WHATA WHATA.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 923, 23 May 1878, Page 3

WHATA WHATA.

The late rains have been servicable m raising the Wai pa to- a imyjigable Light/ but it .has also been the fpeans o£ sinking oar punt — that is. combined with the carelessness of the puritmau. The fact is this punt has never been pronerly looked ; i\it?r, the contract is taken from the Newcastle Highway BoarcV by ;;!iAndrfew 'Barton, who .submits, it to a Whatawhata chief, who again lets it on tribute to another native. . :fhe result is that practically there is i'jio 'puntm'an, sometimes it is a man, more' often it Is a woman or child officiates and draws the coppeVa. In the case of tlie punt sinking : the punt had* been left filled with sand and/vvatei for some time, and the contractor No. 2, warned that it would sink, but no notice was taken, and now it will cost tho Board, i.e., '■-■' the ratepayers, a few pounds to have it raised and put right again. This would be bad enough if it could not. be avoided, but when there are Europeans who would work the ; punt at the same rate as the natives are paid (m all it is as good as a £\ a week), then it seems, an unnecessary inconvenience to the travelling pnblic as well as ad- .. ditional expense to the ratepayei s. The time is approaching when the ••■' service will be : at the disposal of the, Board, let us hope that the pant' will fall into 'other hands, as ( ; any change mast, be for the better. I must be excused for again drawing attention to the state of our cemetery on the river bank. I may gay tl^afc f reports of its state have. !■' (.appeared m ©ui< Waikato paper from time to time, but without so far " ' J having any effect. The question is, yfhbse du{y is it ta look aiter this matter? We have uo local Board,, but/exist as a branch of the Newcastle Board. Sorely it is thenduty either to [take the matter m hand, or to. represent it properly to ':.';! ijhe so'that steps may I ;.' be'-jaken-toprcvint the bank from i n entirely washing away, or /perhaps ry " Wei? still," to remove the. bgneH. tqi'a

• move Secure place, arid at the same [ time a. suitable cemetery for the [ district might be chosen, as we have , none at pve?ent, and the cemetery • at Ngaruawahia is an unreasonable i, distance to have to carry the re- • mains of our friends.— Own CoJcRES; ". P.ONDENT. . .