PORT ALBERT.

Wairoa Bell, Volume V, Issue 198, 19 May 1893, Page 2

PORT ALBERT.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) The annual meeting of the Road Board for the election of two members was held on Saturday, May Gth. There -were five persons nominated, namely Messrs Litton, Grant Hunt, Bamsbottom, and Booth ; the two former were the retiring members. The result of the poll was as follows : —Litten, 21 ; Grant, 13 ; Hunt, 8 ; Bamsbottom, 8 ; Booth, 6. Mr B. M. Gubb was the returning officer. The annual meeting of ratepayers was held in the basement of the Hall at three o’clock the game day, when the Balance Sheet for the year was read, but did not prove satisfactory to some of those present, Mr J, C. Smith objecting in very forcible language to some compensation paid the Chairman for land taken for road purposes, but the majority were satisfied that it was money well spent, as the improvement made to the l’oad more than repaid the loss. A resolution was passed at the meeting objecting to the system of auditing accounts, as they could not see how anyone could certify to a Balance Sheet being correct when they only had the cash account and. one sot of vouchers, and recommending that a local auditor be appointed to act with the Government auditor.

The Mutual Improvement Class met on Saturday at the usual time and place, the President in the chair. There was not a large attendance, owing to the night being stormy and wet, which was to be regretted as it was Magazine Night, and six very good papers were presented to the meeting by the Magazine Editor. Mr Held, who made them interesting by the splendid manner in which he read them. The programme for the evening was commenced with an instrumental piece by Miss A. Gubb, then followed a paper on ‘ Civilisation,’ then one on 1 Our Boys,’ and another was on the love of the beautiful young colonial, one On slang, in which such words as ‘ I should smile !’ ‘Rather,’ and ‘Blooming’ were classed as slang. -Some of the critics, notably the-Editor, did not think they were and referred to the dictionary to prove that some of the terms were quite correct. It was decided to read some of the papers again, in a fortnight's time, in order to give other members a chance of hearing them. There is great discontent felt hero at the erratic movements of our weekly steamer ; there seems no occasion for the Company to go to the expense of printing time-tables, as they are practically useless. Only last week she was timed to arrive here in the morning, and the fruit growers were to be seen soon after daylight with their loads of fruit going to the wharf. When long after the time for arrival a telegram arrived to say that she would not be here till seven o’clock, and when she did arrive -we were told that she would not take anything in or put out any cargo till next morning, thus breaking faith with the fruit growers, as the management premised to get the fruit in for the Friday market, but that cannot be done when she doe 3 not leave here until half-past twelve on the same day On which the sale takes place at eleven o’clock. The barque Northern Chief, Capt. McKay, arrived here after a ten days’ passage from Auckland. She was nearly a week off the bar, waiting for a change of wind to come in. She is to load for Sydney with sawn and baulk timber at the Rikau (Mander’s) Mill.