EAST COAST NEWS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 1964, 27 December 1906, Page 1

EAST COAST NEWS.

TE AJIAIIOA. Wo are havin'' a spell of warm, dry woathor this montli, with dry winds; quite a change after November, whieh was a showery month, with two or three cold rains. Shearing is over, except a few small (locks, after a prolonged period owing to tile sliowery weather last month, and there must' lie fully dot) bales stored in the township awaiting shipment. It is to be hoped the weather and sea will be favorable when the steamer comes along for it, as shipping has to be all done by surf-boats.

'l'liu settlors have started burning their foiled hush, and two lots have been burnt and sown down, the burns being very satisfactory. A sad accident occurred on Saturday, the Sth inst., a native lad named Itaniera llauiti being killed by a fall from a horse. It seems a large party of natives were riding into the township after the week’s work, shearing, etc., on the back stations. There was a good deal of racing and fast travelling, and by some means the horse was knocked over, and the boy fell heavily and died instantaneously, ins neck being broken. An inquest was hold on Sunday, the 9th, oei'orc Mr Henderson, J.P., coroner, and a jury of six, three Europeans and three natives, and after hearing evidence they returned a verdict of accidental death. There was a somewhat similar accident only a low weeks before, a man j having his arm dislocated by a fall while j racing, so it ought to be a lesson to the natives to treat their horses better, as | they arc inclined to bo cruel to them ; in fact one native has just been convicted and fined heavily for cruelly illtreating and thrashing a horse, having even gone as far as knocking both its eyes out. I noticed in one of your issues last month that you had a report from Port Awauui of a prize light held in Te Arnroa. The report was very misleading, and would lead people to think that the European settlers in Te Araroa were a bloodthirsty crowd. It was purely a native squabble, arising over some trouble in a bush contract, and I dont t suppose there were half-a-dozen Europeans that saw it. I believe one of them had been talking light, as nearly all of them do when they get a little drink. The 100 spectators wa-q I believe, rather an exaggeration; in any case they.were natives, and the fight was stopped by fieri Mahue and Waikake Turei. I have no sympathy with them and think this lighting wants keeping down, but I uo not think it light that people should be led to think that the majority of the European settlers in Te Araroa have nothing better to do than go and look on at and encourage prize lights, and then turn round and tiUco the contestants to Court.