MANUTAHI.

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1133, 2 January 1884, Page 2

MANUTAHI.

(From our Correspondent.) Monday. In railway matters things are looking brighter. The Government have determined to finish this section of formation,' originally taken by Mr A. Nathan. A start is to be made on Wednesday, and in anticipation of work a number of men are now mustering up. The Government are about to call for tenders for work originally sub-let. The former subcontractors are to have the preference. Mr John Goodwin has purchased everything in McCarty’s paddock in the shape of store, boarding-house, and other buildings. Mr ,T. A. McKenna, of Patea, will Open the store so that the men working on the line may obtain all necessities without going ip to Haivera, Mamitahi/ or Patea. The blacksmith’s shop is to be opened under the charge of Mr Harris.' It is calculated that under the new regime fully £IO,OOP more will bo spent on the job than had it been carried put under the original contract . Mr W. G, Bassett will, also make a start in a few days. The sudden demand, for men will make the, labor market scarce, and farmers are looking gloomy on harvest prospects in consequence.; ' ; i ; : In.farming matters I have very little good tOj write, so, like the old adage, “ let the good be recorded but the bad .buried; in the past.”, r There will be an enormous quantity of straw. The late high winds baveJaid a large area. Shearing, top, is very backward, as it is almost impossible to get the sheep dry. The only farmer here I know of who baa finished shearing is Mr E. J. Morgan, who finished on Christmas eve. He has an excellent clip this Season, averaging oyer lOlbs of wool to eabh each sheep. : ; , A few days, ago our little township was thrown into a state of excitement. As the down coach arrived, it was reported that there;was a drunken female inside. Our guardian of the peace;; Mr Lister, took charge, but that getleman was considerably mauled . about by . this worshipper pf Bacchus. At the e.ame time the other coach had arrived, and also a mob of cattle driven by Mr John Hair’and Mr Davy Lind. At the opposite side of the street, and within three i feet of Mr. Wbittem’s verandah, stood pne of our settlers, John Laverty. Lind ordered him out of the way in terms not appreciated by Laverty; and Hair urged Lind to put Laverty off the road. A little scene then occurred. The police constable was called on to take charge of the violators of the peace, but that worthy had more oh hie hands for the moment than ‘life cared for, in the shape of the woman frotp up country. As the constable did not see alb the fracas, he Will not take the affair in hand, but 1 learn there will be more about it., ! . 1 Messrs John During and Flynn, the latter well known on the Opunake line, and I need not say a word about the* popularity of the former, have purchased Cobb and Co’s line from here to Hawera, from Messrs W. R. Prosser. > Our local cricket team was badly defeated on Christmas Day. This, to a great measure, is attributed to the fact that several of our best men were unavoidably absent, while their substitutes had but very little practice, however, all eo-1

joyed themselves, the visitors being entertained in right royal style. An excellent dinner was supplied by Host Gallagher, while the cuisine department was ably attended to by Mr J. McKoy. Recently several metalling contracts have been let on the main road, but no work at them can be done, owing to the unsettled state of the weather. Everything will be in a bustle as soon as the weather clears up.