangaroa road to the ford " That the Secretary write for of Messrs. Wi sons and Horton's account, and that tic codtctor be in-trueced to take further s'eps towards procuring Mr. U'm. Fre.ir s rates."—[A Corre-pmid nt.] M AUNG AK ARAM EA. Fok WPcks past bush fires have been racing in all directions, and a numlx r of the settlers have suffered more or less loss by the destruction of timber and fences. Different to ordinary years, the fins tore through green bush and fern indiscriminately, finding fuel in everything. Meesrs. D. C. Wilson and J. Gunsou lo»t nearly ail their fences, and had a hard job to save their hoti'es. In fact it has b.en a very trying time to a great many, wbo have been harassed with constant anxiity. The fir- a would appear to have prevailed all over the country. No matter how the wind blew it carried with it a pall of smok- so dtnso that in the morning it was sometimes difficult to see fifty yards away.

But the rain haa come at last, and to a great many it will be a blessed relief. —[A Correspondent.]

At the annual meeting, in the schoolroom on *h j 22nd January, the Rev. J. H. Edwards, ( i Aiiiparj, Messrs. W. E. Larmer, R. H. Mat:hews, and C. J. Fuckey, of Kaitaia, aud Messrs. G. B. Denny, J. Evan®, and J. A. Subrit/.ky, of Awanui, were elected members of our local school committee for ISS3. As educational matters in thin are in a very unsatisfactory ptate, i* is to be hoped t'.at the Lew comm.tteo will bestir tliernselves at '•nctr. At the Awanui th* re are about thirty Europeau children of sell ol age, wh-ise parents would b.* glad to send them to a schoo', but the nearest olio is at Manga* where., near y five miles away. It is true that a very good schooihouse was built t«o years ago on the top of the Mangatete hills, tlree miles off, b-cause somebody though & that as it would there be equally out of the way for everybody, no one

would be able to grumb e, but the result has hevii that a few children attended I very irregularly. The teacher, consequent y\ cotiid not "bring them on." The inspector reported very unfavourably, and the schocl was c'os'd. .Some of the settlers would like to thtir childn uto th■: native school, but the Maoris object to this, as they think their boys and girls would be surfeited with skim milk, while the Fahtdias received the cream. The now iiuufed schoolhouse should be immediately removed to Awanui, and if the new comuiittee would get Mr. Hobbs's assistance, th* whole affair could be settled satisfactorily in a mouth. A-i usual, tha spring and summer have been too hot tor the Road Board to attend to the repairing culverts, &c. Owing to the sad mismanagement of last year's trustees, there is an unusual number of bad places on our roads just now, ao when winter seta in we may expect to see lots of little gangs of *oadmendera making heaps of inud on the roads. It t-eeins that the contractors prefer doing road work in winter, because they charge twice as much for the work, and the trustees like letting the contracts just before the election of new trustees.

| One of the County Council members for the Kait.ua riding lias resigned, aud Mr. W. G-. Puckey, of Woodville, lias beeu requested, aud ha-i consented, to become a candidate for election to the vacant membership.— [A. Coi respondent, January 30.] The greatly-Deeded rainfall has come at last, gladdening the farmers' hearts. This is the first ram we have had for three months. The pastures were getting quite parched and dried up, and the stock, in consequence, showed marked signs of det rioration. White potatoes ami other crops have suffered greatly from the long drought. At first it was thought the annual cricket match between Oruru and Kaitaia would have to be postponed, but it cleared up on Fiiday evening, and Saturday was a magnificent day, while the rain had made the ground in first-rate order for the players. Tlie match was a close one, resulting, however, in a victory for the Oiuru by two wicke's and tv\o runs. There was a good muster of spectators on the ground. Mr. Carton's Jarge 40-acre paddock was kindly lent for tl>e purpose. Refreshments were provided in abundance for both players and onlookers; the ladies of the district acting with their usual hospitality. It was a pretty 6ight. Nature was looking its best after tlie refreshing rain. The smart dresses of the iadi-s contrasted well with the vivid green of trees and pastures. The crowd of weil dressed people of both sexes, sauutering on the grass or rec ining beneath the trees, speak "Well lor the prosperity of the district, while the large uumber of athletic young men on the ground shew we have adundanca of mi'scle and sinew to develop its resources. A most enjoyable day was cone udtd by a dauc: iu the evening.—[A Correspondent.]