WAIRARAPA.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5389, 5 July 1878, Page 3

WAIRARAPA.

■ (PROM OCR OWN CORRESPONDENT j - Ghkvto'wx, July 3. The eclat which hns attended the Exhibition at the Working Men's Club in Wellington induces me to give you a brief of a kindred : institution'in'Greytown, and which will bo opened i ri'’the* course of the present months * The scheme originated eight mouths t ago, whfn a coinpanyAvas'’suocessfully floated, and incorporated under the Joint Stock Companies Act," with a capital of £IOOO, in £1 shares, of which £OO have been taken up almost wholly in Greytown alone. The company then purchased a central site, and proceeded with the erection of premises for the use of the proposed club. The building was designed by Air. H, Edmonds, who is also the contractor. It is a two-storied one, with ■rusticated front, wide main entrance in the centre, aiid has a frontage to the main street of 45ft. On the left of a broad hall is the billiard-room, lighted by four large windows ; on the right hand are the reading and refresh-ment-rooms, divided: by a side entrance and passage from the dining-room, kitchen, and housekeeper's .room. ,On J .tha. upper floor, which is reached by a handsome flight of stairs, is the assembly room, with ante-room, which has been specially constructed for use as a Masonic lodge ; there are also'four bedrooms, capable of holding six or more single beds. The building is very capacious, and the rooms are lofty and well lighted. The club was duly formed last week, and will lease the promises at a fair rental from the company, who will provide the furniture and billiard-table. The company has very successfully carried oat its whole project in a manner most gratifying to the original promoters. The rules for the conduct of the club are * very stringent, which, with the fact that the members are almost all. of them shareholders in the company, must be a guarantee that the interests and permanence of the institution will be jealously guarded,, and also that the social benefits held out by it are appreciated by the working classed , ‘ - A violent thunderstorm, with vivid , lightning, parsed over the valley on Saturday, a by no moans usual occurrence for this time of the year, and after so many weeks of continuous wet and wintry weather. X was in fear lest the late .borough agitation had died a natural death, or had g*m© into;.; winter- quarters ; but I am rejoiced to find that the initial step of procuring signatures to a petition praying his Excellency to proclaim Greytown into a municipality is being proceeded with, and will iti .due .course of time he transmitted to Wellington. Though glow,’ the tortoise wins the race after all!

What tml prepense tempted your “devil” to omit a slip of my la-b week's “ copy ” bearing on tho state of the Greytown school ? The evil I touched upon, however, is in prospect of being mftrgated ; for I am pleased to see the sum of £2OO has been, placed on the Estimates, to provide a better residence for the teacher. The amount is small, and, I think, inadequate; stid, if the intention, be carried put, a standing .I’epfoach on the Education Board wpll then be removed.. Eighteen teachers and pupil-teachers have been gathered together hero since Tuesday, undergoing the. annual examination under tho supervision of the Rev. A. Knell. They have been put to much inconvenience and extra expense awaiting the receipt of the examination papers from Wellington, which were unduly delayed. Amongst the town improvements made recently, besides the Working Men’s Club (which is second only to, the Bank of New Zealand in style), a handsome residence has just been completed for Airs. Hirschberg. Another is in, course of erection for Dr. Smith, as well as humbler cottages for expectant benedicts. Apropos of banks,. I have, heard many badness men say they would ba glad to see a second institution of the kind here. Featherston, with about' a quarter of the badness done in Greytown, now proudly boa ts of her two bonking establishment, and ‘ 'arterton actuaUy*did likewise at one time. I should say the Colonial Bank, which has popularised it-elf so much throughout New Zealand, would find a fair field for a branch at Greytown.

Our “enterprising fisherman” has further ingratiated himself with our hons vivants by providing them with regular supplies of fre>h oysters at Wellington prices. They are an excsllent and acceptable novelty to us, believe me.