COUNTRY NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8501, 27 February 1891, Page 3

COUNTRY NEWS.

(from our OWN correspondents.] Oiiaupo, Thursday. MESSES. J. McNicol's sheep and ram fair, held yesterday, was the largest which has taken place in the Waikato, some 17,000 sheep of 'various kinds having passed' under the hammer. People were present from all parts of the large district comprised in the \Vaikato and Thames valleys, and the special train landed some fifty visitors at the station shortly before the sale commenced. With commendable forethought, Mr. McNicol, on th* train reaching Frankton, had luncheon and refreshments put on board it at that station, so that all could step out of it on arriving at Ohaupo, and proceed at once to the saleyard without delay. The bidding was brisk throughout, and higher prices were reached than at any previous safe this season. Especially was this noticeable in the sale of pure bred Lincoln stock, and in the case of the rams, one of Mr. J. McNicol's rams realising the reserve price of 15 guineas. The ram stock of Messrs. Seddon, Barugh, Storey, and Bosanko, realised highly satisfactory prices. Mr. Seddon realising from 3 • to 4 guineas each ; Mr. Storey's selling for from 4 to 5V guineas; while Mr. Barugh, in one case, realised 52 guineas: while Mr. Bosanko obtained for his Lincoln ram lambs almost all prices, from 2 guineas to s|. guineas each. Lincoln ewes and rams also sold in advance of previous prices. Mr. Bosanko's Lincoln ewe lambs sold at from £2 to 2 guineas each, and longwoolled ewes at an advance. Cross bred ewes sold as high' as 13s 4d, and half-bred in one or two cases realised 13s 9d. Merino ewes brought from j 4s 3d to ss. .•..'■■■■'.' J Kihikihi, Thursday. ' The poll for the return of a licensing committee was held yesterday, when from seven candidates the following were returned and declared duly elected :•—Messrs. Farrell, Moncrieff, Moody, Dinneen, and Buckworth. The result _of the local option poll, taken at the same time, is as as follows : —Publicans : For an increase, 7 ; against, 15. New Zealand wine : For, 7; against, 7. Accommodation : For, 10 against, 11. Bottle licenses: For, 8 ; against, 13. • <, •/■■. [BY TELEGRAPH.-tOWN CORRESPONDENT.] • Paeec-a, Thursday. Two more valuable horses injured in the Waihi accident have since died. Mr. Crimmins loses over £100 by the accident. Mr. Keuny, coroner, is holding an inquest this afternoon on the deceased Hughes, at, Owharoa. PUKEKOHE EAST.. The monthly meeting of the Band of Hope i was held in the schoolhouse on Friday, 20th instant, Mr. Morgan in the chair. \ The programme was shorter than usual. During the evening the following hymns of Hoyle were sung: 26, 43, 87, 21C, 213, 210. A solo on the piano was played.by Willie Sharp; readings were given by Maggie Swan, Agnes Sharp, and Mr. S. Macky ; Miss Stamp, from New Plymouth, sang a song; recitations, Mary Sharp and Miss Buttimore, secretary of Bombay Band of Hope. -; On Monday evening last a meeting of the school committee took place, five members being present, Mr. Morgan presiding. The principal business was the election of three members for the Board of Education. The chairman read the cjr,cularj3 from the various -.....,..'■.■■ »

-candidates', and after due consideration Mr, J. Hewitt proposed, and Mr. L. King seconded, "That this committee vote for Messrs. Barber, Motion, and Muir." There being no amendment the motion was carried. ■ The chairman hoped that if these three gentlemen were elected they would see to it that country schools got a little more capitation money granted, as some ot the smaller schools had not sufficient to pay ordinary expenses for cleaning and firewood. —[Own Correspondent.] BOMBAY. A sacred concert took place in St. Peter's Church on Monday evening, February 24, the proceeds to supplement the funds of the Sunday-school. The annual distribution of prizes to the scholars also took place. The Rev. E. J. McFarland presided. The following was the programme : —" Happy Home Above" by the choir, under the baton of Mr. McKinlay; song, " The Old Cathedral," Mr. G. Macky; song, "Late, Too Late," Mrs. Bispham; song, " Consider the Lilies" (Glover), Mr. McKinlay; solo and chorus, God is Love" Miss Cuthbert; "Redeemed," choir; trio, "Cast Thy BurdeD," Mr. and Mrs. Partington and Miss Marbrook ; song, " Ora Pro Nobis," Dr. Carolan ; recitation, "How St. Michael's was Saved," splendidly e given by Miss Cuthbert; song, . My Ain Countree," Mr. McKinlay ; song, " The Three Fishers," Mrs. F. L. Wright; " Pardon, Peace, and Power/' choir; duet, " Oh, Lovely Peace," Mrs. Partington and Miss Marbrook; distribution of prizes by Mr. McFarland; " Casting all Your Care Upon Him," choir song, " Tired," Mr. ii. Mackey; song, "The Nightless Land," Mrs. Bispham; song, " When Thou Art Present," Mr. Partington. Mr. McFarland, on behalf of the Sunday-school teachers, kindly thanked all who had assisted in the concert. Mrs. McFarland was the chief accompanist. The concert closed with the Doxology and Benediction.