EAST COAST NEWS.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 410, 8 May 1902, Page 3

EAST COAST NEWS.

PORT AWANUI. (From our own Correspondent.) The weather has teen wet during the last few days, and the Maoris predict a bad "winter. From P as £ experience I should say nowever, that Uicy arc not very good gu-ges, and very often like Captain Edwin s wires their predictions mean the opposite. Messrs James Knox and J. Robertson returned home last Monday from Gisborne where they have been visiting. Constable Gerrard has teen here for several days (hunting up more stolen cheques, I am informed). He returned to Waipiro yesterday. Mr James Smith, of the .->ea View Hotel, is spending a week at the Waipiro Hot Springs. Mr J. F. Pettic, of Waipiro, passed through Awanui on Tuesday last en route for Te Araroa.

Doctor Davis visited Awanui on Thursday for the purpose of attending a native who met with a slight accident. You cannot imagine how popular your East Coast Edition is becoming up here and I iiear it is the same at allthc coastal townships.

TUPAROA, (From Our Own Correspondent). Everything up this part of the coast seems remarkably quiet during the past fortnight, except the weather, p.nd that seems remarkably boisterous. Pigeon season started on first May, but the natives have been having a very good innings during the last three weeks, getting big bags. This reems a shame, for when the season comes in the birds are very shy and gone back a long way. Nobody cares about being informer, so the law is broken drily. There are great complaints that the Native Land Court left Port A/wanui with its business half done, ani now nearly twelve months’ have passed arm still no sign of the return of the Court. This is putting all parties to

great inconvenience. K • The Native Council, under the new Native Lands Act, are not very enerjctic. They, so far have done nothing will, the native tracts of land handed over to them by the natives at Waiomatatini. This is a great pity, as, from the number of applicants for Kawhia lands there are hundreds willing and anxious to take up the-e lands which are much better than the King country will ever be.

TOKOMARU BAY. (From Our Own Correspondent). We have had very broken weather this last week which has again made our roads in a very heavy condition for travelling. Mr W. McCracken and his men, with the Waiapu County road machine, are now at work here cleaning out the water tables along the roads, it is to •be-hoped the weather will take up for. a few weeks and thus enable all the more necessary stretches of road to ne put in repair. The machine does excellent work on roads already formed, ani although it requires five or more

horses to work it, still it does repair}J lag, side cuttings, and flat formations u much more cheaply than it has been f: done here' heretofore. This is another ? of the wise steps taken by the Waiapu .County Council. The. local householders meetiug was H\ held oil the appointed date. A hearty :]' .vote of thanks was accorded Miss id. 1 Pickering for her perseverance and dilt igence, etc., while in charge of the school, Miss Pickering ndving Been here nearly two years. Miss Bedingfield, now in charge of the School, is doing good work and is highly respected both by children and parents. A new Committee was elected, The accounts showed a ' balance in hand. •' -Your Special’s remarks re. the local post, office have caused considerable .discussion and amusement. We now •thirik there is a possibility rd us getting" a new office, and it certainly seems absurd for. the department to shift or .do anything else to me old one.. .We are shortly to have the Morse instruments placed’in this office, and our popular post-mistress, Miss McGavin, journeys to Auckland this 'v.eek to jstudy and learn telegraphy so as to be able to work the instrument when put in.V Tile opening of the shooting season . saw'a number of young aiid tdd sports ■ wending their way over bill and dale in search of game! Nothing startling iri : the way. of big bags lias been heard of as yet. Pigeons are in excellent condition and plentiful in a icfr places, ani are how around here feeding on cabbage trees, and accordingly most easily got at. The Hikuwai bridges are now completed with the exception of the paint- - ing and also the plastering of the coni Crete pillars. Tenders close on Wednesday for the f .work, between the bridges mentioned ! last week. Quite a number Of cortrac- „ .tors went over the ground on ’Saturday in company with the engineer, who jwas showing the work to be done, and Close competition is expected.

TOLAGO BAY. (From Our Own Correspondent.) It is indeed very gratifying to note the marked change that has taken place in our village of late. All antiquated ideas appear to have exploded and been replaced with' modern. The Sabbath Day has every indication of being revived ; the wants of our district being freely discussed and in progress, while harmony prevails in all directions. That the past deeds of our exemplaries did not merit unanimous favor is evident, but it is “ never too late to mend ” and let us hope that the future shall continue to reveal a multitude of improvements so that wo may again achieve the long lost laurels 6f twenty years ago. > , i'&t a meeting recently, convened for the purpose of erecting a suitable hall in Hauiti it was decided that a circular building should serve the occasion, with a capacity to accommodate between four and five hundred people, the hall to be utilised for such purpose as may be necessary for the welfare of our district. Already £BS has been subscribed, and now we anxiously await' a moderate estimate from the carpenter so that matters may proceed, when the balance of money will no doubt be forthcoming. ‘At the instigation of several of our local and energetic ladies the Bev. H. Williams has been prevailed upon to conduct Divine Service at Tolago Bay monthly, and so that a suitable choir shall greet the occasion, Mr Orpwood, late of Tasmania, who has ably assisted singing classes, has kindly placed his services at the disposal of those who may join, and weekly practice is now proceeding. At the opening of the shooting season our worthy pigeon hunters turned out “en

masse,” but owing to the very inclement 1 state of the weather small bags have , been reported ranging from a brace to ten ditto, while those whose manoeuvres were * directed towards the palmatcd tribe could ! but sympathise, and returned with con- ’ i siderably more ammunition than game. , The prospect of fine weather has again inspired the trigger knights, and several 1 expedition parties are making preparation for a further onslaught. Judging by the large number of mixed class of horses that have been passing through here en route for the Gisborne and Auckland markets, there must be a ready sale for them, and it must be a very profitable investment. At varied times of mustering I have seen large - mobs of horses (after being slightly culled by their supposed owners) sold as a job lot ranging from two shillings and sixpence to ten times that amount, and right glad are the station owners to get rid of them. The Government have doubtless adopted a very sage policy by importing a good sound serviceable class of horse for breeding purposes, etc., but perhaps the Department has somewhat overlooked (he fact of the presence of a large number pf Maori bred horses which are allowed et

roam at large. Running almost wild they invariably break down or jump over fences into enclosures wherein valuable mares are depasturing. What therefore is the uso of country breeders seriously considering this question of legitimate stockraising, with no little redress for the irreparable damage effected at least for a season. One is at all times apt to notice that when an offence of serious moment has been committed rarely has the animal an owner. The Government should introduco a Bill dealing with the destruction of these useless animals, and if this were done a great improvement would be assured.

The early notification of penny postage to Australia through the medium of your valuable paper has been received throughout our district with much satisfaction, and we compliment the Hon. J. G. Ward for the able manner in which he has so urgently and persistently labored to secure that which we opine must generally prove of immense pecuniary benefit.

A COASTAL REFORMER,

(To the Editor of the Times.)

Sir, —During the past few weeks I have been much interested in your Tolago Bay correspondent’s letter, and whilst giving him every credit for his noble efforts to improve the moral tone of this district and advance the prosperity of the East Coal’; generally, I really cannot praise his diction. His appeal to the residents of Tolago to lead more sober and religious lives, and not to desecrate the Sabbath by playing tennis, ping-pong, etc., was no doubt well timed, but his manner of expression throughout was such a confused jumble of long words and high-flown sentences that I am sure many of your readers did not at times grasp his full meaning. Simplicity is a very rare thing in these days, but it is divinely beautiful. Your correspondent, who is a great reformer in many ways, might.lead us in this.—l am, etc.,

11 Squatter.”