NEW PLYMOUTH.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 1961, 10 April 1885, Page 2

NEW PLYMOUTH.

[Frpm our own Correspondent,] TnE weather during past few weeks has })e.en very perverse, spoiljng at time? both bushiest %\\\ pleasure. During the holidays several parties of popistg Jjaye visited us with tho object of making' th,e ascent of Mount Egmont, but voiy few have accomplished their pur])oae and reached the summit, having .been met half way either with heavy rain or a thick mist, compelling a hasty return to. tow*). Thp mornings, as a rule, have broken beautifully §he,'but tqwardp mid-day the sky become? pygrcast, the day generally terminating with a sh,qwer: of rain pr a gale. Thesea, tqq, has been more than prdinarily rough, and pup breakwater has experienced many 9 severe teat; put, lam happy to state, no damage to the work has resulted. It has. certainly caused a temporary suspension of operations, but other than this, ■ nothing has occurred, to mar proceedings, and everything points towards, work.-being speedily resumed,

About the most successful racemeetinc; yet held in Taranaki came off on Friday and Saturday, March 27th and 28th. The arrangements made by the local Jockey Club fpr lioldirjct the meeting were perfeot, and si'large" 1 conqqurse of poqple gathered on the course to wifoesV 'the sport, Th? nominations and acceptances, for th« different events were'nunjerquaj and.thar&olng itself was .really first'olass, A tot&liiator was on the.Muhd, in whioh money rapidly ohanged hands. £3,300 was put through the machine in the two days.' •;• I am glad to chronicle no serious accident, tljqugh one small boy had rather a nasty 'kick'from; a yjciqus hack, just before the starting pf a race, through running across tlje straight. TheVypjjng gentleman, however, received a pq mqre serious injury than the temporarylqss pf his appetite, A fanoy bazaar and art union, under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Church was held in the Alexandria Hall on tho race nights. It was well attended and the drawing for the numerous prizes occupied until nearly midnight of the second evening. Great praise was given by both prize and non-prize winners,, tq the management, for the fairness with which the drawing was conducted. The total receipts of tho bazaar amounted'to £146458 d,

A serious fire occurred at Poverty Flat (about a mile from the centre of tho town) on Saturday, 28th inst., which nearly resulted in the burning to death of a man. named O'Rourke. It appears O'Rourke was the only inmate of thobuilding at the time the fire occurred—Mrs O'Rorke being in town, He had come home in an intoxicated state, and it is supposed lje, in Iris muddled state, dropped'' a l 'lighted match on tho matting of the room prior to retiring, The, fire was discovered by a neighbor, and O'Rourke was rescued in a half Biiffocated state, at great personal risk. Nearly everything contained in the house was destroyed, and there was no insurance upon either furniture or building, The greatest sympathy is felt for the poor wjfe, who is now almost destitute. ' ''"' '"

On Thursday a considerable number qf men from the different volunteer cprps in the district left by train for Warjganyi, from whence they proceed by steamer to Nelson to take part In the Easter volunteer encampment at that place, The representatives have been indefatigably drilled by their officers, and should not be deemed unworthy of notice at the approaching review. •.' ' Ihear th'af'no less than • 969 shares iri ■ the newly-floated OpunakoDauy Company: haye already been taken up, and that the

direotors have deoidqd'to take immediate steps to regiater"the articles of association. This looks promising. The ;b'ig native mooting at Waitara is proceeding'.- About 1100 Maoris passed tltfdugh the town. last Sunday. They were not expdctedto arrive' 'here; before Monday niotiiing, consequently iio business was done; Numbers have, however, sino'e 1 been in town making • purchases. The jrtoceedings at the meeting are boing conducted hi a Very orderly manner, and such a sight as. in intoxicated native •is not to be witnessed, the Use of-fermented liquors being strictly prohibited by Te Whifci. A citizens' ball comes off oh Easter Monday evening. A number of influential citizens are upon the committee and the affair promises to be a Buccess.;; The ship Akaroa, from London, with several thousand casks of cement, is expected to arrive here some time-; next week.