MAKURI.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 5006, 22 April 1895, Page 3

MAKURI.

From oiii• oicn Correspondent, Last Wednesday, which was a typical bush day, the settlers of Mukuri donned their leggings and and waited about the townfui() from mid-day until dark, in anxious expectation of interviewing the Minister of Lands—the Hon. Mr MeKenzie—whom, so said report, would visit Makuvi on that day. Among the number, I noticed a lady, who rode backward and forward with ananxious mien, and whoseemed beut on letting no opportunity escape her, for welcoming or petitioning the Minister, " I wondered again, as 1 have before." Is it not better to leave tho affairs of the State and the Nation in the hands of the sterner sex ? Towards evening, the settlers returned to their whares, with depressed and moody countenancos, and it was clearly to be. seen, that " Hope deferred, maketh the heart sick." About 12 o'clock ou Thursday—which was as bright as the previous day had been dull—the Hon. Minister, accompanied by his son, Mr and fVrB Hogg, Mr Vile,and Mr Reaney, Wrove into Makuri, and shed a halo of hope around those settlers who were fortunate onough to discover their intention of paying the township a visit on that day, instead of the previous one. After luncheon they were waited upon by our most enterprising and energetic settler, Mr Dunning, who took them to see ono of the many beautiful waterfalls, and then to afternoon tea at Mrs Freeman's, who is a near neighbour and sister-in-law of Mr Dunning,and is also one of Makuii's most valued settlers for her many actsof kindness and graciousness, At three o'clock the party started back to Pahiatua, stopping for a few minutes at Mr Donald's bridge to drink some of the water from the sulphur spring, and also tobottle someforfuture use. The Hon. Minister left a pleasant impression behind him. When we saw him sitting on a log in the sunshine —preaching hope and a brighter future-we felt he was a friend and

.brother. Some one says:—"lt is nfcasy to sit in the sunshine and preach 'to the man in the shadow,' and I heard asettlerremark;—" No wonder a he is a Minister, he could win anyone '■ bj his bright cheery talk." One discontented man rather startled us by exclaiming" i wish he could be made to live on a bush section for three months, with fcis own giub .to find first, and then to'cook, he would not look so jolly perky," " I guess,"saidanother, " we'd get a bill petitioning Parliament to pay us so much a year to take up the land and the more we took up the more we'd get paid for." I thought with Will Carlton the American poet—" Them's my sentiments tew.' There is another thing which struck me aa peculiar, the non-interest of the working men in the visit of the Ministerial party. I asked the reason, saying, " Are not! these the working men's friends ?" " They were," I was told," but the working men are growing suspicious and when the purse was sent around

this district some two or three

months ago, for a presentation to our M member, there were two contribuv* tions only—both from settlers—the working-men added grumblings. This winter will be hard on the working man here, already good, utrorig, honeßfc fellows ire offering to work for ten shillings per week and tuckir.