OPANAKI.

Wairoa Bell, Volume V, Issue 214, 8 September 1893, Page 7

OPANAKI.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) Our new station and goods shed are now nearly completed. The buildings are sub* stantial, and neat in appearance, and though not large will answer all requirements for some time to come. They were certainly l»adly wanted, for formerly the only place consignees had to put their goods in was a shed owned by a maari, and for which a rental of half-a-crown per week was charged making it rather expensive work getting goods to Opanaki. The read from the settlement to the Bluff is now in a deplorable state. Cannot the County Conncil find a paltry few pounds to make it at least safe to travel over. It certainly is not so in some parts at present. I notice the said Conncil can fool away plenty of money on other roads which are not in anything like such a horrible state, and over which there is nothing like so much traffic. Mr Brown and his men are making an excellent job at the bridge near the old Bluff hotel ; they have fiuished the large drain under the bridge thus allowing the water to run off freely, and expect to finish the approaches in a day or two if the weather holds up, Messrs Moore and McConnell have been busily at work on the Waikara road at the worst part, on the top of the Bluff, and have made a decided improvement. They have not been able to do very much good on the slip; this is still in a decidedly dangerous state and shows evident signs ©f giving way again, but there is no doubt that they have done the best they could with the amount available. It is impossible to do much with a miserable fifteen pounds on a stretch of five miles of bush road.

I notice a correspondent at Maropiu sets his frills over the telephone to Opanaki, and quotes pretty fieely from Hansard, but I may inform that youthful scribe that it is not by any means all gospel which appears in Hansard; and though it may be stated in that journal that the telephone is to he at Opanaki yet a little undue or underhand influence in the proper quarters might soon get that altered. It has been stated recently that there was some trouble with one of the native owners over a piece of land on the Bluff side of the creek, required for the new road ; but I feel sure there is not likely to be any trouble over the matter if the Government will only give some proof that they really intend to go on with the road and bridge. The natives say, and I think very justly, that they have already given a good bit of land for this road fully believing that the Government would make it and build the bridge, but so far nothing has been done to prove that the works will be carried out. I do not believe that when the Government show they really mean business they will have any difficulty in getting any land required, but as the maoris now say ‘ Too much the humbug the Government,’ —and they are right.