The Waipawa Mail. Published Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturdays. SATURDAY, MARCH 5. 1887.

Waipawa Mail, Volume X, Issue 1055, 5 March 1887, Page 2

The Waipawa Mail. Published Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturdays. SATURDAY, MARCH 5. 1887.

The temperature was 66 degrees in the shade to-day, at noon. A polling booth has been granted for the Tamumu district, at the election of a licensing bench for Patangata. Mr Recab Harding kindly forwards us the following record of rain which has fallen at Mount Vernon, during the past month : Rain fell at Mount Vernon on the 6th, Bth, 9th, 17th, 27th, 28th, the total fall for the month being lin, and forty seven hundretlis, of which, fifty niue hundreths fell upon the 28tn February. The Thermometer registered 85 on the morning of the 19th, in the shade, at 9.30 a.m. and was as low as 56 on the Bth and 9tli at the same hour. There has been very little wind during the month.

The following tenders for the privileges in connection with the autumn meeting of the Waipawa County Club have been accepted : Grand Stand Bars and Luncheon Room, D. Maroney £l6 10s : Outside Luncheon Booth, W. Ashmore, £1 10s ; Fruit and Fancy Goods Stall, W. D. Patterson, £3 ; Cards of the Races, R. Sporle, £4. The tender of Chicken’s Waipawa Brass Band was also accepted. Mr Shauly, jun., has made a pair of candlesticks to hold six lights apiece, entirely of wood. They are really cleverly put together, and look very handsome. They are intonded for a bazaar to be held in Napier soon. Mr Sebley is going to have them in his window this evening. The newly elected licensing bench met at noon to-day, when Col Herrick was elected Chairman for the ensuing year. Messrs Buchanan, Bibby and Collett were present.

Mr Peters, who lives at Woodville, is a man of striking originality. He drives a coach, so that he has a claim to a knowledge of the road through the Gorge. Well, the Wairarapa county council are trying to saddle the Gorge road on the Waipawa County. The latter are a little tender in the back, just at first, and won’t be saddled, The Wairarapa county then become boisterous and threaten to erect a toll gate, just in the Gorge and about a hundred yards from the toll gate which already stauds there. Now the Waipawa councillors want to abolish all the toll gates, for they are a tax on the people. But Mr Peters has a more profound idea. “ Put up another toll-gate,” says he,” and then the Wairarapa people will have to pay toll too.’ Of course Mr Peters is aware that net only would the horrid travellers from Wairarapa have to pay, but those in the county as well. He is quite willing to pay two tolls, provided that that will insure the outsiders payingone. This is auothcr striking instance of the depth of Bush philosophy. Iu our report of the last meeting of the Waipawa Town Board, the discussion which took place in the matter of the valuation roll was not given as much prominence as it deserved. An impression seems to exist that Mr Harker throws the blame of the unequal valuations on the board. We believe Mr Harker actually does this. His remark that the larger properties were lightly, and the smaller ones heavily valued gives ground for this belief. But what the chairman said was quite true. The clerk made the valuations, and not the board at all. The clerk is an independent valuer, and he is so free from any influence that the board can exert that nothing short of an appcaj. at the Assessment Court can compel him to make alterations iu the valuation roll. It might, perhaps, have been judicious of the valuer to adjust his roll final’y, after hearing tlie opinions of the members of the board, but at auy rate he cannot be compelled to make any alterations whatever. It is manifestly wrong, therefore, to try to lay the blame on the board on account of any discrepanies which may appear to exist in the valuation roll. The members of it bad no say whatever in the preparation of the roll, that we are perfectly sure of. The Ashley Clinton races passed off successfully on Thursday last, about 150 people being present. About- £6O was put through the totnlisator, the rate of investment for gome of the races being 10s a ticket. There was only one accident, and that only a slight one, Niels Skjitrupp, riding in the Hurdles, being a. fittJe shaken but not seriously hurt. The following are the results of the racing;—Handicap Hurdles, Defarjoer, Stella { div. £1 Is. Hack Hurdles, Chemist, Clause, Peter; div. £l. Maiden, Creeping Jane, Slander; div, • 4s. In each of these races 4 horses ran. Ashley Clinton Handicap, Stella, Far-away. Bush Ranger 5 div. £2 8g f 4 horses ran. Hack Flat, Defamer, Chemist, Charlie, div. £2 11s. Scurry Stakes, 7 starters, Maire, Thunderbolt, After dark ; the winner was not backed on the machine, and the money returned, less commission. Consolation, Slander, After Dark ; 4 ran, div. £1 16s. The weather was fiuc, and those present grpcpicd to cujoy themselves thoroughly.