PAHIATUA.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2846, 13 March 1888, Page 2

PAHIATUA.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) A Benefit Ball. 1 We were much surprised last Tuesday, to see an advertisement in our 10ca1,,, paper announcing a Ball in aid of Mr McCardle. It is true lie was burned out, but he is still advertising that "Having valuable building sites, he is prepared to erect shops for sale v or lease," and.the uninjfeated do not see how he can be pus™ foi? ft £lO 1 note; for no Ball will yield mdVe than that ; and, in fact, not to put tbo fine ' N a point on it, many; considerjthat when a man poses as the ovtfrf of numerous valuable town sections, it is no kindness to dole out a small sum j to prolong theagony until the" boom" | comes. 9 Garden, Dairy, and Field ProduceJs|| If Mr McCardle had used his ledge of gardening, he might have made some money. It appears from the press that he lost £IOO worth of v Pvhododendrons! There were 200 ».>v plants, and to value them at 1/- each would be excessive. They are a drug : ■ here. What we want are apples, potatoes, carrots, and so forth, for you can never get apples under 4d,and 5d - is a more usual price. lam informed that hay, oats and chaff also pay, as they are so expensive to import on account of carriage. Butter has never been under 8d wholesale, but I rather fancy that a very few more producers -would bring it down wfika run. Rape seed has been grown, ana I hear that. , a parcel sold at 2d per lb. Timothy is offered by many. Ido not know what - it fetches. Chaff is worth £5 a ton or • perhaps a little less. And yet we ; have our political circle growing nothing but rhododendrons. stance reminds me a little of.some of- -., the characteristics of his political haragues: too much vague promise of general prosperity; not enough p sober discussion of practical'politics. In a word: Too much rhododendron, j : not enough cabbage.

. The Tiraumea Bridge. Tlie Tiraumea bridge is not yet built, It seems that Vine's tender (£BOO, I believe) was accepted, six months ago or more, but he waited for fine weather, and as soou as he got all his timber cut, the Government discovered the design wouldn't do, and stopped him, and ordered a different bridge, the thatit will cost now more thaiilßmble the original contract, price. This is very unsatisfactory, and - full information ought to be at the disposal of the press. Who is responsible for all this waste of public money ?

Coming Land Sales. Your readers 1 of course, know that enormous areas of land will baftfown open on the 21st of this month for selection. In the Wellington Land District alone, land is offered in seventeen survey districts. We can get no map here, nor are there any published that we know of. . At the Post Office is a "plan," but it only professes to include" parts" of three survey districts. What maps you got, I - wonder ? I cannpt get the Survey department to understand that a single mftp at the Post Office, even if it does show the sections, joot enough, A selector wants to bofe lithograph and .. go on the ground with it. Then he • oan see the different sections and note which are suitable. Here is another point/ Sections are sold with a road leading to them, bo far as the maps

show, but,when you go on the ground there is 110 road—nothing but virgin bush—and without assistance' you cannot even.find out where a sebtion is. A purchaser cannot get his food or grass seed in, and it is pure lottery when the road will be made. I think that when the Government sell a j, block, they should do all they are . going to do before the sale, and let the purchasers understand clearly that they will do no more. As things are, the amount of time wasted in" putting pressure" on the Government isabijjird. ; / iA Killing Frost -A Tropical Heat, The first frost of winter killed the tender pumpkin shoots a month ago, and now we have the first hot summer weather; which also is absurd, Plenty of Work, There seoms to bo a good bit of work now, and the village settlers are not growling much.