WATER SUPPLY QUESTION.

Waikato Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1350, 24 February 1881, Page 2

WATER SUPPLY QUESTION.

There can be little doubt that the question of pioviding an adequate water nupply for town purposes will have to be faced, and that before long. Ju->t now the town i» all but destitute of what is requisite for eulinaiy and^enoraldomestic utio. A few days rain— which, by the way, we have been hoping 1 for, for weeks past in Tain, and which, .so far as outward visible eignH indicate, is quite as far off as ever — would no doubt relieve immediate wants, but past expeiience proves that drought is an evil by whioh the place is peuodically threatened, and the -ooner a lemedy is sought for the better. Then there is auother aspect of the que^ion to be looked to, and that we hold to be one of even more pressing importance than I the one mentioned. It ia the helpless ytate in which W3 would find ourselves placed in the event of an outbreak of fire. The river is no doubt a good stand-by, but it can only be looked upon as such in regard to the domestic requirements of the case. jTor staying the ravages of fire, it would be of no practical use. Be'ore we could possibly tucceed in getting a supply from the river even under the beat and promptest organisation that could be ''got to the rescue," the half of the town would be consumed. How propertyowners, merchants, insurance agents, &c, have so long continued silent on the point with the fact staring them in the f aoe that a calamity of the kind might break oat at any given moment, ia difficult to account for. We oaa only .assume* that in this case immunity has operated in the same direction <as familiarity, and bred contempt, otherwise more would surely have been heard on the subject ere. this, Sfyejs&n, only" feel grateful foi^ part mercies apdf the best possible way ' to demonstrate that , fao* iH to jtoseno time in adopting' mea- ; Bares for t further preservation/ A continued bliud trust" in providence 'would be nothing short of culpable negtept— -an indolent* iridifferencV to'; ( cotuie^uettceB mythological dogma - denounces 'in "no

raftjl-u ed terms.' < *J§» god* help them*' we are tnld^/hafeafielp themselves," and the «harp rebuke a lininiatered by Jupiter when he ordered the waggoner '• to put his shoulder to tin* wheel" in a lenaoa worthy to be Htudied with Christian zeaL Altogether t l o c two great ircentiree, duty and interet>t l : e in the direction of immediate actiou, ,nd we trust it in not necessary to Hay more in argiug the fact understand has been mooted and plan* on public attention /The we propounded for carrying out such a scheme-.- The mostfea**bla wjahateiyeatdot ii» one spoken of in connection with th» Waikato t ;SfceJtm t NavigafcionA Company They are just now in cbttrlew erecting a the pun^ of^hojLrtutt their freight- fr^m-the o bed jof, the nver to the top of the bank 'on' a ? 'leTel with the town.. The nature of the, F?^, Being performed in such * that! ' for' pa trifling additional cpNt the maol^inery could be made to pump up an'unlitaitea supply of water at sufficient 1 height to affurd h?r>raulio force 'orer the, whole town. We are not in possession of full details', bul the aborejnay beitakea as,tho outline, and aa such .they .appear feasible enough. At all' events, they are sufficiently no to justify us calliug' Upon the local authorities' to' take the 'matter into consideration, and connidering the emergencies of the case, they would be doing right to make it subject-matter for early deliberation. ' "' - '''?*'

„J NATIVE REUNION. V Oa Tuesday oar dusky friends held liigljL holiday. The speciality of the oooano^ was a reunion amongst various hapus{tf'Or sections of the Ngatiraukau* tribe, Ibii is one of the more numerous of the tribes, its branches spreading throughout the different divisions of the northern' territory. The last instalment put in an ap« pearance at Cambridge the previous even* ing. The contingent numbering some thirty adults, hailed frona, northern districts, situated beyond Auckland. " Thiij; arrived per rail and coach, 'Via Auckland. The usual .greetings waited thara on their arrival, the ceremony being accompanied by a "nose rubbing" process, conducted on the most enthusiastic principles. Their '■ housing accomodatiou having been seen to, nothing 1 much out of the common transpired over nisrhfc. Early next morning, however, representatives of t) • tribe, wee early afoot, and by breakfatititiioe, they had organised themselves inta' m foragring party, charged with the onorous duty of making provision for a suitable reception. The movements of this party excited considerable notice. To the number of twenty-five or thirty, men and women they formed into a kind of irregular marching line, and perambulated the streets in the diiectiou of the National Hotel. They visited that establishment, ><nd on emerging, each had a bottle of liquor, which they w.ived over their heads, or otherwise dihptayed to the best possible advantage. In addition to that .method for gaining notoiiety. they hummed a low, monotonous which every now and then bioko out into a loud Baci-hanaliau chorun. In that way they reached the plac« selected for rendezvous — a plateau overlooking the rivpr in the neighbourhood of the steamer landing. A oouple of the«e excu sions were made to the hotel, aud in the meantime le*s ostentatious efforts were being made for collecting more solid fare. The joint result of thei>p endeavours was at length piled up in a heap, approximating in size to what our Scotch friends would cill "a cairn," its component parts neing loaves of bread, bottles of beer, .stout, gin, brandy, whisky, &c. Thus prorided, the gue«ts commenced to arrive, and ranged them Helves into Separate groups, t-qadttiujf down in a .wide circle round the " festive board." Viewed from the adjoining terrace, the gathering was a singular one. To give it eclat, the quests had evidently rigged them Helves out in their gaudiest attire. A considerable portion of the men wore, flashlooking blanket kilts, checkered and counter-checkered in such profusion, as to render identification with any particular clan utterly hopeless. The colors .lis* played by the females were even more profuse. The red, white, and. blue, were blended with every other colour in the rainbow so that the scene as a whole could nob be s aid to lack novelty. To each group was allotted a share of the provisions ice, under the exhilarating influence oi which they sown became comfortable. A feast of reason followed this flow of soul. One man would jump up, and in the passionate worrying style of oratory peculiar to the race would deliver himself of a harangue. Some other member of the tribe would follow with equal vehemence. The fwo would glare savagely at each other as if meditating the effusion of blood. Having thus relieved their minds and feelings they quietly resumed their place alongside their respective groups apparently content to drown further animosities in the flowing cup. We were told that the question of family distinction was the topic under discussion, and that the dispute was nothing more than the claims advanced by one aud another tribe of m >re ancient and honorable extraction than his neighbour. The proceedings, which lasted till mid-day, were perfectly orderly, and in that respect contrasted nut untnvorably with many European gatherings of a similar kind.