OUR WAIRARAPA LETTER.

Manawatu Times, Volume IV, Issue 42, 26 May 1880, Page 2

OUR WAIRARAPA LETTER.

I--./ Gj^to^k, May 23th, 1880. ! The weathej daring, the. past week-. I has been something fearful v The wind • hajs cont^afld with: slight intermission,. • accompanied with abitter cold rain, and* as I w;rfte therk i»>np sign of a change. better. ~):\ ,, • "dn : Friday week, thftl4*h,":the Grey-. towi Branch Eailway Was" formally ; opened for traffic. The day was an ex-. ceptionaily w.et and. ijbld, one,^ cbnse-. quently ail arrangements which had; been made .for the celebration of the. event were f rustrated, . and' thftf disap_-. pointtr.ent was keenljr felt by -the; resin. dents ; and: visitors; wjho i had arrived from neighboring townshipi to witness, the demonstration, w.^ch was to have, consisted of * grand procession, made, up ar follow*:—^olniJiteer^Friendlyv Societies, stohQ.ol children and general; public, headed- By two brasiibkiids^ 'and* the school; drum Jind fife b^ad. The. starting point was the Post Office, thence to the Station/and- from there, to a pa.ddock close by, "Where ipqto: Were to hare beeitheld, ajid f.91; a fair programme r had been prepared* The eerempny of declaring the- hn«; open for traffic was, o£ course, perr. formed by that worthy -funblaonary.th*. Mayor, who, m a few stammering, in^ audible utterances* declared the line, now open for traffic. The pul hofiap^ parenty forgare his shortcomings, and;, kept theipspints. up by pouring down— a remedy which was readily re-^ wrted to by many half-frbzen 'mdivi-. diiais. At the conclusion of his; great-, speech the, little crowc^raised a/cheer, faint; for his^ Worship. ,^ii so the opening celebration terminated— . a most wretched faaur^ttooughout. - ■ Nothing dauntedi-and like "heroes, - our Sports Committee^aved^lwrmineds to hold the sports on the Queers Birth-, day, when tw^ football teams will come, from Wellington to engage m matches, aeainst Wairwapa . ftpfasts ; but 1; think the city " counter-jumpers standbut a sorry show aftainst strong .and able-bodied young men: of Greytown-. On Saturday last the latter played v well^contested match against a Mastertop'team^wid, as usual, can^.qff vie-, torious-as I venture to assert they- wilt, do throughout the flacking season, against all comers., Jiurong the encket-. me aeason the Greytdwri men played m, all about tweaty-twoina|ches, and were, always^tbrip^, f^otthese against, a Wellington picked team. ■ ■ -I yesterday visited^eatterstpn, andftnd^it (^uite; as dujl fact ant? "facts are stubborji things, ■ the township, U done, and will never :mo F e. make: progress. It »_ • jgjjPK and will remain a village-! It^haa^nly one chance, and it is, a remote one— , that of the goldffeld which is m close ■ prp»mjty- turning out payabl?. ;. Jsot many months pist parties of jnen 4iave. been working ou* m the ranges here, have fojwd fine quartz, reef s } and -have even obtained^ goW ifrpm them ; but tne one! great drawback is the want of machineryotb wit the. thing to and fi>al,test. This *Mt is, felt and aoknowled^by all/still no one &j\ pears to be inclined to invest money c^ the specuiaUon, for feat it might tusa out a " <tead hor»e^* v ;

