COUNTRY NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8475, 28 January 1891, Page 6

COUNTRY NEWS.

[from our own correspondents.]

Hamilton, Tuesday. William Mkri.iss was brought before (Japtain McPherson and Mr. John Knox, Justices of the Peace, yesterday, charged with being of unsound mind. Drs. Kenny and Murch gave similar testimony that he was not a lunatic, but in his dotage, and neither dangerous to himself nor to anyone else, though Dr. March thought it would be as well if he were kept under the care of the police for a few days. Accused had said that he would drown himself, but had since expressed regret for saying so. He is 7.) vears of age, and an old resident of Hamilton, and recently left the Old Men's Refuge because lie said he could not eat the food there. The Bench said they had no power to place accused in the hands of the police for a few days, and discharged him._ . The native Ngahu received into the hospital has left, his father refusing to allow his leg to be amputated. It was by the advice of Dr. Cushney he was sent to the hospital as he saw that amfrntatiftn was necessary. This opinion was confirmed by Dr. Kenny. The lad on leaving stated he was obliged to go, as his'father held the native who brought him to Hamilton responsible for bringing him back with as many legs as he left houi.' with, but that formality having been got over he would return of his own accord, and undergo the operation. Cambridge, Tuesday. Mr. George Wilson, mining inspector, who paid us a visit yesterday afternoon, left again this morning for Huntlv, the dip in Ralph's mine having been pumped dry by yesterday evening. An extraordinary vacancy in the Waikato County Council having occurred through the resignation of Mr. Kallender, nominations will be received until noon of Wednesday, 4th February. Oiiaui'O, Tuesday. Mr. Scott, of Hamilton, has been appointed teacher of the public school here, in place of Mr. Murray, removed to Ngaruawaliia. The land drained by Mr. Fry's operations in lowering Lake Ngaroti, some .'>oo acres, is bearing an excellent crop of lirst-class flax. It is stated that Mr. Fry will utilise the flax by the erection of a mill, though probably he will have many tempting oilers by flax-millers down the line. The reclamation of the land will thus prove an excellent investment, for the flax, if properly cut and cared for, will give a handsome yearly return. It is to be regretted that so few are looking to the future in the preservation and proper management of their flax lands.

[]'.Y TKLEKRAI'II.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Pakroa, Tuesday. Constable Mitchell this lnorniug arrested a man, named Leslie, oil a charge of larceny of a watch chain at Kirikiri. The accused was remanded by Mr. Kenny, J.P., to the Thames.

UPPER MAIIURANGI DISTRICT. A special meeting of the Upper Mahurangi Highway District Board was held at the Board's oilice, Warkworth, *on the .14th, when there were present: —Messrs. King (chairman), Moor, Sainsbnrv, and B. H. Mclvinney. The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. Tenders were received for contract No. 72, from JO. G. Clements, £19 10s (accepted); J. Barton, £20. For contract No. 73 there was only one tender, that of C. Thomson, £2 18s, which was accepted. _ A letter was received from the Survey ollice offering to provide £10 towards the opening of a new road through section 40, Kourawhero, and closing the old road (which would he rendered useless) under the provisions of the Public Works Act. provided the Board would undertake to do the necessary work. After discussion, the Board decided to accept the offer, and proceed with lie work at once. Mr. Morrison and Mr. McKinney were appointed as a deputation to wait upon Mr. Pulham re a road through his farm, and to report to the next meeting. Letters were received from Messrs. Hanna and Gil.'iihain, also from the Warkworth school committee. The Board agreed to do the work required by the school committee. —[Own Correspondent.]

TAHEKE.

_ Last week was i gloomy one for many in this .settlement. On Monday, 12th instant, an infant son of Mr. anil Mrs. White was taken-away after a few days' illness, the cause of death being inflammation of the bowels. On the 14th, Constance Young entered into rest, within a few days of her 16th birthday. She had been ailing for a short time, hut thought nothing much was wrong until Monday morning, when the symptoms appeared more serious. On Tuesday Dr. Hall, of lvawakawa, was wired for, and was promptly in attendance, but said at once that there was very little hope. She was then unconscious, and remained so until, oil the afternoon of Wednesday, she breathed her last. Every thing that kindness and sympathy could do was done by the wives of the neighbouring settlers, the poor girl being practically motherless, and great sorrow is felt for her father, to whom the bereavement is a heavy blow. The funeral took place on Thursday, in the temporary burying ground on Mr. R. Proctor's section (where the body of the infant before-mentioned had been placed on the previous Tuesday. Many of the settlers were present, and numerous wreaths of flowers were left on the grave. The Burial Office used in both cases was that of the English Church.

