WHATAWHATA.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2504, 28 July 1888, Page 2

WHATAWHATA.

* Wedding Bells. —Miss Grace Dawaon youngest daughter ot one of our earliest settlers and business meu, was married to Mr Graves, of Wairongomai, on Tuesday, and proceeded the same day to Auckland. Miss Dawson v/as a bright cheerful girl, and will carry the good wishes of many friends with her. Entertainment.—An entertainment in aid of the school funds was held on Wednesday evening. A most enjoyable evening was spent and, what is perhaps more to the purpose, a considerable addition was made to the funds. Town Grazing.—A large amount of public feeling has been caused by ono of our settlors stocking the township flat with sheep, thereby driving .ill the cattle and horses off. The injustice of one person monopolising the run in this manner is obvious, but matters in connection with running stock upon the fertile and extensive piece of land known as the Whatawhata flat, have been for some time past most unsatisfactory. This richgrazingßround has been attacked by cattle and horses, some of thorn coming from Raglan and Aotea, and in many cases, people having no interest in the township or district, have had a number of Btock on the flat. The simplest remedy would be for the local body to bo petitioned by the whole of the settlers to appoint a person to impound all stocks found upon the roads, unless a description of such stock had been given to the Board, together with a fee sufficient to cover the expenses. By doing this and limiting the number ef stock at large, according to the acreage held would remove all injustice, and those who own stock would be well repaid by having them on good feed, instead of starved all the year round. Local Government.—The knowledge that a meeting is to be held at an early date, to endeavour to improve the present system of Local Government, is causing deep interest and discussion; in many ways the working of the Counties Act, has been found to be unsatisfactory. Though nominally it holds the whole county in its grasp, yet in detail each riding has to be treated on its own basis, the expenditure within it being regulated, not by the urgency or extent of its requirements but by the amount of rates collected therein. The manifest injustice of this was illettrated by our own respected touncillor, when he pointed out that the Newcastle riding contained about twenty-five miles of County roads, the Tuhikaramea riding only eight, yet the latter collects nearly as much rates as the former, consequently the Tuhikaramea people have more County money than they can use, and works have been carried out, which even the settlers there have pronounced (in view of the Council's financial position) as unnecessary, while with an apparently larger expenditure, the Newcastle County roads are in many cases quite neglected. This in iho opinion of many is one of the weakest points in the County system, the general feeling in the Newcastle district, will (so far as can be gathered) be for the Road Boards to have increased powers and responsibilities, and if the County Council is to be kept in existence, to leave to it only such questions as licenses, charitable aid, etc., and to look for its funds to the Boards, and not as at present, to the settlers, by the unsatisfactory and expensive dual rating.