THE TOWN OF WAIROA.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2394, 8 January 1909, Page 7

THE TOWN OF WAIROA.

“ prosperous, but ISOLATED. ITS RELATIONSHIP TO ' GISBORNE. (By Our Special Reporter.) My first view of Wairoa was from the summit of a fair-sized mountain that lias to fie climbed as one journeys from Gisborne, via Morere and Nuhaka. Nestling in the heart of, a fertile valley along whiclx a great river slowly land majestically makes its way to the sea, the township is idcffe’iy situated. In the cool of that summer evening following a hot 'and —for me—a strenuous day, the sight of Wairoa resting so peacefully below as the last rays of the setting sun trave place to the darkening shadows of night AVias good to look upon. That was my first impression, and it is one which remains Avith those Avito take up their residence there. If one desired to select ja. spot Avhere the charms of beautiful the luxiurv of a quiet life, combined with . a limited amount of artificial pleasures could be enjoyed, then I know of no place Avhich could be-more enthusiastically recommended' than Wai--lo‘‘Business”0 ‘‘Business” ? Well, that is a different matter altoegther. Wairoa, like Gisborne, is isolated, only niore so, and it is this fact which stands in the Avay of commercial progress. By ■rail there is no outlet either northwards to Gisborne qr southwards to Napier, and a weekly coach service from this end and one tAvice a, Aveek /from Napier, constitutes the only v means of outside communication -by land. By sea there should be no difficulty of easy and frequent travelling. and AA'ould not but for THE BAR, which is the bane of Waifoa’s existence. Possessing one of the finest rh'crs for navigation in this or .any other country—a superb waterway ■along Avhich large steamers could travel at any state of the tide —the people of Wairoa can never depend absojf&ely upon being able to get a , smalt boat of the shallowest draught (from the town' to the open sea. The sand banks up at the mouth of the river occasionally to snob an extent that persons can Ayalk across. This state of affairs is, however, not the worst from the point of view of navi* gation. In such a case the Harbor ■Board’s employees can cut a passageway in whatever position they choose, and in doing so select a place -which experience has taught them will in all probability not "become blocked up ■again for months to come. The comiinon and Avorst condition is for the sand to make the bar a few feet unher Avater Avhich cannot be seen, -but Avhich effectually blocks traffic. It is under these conditions, then, that Avater communicaation is carried on Avith the outside Avorld. The Wairoa and HaAvke’s Bay steamship syndicate run the Tangaroa to and. from Napier twice a week, leaving the latter place on Tuesdays and Fridays. LeastAvays, that is the schedule arrangement which is always liable to modification, according to the Amgaries of the bar. Sometimes the steamer is kept back ■as long as a fortnight, but this is exceptional. When matters are in a ir.il condition the trip to Napier is a very pleasant one. The Tangn•roa is a fair-sized vessel, and has excellent passenger accommodation, ■and sfiSSrthc journey to Napier only takes mur hours, and the fare is but three half-crowns, it lias a solid advantage over the coach journey. Still, the constant state of uncertainly as to whether the Tangaroa will come up the river to time on will •be delayed for an -indefinite period is aggravating and inconvenient. It gets oil tlie nerves of the good people of Wairoa, and they have decided - t*fhat the bar must go. It is one thing, however, to come to au heroic resolution, but quite another to carry it out. Mr. Leslie Reynolds, who Avas employed to report on the project, estimates that it will cost £77,000 to proAn’de a permanently clear channel. The amount seems small when compared with the estimate of £400,000 for Gisborne harbor, but Avhen one realises the comparative smallness of Wairoa’s present resources, the aim seems staggering. Whether or not this little community will __ J&fjcou rage oils enough to undertake •fcHcT burden remains to be seen, but apoll is likely to be taken in a few months’ time, and that will settle the question in tlie meantime, at any rate. The general feeling in the town seems favorable to the scheme, but the large ratepayers in the country are likely to give a block vote against it. When the question of such a loan is being considered, it is not out of place to remember that the area wliich is vested in the Wairoa

Harbfijinßoard, and over which it can exercise rating powers, is exceedingly jH-hju msor ib e cl, for the Waikokopu lias jurisdiction over the Nuhaka district, whilst the Napier Boards sphere of influence comes north ov ■Mohaka. A glance at the map will show that only a comparatively narrow strip is left from which the eighty, ninety, or "one (hundred thon.sand pounds required for demolishing the bar can he collected. OUTSIDE TRADING.

A clear waterway means more to t VVairoa than it does to most places, ? for it is a non-manufacturing town, i - the residents depend entirely upon outside sources for almost every article necessary to their existence, and pay for them by exporting a _few thousand bales of wool, sundry shipments of frozen meat, and a small quantity of butter. Practically tho ! whole of this trade is done with Napier, and the business houses o*f the southern town (have been so keen in - ■ exploiting a very profitable market that a good doal df dissatisfaction ‘has been created. „ . ft We’re simply being I bled to keep Napier 1”, is a common expression, and there is a decidedly sentiment in favor of doing ! more business with Gisborne. This is ii constantly being strengthened by thc 1 fact that the population of Wauoa i includes a very liberal sprinklings % ex-Gisborneites. It is quite poss b '{ • that if 1a small boat were put on the j route that a very profitable trade \ could he done between, the two p > that is, provided Gisborne merch • are in a.position to compete with • those of Napier in regard to price. Of course, the opening up of the W_airoa river'by the abolition of the b. would make a radical alteiafiou, :for _ then the large steamers be- : .-ifrgAable to come straight to the town v wharves would bring goods due from Auckland and Wellington, and

both Napier and Gisborne would be left out in the cold. But it is in regard, to THE MAIL" SERVICE betiveen Gisborne . and Wairoa that there is most cause for dissatisfaction, and a live subject in tlie southern town at the present time. There are two mails a week by coach from Napier, but only one from Gisborne. Messrs. Redstone and Sons send out two coaches every Monday morning for Wairoa, one travelling via Morere, the other via Tiniroto. It is suggested that one should leave here on Thursday and the other on Monday, which would, thus provide a bi-weekly service. The objection raised to this is that the present arrange-... ment permits both the northern mails to be sent direct to their destination on either route. Thus if Tiniroto Avcre selected for a Thursday service letters despatched from Auckland on Saturdays Avould not reach their destination until the following Thursday. Last year the Government subsidised a. twice a Aveek service via Morere, but this year they wished to-reduce the subsidy, and consequently Messrs Redstone found it impossible to run the" extra coach.

’ A particularly aggravating feature of the mail service is tlie fact that the coach for Napier leaves Wairoa just an hour -before the Gisborne coach arrives. It thus happens that Morere and Nuhaka letters intended for Mohaka or Napier, instead of going straight- on, have to Avait in Wairoa for three days, merely because of an hour’s interval separating tlie arrival and departure of the two coach-, es. Tlie position seems curious and almost inexplicable, especially when it is rioted that the Napier coach only trairels 20 miles and then puts up at Mohaka for the night, so that apparently it could Avithout inconvenience be easily delayed. HoAvever, despite many disadvantages, Wairoa remains not only a charming spot, but contains a distinctlv progressive community. .The trade”of the port has doubled Avitbin the last five years, and the visitor cannot fail to be struck with the obvious prosperity of tlie place. Just iioav the inhabitants are busily engaged in getting up a carnival, which is to extend over a Aveek. There are to be an agricultural .and pastoral show, •horse races, an aquatic gathering, and numerous other attractions which are calculated in the aggregate to provide a thoroughly interesting time for all who visit the toivn on that occasion. -T