Apropos of burials, I do not know into what branch of the " Circumlocution Office " the Taheke Cemetery business has drifted. Land for'the purpose was conveyed by the Crown months ago, and application majje to have the trust gazetted, but we don hear that it has been done. There have already been six interments on the private property of Mr. Proctor. The outcry against sparrows is on the increase. It is absolutely impossible to grow grain. Settlers are reduced to cutting their crops green, for as soon as the ear begins to

whiten way goes the seed. It would hardly be safe to ask the Acclimatisation Society to deal with the matter. It would probably import snakes to devour the sparrows. Wo shall have to make a determined effort this autumn to lessen the nuisance. I see from the Parliamentary Paper containing Surveyor General's report that the district inspector calls attention to the dan- | gerous state of some of our roads. They have been in that condition now about two years, and getting gradually worse, but although Commissioners and Ministers ct hoc genu omne have been "moved" repeatedly nothing whatever has been done to put them right. We shall soon have to make application for a supply of Boy ton suits to enable us to fetch the main road. I don't wish the office-holders any harm, but it would be a relief to one's feelings to see one of theman under secretary would do—floundering in the neighbourhood of some of the dams, called for sake of euphony culverts, which (dis)grace our roads. He would probably emerge a sadder if not a wiser man. Our Sunday-school is so far a success in point of numbers. Last Sunday 24 children turned up. In the morning the schoolroom was occupied by Mr. Bridgeman, of Kawakawa, who has, I understand, arranged a temporary exchange with Air. Joughin (Wesleyan). The usual Anglican service was held in the afternoon. The fruit trees in the settlement are looking well just now, and there is a fair show of apples. Since writing the above the Inspector of Roads has been up, and let a few small contracts for repairs to the worst places, but the money at his disposal is quite inadequate to the requirements of the settlement.[Own Correspondent. ]

KAWAKAWA. The first contract for the Kawakawa-Puhi-puhi road has been practically " shut down" during the holidays, the contractor (Mr. B. King) being unable to get his hands to see the necessity of " making hay while the sun shone;" but at length work has been again resumed, and good hopes are entertained of the speedy completion of the work at the Tirihonga Gorse ; and the Council have called for tenders to complete the road as far as 'the junction at the Waiotu river, a work that, when taken in hand, will be speedily accomplished, and thus the connecting link between Kawakawa and Puhipuhi silver field will have been forged. There is nothing exciting in the news from that quarter at present, most of the claims being still protected, all anxiously awaiting the erection of the plant now on its way to the Prospectors' claim. Let us hope that the expectations of that company may be fully realised, as the prosperity of the field hinges greatly on the results of their undertaking. It is now publicly rumoured that the Bay of Islands Coal Company have completed their negotiations with the natives of Waiomio for the lease of a large area of coal country, and that boring operations will commence at an early date. Operations of the same nature are also to be carried on by Mr. J. W. Williams on his estate at Pakarata, where a very extensive coalbed is supposed to exist, and Mr. Williams has at length determined to prove the field with a view of forming a large and powerful company to work the future mines on a large and extensive scale. Expert miners say that the present workings of the Bay of Islands Coal Company will- collapse during the coming, winter.

Your correspondent from Waimate Morth appears to take umbrage at my letter in your issue of January 3 re "irregularities in the County elections," and chuckles at Kawakawa being disfranchised through their resolve to lulve the election carried out in accordance with the law, and in his report of the meeting of the Bay of Islands' Council, the chairman in his address says, " It seemed to him that in venting their spite on the Returning Officer these people cared nothing for the interest of the county." If this is reallv part of the hon. gentleman's speech, to say the least of it, it has a tendency to widen the breach between the ridings, while the assumption is absolutely untrue. Mr. King, I am sure, is quite as much respected in Kawakawa as Pakaraka, and I do not believe there is a ratepayer in either of the ridings, but what is fully cognisant of the many esteemed qualities of that gentleman, or who have any spite against him to give vent to, but when it comes to submitting to all sorts of informalities in electioneering matters, none knows better than Mr. King himself that his capacity for such a service, through his advancing years, is not what it was in the early days of his life, consequently he resigned his post. Your correspondent, with all the bumptiousness of a new-fledged councillor. has got hold of the " dirty end of the stick," and falls into the toils of our ten years' Ministry, full of his new honours, and to the great satisfaction of the powers that be. If the Counties' Act provided that no member should be eligible for the chair more than one, or, say, two terms in succession, it would work much better. Experience has taught us that any person holding office, term after term, at length looks upon it as a sinecure, and anyone bold enough to disagree with such a state of things is put down as an obstructionist, for with the vast influence our chairman has, in his own riding and Waimate, through business and family connections, renders it a very hard matter to deprive him of his seat. Kawakawa ratepayers are doing their level best to place in the Council men who are indifferent to Pakaraka dictatorship, men who cannot be assailed, either in business matters or in any other form, and who will see that a fair amount of justice is eked out to the Hukere--11 ui side of the county. I would advise your Waimate correspondent to bear in mind that if Kawakawa does not grow beef and mutton, eggs or butter, they consume a large quantity, and materially assist their brethren in the country by so doing.—[Own Correspondent.]