Country News.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 226, 8 January 1876, Page 17

Country News.

The following vessels are reported to be ashore on the North Spit at the Manawatu River. They are all loaded with railway iron from Dunedin : —Kate Monaghan, brigantine ; Lilly Hawkins, ketch ; Nautilus, cutter. They are not supposed to be seriously injured, and one is since reported as having got off. A correspondent at the Hutt sends us some notes on the state of the roads there. He suggests that the groins at Terry’s should either be connected, or a breakwater of large stones put between them, as the road is narrowing there rapidly, and is now dangerous for waggons. A hundred yards or so beyond Terry’s there is a small slip that needs a few stakes and fascines, or that will also soon be much worse. And near the railway bridge, there is a large horseshoe indentation in the road, caused by the late flood, that ought to be filled up as speedily as possible. A quiet little picnic in the neighborhood of Palmerston recently had a very satisfactory termination, according to the Argus. After lunch, the six couples who formed the party sauntered in different directions, and in about an hour afterwards, when they returned to their rendezvous, it became known to the ladies that in that eventful period no less than six engagements to marry had been entered into. As a natural consequence, all the marriageable ladies in the district are suffering from pronounced attacks of picnic on the brain. It is gratifying to learn (says the Advocate) that there is every probability of the railway from Feilding to Palmerston being completed by the end of May, and as the time allowed for the Karere contract of the remaining tram conversion will expire in that month, the journey to Poxton will soon be an agreeable trip, instead of a formidable undertaking as at present. Heavier metals are to be used for this end of the line as far as Bunnythorpe. Fifty-two pound rails are to be substituted for the thirty-ones used on the Palmerston end. We are also informed that it is contemplated to make Bunnythorpe the junction, and not Palmerston, as at one time we hoped would be the case ; and that a practical route from Bunnythorpe to the Gorge has been surveyed. The anniversary of the Loyal Rose of the Valley Lodge of Odd Pellows was celebrated by a dinner and ball on Tuesday evening at the Albion Hotel, Taita. At seven o’clock about a hundred members and visitors sat down to an excellent dinner provided by Host Corbett in his best style. The chair was occupied by N. Valentine, P.P.G.M., supported on his right by the Hon. W. Fitzherbert, M.H.R. and P.G.; E. Bannister, C.S.; and on his left by the Rev. Mr. Pancourt and Bro. W. Fitzherbert, jun.; E. H. Collett, P.P.G.M., acted as vice-chairman, supported by Bro. P. A. Buckley and S. Levy, P.P.G.M. The usual loyal and patriotic toasts were given by the chairman, and were enthusiastically responded to by all present. The Hon. Mr. Fitzherbert, after an appropriate speech, proposed “ Success to the Rose of the Valley Lodge,” and said he had witnessed for many years the great good which had resulted from the establishment of that lodge at the Hutt. Secretary J. Hall, in responding, said that when he took the office of secretary some twelve years since their funds amounted to about £3OO. They had now a capital of nearly £I7OO. During the past year £135 had been paid for sickness and funeral donations, and there were at present 170 members upon the books of the lodge. S. Levy, P.P.G.M., proposed the “Healthof the District Officers,” which was acknowledged byE. Bannister, C.S., who briefly reviewed the position of the Wellington district, comprising about 800 members, whose funds amounted to nearly £BOOO, the annual payments for sickness, funeral donations, and surgeon’s expenses being about £IOOO. After the “ Health of the Host and Hostess ” had been proposed and responded to, the tables were removed, and dancing commenced, which was continued with great spirit until an early hour in the morning. Our Pahautanui correspondent writes : Dr. Taylor held a coroner’s inquest on Monday at Pahautanui on the body of the late Mr. Lowndes, who was drowned in Porirua Bay. Charles Brandon was sworn, and stated that on Sunday morning last he, Adam W. Burnes, George W. St. John, and deceased started for a sail on the Bay. They first went towards Pahautanui, and then sailed down towards Long Point, and while going about, a sudden puff of wind caught the sail while in stays, and capsized the boat. The sheet was not fast. Mr. Lowndes struck out for shore, and when last seen he was swimming about thirteen yards from the boat. The others clung to the boat, but the weight being all on one side, she kept rolling over and over. Burns then got round to the other side, while Brandon swam for an oar which was at a short distance, and returned with it, and they then succeeded in righting the boat, and stuck the oar in the step for the mast, to act as a sail, so as to drift them to the shore. They found the anchor was down, and it was holding her. Burnes cut the rope. Brandon then left the boat, and swam to Mr. Brown’s large boat, which was anchored a short distance off. Burnes and St. John next left the swamped boat, and swam towards the boat Brandon was in. Brandon threw a rope to them, and assisted them into the boat. They looked about for Mr. Lowndes, but could not see him. They then coo’ed for assistance, and tried to hoist the sail of Mr. Brown’s boat to attract attention. They then saw Mr. Lowndes’ body, with the head under water, face downwards, floating close to the side of the boat they were in. Burnes and Brandon caught hold of it, and dragged it in, but could see no signs of life. They laid him in the bottom of the boat, and rubbed his chest for a short time, and felt his pulse and heart, but there was no pulsation. One eye was open, and the other partly open ; the lipa were blue. Brandon opened his watch