—[Own Correspondent.] WAIUKU. Heavy rain and sultry weather appears to be the order of the day for the past week. It commenced raining here on Wednesday afternoon last, and did not cease until Friday morning, having showers throughout Friday and Saturday. I notice that several of the crops are in the fields yet, and they must be almost entirely destroyed. There nave been some heavy floods in the Akaaka, Awaroa, and Otaua swamp lands, but I don't think much damage has been done.—[Own Correspondent, February 17-1 HUNUA. The wet weather since Christmas has been two and three days every week, and harvest with any degree of certainty or pleasure is out of the question. All kinds of grain, even late peas, are touched with-rust or mildew. Very much of the grain is ill matured. On the pbher hand, maizes pumpkins, melons, etc., have had a fine season, and made great progress. Fruit all around here is only medium. Plums are very poor. One result of the wet season has been that of giving the town cheap butter. The settlers complain very much at 4d per lb. The young people of the district gave a surprise party to Mr. and Mrs. Wright at their residence on February sth. Some 25 to 30 friends were present. Dancing, songs, and other amusements were indulged in till long after midnight, and after wishing well to the surprised family the party dispersed in their various directions hoping to meet again ere long. The coal Industry has not died a natural death here as yet. I am informed that a gentleman during the present month has taken a sample to Sydney from what is known as Wright's, Cowan's, and others. Another gentleman informed me that the coal near here, and known aa Bentley's, is also upon the point of being worked. If these rumours should prove true our district should have a boom ere long. Our Road Board held a meeting the last Saturday in January, when the Board was informed that the Minister of Lands had granted £200 for the main road leading to the waste lands of Otau— the said lands are being taken up upon perpetual lease. Some thousands of acres nave been taken or applied for on the Wairoa side of the block. On Friday, the Bth, Mr. Humphries, .chief surveyor, paid a visit to the said road. Four members of the Board were in attendance to confer with Mr. Humphries as to the most effectual way of utilising the grant. The members of the Board were greatly impressed with the interest with which the chief applied himself to get the greatest amount of benefit out of the grant. School Committee met on Tuesday, the 17th, to take into consideration the action of the Education Board in asking for half the sum of cost of painting the schoolhouse. The committee was unanimous in condemning the Board, as our capitation allowance is £6 per annum. The expenses during the past year were £8, so that the committee would seem to be in the right in entering a protest. The next business was voting for new members, and being of opinion that a change in the personnel of the Board was necessary for the country to get justice, voted straight for new blood.—[Own Correspondent.] TUAKAU. On the 18th inst. Mr. and Mrs. Brown, of Woodlands, surrounded by their children, grandchildren, and a large party of friends, celebrated their "golden wedding." A very pleasant afternoon was spent, and universal, were the congratulations bestowed upon this' old couple, who are still hale and hearty, and apparently good for many years to come. Mr. Brown in his speech, after an early dinner, said they were married in Sydney, and from his remarks I should imagine he had from his long experience found marriage anything but a failure. By Monday's Hekald I notice you in Auckland had heavy rain on Saturday. Here we had a few light showers only in the af ternoou, but Sunday was showery in the afternoon and evening. Harvest is pretty well over. Some of the crops have been got up in good condition, while others are much damaged. The principal crop grown in this settlement was oats, they being more remunerative than wheat, which this year is poor in quantity and quality.—[Own Correspondent.] i OMAHA. % A MEETING of the Omaha and Pakiri Agricultural and Horticultural. Show Committee was held in the Public Hall on the evening of February 14. Ten members of the committee were present. The secretary read replies from the persons who had been invited to act as judges. With one exception all consented to act, and some offered valuable suggestions as to the staging of the exhibits and other matters connected with the management of the show, which met with the hearty approval of the committee, and an endeavour will be made to carry them out. The chairman and several members handed in lists of subscriptions promised, and also the following goods as special prizes :—Valuable teapot, boxes of tea, bags of oatmeal, box of soap, and one dozen scrubbing brushes, so that with the assistance of the last two items our good housewives will be able to practice that virtue which is reckoned next to godliness. Other special prizes are expected, and as subscriptions are coming in well the committee expect to be able to offer fair prizes. As the services of the whole of the local band could not be obtained, other arrangements were made for providing music for the evening's entertainment. As this is the only show on the east side of the county of Rodney, it is generally well patronised by exhibitors and visitors extending from Warki worth to Mangawai, and it is expected that 'this years exhibition, which takes place on Wednesday, March 4, will prove as successful as any previous ones. Although the fruit crop is a light one, with the exception of apples, yet what there is is equal in size and quality to any - exhibited in previous year's, and vegetables should be well represented, as the late heavy rains have kept all f vegetation in a flourishing state.