WAIROA.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3025, 7 March 1881, Page 2

WAIROA.

(from our own correspondent.) March 5,1881. The long drought has broken at laßt, and we have had a splendid downfall of rain. The river roße higher than I expected (considering many of the creeks were completely dried up), and brought down a good supply of firewood for the winter. There is a good spring in the grass, and altogether everything looks cheering. I hear that the new Bank of New Zealand leaked during the recent storm, but this" is only what might have been expected from the shape of the roof, which has a raised sort of coping round it, admirably adapted to prevent the water running off. A well-known female inebriate was locked up on Thursday, and there being no magistrate resident in the district, and the nearest Justice living three miles off, she was brought up on Friday morning and fined five shillings by the Coroner, who it seems is a Justice ex officio. A most interesting case is on the tapis. A lady, hearing her character had been traduced, appeared in the billiard-room of the Wairoa Hotel with a horse-whip, and proceeded to inflict punishment on a local celebrity in a most scientific manner, to the great amusement of those present. The publican, however, not approving of such proceedings on his premises, has taken action against the irate female. A crowd of Urewera natives have been promenading the; township during the week offering carved canoe? and wooden instruments of warfare cai .<MI patrk for sale. They are en route for Napier to cry over Tareha's decease, and are awaiting a steamer. Their telegrams to the Government for one have had no effect. A gentleman out looking at the Government land for sale has been overtaken by tne recent bad weather, and is now supposed to be somewhere on the Tauwharetoi block weather bound. _ If he has not a good supply of provisions with him he will learn more about the land than he ever expected to, the block being totally uninhabited. A public meeting was held in the County Hall last night to discuss the best means of inducing a medical man to settle in Wairoa. Mr Shaw was in the chair. A committee was formed, and it was decided to canvass the district and see what the settlers would guarantee in support of the object. When this is ascertained a doctor will probably he advertised for in the leading colonial journals. A young, active, bobef man, not afraid to travel, would make a fair living here. Dr. Ormond, who retires from ill-health, will render # the new Coroner every assistance in his power. It is also presumed the Government will give something on account of the natives, who are now entirely at the mercy of native quacks, whose favorite remedy is rum and painkiller. This prescription, though simple, very often proves fatal. I regret to learn that the late rain has done some damage to Mr Piper's hops, but hops are not like any other crop. Thedamage?done by rain one day may

be all rectified by a few fine days, at least bo the proprietor says, and he ought to know.

Last night Constable Shaw captured the two run away sailors belonging to the Mercia.