WAIRARAPA.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5371, 14 June 1878, Page 3

WAIRARAPA.

(rilOM OUR OWN correspondent). Greytown, June 11. I have often expressed surprise that the Wairarapa has hitherto been so little represented in the correspondence columns of the leading metropolitan journals, whilst other rising districts, such as Eeilding, Halcombe, and others, have regular contributors to the Wellington Press. Apart from the undoubted value of having well-conducted papers established in our midst, it cannot bo denied that much good can also be rendered a country district by the appearance in the city journals of frequent letters from a local correspondent. It is, therefore, gratifying to my public spirit to have my services accepted as “ your own” in the Wairarapa, and as far as my humble efforts will permit me, X shall endeavor to send you from time to time an impartial digest of matters of general and public interest that may come under my notice. Abuses, negligences, maladministration, progress, improvements, deeds of merit, I shall chronicle as may appear necessary. X shall applaud where applause is deserved ; I shall a!so_ castigate where the application of the rod is needed. These remarks are offered you by way of: prologue, since it is en regie to declare a policy when taking office. The warlike fervor which, in consequence of the troubled state of Europe, has been animating the Empire, has even found vent amongst the young men of Greytown, whose patriotism lately prompted them to establish a volunteer rifle corps. The movement was inaugurated under promising auspices, between sixty and seventy names having been enrolled. Its success is just now in jeopardy, through the existence of the selfish propensity. Too many are ambitious of becoming officers. I have found before now many good objects rendered abortive by the same spirit, which, by the way, is invariably introduced by the most incompetent, who are certain to clamor for all the honors and high places. Steered clear of this danger, the Greytown Volunteers ought to become a strong company. Mr. E. W. Porter, of the Bank of New Zealand, has been elected lieutenant, a captain not yet being found. It is gratifying to see that Mr. R. J. Duncan held such a satisfactory sale of sections comprised in Mr. Barton’s land at Eeatherston. The near completion of the railway to that township has highly enhanced the value of land in its vicinity, and has given a considerable impetus to its prosperity generally. Land throughout the Wairarapa is rapidly rising in value, pre-eminently in the flourishing town of Masterton. In Greytown and Carterton there is the same tendency, though they have some time to wait yet before the railway creates with them the same rapid improvements. On Monday last there was held in the Town Hall, Greytown, a gift auction of miscellaneous and even valuable commodities, followed in the evening by a soiree dansante, in aid of the debt which at present oppresses the established church in that town. Mr. E. H. Wood generously gave his time as auctioneer, and both events were well attended, realising, I believe, about £SO. If giving in this manner, I mean, having a good night’s dancing and making a fair bargain, can be termed charity or justification by works, I am inclined to think that the good folks of Greytown should feel justified far above all other people I have yet met with. The placid resignation with which they .'face the oft, very much oft (pray allow the succession of adjectives) recurring calls on their pious generosity by Episcopal, Wesleyan, and Catholic pastors, has frequently excited my admiration. The rich men, the successful landed gentry, contribute, alas ! comparatively, nil. Eew are the crumbs that fall from their charitable tables ; the burthen falls upon tho mediocre class, the struggling many. Mr. Urwin, of the Foresters’ Hotel, Greytown, has sold his house to a Mr. T. 0. Baylis, who has just taken possession. There is a great scarcity of feed in the Valley. The very hot weather of April, followed by the sudden appearance of winter, did not permit the grass to spring up afresh. We have since had a succession of wind, cold, rains, and fog, all extremely disagreeable to suffering humanity generally. WESLEYAN MISSION TO NEW BRITAIN. (From the New York Herald, June 1). We make the following extracts from a letter of tho Rev. G. Brown, dated Port Hunter, Duke of York group, November 12 : —'Tis awfully hard work trying to write letters, with the thermometer at 87deg. inside the house, especially after a good deal of running about, as I have had to-day ; but I must try and do it, as the Etienne will leave Meoko (about six miles from here) for Samoa, in a day or two. I daresay yon will see from some of my other letters what we have been doing here. House building and attending to station matters are not very exciting affairs. Besides these, I have had a few journeys about this group, and one to each of the large islands, since the Wesley left us. I should have gone oftener to tho large islands, but had no boat, and if I took the steamer the carpenter must go as well, and then there was no house building. However, I have set to work at my boat, and have the carpenter and another man at work on her, so I hope to be able to use her soon. On my journey to New Britain, I arranged for the location of five teachers, and they have since built three houses, and will go to their appointments in a few days more. My journey to New Ireland was a rough ono, as it blew very hard after wo left, and the . folks here wore anxious about us, as we did not return here as soon as wo hoped to do when we started. I stayed, however, on the coast until I saw a good chance to get across tho channel, and wo managed it just in time. I did a little exploring up one of the rivers there, but found nothing except a bushman’s footprint in the sand, which alarmed the lad who was with me as much as a similar footprint .didRobinson Crusoe. ■ I got a few birds, selected three new stations for teachers, and skinned an alligator, in addition to my other Christian works. There is a young fellow hero, called Powell, an ex-lieutenant in tho navy, who is out on an exploring and trading expedition in a small ketch called the Star of the Bast. Mr. Powell, Mr. Wood, and a Mr. Turner sent out from the Botanical Gardens in Sydney, constitute the whole of her crew, and Powell is the only sailor amongst them. They have a few natives to help them, but no one else, Powell has been very unwell with fever. We got him up here, and he likes his quarters pretty well. Ho is better now, and they start to-morrow on a short trip down tho New Ireland coast, after which we are going together down the New Britain coast, to Spacious Bay, This will suit me very, well indeed.: ’Tis too far to go alone in tho steamer, but with the ketch it will be easy enough, as she can take all the coal we will require, and it will be nice to have her in company. Wo just heard_ today that two poor wretches have been killed just a few miles from here, in two different villages, and I suppose they are now undergoing tho cooking process. One poor follow was murdoredjas he slept by some fellows who were paid for the job. I have not yet heard how tho other one was taken. If I had known a little earlier, I would have gone and tried to stop the cooking, but I did not hear until it ' was too late. You may be sure wo shall look out very earnestly for the Jubilee. I suppose we may expect her in January or beginning of February. Our work here will succeed I am sure, but it will not be a mission of large sudden successes as in Eastern Polynesia. . The character of tho people is different. In Fiji, also, when you got the chiefs, all the people totw'd at once ; here, it is not so, our chiefs have no real power and cannot influence their people.