Oartercon na« lost its medical Man. H« has disappeared very suddenly, andhis many patrons and^ufKring patients #cc left wondering and enquirrag where he can hare gome aosudaenly, and why he go;P - .1 , too, that sbmi fond mercantile friends are anxious as to his whereabpu.t« and state of health. lhen.the rumor is afloat, too, that somebody's daughter, ifqiild Jifce to {earn his f*te, deleft Oarterton on horseback, , «j route to Wellington, by *he old M.*»A i wd a.ftor <v \p,e ojf tyro or three daji hi, fond friends became anxious about him/md, instituted a search-party to go ow th# hill, and ■earch for t^e young man's rem ?M 8 ; t« bttt L the^ B<?u K nt and found 73 7u **$**. >m«8 flit tW *H™kea rumors began to S^n\?S^t?T !W*** «wt esteemed you n g^M.D. had npt come to an unWy^nd * aU-but had flpim V & vwtttpeptmg andancieht race of people who^cQAttitmed th.is young l£j£V practice seemed to, hare no idea that fe 4 **s»%«A* Qf l^sfc, or even that be would or. could, be so naughty M. to leare them sq. They are naw-^ fflortt esp^cuaiy^thejmatrons^waiting, VOh! so patiently," ju,t to get hold of their nipe-looking, clever M.Dl' 6nc§ |hUuWTOuld be- a" wise mW not to OTJ tnem, a. they have, I hear, decided to hare no more of single goodr 4in th,€ir midst; 0 g -i .. T M Pesleyans lave ; ; held a fancy fe congregation i a large^ an d when #mshed will prove alike an acquisition to the town and a, great credit to the denomination for the strenudus efforts SStj m t c m , thu " getting » much, needed new church. - * >■■■ «nr> ei>J?tll i Q f ? th< galley is still very qmet^ and J fcaryunless something m %he shape of local industry spring s% itwill become more so. It if " a factbut to apparent to. any -and aU thinkt vK^'°^r ya^ P er «°ms-that the bright days for the Wairarapa Vattey StilVthis onghtnot tos be the case, with all its broad acres and advantages. W« have plenty qfToom for industry~for instance \*°oU°tt factory/ Is "it riot high^iqc , New Zealand-or, 1 will say, the North Islaad-cpuld boast of such f n « du^7? I "uppose, for this branch of business,. there could scarcely* be a .more iuioible or" advantageous thejrorldi and yet we are behind>hand. The cry it, capital ! We want capital to s . tart such a business,! We. m.wst endeavor to induce some capitalist* to come out from h<»me." I would ask, why and wherefore P Are 4nwe j not way* and means to be obtained .m ou,r own. cortutry withoiit fcaying to, depend on Englishcapitalists P f^^sP: Dp you not think that; •with ftUJSTew Zealand's great advan tages, w.e«hould be supporters instead of importers? -Wa fh-st export .par wool, W then' are compelled to import it again. The idea occurs to our mind, •would it not be practicable to form a company, with a good- floating capital of, say, £10Q,(^/ more pr lessf as would be ■ ne^eßsary, upon shares payable at call, or m the usnal manner m which these company's are conducted. My opinion is; tliat a com■P^y.^ea started— pnee set afloat— would find abundance OjE support, and prove * P4rma.ne^ Vneflt^ to the colony wou,ld induce capitalists .i- to come from, home, and b>.a sure means of many braaches of the industry being Started within, a Tery sh.ort gpace of time. .Such .eompa.nies, -fopvvarious undertakings m other parts of theUlobe, hare worked miracles ; and we ■cc no. legitimate reason why such a colony as New Zealand should not bow arouse from it^slumber, and jro •to work mtk a wiyi The sympathies of Government couldf be existed, and, no doubt, very material and yaluabie help procured, The one great fault m Colonial life w too m^h lethargy; it is time to. hejq,p *nd 4oing } Such in--^t^tnes must of necessity he entered l nt ° '•'***£ TV® dis.ta.qt date, a.nd withoat doubt when it is 4o^e, it will be Upon the system spoken of. All the natter reqmirei— gigantic a? it may apP 6^-: 1 . 1 for a few intereAled* willing, «nd able men Jo»v take the.; matter up, enlist the invaluable a.id of. the Press, and we should soon hear thf welcome f nd x?}* d Wrf " 44va.nce, ; New.Zeai land, instilling new life and hope into the heart of every colonist wherever we turn our steps.; *Cqvl(L. : wfi but} realise fhe dip,astrp^ 'e|fecfc of having no local industries to,, depend upon, a few years to come, which must inevitably fall upon our hitherto -prosperous colony— could' Government realise the stern necessity, perhaps they might m wisdom nse-i-and strain effort m this niMk'des^rable direction.