and put the bright part of the case to his mouth and nostrils, but there was no sign of breathing. Mr. Brown and Mr. Edwards then came to their assistance, and took all to shore, along with the dead body. About half an hornelapsed from the time of the accident until they recovered Mr. Lowndes’ body. There were no bruises on the body. Adam Burnes and George St. John were sworn, and their evidence corroborated that of the previous witness. W. Edwards was sworn, and stated that on Sunday morning he heard a good deal of cooeying in the direction of Long Point, and looking that way, he saw some people in Mr. Brown’s boat waving their hands. He ran immediately, and gave the alarm to Mr. Brown. Mr. D. Brown, sworn, said :On Sunday morning, between eleven and twelve o’clock, Mr. Edwards came to his house and stated that he thought Mr. Brandon’s boat had capsized. Witness put off immediately in his gig-boat, and pulled towards the schoonerboat. The people from the capsized boat were on board. He hailed them as he approached, and asked if there was anyone in the water. They replied, “ We are all here, but there is one drowned —Mr. Lowndes. Witness looked at the corpse, and from its appearance was impressed with the idea that it was utterly useless to try any resuscitating remedies. He ordered the men to unbend the foresail and spread it in the stern-sheets of his gig, and laid the body in it, and landed it opposite his own place and carried it into the house. The jury returned a verdict that Mr. Lowndes was accidentally drowned on the morning ©f Sunday last by the upsetting of a boat in Porirua Bay. L WELLINGTON HIGHWAY BOARD.

A meeting of the Board was held at the Lower Hutt on Wednesday. Present: —Mr. T. Mason (chairman), Messrs. Taylor, Speedy, Leranche, Monaghan, and Sinclair. MINUTES. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. EXTENSION OP ROADS. It was resolved that the chairman be requested to ask the Superintendent to send an engineer to lay off the road from the end of No. 1 line, Whiteman’s Valley, to sections 11 and 12, Upper Mungaroa. The chairman was also requested to ask the Superintendent to gazette the continuation of the Upper Tukaparoad, as shown on the Government plan, and surveyed by Mr. McKenzie. APPLICATION POR CONSTITUTION OP NEW WARD. Thirteen ratepayers resident in Ward No. 3, presented a petition requesting the Board to grant them a division of the ward, and declare a new ward of that portion of the present ward, “commencing at the river running through the section where the river is bridged, Horokiwi, and terminating at Waikanae.” In support of the petition being granted, they urged that the distance from Pahautanui to Waikanae was such that it was a bar to the warden, who resided at the latter place, visiting them, or becoming acquainted with the requirements of this part of the ward. They thought that if a new ward were created, they could send a local man who would better represent them. TENDERS ACCEPTED.

The tender of Anderson and Co., to perform certain work in No. 1 Ward for £145, was accepted ; also that of Hooper and Hawkins, for work in No. 4 for £3B. At last meeting Mr. Wm. Longhurst had presented a tender to keep in repair the North and South Makara roads for £97. The tender was accepted, subject to confirmation at the first meeting in January. He now sent in a note stating that heavy slips had occurred on the road, and applied for an extra £lO. Mr. Monaghan testified that heavy slips had taken place, and thought the £lO might fairly be granted. The Board, therefore, confirmed the acceptance of the tender, and granted an extra £lO as requested. The tender of Mr. H. Williams, who offered to keep in repair the East Harbor-road from the boundary of Dr. Grace’s property to the end of the road in Gallan’s Valley for twelve months for £2O, was accepted. KARORI AND MAKARA. The Superintendent wrote to say that in the event of a petition being received from residents in the above-mentioned places, asking for a separate Highway Board, nothing should be done until the Wellington Board had been consulted. OBSTRUCTION OP A ROAD. Mr. Joseph Lowry wrote complaining that Mr. George Hunter had erected a gate across the highway in the district of Ohiro, No. 1 Ward, and applied to the Board to remove it. Mr. Lowry was in attendance, and after hearing his explanation they recommended him to see Mr. Hunter on the matter. Several wardens expressed belief that Mr. Hunter would not knowingly obstruct a road, and thought the difficulty could be easily arranged. FINANCE. The following payments were ordered and cheques for the various amounts signed : ■ Ward No. I.—H. Barnade, repairs, £2 7s. 3d.; W. Longhurst, repairs, £lO 75.; Hooper and Hawkins, repairs, £3 45.; M. Monaghan, repairs, £3 175.; Lewers, construction, £1 Bs. Ward No. 2.—R. Ralfs, repairs, £3 ; J. Walmshurst, repairs, £8 6s. Bd. Ward No. 3.—Goldfinch and others, repairs, £ls.

Ward No. 4.—Robt. Hunter, repairs, £5 55.; P. Speedy, repairs, £5 3s. 6d.; J. Pringle, x-epairs, £5 7s. 6d.'; W. Ebden, repairs, £3 11s.; D. Judd, repairs, £2 7s. Ward No. 5. —Richard Prouse, construction, £2O.

Ward No. 6. Robert Hunter, repairs, £1 Bs.

