WATAPU.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume III, Issue 263, 10 April 1875, Page 2

WAIAPU.

(from our own correspondent.) April 3. The recent petition from this district to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary, praying that the Government would grant a moderate subsidy to the Auckland Steam Packet Company, as an inducement for them to allow their steamers to call at Awanui, on their passages from Gisborne to Auckland, and vice versa, has not, contrary to expectation, met with the approbation of that functionary. The following reply, from Mr. Under Secretary Cooper, dated 5th March, has been received by one of the petitioners :—“I am directed by the Acting Colonial Secretary to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 20th ultimo, covering a petition from certain European and Native inhabitants of the district of Waiapu, and pray that a subsidy may be granted to the Auckland Steam Packet Company, as an inducement for them to allow their steamers to call at Awanui, on their voyage between Auckland and Gisborne. In reply, I am instructed to inform you, and to request that you will inform the petitioners, that the Government regret they have no funds at their disposal from which they could grant the subsidy asked for; nor is the service one for which they would feel themselves justified in proposing a special vote of Parliament.” The memorialists, however, take a different view of the matter, and do not intend to let it drop, notwithstanding what the officials in the empire city say about it . The petitioners made out a prima facie case for a subsidy, and had not the Premier been absent it is fully believed that their most reasonable request would have been complied with—it being well known that Mr. Vogel is favorable to the granting of subsidies whenever it is clearly shown—as had been unquestionably done in this instance—that the service for which such aid is asked is one which the Government is legitimately called upon to support. We are sadly in want of a gentleman of the medical profession in this district. There has been much sickness, some accidents, and several deaths of late, and the absence of medical aid is now felt to be a desideratum that must really be supplied. A young native woman, who was seriously injured by a fall from a horse a few months ago, will probably lose her life from lack of the necessary remedies. The population—European and Native—are large enough and able enough to support a medical man, and all that is required is energy on their part to accomplish the object. It is alleged that there would be difficulty in inducing a doctor to practice his profession in so sequestered a part of the country as this ; but when it is taken into consideration that there have been several noctors here before, and that there is now a duly qualified medical practitioner in the Chatham Islands, and a gentleman at Norfolk Island, who acts in the two-fold capacity of clergyman and medical man, we surely need not despair of procuring one for Waiapu. Immigration introduces into the colony a host of doctors every year, and some of these would, no doubt, be glad to take up their abode amongst us. Not long ago two young surgeons, recently from England, advertised themselves in the Olago papers, as available for country practice. The similarity of native names in this province causes much confusion and inconvenience. There is a Kawa Kawa at East Cape and another at the Bay of Islands, and it often happens that the one is confounded with the other. Last month supplies for the Native school at Kawa Kawa, East Cape, were sent from Wellington to Manakau, under the belief that they were intended for the school at Kawa Kawa, Bay of Islands, and this mistake has, of course, caused no small inconvenience to the former school. Then again, we have two Post Offices bearing all but the same designation, Waiapu and Waipu. Correspondence for tho one office is generally sent to the other, notwithstanding the vigilance and care exercised by Postmasters, and delay and disappointment are thus occasioned and that, too, in many cases of importance. The orthographical difference between these places being so trivial, and their pronunciation being scarcely dissimilar, mistakes are perpetually made by correspondents, especially by such as are not familiar with the difference. For instance, Waiapu is often spelt without the second vowel a, whereby the name is at once transformed into Waipu, a blunder which leads the Post Office astray, and prolongs the arrival of letters and papers —as the case may be—at their proper destination. To obviate this anomally the Postmaster General should either wholly change the name of Waipu, or make an alteration in its orthography that would more clearly distinguish it from Waiapu than it is possible to do whilst the present identity of names is tolerated. Might not Waipu be spelt Waipoo, which, I think, would effectually prevent its being confounded with Waiapu, neither the single nor the double vowel o being ever employed in the orthography of the latter place. I understand that the tomb-stone for Iharaira te Houkoma’s grave, which was ordered some time ago, and which is said to be a costly one, is expected to be landed by the Luna shortly. Probably the Government will bear the expense of this memorial to the departed chief.