WAIROA.

Patea Mail, Volume 1, Issue 24, 3 July 1875, Page 3

WAIROA.

W' (from our own correspondent.) ' June 28. After all the advertising and fuss about building a schoolhouse and teachers residence here, our Education Board have decided that the lowest tenders were too high, and have consequently accepted none. ' I suppose, as in reality the tenders were decidedly low, taking into consideration the high price ruling for timber, we may consider ourselves shelved, and the erection

of those much required buildings postponed n'r.e lie. Of course the rates will be collected as usual and the Board will as usual net fijjnrolit out of this new and struggling district.

If the Board no funds for the purpose, they have not acted fairly towards contractors, in putting them to the trouble and expense of preparing tenders, and if they have sufficient funds to warrant them in calling for tenders for both buildings, surely they are in a position to accept a tender for one of the two, and if so they should lose no time in doing so, as they have just arranged to send us a new master, one Mr Hansard, whose good lady is appointed teacher for the female portion of the school, and theie is nothing better to be procured for hem to reside in than a very small slab cottage, something after the style of a small cow shed, with a chimney added. Of course, with such quarters as that, no good teacher is likely to remain longer than it will take to seek another appointment, so Wairoa will probably be subject to constant clunks of teachers, which is very injurious to the progress of a school at any time. I consider it a disgrace to the Board and an insult to Mr Hansard and his wife, to send them to such quarters, unless it could be excused as being only temporary. Your article on the late meeting at Wriroa, re the appointment of J.P.’s, is attracting a good deal of notice here. I think it is rather severe on us, and not quite correct in some particulars. You say, “ Our Wairoa friends appear to have inaugurated a new system of nominating, &c." This is a mistake, as Wairoa merely followed the example of Turakina and other places, whose selections were confirmed by the Government, though I must say I agr je with you in your opinion that such a way of selecting persons to fill such an office is not a good one. It is, however, difficult to say how they should be selected. Your opinion seems to be that the Superintendent is the proper person to recommend parties to the Minister of Justice. That was the opinion of some folks here also; but on applying to his Honor, he replied that the General Government had disregarded his recommendation, and suggesting an aplication direct to the Government, After considering that suggestion, it was thought that it would appear more in order if the request was sent to the Government through the hands of the E.M. of the district, which was eventually done, thus giving the R.M. the opportunity of expressing his views as to the suitability or otherwise of the persons selected by the public, or of suggesting other names in their place. [Our correspondent is slightly in error. The gentlemen recommended for J.P.s at Turakina were not selected by a “ show of hands,” but were suggested in a petition drawn by a number of leading settlers and ptesented to the Government, praying for their appointment.— Ed. P.M.] It is not to be supposed the Minister of Justice could make such an appointment without first seeking some local information as to the fitness of persons, and whoever is referred to would probably have some friend whom he would suggest almost without considering his fitness, so that it is difficult to see what would be the best plan of securing suitable men as J.P.’s.

You consider that only gentlemen of independence and intelligence should be appointed as Justices. That is all very well in the old country, where the Lord Lieutenant of the county chooses them from amongst the wealthy squires in the neighbourhood ; but although Wairoa can boast of an average amount of intelligence, independent gentlemen are not very numerous at present. In fact, if we are to depend entirely on that class, we shall have to wait until some of us can succeed in making a pile. By-the-bye, the only J.P.’s in Patea are Government officials. Are these independent gentlemen ? And in Wanganui and Taranaki independence is the exception amongst the members of the Magistrate’s Bench. Of one thing, however, there can be no doubt, and that is that Wairoa is badly in want of a J.P., more especially as all transactions under the Land Transfer Act require the attestation of one ; and I write feelingly on the subject, as I am off to Patea (a twenty mile ride) as soon as I complete this letter, for no other purpose than to get such an attestation to my signature, and this I am continually having to do. Another batch of unfortunates from Wairoa are summoned to the E.M. Court for breaches of the Vaccination Act. I suppose they will get fined as before, although it was clearly shown then that they had mostly been misled by the Public Vaccinator posting notices that he would attend at Wairoa, and not keeping his appointment. The same thing, or nearly so, has been the cause this time. It is high time some proper arrangement should be made for vaccinating at Wairoa, for it is simply absurd, besides being barbariously cruel to try to force a lot of people to bring infants of tender years ten or fifteen miles on horseback in mid-winter to Patea to be vaccinated, and, Act or no Act, most parents would naturally decline to thus risk the lives of their children; more especially just now, when nearly every family has measles in it. I think if compulsory vaccination is necessary, the least the Government can do is to make it as little irksome and irritating as possible, and I believe an application is about to be forwarded to them to make arrangements for free vaccination at Wairoa.

The applicant for the bottle license at Wairoahad, previous to his applying to the Patea Court, made several applications in writingto the Sub-treasurer in Wanganui, who receives the fees, for an answer to the question, “ Can you grant the license if the Court allow it?” And to this he could only get evasive answers, which led him to suppose the Treasurer was willing to pocket the fee if he could get the chance—law or no law—and so he would probably, had the fee been tendered.

The Telegraph Station at Wairoa being now in working order, the Post-office is to transferred on the Ist July from Mr Fookes' store to the Telegraph Station. Mr Fookes has been our post-master for a period of five years.