—-[A Correspondent.] , MATAKANA. The heavy rain from the N.E. on the 12th I nstant caused the highest flood known for many years. Messrs. Vipond Bros.' dam was carried away, but, so far, no further serious damage is reported elsewhere, although many have little losses, and everyone was put about with the oppressive moisture that penetrated everything. In this and the adjoining district of Whangaripoa large area of bush was down awaiting favourable weather to fire, but the late rains have spoiled any chance of a burn this season. Mr. J. S. Roper, who is the sole surviving hop-grower, has had the prospect of a fine.crop somewhat discounted with the excessive rain and wind. The riding member, Mr. J. Snell, invited tenders for breaking metal, but failed to get a single one, and the time is extended to further on. Lately it seems a difficult matter to get a bid for public work, which is in marked contrast to former years, when competition reduced contracts to Chinamen's wages. Quite an exodus of young men took place lately to the bush districts of the West Coast, where axe men are in good demand at high rates. The public library 'has received from Messrs. Wildman arid Lyell over 50 volumes of the latest literature, as a first instalment, including works of Rider Haggard, Stevenson, Claffc-Russell, Black, Blackmore, Hatton, and other equally famed writers of modern fiction.—[Own Correspondent.] On Sunday evening last divine service was held here by the Itey. J, Haselden, The

night was very wet, and only about thirty people ventured out. On Monday MrHaselden gave a lecture on the " History o£ Christianity iii England," in the hall. There was a good attendance, and the lecture waa highly appreciated. The lecturer illustrated hisi subject with a large number of first-claaa slides, shown in a powerful magic lantern., A moonlight picture of Canterbury Cathedral, and one of Magna Charta Island, were specially admired.—[A Correspondent.] PAPAROA. The Wesleyan Sunday-school celebrated ite anniversary on Sunday, the 15th instant, *>y holding special services, at which hymna selected from the children's Hosannaa were sung by the children and choir. Service was held in the afternoon and evening In the afternoon Messrs. J. H. Wilson and T. McMaster gave short addresses, and in th<» evening the Rev. G. T. Marshall preached a sermon on bringing up children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The children's treat was held on the following day, but in consequence of the threatening aspect of the sky, and some showers, the afternoon's proceedings were much damped. As it was, the best part of the day was after tea, when the tug of war and other games were heartily indulged in. A short meeting was held in the hall .after dark, when the anniversary hymns were again sung, when Messrs. Marshall, McMaster and T. W. Wilson spoke, and the day was pleasantly concluded.—[Own Correspondent.] MAUNGATUROTO. The uncertain weather which has prevailed for so long a time, and which has been especially tantalising to harvesters, still continues. Many crops have been seriously damaged, and some quite so. On Thursday, the 19th instant, the weather suddenly cleared, and the youth and beauty of the settlement accepted Mr. H. Cullen's invitation for a picnic down the river. There was a large gathering, and three boats took the party down as far as Mr. Linton's place on the Otamatea. Mr. Linton very generously E laced his paddocks, and for the most parti is house, at the service of the party; and the weather being fine, and not too hot, and a nice breeze blowing, I need hardly say a most enjoyable day was spent. At about five, o'clock the tide had risen suffi* ciently high to float the boats, and the party left for home, not, however, without givinsya unanimous vote of thanks to Mr. Lintouior his kindness. The County Council have entered into the road work of this riding with unusual vigour, and some very important and necessary works have been done and undertaken. It will be some time, however, before our roads will-be all we could wish. The fact remains that the IN or them counties have never to any appreciable extent enjoyed the times of the borrowing policy of the late Governments, and now are left to do the best they can for themselves. This, of course, is very unfair. The country, generally, is atdifficult one for good roads to be made, being for the most part hilly, requiring long and deep cuttings to be made, and good metal is scarce. Takea altogether, it will be a long time before we §et such roads as at present exist in the outh, and especially in the South Island. The railway is felt to be a very visionary affair, and is still a long way off.—[Own Got* respondent.!