MAHURANGI.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9539, 4 December 1889, Page 6

MAHURANGI.

o>~ Thursday, the 21sfc, the return social given by the gentlemen of Warkworth was Reid in the Masonic Hall, and came off with great eclcit. A committee consisting of -Messrs. McGregor, Taylor, Dibble, H. McKinney, A. E. Kicholls, andE. Pulhain took upon themselves the onerous duties of making the necessary arrangements. The large hall was tastefully anil artistically decorated with . festoons of variety from our native flora; also with a grand display of Hags and banners, kindly lent for the occasion by Messrs. Ross and Hume and Captain Somerville, and a variety of Chinese lanterns lent by the ladies' committee. It.seems the committee could not get through the decoration portion of the business without a large accession of lady assistants, and I feel bound to say that never before did the large hall look so gay; and when the spacious room was occupied by the throngs of merry couples threading the mazes of the .dance; formed a tout ensemble rarely, if ever, before witnessed iu our township. One great improvement was having the baud in the gallery, thus leaving the whole of the spacious floor available for the votaries of terpsichore. The ladies who so ably assisted, and to whom the committee desire to acknowledge their thanks, were Mrs. Dibble, Mrs."Pulhain, Mrs. Carr, Mrs. T. Warin, Miss Weston, Miss Maxwell, Miss Southgate, Miss M. Pulhain,- Miss McMillan, Miss Jackson, Miss Warin, and Miss C. Horslcy. The music was supplied by , the Auckland Artillery Band, under the conductorship of Bandmaster Hunter, who, with his six brass instruments, gave general- satisfaction throughout a long programme. Messrs. Dibble and Taylor performed the duties of M.C.'s. The whole company seemed to enjoy a pleasant evening, and the gayety was kept up till beyond the short hours, and the morning was found kissing away the dying night long before the last home was reached. Refreshments were liberally provided, and politely distributed during the evening. - I am very glad to have to record that good reports are to hand of the young man, R. Warin, who had the misCortuue to have his arm crushed at Wilson's limeworks, and subsequently amputated at the Auckland Hospital. It seems the poor fellow suffered terribly from shock and seasickness, and was very near sinking from that and loss of blood, but is now progressing favourably.— [Own Correspondent.]

VICTORIA VALLEY. The weather is very fine, just a little too dry for farming purposes, but delightful for travelling, lc is not usual to see the roads so good as they are so early in the season, and according to present indications there is every prospect of a very dry summer, and consequently bad crops. However, I hope a little rain will soon make its appearance, as it is not too late, but very soon will be, for early-sown grain crops. There is not such a large extent of crops in this district as otherwise would have oeen had the early part of the spring been more favourable; but what there is is looking very fair indeed. • It seems tome both strange and singular that a place so bounteously endowed by nature as this should be so neglected, not only by the Government, but by numbers of people in search of homesteads. I have time after time, through the columns of this paper, called the attention of the workingmen about town in times of depression, when hardly keep body and soul together, to pack up their swag and take to the country. The land laws are liberal enough to please the most fastidious. There is cash payment, perpetual lease, deferred payment, and homestead system, which is the best of all. Now, no man need be afraid to come to a place like this, for the simple reason that the land is of the best quality, aud t the climate u still better. Then, if a man's resources run short, there is an excellent gumfield adjacent, on which a man can earn 40s per week. Then, there is flax-dressing. Now, I hold that a workingman that is a labourer is a great deal better off here than what he would be in the South, where there are no gumfields. Nearly all the settlers in this place are homestead people, and nine,teen out of twenty have succeeded in making themselves comfortable homes. Try it, my friends,try it; you won't repent. 'W« have people .here of. all nationalities, and all religious living anost harmoniously together'.—[Own Correspondent.]