WHANGAMARINO.

Waikato Argus, Volume VI, Issue 416, 30 March 1899, Page 2

WHANGAMARINO.

The Wattle Bark Harvest.—Wattlestripping is now over for the season, and the. bark pretty well all dry and under cover. Stripping operations have been carried on this season more extensively in this district than for some years past, a fact attributable, no doubt, to the rise in price of bark, although there is still plenty of room for improvement in this respect. Messrs Stretton and Green are just now finishing a contract for storing in the sheds, sevenly-five tons of bark at Mr McLean's plantation, the stripping having beeu carried out by Maoris, of whom about forty were employed, the work not commencing till December, by which time the season is well advanced. Messrs Hawson and Son have taken about twenty tons of dry baik from their plantation, and as they accomplished this without the employment of lobour it is a very good record for two pair of hinds, seeing that the ordinary work of their farm has beeu similarly performed and in no way neglected. The properties of Messrs Stretton and Green have alsn respectively contributed a few tons to the total quantity of bark harvested in this district. I learn that about a hundred tons of bark have beeu taken from Messrs Young's extensive plantation at Wairaugi, and probably the S'ate Farm will have turned out about the same quantity. Accoiding to latest quotations best chopped wattle bark is worth up to £8 per tou in Sydney, where sales are regularly held ; this price however, is considerably higher than growers in tiie Waikato obtain from the local tanners, although our bark is said to be equal in quality to any grown elsewhere. It is also worthy of note that the wattle hark grown in tlvs country is not nearly sufficient to .meet the requirements of the Auckland tanners alone, to say nothing of the quantity used in other parts of the colony. Sfcing that so much bark has to be brought over from Australia every year, it secma strange that theie should be such a disparity in the prices of the locally-grown and imported stuff when both aie of equal quality. Bat the same may be of a good many other things produced in this countiy. Public School —Mr LL H. D. Wily, ■v'rio has held the position of in ister of the VYhanganiuriao and Churchill public schools for some years past, is about to leave us, having been appointed to the charge of the Bucklaud school. Mr Wily has proved himself a painstaking teacher, as the results obtained at the examinations prove, and the parents of tha children at both Whangamaiino aud Churchill regret his removal. Mr Graham is to be Mr Wily's successor. Better Late Than Never.—Our settlers are anxious to know when the money voted last session for works on the main south road is to be expended. So fir none has come this way, and ifc will presumably be another case of road, repairing in winter We shall, be thankful for any whenever they may be effected, iu fact "better late than never.''—(Own Corresponded t ).