HANGATIKI.

King Country Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 31, 24 May 1907, Page 3

HANGATIKI.

Considering the time of year the roads are in very good order, though, in places, they have a tendency to be somewhat soft. A heavy team of twelve bullocks is hauling timber to Waitomo for the Waitofo bridge. That such heavy carting i hould be left so late in the season, b r. matter which is causing a good dc 1 of murmuring among the settki". Already the wheels sink up to the sxies, ?nd if the work continues, and we have a good downpour of rain, we may expect the submersion, and consequent disappearance of driver, waggon, bullocks and all.

All the work which was undertaken on the Waitomo road, has proved useless. About £2OO was spent in cartipg and laying down a sandy clay in place of metal. It appears now as if it would be a good plan to cart it off again. In many places good limestone metal has been thrown off the road to make room for the rubbish referred to above. However, blunders have been made before, and will, in all probability, be made again, but such philosophy, though it satisfies for a while, is a poor substitute for good roads. A few days ago Mr Galbraith Wrattan, of Kaikuri, had a bad fall from a horse, resulting in the fracture of two ribs. He has quite lately returned from Auckland where he underwent an operation. I am pleased to be able to state that he is on a fair way to recovery from both misfortunes. Game is very scarce this season, ducks and pheasants being very seldom seen. Last season the former were fairly plentiful, but they seem to have emigrated to safer regions. This shows their sense,

The Hangatiki Natives are erecting a monstrous meeting house about half-a-mile from the station. The building, which is to be eighty by forty

feet, is to be used for meetings and other Maori ceremonies.

Many parcels left at the Hangatiki station h:-ive, tor some time, been doins the " disappearing trick." Quite lately two of staples, a bag of rce, a b:;g of chaff, several bags of flour, and numerous smaller parcel? have unaccountably departed. That such is t;>-■ c causes a good deal of inconvenience, as it is otten necessary to leave goods till the weather is favourable for carting. This pilfering is a crime which is very difficult to detect, and therefore the punishment should be very severe. For some time past a wild deer has been occasionally seen about Tumu Tumu. Lately it had become rather troublesome as it seemed to develop an objection to horses. Mr T. Thwait had several animals more or less seriously injured by it. Mr J. Holden was lucky enough to get sufficiently close to have a shot at the offender. As it nimbly bounded away to the bush, he was of opinion that he must have missed his mark. However, Mr Thwait was fortunate enough to find it dead. He cut off the head, which had ten points, and sent it to Auckland to be stuffed. No one here seems to have any knowledge of how this lonely " antlered monarch of the waste " came to take up its quarters in this part of the King Country. Perhaps some of the readers of the Chronicle could enlighten us. Messrs Green and Colebrook are thinking of building a store here. They have been thinking of doing so for the past six years, so there is every probability that the building will be soon commenced.