WAIRARAPA AFFAIRS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 12, 15 April 1871, Page 12

WAIRARAPA AFFAIRS.

• COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE. A very interesting lecture was delivered in the Wesley an Church, Greytown, on this subject, by the Rev. T. Buddie, of Wellington, on Monday last. The reverend lecturer treated the subject in a most masterly manner, and, considering the weather and the very short notice, there was a very good attendance. We regret to say that some interruption was given during the delivery of the lecture by parties who ought to have known better, going in and out of the church, which called forth more than once the stern reproof the lecturer, for which he received the applause of his audience. » Sixpence each was charged for admission, and the proceeds, amounting to £1 8s 6d, was applied to the circuit fund. THE REV. J. A. CAWDELL. This gentleman, who has recently officiated as resident Wesley an minister in this district, has been dismissed by conference, and his name removed from the list of officiating ministers under the Marriage Act. The Rev. Mr Nicol, from Otago, has been appointed in his stead. THE NAPIER NATIVES. The two hundred and fifty natives from Hawke's Bay, who are at present on a visit to the natives of the Wairarapa, did not reach Greytown until Friday last, having been detained two days at Hurinuimorangi. They have since held a tangi over Piripia, otherwise Philip, the chief who recently killed himself by excessive drinking, The groans, sobbing, and waling, were somewhat terriffic, and they were followed rext day by war dances, accompanied by the most hidious noises, as if the inmates of half a dozen bedlams had been let loose. The pa, situated opposite the Rising Sun, was decorated with numerous flags and banners, and the whole spectacle would have been a most picturesque one, had* it not been for the horrid noises, and still more hideous grimaces of the principal actors, many of whom were very fine looking females. The Maori young men only joined in the performance for the fun of the thing, and entered and left the scene as unconcorned as swells at a theatre. I have omitted to mention the eating and drinking, both of which were conducted on- the most gigantic scale. Pigs and potatoes were consumed without the intervention' of knives and forks, and though cooked in the best style, the former were torn to pieces by main force, and when hands would not perform the operation, feet were brought into requisition.. Upwards of fifty gallons of rum were provided, and there was ale ad libitum. Yet, notwithstanding all this, there was a grace andeven dignity in their movements, wjiich you would look in vain for in a concourse of Englishmen and women assembled at a festival in the open air to celebrate a coronation or a victory, The Greytown natives comprising those also of the Lower Valley and EastCoasr, met their native guests in the middle of Greytown, and the reception they accorded to them was of the most warm, poetical, picturesque, and enthusiastic character. Mathew, the former Hauhau chief, bearing the Union Jack on the point of a spear, led the Greytown host, and with sundry wild gesticulations and still wilder shoutings welcomed the Napier visitors. Before eating, grace was said, and also at its conclusion. It was a sight seldom witnessed, as the mingling of European with savage customs, gave a grotesque novelty to the scene, were to those, who years gone by, had been present at like gatherings. THE RAILWAY SURVEY. I am requested ,to state that the course the line will take between the Waiohine and Waingawa rivers has been incorrectly given in the "Mercury." Jhe line will. cross the latter river two miles west of the Ferry House, and not half a mile as stated in that paper.

I THE WEATHER. * We have had fearfully, wet weather up here lately, and this appears to have been the case all over the colony. I have received the following communications relative to the subject. " I have compared the weather of this year up to this day with that of last year for the same period, and I find that we have had in 1871 just twice as many wet days as we bad for the same period in 1870, and a much greater number of cloudy days this year than last." All the trees have renewed their foliage, and some fruit trees are in blossom. The late potatoe crop has been much injured but ,feed is abundant, and never did hill and dale look as fresh and green as at the present season. THE RIMUTAKA ROAD. I mentioned in my last that a Wellington firm had obtained the contract for the three bridges, but it afterwards turned put that they could not perform the contract, and no stipulation had been made to compel them do so. Thus a week was wasted of the utmost consequence alike to the carriers and the public. The way the Provincial Government has been lately conducted is a disgrace to the authorities, and it is time the Provincial Council met to remedy this state of things. This is strong language, and if my hearty Provincialism was not well known, it might be supposed that I was trying to bring provincial institutions into contempt; but this is not the case, nor is it necessary, the Provincial authorities having performed this service already. It is very unfortunate that this gross negligence should have been displayed on the eve of a Superintendency election, for, though it may not be novel or unusual, it is more noticed now than at another time, seeing that the valley, in a measure, has been for weeks past in what may not inaptly be termed a state of siege. I am assured that the road could have been before this time opened for coach and goods traffic had the commonest energy and forethought been exhibited. Mr. Hastwell has resolved to start his waggons on then- way to Wellington this morning, trusting that the bridges will be up before they come loaded back again. But it will be a fortnight before that event happens if not more " push " is exhibited. CONFIRMATION. The Right Reverend the Bishop of. Wellington preached at St. Luke's Church, Greytown, on Sunday morning, and in the afternoon he confirmed a number of young persons of both sexes in accordance with the doctrines of the English Church. The sermon was on the resurrection of Christ, and was most elaborate and impressive. There was a number of strangers present, and in the afternoon the church was crowded to overflowing. On next Sunday he will hold a confirmation at Mastefton. BOARD MEETING- EXTRAORDINARY. A special meeting of' the Greytown Board of Wardens convened, without consultation with the Chairman, by Messrs Braithwaite aad Walker, was : held at the British Volunteer Hotel on Saturday last, to which the reporters for the press had been specially invited. After the minutes of the last meeting had been read and confirmed, the Chairman, S. Revans, Esq., J.P., called the attention of the Board to the unusual course which had been adopted in convening a special meeting without consultation with the Chairman, which he characterised as a most discourteous proceeding. He would venture to say that no special meeting had ever been held by a Road Board in the district unless the Chairman had been first consulted upon the subject. The real object of the movement was to call in question his right to engage a lawyer in the case against Hirschberg, and to get the appointment rescinded. At the last meeting it had been resolved that Mr Allan should be engaged in case of an appeal to conduct the case in the j Supreme Court, and. it had afterwards \ occurred to him that it was necessary to have a lawyer, seeing that the defendant had one, to conduct the case in the Resident Magistrate's Court, or otherwise judgment might be given against them on grounds which would prevent an appeal against it being granted. One lawyer was a perfect nuisance in a case, and the Magistrate's Court had laid down the rule that when only one lawyer was employed the party who brought him should pay for him,

