WAIROA.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3653, 30 March 1883, Page 3

WAIROA.

[raOM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Alarch 28, 1883

The trustees of the Mechanics Institute met on Wednesday last, and decided to order books and periodicals to the value of £15. Mr Henry Nairn, of Listen, Te Kapu, was elected a life member of the Institute, that gentleman having subscribed £5 towards the funds. Air R. Deighton was elected an honorary member.

I hear that two of the Gisborne road contracts have been let, No. 4 to Air T. Duckett, aud No. 2 to Air C. Lloyd. I have not heard the figure in either case. The usual fortnightly meeting of the Clyde Total Abstinence Society, held on Thursday, was but fairly attended, a good many members being unavoidably absent. It was decided to introduce some secular part singing, so as to make the meetings more attractive and enjoyable, and to invite the attendance of friends. The fruit crop this year is a surprisingly good one, especially for apples, though other fruits also were in abundance. The question must soon force itself upon 'Towers : how to dispose of their produce at a profit. Unless the progress of population increases very rapidly, the quantity of fruit will in a very few years far exceed the demand for home consumption. The balance must therefore be preserved or dried for exportation.' The drying process is very simple, and the chief outlay is for the plant, after which the other expenses are very little. Dried fruits put up neatly in boxes and well advertised should find a ready sale in England. A drying or fruit preserving establishment in Hawke's Bay would, lam sure, pay well. Anyone starting here would require to get from the growers a guarantee to supply fruit at a fixed price for a certain period. There arthundred of trees planted here every year, and the aggregate weight of fruit raised annually must even now be very greatNews has been received from the Afahia to the effect that the Pound, kept by Air E. B. Bendall,' has been forcibly broken open by the natives, and a number of horses impounded there rescued. Air Bendall has resigned the office of pound-keeper, and matters have gone back to the statu quo ante which existed when Dr. Ormond was R.AI. The time I speak of the Pound was broken into as now, and all the majesty of the law, represented by Dr. Ormond, R.AI., some J.P.s the constables, interpreter, and the native assessor, visited Afahia. The Euro- j peau representatives of the law were refused admission to the pa where the delinquents resided, but Toha was admitted, and met a very warm reception—a warmth which he scarcely appreciated. A mat was nicely spread for the peace-making assessor, and he sat down, oidy to jump up again with a y C ll_the mat had been carefully spread on a Maori oven ! Certainly Toha_ could not complain that he was received with cotdnetm. I am anxious to know how the majesty of the law will fare on this occasion. I fancy the natives will find Capt. Preece a hard nut to crack.

I see the printer has made two stupid blunders in my last letter. In the " par " re doctor tho sentence, "so we do want, etc.," was made "some do want." lam also made to say that the local "quarantine" instead of "guarantee" would not be sufficient to secure the services of a good doctor. For my share of these errors I cry peccavi. Since writing last I find that Duckettand Co. here have got the No. 3 contract, AVai-roa-Gisborne road—£97o. C. Lloyd, No. 4 contract, at £2 per chain for earth work, and £87 for timber work. No. 2 has been taken by a Napier man—Hogan, I think, is tho name.