WAIROA.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3173, 30 August 1881, Page 3

WAIROA.

(from our ows correspondent.) August 26tb, 1881. _ The Rev. J. Hill announces a magic lantern exhibition in aid of the funds of the local cricket club. The subject of the lecture will be views of the Holy Land and London. Tbe Gisborne footballers, Messrs Mills, Wvllie, liloomfield, Pavitt, and Te Kani Pere, are all here still, and will take part in the scratch match to be played in the recreation ground to-morrow afternoon. The weather looks unpropitiousjust now, and it strikes me a " buster " is not far off. We have been favored this week with a very infelicitous selection of weather, hardly anything but rain. The superstitious among us attribute those abundant pluvial blessings to tbe presence here of a venerable priest from your district. Ever since I remember the rev. gentleman I have noticed that, whenever he visits our district, we usually have rainy weather, and yet I am not superstitious. The town basbeen pretty full of natives these two days, attracted by the cheap sale inaugurated by your townsman, Mr Blythe. Most of these natives were women, and habited for the most part in sackcloth (without the ashes). The eastumes are made out of sacks, tightened rouDd the chest, and confined by a belt round the waist. I have seen one with an embroiderd neck and sleeves, pockets, and other appendages, They are not very artistic certainly, but tbey are warm and—cheap. A complete outfit for less than one shilling ! By degrees the much neglected property on the Wairoa-Turiroa road, lately held by Mr J. W. Witty, and now in the hands of Mr Carlile, is changing hands and being turned to good account. Mr Powdrell's 60 acres have been cleared, ploughed, and laid down in English grasses. Where but a few months ago toetoe and flax grew luxuriant choice grasses and fat sheep now abound. Mr J. S. Black has taken up an additional piece of this land, 96 acres in Tawhara Valley, for which he paid £400, or at the rate of little under £4 per acre. On Wednesday evening last the members of St. Andrew's Church held their annual congregational meeting in the church. The balance-sheet showed the stipend fund as amounting to £373 lis lOd, and a balance in bank to credit of that account of £9 2s 2d. Building fund : Balance last statement, £1 7s 3d; balance in bank, 17s 3d. Manse fund : Total receipts, £31 4s 9d ; net balance in hand, £29 lls7d. Liabilities : Loan on building account, £150. Assets: Pew rents and subscriptions due, £39. The above balance-sheet having been read and adopted, a vote of thanks to the secretary, Mr R. Gardener, 3U0., was carried. The old committee, Messrs Shaw, Getntnell, S. Flint, Mayo, J. 8. Black, and R. Gardener, jun., (Secretary), were re-elected to serve as a committee for the ensuing year, together with Messrs N. Walker, J. Davis, J. Couper, T. Catley, and D. Black. A vote of thanks to the rev. chairman terminated the proceedings. Taken as a whole the position of the church seems satisfactory, and considering the hardness of the times the balance-sheet reflects great credit on the committee.