j however the case might be decided. As the defendant bad engaged Mr Buckley and they desired that no delay should take place in obtaining a decision in Ihe case, he had asked Mr Allan to ! attend, but if the Board now decided ! that this course was not necessary j he could be written to to that effect. | Mr Walker disclaimed any intentional I discourtesy to the Chairman ; he had simply not been consulted because he was out of town. Mr Braithwaite said that any two members of the Board j could convene a special meeting with- ' out consulting the Chairman on the subject. He wanted to see the money in hand expended on the roads in the several subdivisions, agreeably with a resolution passed at their last meeting ; and he thought, as they meant to bring the case before the Supreme Court, it was going to an unnecessary expense to employ a lawyer in the Magistrate's Court. The Chairman denied that they had any money in hand which th% could honestly appropriate before the rates had been paid. The grant from the Government had been made with special reference to the amount of the rale levied, and if no rate had been levied the grant would have been withheld. Mr Braithwaite had throughout been a most obstructive member, and had always done his best to defeat the object for which he had been elected. That object was to assess and collect the rates; he had forgotten his duty, and had done all he could to prevent them being collected. He had even proposed that they should abandon the rates altogether, being apparently oblivious of the fact that the Government grant had been made upon their amount. Mr Braithwaite had been a thoroughly faithless steward, and a traitor to the cause he had been elected to serve. Mr Braithwaite denied the truth of what the Chairman had stated; he endeavored to faithfully represent the interests of those by whom he had been elected. He did not want to see money* wasted in law expenses, and he considered that to employ a lawyer in the Magistrate's Court, when the case would go into the Supreme Court, was a useless expense. The Bench had already decided against the legality of the rate, and had only reversed its decision when he, the Chairman, had undertaken to sit upon it. The Chairman said that a great deal had been made of that circumstance ; but he was prepared to justify the course he had adopted. How oftea had Mr Wardell, a magistrate, and a ratepayer at Featherston, • sat on and decided Featherston rate cases. Had not Carkeek, and Renall, and Pharazyn, done the same, and yet, according to Judge Johnston's statement of English law, all such decisions were illegal. Is not any committee which takes evidence and acts upon it, judicial ? And had members of such committees, who were directly interested on one side or the other in the decision, hesitated to vote upon the question on that account. It was ouly as a matter of prudence that he had refrained from sitting on the case last brought before. Had he done so and the case had been brought before Judge Johnston, he would have decided that the judgment was illegal. He had never doubted his perfect light to sit on the Bench to decide a rate case because he happened to be a ratepayer. Mr Tocker said that, as they all wanted to have the case brought to an issue as soon as possible, he would move that the course adopted by the Chairman relative to the employment of Mr Allan' be upheld. This was seconded by Mr Benton and carried, Mr Braithwaite being the only dissentient. After several other minor matters were disposed of the Board was separated. LOWER VALLEY ROAD BOARD. I regret exceedingly that a report of a meeting of the above, cautiously forwarded to me for insertion in the New Zealand Mail, in compliance with the advertisement relative to the subject which had appeared in the Independent was not received by me until it was out of, date, it having, by mistake, gone to Wellington. The meeting was held on the 97th ult., and there were present Messrs Waterhouse, Hume, Baird, and Barton. The tender of Messrs White and Windsor, for reconstruction of bridges and formation of roads, for the sum of £75, was accepted. On the motion of Mr Waterhouse the Board decided to assess a uniform rate of one halfpenny per acre on all land liable in

the district, comprising about 79,000 acres, which rate will amount to £165 ; so that with the £167 10s allocated to the district out of the £SOOO grant; the Board will be in a position to make considerable improvements before the winter sets in. MOROA ROAD DISTRICT. The Chairman has at last received a communication from the Provincial Treasurer to the effect that no sum of monev had been allocated to the district out of the £SOOO granted by the General Government, as the apportionment had been made according to rates levied, during the past year. A large number of road districts have had a portion of the grant allocated to them, though no rates bad been levied during the past year. The matter requires the searching investigation of the Provincial Council or General Assembly.