TOLOGA BAY.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1138, 4 September 1882, Page 2

TOLOGA BAY.

(from our own correspondent.) Sept. 2, 1882. The Licensing Committee held the quarterly meeting on the Ist inst. Present: Messrs A. Reeves (chairman), S. R. Stewart, H. Williams, E. Kirk, and Himeona Te Kani, Native Assessor. Henry Morse applied for a license for the Isle of Mull, at Rangatira, but the application was refused, owing to the notices being filed too late. The Committee, however, decided to recommend the Governor to grant a license under Clause 227; fee £5, The applicant also applied for some allowance for keeping the Ferry, but the Committee decided they had no power to entertain the matter, and referred Mr Morse to th© Cook County Council. Mr Mullooly applied for permission to remove goods into the bar fqr sale. Application refused, Mr Hodges (Tokomaru) applied to have £l5 refunded, aud his license made accommodation, in consequence of the other two houses being closed. Application refused. The Police report of houses in the Licensing District was very good. The attention of the Committee being called to the Clause in the 1/censing Act respecting dancing in premises connected with licensed premises, which Clause has been evaded lately, the Committee unanimously agreed that in fnture no permits be granted for any such assemblies as before mentioned. The weather here during the last fortnight has been truly delightful, and is heartily welcomed by all, especially our sheep farmers, some of whom have suffered considerable loss among the lambs during the wretchedly cold and rainy weather so long prevailing. Otherwise I believe lambing has Deen very fair, and now is very nearly over. The land-purchasing fever seems making rapid progress in this locality, and we now hear from good authority of one more aspiring individual who desires to become the owner qf that apparently inviting block, the Mangaheia No, 2. I was also informed, the other day, by an'fenterprising settler up coast, that he intended tb “ go in for the land swim down here. The condition of the roads is now somuimproved owing to the fine weather, uiui is to be hoped that during the coming

summer the Cook County Council may see their way clear to spend some few pounds in sensible repairs. There is a good deal of talk as to the forming of a new road between this place and Tokomaru, which road would be an inland ore, and generally over very good travelling country, a good grade, and a line which would shorten the distance between the two places by some miles. Su - veyors who have had the line pointed out -o them are generally decided upon the suitability of the line, and are in favor of this route over the existing one.

T 1 e eis a mau : ase tO wh’ch our ir fiber s oi d draw the r L ,en?*on of the County Coanc' , viz., the p *ovid ; ig a ferry boat fo * the Pakaria. The pre cit article that does duty there has most dec'ded’y seen its best drys, and it is high time that its place was supplied by a boat that would comb’ le bo Ji comfort and safety, neither of which can be experienced by those who now trust themselves to the confines of the present one. I have already noticed a report on the prohibition iscued regarding the supply of liquor to Natives, but I cannot help adding my ide. .s on the sv'vjcc',. I think the remedy is vorse than the d’’sease, and that what was sweet before has now an additional charm added to it, simply because there is a chance of exhibition of cu irmg in obtaining by stealth what could erstwl ; le be had openly and a satisfaction at having outwitted the bobbie. Again is it not absurd, not to say i*njust, to p -ohibit local pvbl’cans from selling in small or la-ge quantities to the Natives here, what they can go to Gisborne and purchase as they p ease. It is unfair to the local publican to take the full amount of his license money, and. then force a large proportion of his customers to go a distance of say 40 miles to supply themselves with what they could obtain on the spot, at an expense to themselves and an absolute loss to the publican, who by the way pays more largely than any business man towards the revenue. Means are being used for the purpose of endeavoring to get the prohibition removed, and it is to be phoned that success will attend, for certainly the present exercise of the functions of the law, are not tended to raise the sa’d law in the estimation of either Pakeha or Maori. A revival in business is anxiously looked for here. During the last two months almost nothing has been done, scarcely any one being in the Bay, and the weather and roads rendering travelling almost an impossibility.