PAHIATUA.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1687, 16 May 1884, Page 2

PAHIATUA.

(ta a Correspondent.)

The election of three memuerHo fill the placo of tboso who retired; did hot take place on account of .no intending candidate having taken the pains to have himself nominated. liv other words there were no candidates/ ■ This is not surprising, for it was only some two months before, that tho whole of the Board were .selected for the-'first time, At tho first meeting 1 of the Board I see that the retiring members were ballotted out in duo form,, or at any rate went out by lot. After only having held office a few hours, it must have been : anything but exciting to them to find that they must retire in. a fow hours moro-so to speak, ;However, the ratepayers' paid an immenso tribute to those retiring patriots, by not putting up another three to ill their respective places, whilst the patriots on the other hand to show their iudependonco, 1 presume, never even went to the trouble of getting themselves nominated for the new Board, However we are not going to let thenr slip out of their places so easily and they are now duly re-appointed, It is said that a survey party is engaged in cutting up what is : known as the Tiranraca Block, which is on the east side of the Tiraumea river.-'' If this is correct a treat is in stoi'S for would-be settlers, There is a large proportion of flat land in the block and tho hills arc all, I believe without exception, of limestone formation. This should be good enough for the most fastidious. Tho Government should do everything in their power to tempt people to take up land, to induce settlement; and to do this, they cannot do better than always have a selection of sections open for occupation, so that would-be settlers can an once make their choice and settle. It can be hardly said that this has beep a striking feature in the policy of the Government., for though tho demand for land has actually prevailed, yet the suitable article has not been there for sale, Let us hope that such a state of things there will only be a monument of the past, and stand out in strong relief against the new state of the future. Some interest prevails jas to who will be the owner of the beautiful little plain which lies at the end of the Tiraumea road. Many an envious glance has been cast toward this spot, and many a resolve to bid for it without reserve Time will show, of course, how much of these "glances" were earnest, and what amount of them was only passing fancy. The probability is, however, that no one will get the plain, since it may either be made an education reserve, or be ruined by being made into frontages for half-a dozen bush sections, Why not sell it in one complete section and let one lucky individual iojoice in a logless, stumpless homestead Why not, indeed? An echo will probably answer" why." MrMc'Jardle really deserves great credit for tho indefatigable manner in which he follows up his public duties. As chairman to our Road Board-he could not bo "rubbed out," He was about the only warden that attended tho last meeting, and. should to -. all moral intents and purposes have been the last, seeing the distance he had to come, What became of the' other wardens on that day, by-the-by 1 , An echo will perhaps come forward again with " what," but that is a very poor answer. Fancy Pahiatua degenerating to such an extent as not getting four people together at a meeting when' in those olden, palmy, and never-to-be forgotten days, thosp " weekly" public meetings used to be attended by droves of eager inhabitants I The petition for the suspension of the Counties Act would, I am' convinced, lie more fully signed than formerly, if the attempt is made again. Tho suspension of counties was a now thing six months' ago, and some were cautious as to how they sanctioned the abolition of so august a body, with its. red tape and salaries; but now, such a step is so usual and rational a one,that, giyen a Council in tho full bloom of its prosperity, and a simple sheet of paper headed with an address to His Excellency, and-you have it suspended at once—like Mahomet's coffin—and it is likewise placed in a very doubtful position; for, although it must by that process be elevated, yet its grand careor must be admitted to \me fallen. But, fun apart, ,wc intend to suspend, so. what's the use of talking. . . ;■■■''

''Beyond'the fact that our friend, the weather, having been most.unusually settled, and "Jack Frost" having shown a decided desire' to introduce himself to our tender blades of: grass, as a most undesirable visitor, and one whose company affords few of us any pleasure, especially in the mornings, when we commence boiling the : proverbial " Billy," I can tender you : no further news. . ■: li'-'1 i '-'