MAURICEVILLE NOTES.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4673, 19 March 1894, Page 3

MAURICEVILLE NOTES.

) (BXEUBTIO.) i The continuance of fine weather is causing some anxiety amongst the settlers in this community. The grasa though fairly abundant, is in some places commencing to lose its freshness, from the unwonted length ot the drouth and the almost tropical heat of the sun. A break just now would be a boom to .those -who are waiting to sow their grass seed as well as to the whole ■ by giving an impetus to the pastures, Things are remarkably quiet hero at present, and there is no immediate prospect of improvement as the present depression has something disagreeably permanent in its character, The extraordinary presence of swaggers ie.a subject of remark here and large numbers of them continue to pass through daily and. the, cry is "still they come." The greater number are of course in search of 'employment which (hero is little chance of obtaining, and tthen there are the usual number of professionals whose faces are. familiar to us-men who have reduced their nomadio life to a science, ' These worthies regard with secret satisfaction the augmentation, of their rapka.by-. the |. genuinely unemployed. l , It : .affords: .them a variety, which is the poouliar weakness

• of the genial sundowner, . for years past life with this persecuted'' being loft miiny to.ba"desired.' It often happened that when he applied at a likely looking homestead for ths little necessaries wbioh lie required, thu hard hearted bucolic would try to crush him by offering him work at' liberal wages; or meet bim with eomei oilier equally ungenerous suggestions, But a brighter era and the swagger no longer affects the cringing attitude of a few years baok, but approaches the mausion of the Well-to-do with his spinal column erect, and with a dignity of manner -not to say hauteur- as new as it is delightful, If he happens to meet with a rebuff he waxes eloquent and assumes a virtuous indignation wbioh is calculated to impress the 1 proprietor of the Bnid mansion with a feeling that he has inSioted an irreparable injury on an unfortunate fellow creature.

The number of men employed in the lime industry at MaurioevilleEast has been greatly reduced owing to Mr Brooks' lease of the quarries (the pro* perty ot Mr O'Connor) having expired, Upwards of twenty men have been employed in these quarries during the past six or eight months, and it is estimated that some 10,000 tous of valuable stone has been removed, from them to Mr Brooks' kilns and deposited there ready for burning. The splendid quarries have beeu considerably depleted during the past twelve months of their valuable contents, although they are said to still contain Borne valuable stone.' Some idea of thu trade done ir. this article may be gleaned, when it is stated that Mr Brooke pays upwards of £3OO a year freight to the railway department alone. -

The erection of the bridge over the Kopuaranga, between Mauriceville and the Camp, is being proceeded with rapidly. • The oontraotor, Mr Fletcher, Lopes to be able to complete his contract within the next fortnight. The structure promises to be a particularly fine and substantial one, Mb as regards timber and workmanship, and will he fully appreciated by settlers aud the travelling public, to whom the unsafe condition of the old bridge was a continual menace for some tinif past. .

The Committee of the Mauricevilla East school are calling tenders for the erection of a fenou and othir improvements in connection with —the Hchool grounds, which are much needsd and which will earn those gentlemen' the thanks of the community for the trouble they have taken to nb'ain the favourable oousidemlioa of tho autocratic Board in the matter. The plans, speciGcations and drawings,, issued by the Committee, of the proposed worta, will he forwarded to the Masterton Museum as a contribution to the Fine Arts Department of that institution, after the work is completed,

The annual Bchooj festivities will eventuate next week, after the examinations, and are looked forward to eagerly both by young and old./

The licensing elections will excite but little interest in this community, and it is questionable whether half the clvjtors will take the trouble to reonrd their votes. An idea seems to gain ground that tho result of the eleotiou will not materially altar the present stato of things, no matter how it goes. The conduct of the Prohibition part; at the last general election has disgusted many who would otherwise bo in favour of a reduction of licensed houses, while on the other band those iu favour of an increase of licenses seem quite as apathetic as their opponents could wish,