MAUNGATUROTO.

Wairoa Bell, Volume V, Issue 203, 23 June 1893, Page 3

MAUNGATUROTO.

[from OUR OWN' CORRESPONDENT] At this dull, quiet time of the year it is not easy to write of anything- very interesting, as matters both public and social are rather quiet One sees and hears but little of what the people even in his own district are doing, as it is quite a trouble to get about in the mud, and but few meetings or entertainments of any kind take place. One thing that is pleasing to note is that everybody seems to be busy, we hear no grumbling as to scarcity of work. This last year or two there has been plenty of work and at good wages for those who care to take it up. Our district is certainly forging- ahead now for nearly all the homesteads present n. neat and comfortable appearanae, the majority of the farms being well fenced and well stocked, and most people seem sn+isfi :d with the ruling prices for all kinds of produce. I notice quite a number of teams at. work turning over the land and preparing for crops in the spring ; it is cheeringto see rnor interest h i ; - taken in agriculture. No dont f- that s t>e ■ i.eh gets cleared away, enabling us to subs-itute f.’-o plough for the axe andjsaw, we shall see more of that kind of work going on. The Assessment Court sat to-day, Saturday, when quite a number of objections to certain names being placed on the electoral roll were heard, before our newly appointed 11. M., Mr Bush; A number of names were struck off the roll as his Worship contended that the forms of agreements presented as being made between members «f ;t family were worthless The whole proceedings afforded, some amusement to the spectators, a good number of whom were present out of curiosity. The statements m de and the explanations offered by some of the defendants •were altogether s > ridiculous, and the idea of persons making cbjections to names being placed on the roil, while at the same time, they tried to sustain their own actions in placing names on in exactly the same way, with this difference, as one of the applicants stated in Court, that his agreement was witnessed by Mr J.P. : another stated Iliat his sons had been born on the place and ho considered they had a ri-.-ht to a vote. However, his Worship contended that neither of the argumeirs < ou'd transf. rm an illegal document into a legal one. And to wind up with, one of the objectors, Mr Sykes, asked if he might he allowed costs of several summonses, the amount being 9s. His Worship replied that he did not think lie ought to claim costs as he must have had 9s worth of fun, at which remark a number present exchanged glances as though they too had had a few hths worth. The majority of the people here will he very pleased indeed to see this roll stuffing business so effectually checked. It was either fight it. out in Court or stuff against stuff and the former is certainly the most satisfactory. The presiding Magistrate stated that to be legal the applicant must procure a legal doed of conveyance or lease.