WAIRAKAPA.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVI, Issue 3367, 9 December 1871, Page 3

WAIRAKAPA.

4> [Fbosi otje own Correspondent.] meat preserving. The directors of the Wairarapa Moat Preserving Company held a meeting at the Rising Sun, Greytown, on Monday last. Present, the Hon Mr Waterhouse, Messrs Pharazyn, and Beetham. It was resolved that intending shareholders should be requested to pay their deposits of Is per share, without any further delay. It was also resolved that as there were not at present any amount of surplus fat stock in the district, and as, at present prices, meat preserved by the tinned process will not pay, nothing further should be done until such time as beef shall fall as low as los per lOOlbs, in which case a general meeting j of shareholders will be convened, and a decision come to, as to whether it will be desirable to try the salting process. ! As, however, the expected influx of population, by the Immigration and Public Works policy now being inaugurated, will probably, for some time at least keep the price of beef above 15s per 100 lbs, the experiments of salting beef for export will have to be tried where the cattle are more plentiful, and the population more sparse, than will ever again be the case in the province of Wellington. THE ITOXOR.VniUM. It is f^^jd_y known that the memorial ulfl^CTeporsted originated in an offer ihade by Mr Waterhouse to give the honorarium he received for attending the session of the General Assembly towards the establishment of a public library, but it does not appear to be generally known that Mr C. J. Pharazyn, another of the honorable members of the Upper House, has followed Mr Waterhouse's example, by giving £80 to the Thorndon School and L 25 to the Wellington Benevolent Society. These liberal acts require to be publicly noticed in order that others may be induced to imitate them. Until members are chosen for other qualifications besides their social position, and possession of great wpalth,

this vote ought certainly not to be continued. Public men, not only in the colonies, but in England, manage indirectly if not directly to obtain pay for their services, but it appears scarcely the thing that honorable members should be paid for looking well after their own personal interests, which appears to be the principle part of the business undertaken by members of the Legislative Council. THE FEA.THERSTON FETE. The ladies of the Wairarapa have been busily engaged in making articles for the bazaar which is to constitute one of the attractions at the fete which h to take pace on the 13th inst., at Fe«therston, for the benefit of the Church building fund. There will be a variety of rural sports, cricket, dancing, &c. ; and in the evening a ball will be held, which is sure to be very largely attended. It is to hoped that better arrangements will be made for providing tea for visitors than were made at a fete for a similar object which took place some time ago at Mastorton. But this is sure to be the case, as the forthcoming fete is under most efficient management. SHEARING. The weather last week, for the first time, this season, has been very favorable for shearing. The fleeces, on the whole, will be found much heavier and cleaner than they have ever been before. At the Otaraia station GIOO sheep have been shorn, consisting, chiefly, of pure bred and merinos, and producing some seventy live bales of very superior clean wool. At the Dry River station the fleeces averaged B£lbs each, and one of the fleeces which was put into the scales weighed 13£lbs. At the Huangaroa station the sheep are all very clean, but less progress has been made with the shearing on account of the wet state of the weather and the desire felt that the sheep should be perfectly dry before being shorn. The product will be above the average. Shearing will commence at the Tauanui station to day, while at others it has been already neatly concluded. The whole of the sheep in the lower valley are now free from scab, and there is any amount of feed for them this season owing to the unusual prevalence of rainy weather. SHHEP STEALING. A somewhat disreputable character, known by the nickname of " Hoppy," was arrested last week by Constable Bryan, on a charge of killing and stealing sheep, and it is reported that certain natives have used him as a paw by which to get the chestnuts. He wns brought before S. Reruns and C. Pharazyn, Esqs, J.P.s, and remanded until Wednesday. The sheep were the property of Mr Hirschberg, and it is said the prisoner was detected in the act of setting a clog upom them. A number of skins have been found, having Mr Hirschberg's brand. PUBLIC LIBRARY. The provisional committee, which had been appointed at a public meeting to take preliminary steps for the establishment of a public library in the Wairarapa, in connection with the Town Hall at Greytown, and to convene a public meeting on the subject at such time as the Hon Mr Waterhouse could be present, had a meeting on Monday last, There were present Mr Waterhouse, Mr Pbarazyn, Mr Beetham, the Rev A. Knell, Mr Arnot, and, during part of the proceedings, Mr Moles. After some discussion it was decided, that immediate steps should be taken with the view of ascertaining whether the Institute can take over the Town Hall on favorable terms, with the object of using it as a library, lecture room, &c, and that a legal opinion be obtained as to the present position of the title to the land on which the Hall stands. It was also decided that such arrangements as may be found practicable shall be made for the establishment of branch depots of books in the several townships of this district. In order not to lose time, it was decided that an order should be sent to England by the next mail for books to the value of from £100 to £150. Mr Waterhouse and several others agreeing to pay thesr subscriptions at once to enable this to be done. A subcommittee,consisting of Messrs Revans, Phorozyn, Arnott, and Moles, was appointed" to select the books to be ordered, to prepare rules, to negotiate for the transfer of the hall, and to report to a general meeting to be held on the 1-lth December. The committee appear to have forgotten the original object of their appointment, which was to communicate with the Hon. Mr Waterhouse, and to covene a public meeting at such time as that gentleman could be present, in order that the public might have an opportunity of hearing his views on the subject, and then take such steps as might be deemed desirable for carrying out the proposed object. For the information of the committee, and the benefit of the proposed institute, I am enabled to state that having for several years occupied the position of paid secretary of a similar institute in England, if the committee do the business they have undertaken in a business-like manner, they will be able to get nearly the whole of the books they may order, and which such an institute will chiefly require, including | copyright works only just issued from the press, from London houses, at from 25 to 75 per cent below the published prices. I may also state that it will be advisable to order books, that are likely to be much read, to be strongly bound, as this can be done in England at very little extra expense, whereas tlie charges made here for binding is something enormous. A proposition was received by the committee from Dr AVelch offering to sell a building, which he deemed very suitable for the institute, on very liberal terms; which proposition, however, was not entertained. Tn any case, Dr Welch says, he will make to the institute a donation of standard works. BRIDGES. Mr Baird, the Provincial Engineer, has been engaged in taking the levels

for the bridge about to be erected over the Tauherinakau, and Mr Dennan, under his instructions, has been doing the same at Waingawa. When erected they will pr6ve a great public benefit. It is understood that the Provincial Government will,atthesame time put the ma.'n road over the Taratahi plains in an efficient state of repair. CHURCH OF ENGLAND. A church will be shortly erected at Featherston for the benefit of the members of the Church of England residing in that township, and that there is a prospect of a resident clergyman being stationed at Masterton. The Bishop of Wellingion has been recently taking a tour through the Wairarapa and the East Coast districts, and has been well rceived by both European and Native residents.