COUNTRY NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9140, 23 August 1888, Page 6

COUNTRY NEWS.

[from our own correspondents. J

Hamilton, Wednesday. The plans and specilications of the new Waikato hospital buildings, as may be seen by advertisement in to-day's issue, are now lying for the inspection of intending contractors, at the Borough Council Chambers.

Ngaroa'Vahia, Wednesday. The milk suppliers present at Mr. Spragg's meeting having accepted the terms offered, Mr. Bycroft has undertaken to canvass the district for the supply of the quantity of milk Mr. Sprang requires to be guaranteed before starting the creamery in October. Ohaupo, Wednesday. Mr. Robinson, drawing instructor to the Board of Education, was here yesterday to give lessons to the teachers in Waikato schools. There was a fair attendance.

Messrs. Kusabs and Sons have bought the Orakau sawmill plant and leased Semmens bush.

Both at Mr. McNicol's and at Hunter and Co.'s cattle sales yesterday there was a good attendance, and large muster of cattle, wTiich found ready purchasers, prices still keeping up. All the cattle, with very few exceptions, were cleared.

Waitoa, Wednesday. Te Aroha, by way of the Gordon Settlement and Shaftesbury, will soon be in easy communication by good road with the Lakes, by way of the Upper Thames Valley, opening up the eastern side of the Matamata, and the bulk of the Patetere Land Company's property. This road traverses the eastern banK of the Waihou, crossing the river above Oxford. This distance between Oxford and the Gordon settlement will be spanned by a really good road of about 17 miles. Some considerable attempt at wine-making has been made on the Matamata estate ; but owing, it is supposed, to the casks (containing several hundred gallons) having been left in too hot a building in the end of the summer, the wine has turned to vinegar. Cambridge, Wednesday. I was much pleased to notice, during a recent visit to Oxford, the vigour with which the work of reclaiming a large portion of the Patetere estate is now ueing carried out. As your readers are aware, extensive contracts have been lately let by the manager, Mr. Rich, for falling bush. The work is being pushed forward vigorously, and has been a God-send to the Waikato district, giving employment at the dullest season of the year to a large number of hands, and rinding a market for beef and other produce close at hand. One way and another it is computed that nearly 120 men have been found employment by these works, and many will do so for some time, as the fallen timber will have to be burned off, the intention being to sow some 3000 acres with grass, and prove the productiveness of the estate for cattle-fattening purposes.

[BY TELEGRAPH. OWN CORRESPONDENTS.]

Rotorua, Wednesday. An excellent addition to the Sanatorium has recently been made by Mr. C. Malfroy (engineer to the establishment). This is in the form of a most ingeniously-constructed electro-galvanic bath. One gentleman at present undergoing a course of treatment for rheumatism tells me that the moment he changed to the electrical bath an immediate improvement was perceptible. The bath is snugly and conveniently situated inside the blue bath pavilion, in which is also to be found the famous sulphur vapour bath.

LUCAS , CREEK. A petition to the Postmaster-General ing that alternate tenders be called for the carrying of the mails between Auckland and Wark worth has been signed by the propertyowners residing on this line of road. The alternate routes are the present, Devonport, Takapuna, and. Wade, and the proposed is by way of Birkenhead, Mayfield, Lucas' Creek, Dairy Flat, and Wade. The reasons why the latter route should be adopted are many and obvious. The present East Coast route serves no good purpose to the public generally, with the exception of leaving a mail at Takapuna thrice a week, which service could be better performed by the regular omnibuses plying between Devonport and Takapuna, while it entails the necessity of two branch connectiens, one to Lucas , Creek and one to Dairy Flat, which would not be required if the coach were

transferred to the route via i"^ 5 Another great consideration i<, «? r H et >hea<! whereas the present route traverse! %?,*« 14 milee, between Takap una amwl for l2 or nothing but barren ran?« l? e W 4 settlement, the , alternate r^> ut any through the thriving and populZ? ,■»**« of Mayfield (where a post \ir? s . dlst wanted), Lucas Creek, and IV a m «eh while settlers reside at short ;? lry F '*t along the road, which is all present route. Ler than th The County Council has in,* „ their rate for the current year £°ted very little we ever see for our monev - lt » mam road were in the hands of t" n ' th * Road Board instead of the Countv * N and they derived the (same revenu fjW. Council, we should no a- have a W 7i d ° the tween here and Dairy Flat g d roa( beThe short road via the Volkner A ■ still remains impassable for want / at '' 5 n 35 chains of road-forming (which should been done five years ago) and S M We chains of a mud bog, metal for which iLX the landing a few chains awav- j es °& necessary tea-tree to put under the a ' ici ( he also handy The metalling ha!<fe MU as far as Mr. Stevenson's gate 1 .-•'■<■!• M his paddock, where it stops a('' lUn? .' n to the last few chains of meta'llin<y r aS u . '% use to the general public for wan? 7 r '° being continued to Clover Bridtre i? !t, metalling is not completed shorri", V tlle the road dries up, the road' j, ,'.l * f «-re soft again next winter, when t*ie'"rr<\ i m sink into the mud.—[Own Corresponde 1"'

