WAIRARAPA AFFAIRS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 48, 23 December 1871, Page 4

WAIRARAPA AFFAIRS.

Viewed as a commercial speculation, the fete which was held at Featherston on Wednesday last was a decided sucsess. If the weather had beeu at all favorable,probably the attendance would have been much larger, and the enjoyment much greater; but the weather was not favorable, it being occasionally very wet and frequently very windy. Talk about wind at Wellington, it is it is nothing to be compared to a township which lies bare and exposed to the gales of Palliser Bay and the storms of the South Pole ! Fortunately the wind on the present occasion was not in this direction, or, instead of only losing hats and caps, visitors might have been in danger of losing their holiday tempers also. As it was, the masculine portion of the company looked as grave as if they were attending a funeral; while those of them who had the management of the fete appeared only intent on making as much out of it as possible—not for their own profit, of course, but for the benefit of the Church Building Fund. In the eyes of Protestants, St Peter’s at Rome was built partly by funds obtained by questionable means ; but we may naturally suppose that the purchasers ofindulgencies were either actuated by the holy desire to get nearer unto Heaven, or to aid in the erection of a temple raised for the worship and glory of God. But he must have a warm imagination who could persuade himself that any such thoughts and feelings actuated any large portion of those who patronised the Featherston fete. Two square yards of colored calico adorned the bazaar, and served as poor apologies for two flags, which, T was informed, had the weather been more propitious, would have been forthcoming. Occasionally, also, the strains of a brass band might be heard vainly contending with the wind for the mastery. But for these you would not have known that any fete was intended. But though there was no fete worthy of the name, there was a fair well deserving that title, whether regard be had to the sales effected, or to those who had officiated at the stalls. Never were so many pretty smiling faces seen congregated in so small a place before. The "Yankee girls, while they continue girls, are remarkably good-looking, but the Featherston girls take the shine out of them altogether. I am not suprised at the patronage they received, for If I am old and for lady’s love unfit, The power of beauty I remember yet. Those arrangements which the gentlemen undertook to direct were of the worst possible description, and if they had adorned themselves with crape hat-

bands on the occasion they could not have looked more sorrowful. They appeared to think that they had not only their own sins but the sins | of all the world upon their shoulders. The contrast consequently between their appearance and that of the ladies was the more striking. So with the arrangements. The capacious loft in which tea was served, and which was subsequently transformed into a ball-room, was tastefully and profusely decorated with flowers and evergreens. Beautiful damsels, full of life and animation, flitted about everywhere, intent upon supplying the wants of visitors; while gentlemen, in sober sadness, stood by, either too proud or too polite to occupy seats at the tables, which I must charitably suppose they felt could be better filled by more humble guests, though it would have looked better had they for once mingled with them. There was an abundance of everything and to spare; plum cake being, at the conclusion of the proceed- ! ings, quite a drug in the market. The Christmas tree was a great attraction, and the lottery quite a success, when the choicest specimens of the Waitarapa maidens’ artistic skill, or tasteful handiwork, were triumphantly carried off as prizes. The ball would have been better had fewer ladies or more gentlemen been present; but still it passed off most agreeably. I am informed that upwards of £6O was added to the build ing fund on the occasion ; and, consequently, the fair promoters of the fete have every reason to congratulate themselves on the patronage accorded to them. Apart from the object for which it was held, such re unions have a most beneficial tendency. We are altogether too prosey a people. In the pursuit of wealth we fail to enjoy the music and poetry of life. We can appreciate a scene like the above when painted in the pages of a shilling novel, or engraved for an illustrated newspaper ; but it is rather as spectators than as actors if we are induoed to take any • part in the spectacle. Hence the ennui which is so frequently their accompaniment. The fete above described took place in one of Mr Donald’s paddocks ; and the ball was held in a building, the ground story of which is set apart for milking purposes. It contains twentyfive stalls or bails, and has a boarded floor, which is kept as clean as that of a barn, and cleaner than many kitchens Two wooden drains extend along the building from one end to the other, on each side of a passage which leads to the dairy at one end, and to the cow-yard at the other. The building has been erected at a point where five large paddocks meet; and the cow-yard consequently is supplied with five large gates, each gate leading into a separate paddock. Nothing could be more handy or complete, and the whole arrangement reflects great credit on the skill and enterprise of the worthy proprietor. The churning is done by machinery, a bullock supplying the motive power ; which turns out three or four casks of butter weekly. About forty-eight cows are milked daily; and, owing to the low price vrhich now rules for dairy produce, about thirty more cows are allowed to run with their calves. This fine dairy farm has only been a few years in existence, as when I first came to the Wairarapa the whole of this part of the country was in a state of nature, where flax, fern, and boulder stones struggled with each other for the mastery. Now there are no end of other dairy farms besides this one in the immediate neighborhood. A public meeting is to be held on Monday for the purpose of adopting rules and electing officers for the "Wairarapa Institute. A number of books have beeu presented to the library, and if care be taken in electing office-bearers the Institute cannot fail to prove a public benefit. There will be a match between the Carterton and Masterton Cricket Clubs, which will come off on Tuesday next, at Masterton, and a dinner will take place in the evening. The Featherston Club will also have a match with the Masterton Club shortly. I am glad to see that the season has been so early commenced, for I look upon cricket as one of the least hurtful morally, and the most beneficial physically, of all pastimes. The “ Mercury” comes out this week as a weekly. It was formerly a biweekly paper. A public meeting respecting the rail-

way was held on Saturday at Masterton, for a similar object to the one recently held at Greytown, but I did not know of it in time to be present.