Ward No. 7. —Alex. Martin, repairs, £6 45.; Andrew Brown, repairs, £3 175.; Alex. Martin, repairs, £6 135.; General members, repairs, £lO 10s.; H. Ashton, repairs, £37 10s.; H. Stilling, repairs, £l2 10s.; New ZEALAND Times, £lO 12s. The Board then adjourned.

OUR RAN GITIKEI-M AN A WAT U LETTER. (from our own correspondent.) Marton, January 1. What with political meetings, concerts, Christmas sports, and the races, our usually quiet district has been kept in quite a fevei-isli state of excitement since my last communication to the New Zealand Times. As you will receive by the present mail reports of the first and last of the subjects mentioned, I shall, in this letter, confine myself to general topics, merely observing that as the day of election approaches the interest in the contest seems considerably to increase. Time was, and that not very long ago, when it was found a matter of no little difficulty to drum up a half-dozen electors to a political meeting, whereas now their numbers are reckoned by the hundred.

Of tlie chances of the respective candidates, either in the Rangitikei district or in that of Manawatu, it is difficult to prognosticate with any degree of certainty. All I can venture to say is that in each place the contest is expected to be a close one.

We have hitherto been remarkably exempt from any serious casualty by fire. Yestei’day week, however, a fire broke out in Messrs. J. and C. Bull’s premises at Bulltown, which, in the short space of half-an-hour, desti-oyed property to the value of nearly £IOOO. The fire broke out in the stables, but how it originated has not been discovered. The supposition is that a spark from the chimney of the engine, which was close by, ignited the roof, and embers from this dropping on to the hay the latter was soon in a blaze. There was a brisk breeze blowing at the time, and the progress of the flames was so rapid that considerable difficulty was experienced in getting out the horses. The fire next communicated with the whare whakawha, the building which in the early days of the township did duty as the court-house. Thence it spread to the store formerly occupied by Mr. Lewers. A new store, in coui-se of erection for Mr. W. G. Watt, was with difficulty saved. The engine and planing machine were not very much damaged. As showing the characteristic energy of Mr. Bull, I may mention that before the fire was extinct the main shaft had been dispatched to the blacksmith’s to be straightened, and preparations made for resuming work with the least possible delay. The school children of Sandon, thanks to the liberality of the Small Farms Association, had a very pleasant day of it yesterday week croquet, cricket, and a variety of other games being provided for their amusement, winding up with a tea party in the afternoon and a soiree in the evening. A treat was also given to the children attending the Marton school on Monday, but it was on a much less elaborate scale that their neighbors at Sandon, while those at Bull's were “left out in the cold” altogether. On Wednesday evening, last week, the Rangitikei Blackbirds, as the amateurs of Marton and Bull’s have been rather foolishly styled, with valued assistance from Palmerston, gave a very successful entertainment in the Townhall, Bull’s, for the benefit of the widow of an immigrant who recently died in the depot there. The hall was crowded, and the performance, from either a financial or artistic point of view, was highly satisfactory. Feilding seems to be prospering, and will no doubt benefit very much from the new approach to it from Awahuri. The formation of the road is completed, and great energy is being displayed in the metalling of it. Travellers and carriers, and especially the latter—as it is nearly a dead level, having only one gentle gradient—will hail this road as a great boon. Owing to the stiff pinches in the old track, but a small load could be taken even in dry weather, and in the rainy season only a few hundredweights at a time ; but now—or at least as soon as the road shall have been finished—they will be able to take as large a load as on any of the roads in the province. It is expected that the railway building at Feilding will be completed in the course of a week or ten days. The station is one of the fifth-class, though it was originally intended that it should be of the fourth. It was thought, however, that the traffic, when the line was opened right through to Wellington, would be so great that a fourth-class station would be found top small, and as a fifth-class one could be more easily enlarged, this was substituted for the one originally intended. The railway bridge over the Oroua is all but completed, and the line will soon be ready for the laying of the metals between Feilding and Bunnythorpe. Heavier metal is to be used on this portion of the line than on that between Foxton and Bunnythorpe, as it will form part of the main line. I hear that a practicable route has been surveyed between Bunnythorpe and the Gorge, and that most probably the line will be taken by that route to join the main line from Wellington to Napier at Woodville. It is expected that the line from Feilding through Palmerston to Foxton will be completed by the end of May, that being the time allowed the contractors for the transformation of the tramway in the Karere contract, which embraces the distance between Oroua and Palmerston —some ten or eleven miles.

I learn that business sites in the township of Halcombe are being applied for pretty freely. As there will be at least five hundred immigrants settled there this year, and as the line of railway will pass through it, and a large amount of public money expended in the neighborhood during the next two or three years, I do. not wonder at the sections being taken up with avidity. I have heard a report, for the truth of which I do not vouch—yet, considering the source whence it emanated, I believe will be found correct—that the accepted tender for the Rangitikei section of the WanganuiManawatu railway, which includes the bridge over the Rangitikei River, is that of Mr. McNeill, whose execution of the contract for the Manawatu Gorge bridge gave such unqualified satisfaction to the Government. I believe the figure is about £15,000.