OPUNAKE. The member for this district Sir tt Atkinson, as Postmaster-General hwarded the following communication *t ' r " chairman of a public meeting held ' !e weeks ago, when the following r V- f <*•'''" was carried :—" That the public eov.t • i' a necessitated the opening of the 0 , " telegraph offices between the hours of'" 8 p. m., on account of the late arrival ' Southern mails on four days of the • The reply says : " I have given the Si very full consideration, and I re«ret t< i that the correspondence arriving bv th ' ° ing mails for delivery to the publ?> eVeU " eluding private box-holders, is verv - and that probably not innre than h'l ' dozen letters would be delivered wer" \\ post office re-opened, and I am unable a* present to order that the office be re-ot* 1 I very much regret that I have been ub !w to reply earlier, through illness and im portant Parliamentary buisness." There h not been any word of the resolution re harbour, etc., as far as I can learn but f course Sir Harry may have it all prepared no doubt he knows the proper time to r>ia his hand, but his constituents are anxioLi" waiting, as the session is drawing to a closJ A petition is lying here at Messrs. Newmans' store for signatures, asking the Taranaki County Council to declare all roads in the Parihaka Riding district roads. The e ff e( ,| is that only one rate should be struck. Ther are not many signatures to it, owing to w ?n of information on the subject, as very f<l persons have the Counties Act or Insij ' The district will soon be in direct com munication with your market by stearaeri which will be calling about the end o f V ; ' month. Me&srs. Ebbirt, Thompson mJ others have made arrangements with the lighter company to work their boats. The? are busy getting everything in order to be ready. Mr. McGregor, our blacksmith, and Mr John Ross, carpenter and builder, have jmj completed all things necessary in connection with working a chart'-cutting arrange nicut with water-wheel. Mr. Ross did the\vocd. work, Mr. McGregor the iron. Mr. C&stelb who is getting it done, got the race made. \ start has been made, and everything i< vrorking satisfactorily, reflecting ?reat "credit on all concerned. It is probable that eventually the water power will be utilised for grindin' wheat and crushing oats, or any other pur' pose that may be made to pay. Mr. Dabinett has been away up to Rahotu and put up a telephone office coirplete in Mr. McCullun's store. It is a capital piece oi work, and gives satisfaction. The Hon. Mr. Mitchelson, in answer to Mr. Marchant in the House, said the Parihab Reserve was the only place in Taranaki where the Dog Registration Act was not in force. Now it is asked on whac grounds could such a reply be given, for a good number of natives, not living in that reserve, were summoned and fined os and costs by the R.M., but the Government prevented the local body enforcing payment. Th{ natives did not pay, while others living ia the same neighbourhood did pay withos! being summoned, but were nor allowed say rebate. That was justice with a venyeinc;, —[Rahotu Correspondent.]

HOKIANGA. The only news at present which may be ::' interest to your readers is the fact that i> Hokianga County Council have pro; -ei a special order, which causes the count; v be divided into six, instead of two ridiks, as heretofore. The result of such special order is that all the present councillors' seats are made void, and a general election of councillors to represent the newlv-formeJ ridings is to take place immediately. Ve.-j few of the late councillors intend st-ekinj thj honour of re-election. They appear to b< tired of the responsibilities of office, mors especially now that their is very little prospect of having any funds. The proposed repeal of the Crown and Native Rating Act means a loss of about £809 to this county. and the only available revenue hereafter will be ordinary rates and hotel license fees, which will not give much over £300. This sum is far too insignificant to be of my service for keeping in repair hundreds of miles of roads which principally pass through Crown and native lands. The question is why should not the Government contribute towards having Crown lands increased in value through roads being made through them ? Amongst those who are said to hare refused to be nominated at the forthcoming election are Messrs. A. 8. Anderson leouniy chairman), Howe, and others.—[Own Correspondent]