MATIERE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LX, Issue 143763, 11 April 1912, Page 7

MATIERE.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) Splendid growing weather has replaced the recent boisterous time experienced a while back, and it would hardly surprise the most guileless to be told that matrimonially-inclined couples have embraced the chance of halcyon day's to tie the “Gordian kind.” The first to lend off was Air. R. Ethcrington, who espoused Alisa Quccnte White, the ceremony being performed at the residence of Airs. Ethcrington, sen., Whcnuakura. Aliases G. N. White and Alav Ethcrington made charming bridesmaids ami Mr. George Etherington acted as best man, Mr. Thomas White, brother of the bride, giving her away. Mr. and Airs. Etherington are spending their honeymoon in the Auckland district.

A couple of days later orange blossoms were again in evidence in the same valley, when Air. William Sanderson was married to Miss I. Flett, eldest daughter of Mrs. Flett, of AVhcmialaira Aralley. The ceremony was a quiet one and was performed by the. Rev. Air. Ward, Presbyterian minister, of Tantnarniuii. The banns of marriage are also published for another wedding for the 4th of this month, and it looks as if onr bachelors, who have hitherto been a drug in the marriage market, are going to, in the words of the commercial column, allow that market to “right itself.” The sale here on Alaroh 26 was, as usual, an exceedingly successful one, some 1600 cattle as well as sheep being yarded, as well as a casual horse or two from a far country whose owners’ mission was to .“sell the animals to a stranger.” The cattle, with the exception of one small pen, changed hands, and bullocks ran to £8 10s each for the primer sorts. Temporary pens had to be constructed, and the larger sheep pens were used to hold the younger cattle. It is quite evident that the recent additions to the yards are insufficient, and we can safely recommend the company to spend a. portion of that £IB,OOO profit recently disclosed by the balance-sheet in still greater additions, as, with another 20,000-acre block being opened up near Alatiere and the increased carrying capacity of adjacent farms, this sale bids fait, to he one of the largest in the province. The railway, I believe, still gets along at the pace of Shakespeare’s “leadenfooted night,” and its advent, with the present number of workers, as far as Alatiere’is concerned, is rather remote.

The pumice drays have been mending the worst places in the road at tho 11 and 12 mile pegs, hut the intervening road is very bad, and our wag has again been warning all and sundry against filling in one particular lake of unknown depth, as the fishing rights had been purchased, etc., etc. There, is money for a syndicate, however, in the project of taking over this partially abandoned Government thoroughfare for brickmaking. and it only needs an enterprising man to make an offer to the Government for the well-pugged portion of tho road to acquire a. rapid fortune. Assuredly it would bo more profitable to the settlers in bricks than as an apology for a road. However, what can wo expect when roads officials are more at home in an office penning evasive replies, and in one case at least an inspector now in charge of nearly 200 ‘ men was not very long ago quite innocent of roads experience and was weighing sugar behind, a counter. A large block of land between the 4 and 11 mile pegs is being opened up aud comprises over 20,000 acres. The sections will be tapped by the service road of the new railway, and, being in easy reach of rail and road facilities, it should elicit great competition. The majority of the land grows giant fern and tutu on the open land, and a good quality of bush on the wooded portion. Things in onr local council were of a lively nature on the 30th, when the chairman took tho initial steps to proceed against a councillor for an alleged slanderous utterance at the council table. However, a third councillor demanded an apology from the chairman on similar lines, and announced bis intention of instituting proceedings to vindicate his character on a similar plaint, and altogether things are very middling. Tho settlers along the Alatiere-Te Kulti road are taking steps to raise a loan from the State Advances Office for tho purpose of metalling with burnt papa, and at a meeting held at Otangiwai and attended by Councillors Lyon and Sowry it was. unanimously decided to push the matter along. A petition was drawn up and largely signed in the room with the object of getting the council to put the matter on a workable footing. , I learn that it is probable that Air. Massey will visit this locality, and wo can certainly assure him a very hearty welcome, for, as one who has had opportunities of judging, I may say that the back-blocker has great confidence in the loader of the Reform Party, engendered by many thoughtful acts and the fact that he attends to all details himself and also writes a courteous reply to every query or complaint, evidently believing in the old adage, “If you want a thing done well, do it yourself.”