WAVERLEY.

Patea Mail, Volume V, Issue 497, 4 February 1880, Page 2

WAVERLEY.

(From oar own Correspondent.) February 2. The nomination of one candidate to fill the vacancy in the Patea Harbor Board, caused by the resignation of Mr Fisher, will be held at the Police Barracks, at noon on Wednesday next, the 4th instant (to-day). I believe (hat the only candidate now in the held is .Mr treorge New'and, unless Mr Wiuchcmnb can scrape np another to ensure a poll. There appears to he very little interest taken in the matter here, as the office is not remunerative.

The Hon. Mr Bryce passed through here en route for Wellington on Thursday last, when Mr Thomas Head availed himself of the opportunity to interview him on Town Board matters, more especially to see why the members elected to serve on the Town Board had not been gazetted. Mr Bryce slated that he had heard nothing of the matter, but that he would make enquiries on his arrival in Wellington, and see that the Board was gazetted at once. The blame, however, of this apparaut neglect on the part of the old Board does not rest with the members of that Board, as the Chairman promised some of the members that he would telegraph to iho Hon Mr Bryce on Monday, the 2Gth December, 1679, asking him to appoint a time to receive a deputation on several local matters of importance ; but like many such matters undertaken at Waverley, it lias just been neglected. The Waverley Light Horse have decided to send throe squads to the tournament at Nelson, and I wish thorn every success. I hope tiro Waverley Riiles will have the esprit ue corps to do likewise, for there is not a noubt that if selections were made from ihe two corps irr the district, they could pick a team second to none in New Zealand.

The contract on the road to the Momahaka Block, lately finished by Mr James Hughes, is given in to bo the best finished piece of work that has been done in the district for some time, and the Highway Board are to be commended for opening up a road that gives such convenience to the Momahaka settlers.

Does not tiie action of Te Wliiti, in not opposing ihu advance of the Aimed Constabulary on to the VVaimate Plains, prove that ho has more sense than a great many give him credit I'or. “ There must bs no lighting ; the. lighting is with words between the Government and myself.” Such are his sentiments, and from present appearances he will best the Government. There is not the slightest doubt that the two Europeans appointed to act on the Koyal Commission are on the side of the natives, consequently Te Wlnti w'dl get what he has been planning forai! through, viz., payment for the Waimate Plains. Sir F. D. Pell showed his partiality when speaking on the subject in the Upper fiuitse, on the 10th of December last, when lu said (I quote from 1./annard), " it was untrue to say that the whole of the land between the Waito’ara and the White Clip’s had been confiscated. It never had been confiscated. The only instrument by which the claim of confiscation was s<-t up, was the Proclamation bearing the signature of Sir George (drey, as Governor, and Mr Fitzgerald, as Native Minister,in MrWeld’s Government. What did that say? It confiscated the laud of those in rebellion ; but it not only did not confiscate the land of those who remained loyal, biu it conserved their rights, and made the express promise to them that their land should not be taken. That was an undeniable fact, lie. could nut conceive how anyone acquainted with the history of the country could deny that these promises existed from t.he very inception ot the confiscation. And it was equally true that none of the promises had been kept.” This speaks lor ilscif, and Sir Wiiliam Fox can only agree with Sir Francis Dillon Beil, as most of the promises made re the Waimate Plains were made b} r his Native Minister'—Sir Donald McLean —when he was Premier of the colony; and he cannot possibly gainsay them. Good on you, Te Nv inti ; go it old boy. You may appear mad to the Europeans, but there is method in your madness. You can stsorw a go. The Government card is too high. You don’t care about lleroki, and the advance on the Plains has nothing' to do with that subject. McLean was not murdered by your authority ; you did not dream about it, therefore the Government cannot do anything to you for it. Go on as yon tire going, old boy. Quote scripture, they don t understand it, and you will have the whole of the Waimate back —roads and all.

The annual public meeting of the Library was held on the 28lh ultimo ; .Mr Swinhournc in the chair. Alter going through the usual fot'iu of receiving and adopting the balance sheet, the Chairman invited Mr Scott, who had been asked to all end, to state on what principle he proposed to form the School Library. Mr Scott having done so, a general discussion took place as to whether the two Libraries could be amalgamated, and it was decided that tiie two could not be worked together in conformity with the Act. Mr Scott was thanked for his attendance, and withdrew, when the usual business was gone into.