Whareama Road Board.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2852, 20 March 1888, Page 2

Whareama Road Board.

The ordinary, meeting of the ajtve Board was held on Friday last. PreWt, Messrs R, R. Meredith (chairman), J. Morrison, and P. Moore. The* minutes of the previous meeting having been read, Mr Moore objected to an expression of the chairman's opinion upon resolutions passed by the Board being corded upon the minutes, excepting upon a motion made and adopted by the Board. The chairman then, upon a resolution agreed to by all the members present except himself, expunged the opinion objected to from the minute book, and the minutes as amended were agreed to, A special order striking a rate to secure interest upon a sum of £2OO was passed as advertised. Further leave of absence was granted to Mr E, Meredith, as requested. It was resolved that a sum of £2 be granted to Mr Hitchings to improve the approach to his homestead; also, that Mr Mere- x dith be informed, in roply to his letter \ of 15th March, that it is not the intention of the Board to enter upon Inland but upon the road surveyed by Mr Rawson. It was decided that fuller information besought from the County Councill relative to the maintenance of County Roads by Road Boards. Mr Moore moved that he he authorised to expend a further sum of £2O upon the district road at Mangapu, This was seconded by Mr Morrison. The chairman ruled the motion out of order and illegal, and would not put it, Mr Moore then moved that the chairman having declined to put the motion, stating that it was out of order and illegal, that clause 68 of tho Road Boards Act, 1882, be read, and that the motion above referred to be inscribed upon the minutes ef the Board. This was cirricd. It was resolved that the clerk be instructed to inform Mr Girdwood forthwith, (hat if his contract is not completed within six weeks from the 18th instant, full penalties will be enforced, The meetiug then adjourned.

CLOVER SEED, fe r An unusual sight may now be seen in West Melton, says the Lyttelton Times, namely, a paddock ot clover, cut, dried, and in stook. The clover has been cut for seed, the owner, Mr Le»g, being desirous of trying the experiment. A n expert went through the paddock the other day for the purpose of testing it for seed, and fuund it to contain seed sufficient, and of good sample to repay the owner, if he succeeds in getting it threshed. Ho purposes to try the usual corn threshing machine, which may, if set close, succeed in extracting the seed, but it is feared that it will make hut a poor job. Still, even at that, it is undoubtedly worth trying, and may bo the means of others turning their attention to an industry that is much desired in New Zealand, and thus save us from importing what we can supply ourselves with. There is no doubt that clover seed can be growjfchere, and with machinery to %eSr and dress the seed fit for the market, would become larger exporters insteafFr of importers, and thus put another ; string on the farmers' one-stringed bow.

Wairarapa Gold Prospecting. [From our Greytowh Correspondent! Some items of news in reference to the prospecting in the Tararua Ranges, if in a reliable form, will doubtless be read with interest. Hitherto, the results have, with good reason, caused the public to receive all gold finding reports with, extreme caution, ' Still, a rapid sketch of the sundry prospecting parties at this end will be worth perusal. In Greytown, there are three distinct parties, each having nocojfeption whatever with the other. ISe o these, " The Original Party," has two experienced men, who are paid, and kept at its sole expense. These two men ; are carefully exploring the ranges, from the Tauherenikau to a, long wafi up !tbe Wajobino Gorge) buVif^

results are being kept a close secret, Another two mon are being employed by "Party No 2." These two men have been for a long time past very busy exploring tlio numberless qallies of the \Mjhino Valley, right up toonoof the soSrces of the river, and they have stood uponaspurot'thomouataiujandaeenthis branch of the Wiohino upon one side, and upon the. other, looking westward, a stream flowing which is supposed to betho Ohau, and before them the couutry looking towards Otaki, gently sloping away from the ranges, grassy, and with lots of bush, These men state that a road following tho Waiohine to this source, crossing the hammock, and then following the Ohau, could, without any engineering difficulties, bo made from tho Wairarapa to Otaki, The men also state that another branch of the Waiohino runs north, but how far they could not tell. consider the distance travelled " by them up stream from Woodaide to be about 20 miles, They have a number of pieces of quartz • &o, which will be submitted to analysis. They also report that numbers of wild cattle, pigs, blue ducks, pigeons ifcc, are to be met with in the ranges. The third party are two or three men, strangers to the district, but supposed tojfa prospectors from the neighborhMof Hokitika, (West Coast, middle island), They hold aloof from intercourse with the other parties, consequently their success or otherwise is only known to themselves, The facts of the foregoing, summarised, are as follow:—Party No. 1 have every confidence in tho ultimate success of their venture, Party No, 2 mean to persevere, hoping for eventual success, One of the latter's specimens, it may be mentioned, much resembles the quartz recently shown by " Peter of Woodside," The problem to bo solved is this: Anyone may go a short distance tip the Waiohine river and pick up a quartz boulder. It may be a slate color, or it may be a dirty yellow, or white color—for in all these colors a have specimens been found. If thou jp broken to pieces, the stone may happen to contain a speck of gold. The puzzle then is, Where did that boulder come from ] It is, therefore, not unreasonable to suppose that many of the prospectors are searching for the reef or reek, from whence these detached piUßfe came.

SPOETING Wellington Racing Club'sAutiram Meeting, The following entries have been received for the above Club's Autumn Meeting, on the 31st March and 2nd April ; Petone Stakes; fof a mile.-Forester, Pilgrimage, Giriri. Smooth, Cupid, Miss Dargon, Escapade, The Gem, Hurdles (first day), two miles-Repu-tation, Orient, The Jill, Ngatitoa, Glen, Kangaroo, Freebooter. Hurdles (second clay), 1J miles—Same entries as first day. Autumn Handicap : 1} miles—Revoke, Orator, Pilgrimage, Little Scrub, Smooth, Dudu, Mi3s Dargon, Rivulet, The Gem, i Tradesmen's Handicap : One mile— I Forester, Revoke, Pilgrimage, Smooth, GirioLittleScrub, The Flower, EscapadKDudu, Fabrication, Lancer, The Gem, Sylph, Scraps, Local Handicap, ono mile.—Giriri, Smooth, Orongorongo, The Flower, Cupid, Fabrication, Easter Handicap, one mile and a quarter.—Revoke, Orator, Pilgrimage, Giriri, Little Scrub, Smooth, Cupid, Escapade, Dudu, Fabrication, Lancer, Miss Dargon, Rivulet, The Gem. Waiwetu Handicap, three quarters of a mile.—Forester, Revoke, Pilgrimage, Giriri, Littlo Scrub, Smooth, Cupid, Escapade, Miss Dargon, The Gem. Weights for the lirst day's handicaps a ro duo on the 23rd inst.