OUR WAIROA LETTER.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume III, Issue 332, 11 December 1875, Page 2

OUR WAIROA LETTER.

The monotony of existence in these diggings has been broken by the recent sitting of the Native Land Court, under the presidency of His Honor Judge Rogan: Some very large blocky of land were passed through, two hundred thousand acres, much vexed question, the disputed boundary between Uriwera and Ngatikahungunu, safely set at rest. The native owners have been paid for their land, but the only advantage accruing to them from the laud sale is that a great many of them are so deeply involved that they are talking of putting a lot more blocks through the court to clear -themselves. The land that they, at present, intend disposing of is situated between Te Reinga and Waiau on the inland Poverty Bay road, so it is a matter of some slight interest in your direction. Speaking of that road reminds me that it is still m a state of statu quo, and there does net appear much likelihood of its being finished if the present rate of progression be taken as a “ standard” (excuse me for taking liberties with yotlr name but it is not intended as a joke.) I think the easiest way of getting that road finished and kept in repair when completed would be to utilise constabulary labor on it, as is now done in nearly every other district. Say, remove the useless Maru Maru station up to Te Reinga from this end, and place a small detachment near the Ahimenu from the Poverty Bay end. When the road is once completed it could be kept in thorough good order by these men, and I commend this view of the matter to the proper authorities. Friends in other parts will be able to appreciate Wairoa scenery now; we have had a long visit from Mr. Alfred Walker, a photographist of no mean pretensions who has achieved some very successful plates. This artist having paid a visit to lake Waikaremoana and being the first of the “genus" camera that has been up there, has taken some remarkably pretty views that cannot fail to interest the public —views of that part not having hitherto been obtainable. It is a work demanding great strength of mind giving a ball in placet like this where a “ Directory ” containing names of people who ought to be invited is not available. There was a grand ball given here a short time back by a gentleman who is popularly supposed to have made a very good tiling out of the Native Land business and it seems that one or.two persons’ claims to be invited were unavoidably overlooked ; now the hidden motives that these people see in this omission would do credit to Sir George Grey’s Venetian Council of ten itself.