The Wairoa Bell. AND Hobson County Gazette. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3rd.

Wairoa Bell, Volume V, Issue 183, 3 February 1893, Page 5

The Wairoa Bell. AND Hobson County Gazette. FRIDA Y, FEBRUARY 3rd.

The people of the Tatarariki, Te Kopuru, and Redhill districts have a grievarce in referrnce to wharf accommodation. The County road leads down to the water’s edge to connect with the river traffic but the public have no wharf. The mill wharf near the store has hitherto done service for all parties but it has got so far out of rc - pair that it has become quite unsafe and the steamers do not now use it. The Kauri Company cannot be expected to repair it as they have another wharf which answers their purpose and they have little or no use for the old one. This other wharf is not conveniently situated for public use and os there is often a large vessel lying alongside loading timber its inconvenience is greatly added to thereby. The i nportance of Te Kopuru as an outlet for the country at its back must impress this want upon the attention of the County Council. County Funds are very low in face of the many needed works, but perhaps some arrangement might be come to with the Kauri Company in reference to the repairs necessary to put the old wharf in a serviceable condition.

The brigantine Lilian Donan, barquen—tine Lord of the Isles, and the three-mast-ed sbhooner Lark are all about to load timber at the Kaipara for Sydney. Mr George A. Field, the gumdiggers’ missionary, has started from YVhangarei on his third mission trip round the gumdig—gers’ camps in the North.

The Rev. R, G. Boler holds service at Dargaville on Sunday, morning and evening for the last time before his departure from the district.

The dance which is announced "for tomorrow evening in the Aratapu Hall will give competitors and friends an opportunity of lighting their battles over again. Mr H. G. Stephens has the affair in hand. The Aratapu school did not open last Tuesday as tnere were only two teacheis in attendance. A start will be made on Monday when Miss C, Gerring and Mr Jamieson will join the staff. The Tokatoka people have got their regatta into shape and the programme which appears in another column should give general satisfaction and draw a large num - ber of competitors and spectators. Our Tatarariki correspondent calls attention to.the danger of growing plants of a poisonous nature about bouses where there are children. The Digitalis or Foxglove, the Yellow Jessamine or Gelseminum Sempcrvirons, the Hemlock, and scores of others may bo seen growing in gardens in the townships of the Wairoa, The Rev. Joseph Blight is to preach at Aratapu ou Sunday evening next. His address will have special reference to missionary work in the South Pacific and the collection at the close of the service will be in aid of foreign missions. The reverend gentleman will also deliver a lecture in aid of the same at an early date.

Mr Grant will move at next meeting of the Auckland Board of Education to ask why the Secretary of the Board did not supply to the City Schools Committee all information at his disposal with regard to the fitness of Mr Garner Jones and the other candidates for the situation of assistant master at the Napier-street School, as he had been instructed.

Some Arapohue residents have been spending a few days at the coast for health and recreation, but unlike many others they did not forget that Sunday followed Saturday, and on Sunday evening they walked into the Redhill chapel where one of their number delivered one of Mr C. H. Spurgeon’s seimons. On Tuesday evening they again came in and conducted a prayer meeting in the same building. Mr McDougal of Tatarariki still has a good supply ot strawberries and expects them to continue for a few weeks yet. He says that if “ The Wanderer ” will wander round his way be will convince him that be was wandering in his mind when he said

that if he had been to McDougal’s ho would have saved him the expense of advertising as he would have made a clean sweep. Here’s a chance for the Wanderer. No impostors please. The Grattan Riggs Company played at Aratapu on Friday and Saturday, at Te Kopuru on Monday, and at Toka Toka on Tuesday. On each occasion the halls in which they appeared were about as full as they could be, and the managers expressed themselves well satisfied with the attention accorded them by the public. The “Irish Detective,” which was given at Te Kopuru and at Aratapu i» well spokon of by the public but the same cannot be said of “ Fun on the Bristol.”

The Aratapu-Kopuru Tug of War Sports take place to-morrow in Mr -Webb’s paddock. All preparations have been made and the gala promises to be the most successful yet held. The first race starts at 10.30 a.m, sharp and events will follow almost every five minutes till noon. There are in all tortv-five events and competitors not on their marks at the advertised time of starting will be distanced. Some good obstacles have been fixed and this race will be more interesting than of late years. Nearly all those who entered for the handicaps have been in active training and the races will be gamely contested throughout. In addition to the prizes named in the list published in the official programme Mr A. Webb and Mr J. Morgan have given trophies. Altogether the trophies and other donations amount to nearly ,£7O in value.

There has been considerable increase of population at the Redhill lately, and numerous dwellings of various kinds have arisen in the vicinity of Mr Morton’s store, Mr Dalbeth is building a substantial tworoomed cottage near the church, on a section he has recently acquired. The supply of gum seems to be inexhaustible for last week we beard of a man who gets on an average 7cwt. a week, and of another who gets Scwts. a week regularly. Some lucky finds are. sometimes made in fields that have been well worked previously. Not many weeks ago Mr Hockey and his mates came upon a patch in Mr Herkt’s ground which they had to dig out with a pick, and when all had been secured they found that they had dug 14 ewts. out of the one hole. Mr Wordsworth some time ago got 1% cwts of good gum out of one spot in a day, and other big finds have been made by various parties. The North has, in its gum lands, an assett equal in many cases to the best of agricultural soil. It must not be thought, however, that gumdigging is always profitable, for many a digger returns from a day’s work with very little to cheer him, and 20 lbs a day is considered a good average by many.