CHATHAM ISLANDS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8433, 3 May 1907, Page 5

CHATHAM ISLANDS.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) Te One, April 25. It is some time now since I sent along any news. Excitement must, perhaps, be my excuse, for have we not had weekly trips of the steamer since my last letter? During the long weary two-month from April to December 0116 can find plenty of time to sit down and write. - At Christmas time there was. a small round of festivities round about Waitangi. Most important of all was the Chatham Island annual race meeting. The weather was fine, and everything promised well, but the was very poor even for such a sparsely populated place as this. The influenza, or, as they call it here, the "Marimari," was so bad that half the population was down with it. I suppose there were 50 or 60 people present The course is on a large flat near Waitangi, and measures mile round. It is soft, good going though a trifle lumpy. There was some very good racing, though the fields Were not'large. One race resulted in a dead heat, and one or two others were closely contested. No accidents of a serious nature occurred, though there were one or two spills in the hurdle race. The officials all worked well. There was no total isator, but a small sweep arrangement was worked on each race. Half-crown tickets were gre&tly in demand, and that the people, especially the | natives, jcould pick the winner well, is to be seen by the fact that the highest "divvy" was 8s 6d. The results were as follow-Champion Hurdles: Rangiriri 1, Rongomaipango 2, Hukurangi 3. Hack Flat: Love and Urikori (dead heat) 1, Manilla 3. In the run-off Love won easily. Maiden Plate: Morning 1, Hukurangi 2, Daphne 3. Chatham Island Cup: Nukuau 1, Dorothy 3, Manukau 3. This was, of course, the best race of the day. Nukuau beat several much more fancied horses, and paid the highest "divvy" of the day. Pony Race: Daphne 1, Dolly 2, Manilla 3. Ladies' Purse: Manukau 1, West Dock 2, Dorothy 3. This was the largest field of thq day, and produced a great race. It is to be hoped that the usual "fly in the ointment" will absent , himself next .year, and give the islanders a real chance to enjoy themselves at their largest yearly social gathering! The above meeting was. on Boxing Day. Next day tliere was an impromptu sports gathering, but owing to lack of notice, and the prevailing sickness, the attendance both of competitors and spectators was very small indeed. Oji New Year's Day there was the annual rifle match. There were a good many competitors, arid some of them showed themselves to be very fair shots. The weather was none too good, and the range would hardly satisfy the shots that attend at Trentham. Still a good day was spent. The best shot proved to be T. Lanauze, and his brother P. Lanauze was runner-up. The Lanauze ifamily, of whom there are several brothers, are all good shots. t The greatest event, however, has been the visit of His Excellency the Governor. The s.s. Ripple brought news at the beginning of February that the Tutanekai might be expected at any moment, as she had left New Zealand to visit the off islands, including the Chathams. And 011 February 7th the vessel arrived. The Governor landed unofficially that day The official reception did not take place till the next day. At 2 o'clock on the Bth His Excellency came on shore, accompanied by his Aide-de-camp and Private Secretary. He was received by Dr. Gibson, the Stipendiary Magistrate, and' most of the leading settlers, .on the Waitangi Wharf. The school cadets from the Te One School formed a guard of honour, lining up along the wharf, and presenting arms, while the Magistrate rerid'the address of, welcome. His Excellency replied, thanking all for their kind reception. An adjournment was then made to a lunch at which were present air the leading ,settlers and natives. The Governor was then shown round the native settlement and various other places. The Tutanekai stayed two or three days, during which the Governor and party attended service at St. Augustine's Church, Te One; went shooting on, the big Lake Te Whangjj, and made other short excursions. The weather during his stay was excellent, and he expressed himself as greatly pleased with everything. The address read to the Governor has since been finely illuminated by Mr J. J. Guest, head teacher at Te One School and forwarded to Wellington. An official letter has lately' reached the islanders, through Dr. Gibson, thanking the settlers collectively and individually for their kindness. You will no doubt have seen photos of the islands and the reception printed in the Auckland illustrated papers, as two representatives of the press of that town were aboard the Tutanekai, and went "snapping" about everywhere. It is really wonderful the long spell of fine weather the islands are enjoying. It makes one Jdread the winter all the more, as we are getting so used to gentle breezes, fire skies, warmth, etc. It surely cannot be long before we shall have the cold and wet. In the meantime tanks are nearly empty for the second time this summer. The steamer has been very busy for quite a long time. Backwards and forwards between Waitangi and Lyttelton, conveying , wool and sheep; she has had full cargoes every trip. There will soon be plenty of potatoes to go, and I hear some talk of an extra trip during the winter to take the large quantity that has been grown this yet We should then get news a little oftener than once every two months. The annual examination of the Te One School took place in the beginning of February. Mr Bird, Government Head Inspector of Native Schools, came down. The results were eminently satisfactory to pupils and teachers alike. Very few failures were recorded. Next week will see the beginning of the shpoting season, and judging by appearances both' the birds and their pursuers are going to £have a lively time, for there are plenty of both. Even now the ducks are quite "cheeky." There are, of course, plenty of swans, but one does not have to wait for any season for them. They willjbe layingjbefqre

very long, and then the usual crowd of egg-hunters will be off for their cargoes. A good many of the islanders have been up to the Exhibition, and I hear on all sides expressions of disappointment. It seems strange that those who see very little of town life expect so much more than those who do. They read a lot about civilization, and its attendant luxuries and are looking for more than, they find, I suppose.