HAWERA.

Patea Mail, 7 May 1881, Page 3

HAWERA.

The Mail has over 90 subscribers between Manutahi and Stratford. BRANCH OFFICE OF THE MAIL, Friday Evening. It is reported that the Government intend to reduce the A.C. force on tire Coast by at least 100. A considerable portion of these will be sent to the East Coast, for road-making purposes. There is verylittle difficulty in getting a discharge at present, and offences which a short time ago would have subjected the man to a slight line are now thought sufficient to effect his discharge. Whether this wholesale reduction at the present time, in the face of the liberation of something like 200 prisoners, is a wise step, remains to be proved, but I cannot help thinking that the Government snould have at least proved the sincerity of these Maoris before reducing the force to the extent proposed. The engine comes into Normanby almost daily. Messrs Berry and Newman expect to complete their contract in about ten days’ time, and Messrs Mace and Bassett are pushing theirs on at the utmost speed ; in fact I hear that they have been working with night shifts, so that we may fairly expect to see the iron horse running regularly between Hawera and New Plymouth by August. Messrs P. 11. Nolan & Co.’s first sale of stock took place at their yards, at the rear of Prosser’s, yesterday'. There was a large number of stock yarded, most of which sold at fair prices. Hawera is quite denuded of its population, in consequence of the criminal sittings of the Supreme Court in New Plymouth. On Wednesday, three coaches left here in order to take witnesses on to Ngaire, but I hear they 7 were disappointed, as the Judge had not arrived, and the Court was in consequence adjourned to Friday (to-day).