TOLOGA BAY.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 86, 11 March 1884, Page 2

TOLOGA BAY.

[from our owm correspondent.] News of importance from this port is of a meagre nature. The Land Court is slowly proceeding, blocks that were expected to occuppy the attention of the Court for a short time, being by diversity of ownership, prolonged considerably. In fact, in some cases, no small amount of hard swearing is indulged in. The Waihau Block is still before the Court, and is expected to last a lengthy period. The Court may possibly sit a couple of months yet.

Saturday next, the 15th inst., a committee of which Messrs. Ferris, Morrow, Ormond, Captain Porter, Hemiona Te Kani, Ereatara Rangihoro, and Major Ropata form a number have under the patronage of Judge Brookfield, organised an athletic sports meeting, and substantial prizes are offered for competition, which will no doubt attract considerable attention amongst the various athletes (of which we boast a few) in this locality. In the past, quoit matches, cricketing, boating parties, have been our sole amusement, so the above meeting will be, for both old and young, a pleasant departure from the ordinary course of affairs. A dance is, I believe, to take place in the evening. The s.s. Rosina arrived here from Gisborne last Wednesday morning early, bringing a number of passengers, amongst whom I noticed Mr. Booth, R.M., who proceeded up the coast on the following day (Thursday) to hold a Court at Awanui, should the steamer be successful in landing him there; from whence he comes here, to hold the quarterly sittings, on the 13th inst. The cases to be heard, I believe, are neither numerous nor interesting, but of which I will forward you a resume in my next.

A stiff Nor-easter, accompanied with heavy rain, set in here on Friday and lasted all day Saturday, but now shows signs of clearing off. The rain will prove . beneficial, as the country was beginning to present a parched appearance. When are the Government, or are they at ali, going to re-open our Native school, lately closed ? It seems a pity that an important district like this, in which there are so very many Native children growing up, should, for reasons insignificant, be deprived of a teacher. The sooner this deficiency is provided for the better. A splendid mob of 1,200 sheep were drafted from Mr. Ormond’s station here to-day, for that gentleman's place at Anaura. The Rev. Mr. McAra, of your city, paid us a visit here to-day, but I hear did not have a numerous assembly, due, no doubt, to the threatening aspect of the weather, and not to the religious indifferences of our community, who are, on the contrary, noted for being a God-fearing and law-abiding lot. Our mailman, Peters, is very punctual, and expeditious in the delivery of his mails from Gisborne, our letters and papers, as a rule, being delivered here by nine o’clock on Wednesday morning—a great boon for one to receive the week’s news so early. May the day be not far distant when this district will possess a good coach-road, and communication, by that means, be of a daily occurrence. It would take a very small sum, indeed, to make a coast-line, for the tides could be worked the same as on the other side, Wellington and Foxton for instance, and once wheel-traffic was established between here and Gisborne, the advancement of Tologa Bay would be very rapid. May some abler pen than mine take the subject up The matter is not a premature one, for the sooner the country is opened up by roads, and access to the various parts rendered easy, the more our population will increase and the land become productive.