WHAREROA.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 16 July 1924, Page 7

WHAREROA.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) The plain and fancy dress ball held in our local social hall on Friday evening last w T as a great success, some fifty to sixty couples being present. A number of clever fancy impersonations were displayed, the prizes for the best original costumes going to Miss Edna Death (“Good Luck”) and Mr Roy Hayward (“Patches”) ; for best all round make-up. Miss A. ThomlinSon (“Colleen”) and Miss D. Bauchope (“Bridegroom”) were awarded the palm. Mr. R. MacDonald supplied the music and Miss Arden played several select extras. The catering was done by Carters, of Hawera, ai d the whole function proved a very successful one, the company breaking up in time for the morning milking. The Hawera Dairy Company is laying down an extensive drainage system at their Whareroa. branch, and it is to be hoped that this work will finally abate the nuisance connected with the refuse from the factory. Mr. T. Parkinson has the w'ork in hand, and that fact practically guarantees its success.

The recent spring-like weather has aroused hopes of an early season, but it is safe to anticipate that we are likely to have a lot of rough weather yet. The cows are starting to come in. and soon the factory will be going again at its usual pressure. Great satisfaction is expressed at the season s pay-out-, which ought to compare favourably with that of other companies.

It is to he hoped that the forthcoming election for a member of the County Council will induce a local man to offer his services. There is a feeling in this locality that ratepayers are not having a fair spin on account of the condition of the Manawapou and Whareroa roads, both of which carry a tremendous amount of traffic, and neither being in a, fit condition to see the winter through. Also, the former road has been blocked to- a certain extent- by having spoil placed along the sides with the object of diverting all the traffic to- the centre of the road. No doubt the capable foreman (Mr Muggeridge) has his reasons for this procedure, but local comment on his action is sometimes very caustic. I had long wondered at the meaning of the name “Manawapou/’ but I notice that the late Mr. S. Percy Smith in his “Maori History of the laranaki Coast” explains it thus: When the original canoe conveying the Ngatiawa tribe landed at- the Waitara Raver some six centuries ago, an occupant seized ai- valuable tiki (ornament) from a high chief of the party, and made off down the coast with it, hoping to reach safety at Patea among his brethren of Turi’s migration settled Exhausted he fell asleep on the banks of the Manawapou stream, and being pursued by the chief from whom the heirloom was purloined he suffered death at the hands of the 5 latter, who, cutting out his heart, placed it on a prominent post, thus giving the name Manawapou (“heart on ° the post”) to the stream, ever -since.