Local and General.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume IV, Issue 392, 14 June 1876, Page 3

Local and General.

Parliament will be opened to<morrow afternoon at two o'clock by Commission, instead of personally by His Excellency the Governor, who will not deliver hia speech until Friday. This ia the regular custom observed in opening a new Parliament. The Speaker, of course, cannot be chosen till Parliament has been opened ; thus it is usual to open it by Commission, and then, when the Speaker has been duly elected, for the Governor to deliver the speech usually portraying the outline of the Ministerial polioy. We regret to learn that the Colonial Secretary (the Hon. Dr Pollon) is suffering from severe indisposition, and it is feared, that unassisted, he will be unequal to the mental exertion of conducting the Government busi* eobb in the Upper House during the approach, ing session. Mr Gisborne (formerly Colonial Seoretary, and more recently Commissioner of Insurance) , is considered likely to be called to the Legislative Counoil, with a eeat in the Ministrjiin order to assist Dr Pollen, Tenders are called by Mr B. C. Jordan, Engineer to the District Highway Board for forming and clearing two roads at Greerton. Mrs Oliver, milliner and dressmaker, ad* vertißea her change of residence to the premises on the Strand lately occupied by Mr Corbett. The s s Eowena leaves for Auckland at five o'clock this afternoon. The mail will close at lmlf'pßßt four o'clock. In our correspondence colums today appears a letter signed*" Tradesman," containing assertion which, if founded on facts, require. to be looked into. We will give the com* plaint our serious attention. The last Provincial Government Gazette to hand, contains voluminous correspondence be< tween the Superintendent of Auckland and His Excellency, the Governor. Thinking that some of' our readers may like. to.peruße the came, we have handed the Gazette, to • the Librarian- of the Mechanics? Institute. We understand tbafc Mr Joseph Ellis, lately proprietor of the Exchange Hotel, Auckland, has purchased the allotment on the Strand, at present occupied. by Mr Oonway as a timber yard, on. which he intends erecting a >hand» some be d commodious hotel, full' pasticulars of which we shall, be enabled, to give in our next issue. The members of the Eegatta Committee are requested by advertisement in another column to meet' at the. Masonic Hotel to-morrow .evening at seven .o'olook, to paBS the balance* ■ sheet of the late regatta^ and the stewards of the Jockej Club aro in a:) similar manner, invited to attend a meeting at the. Masonio Hotel at eight o'clock on the same evening, co that twa.birde may; be killed with one stone*

. Tho first annual meeting. of the ratepayers of the Kiitik«t'i Highwny lJistriot is eonrened' ti> be lield ■at the- residence of the Rev Ji Crossley, -af. one o'clock oti Thursday afternoon, the 13"ilb pros. - A gran 3 Masonic Bull, under the auspices of the Tauranga Lodg>», is noticed in our advertising columns to take place on Tuesday evening, the 27th inst. ■ Applications-for tickets to be made through ay member of the Lodge to the Secretary not later than the 23rd instant. The price of a double ticket to admit a lady and gentleman is fifteen shillings, and single tickets ten shillings and sixpence. The ball will be held in the Temperance Hall, ; whioh is in every way suited for Buch an entertainment, and under the auspices of the Masonic Lodge will, without doubt, prove a great success. Relative to a former notice we made with regard to the exodus of the immigration cottages from their present site in Tauranga, we understand that one has been- conveyed by boat from Tauranga to the foot of the Hikurangi ranges, on the Tauranga and Katikati road, where the Armed Constabulary now stationed at Aongatete, employed on road works, will shortly be shifted. The removal of another of the cottages to Oropi, for the use of the Armed Constabulary engaged on road works in the bush, was commenced on Monday. The cottages for the bush are taken up by Government bullock dray. An eclipse of the sun will be visible in New Zealand on September 17 and 18, o' the present year. Its track of totality is wholly on the Pacific Ocean, and in such course that only two or three small islands or reefs appear to be situate near the central line. In New Zealand the eclipse attains a magnitude of about 0.5 at Auckland, greatest phase at 9b 18m a.m.; towards the extremity of the Southern Island, about Otago, one third of the sun's diameter will be obscured about 9h 12 mm local time. A partial eclipse between i similar limits will be visible on the east coast of Australia and in Van Dieman's Land. A skating rink has, at last, been established in Auckland. The first meeting was held last week in the Newmarket Hall, a building well suited for the purpose, with a capital floor. There was a very good attendance of the elite of Auckland and suburbs. There were present : Mr and Mrs Whitaker, Mr and Mrs Thomas Morrin, Mr and Mrs James Clarke, Mr J. S. Buckland, and many of our respected citizens, who appeared thoroughly to enjoy the novel and exbilerating sport. There were a few '• falls on the ice," but not of more serious a oharaoter than to call forth a good humoured laugh. This popular American game will no doubt shortly be as popular here. — Star. In our review of the Eeturn of Customs Revenue and Shipping at Tauranga on Saturday last, the following sentence occurs : — "As there are no bonded stores in Tauranga." Mr R, C. Jordan writes us a letter which appears in our correspondence column, to the effeofc that the statement is not correct, as he advertised in the Bat of Piksty Times for three or four months that he had opened a bonded store, though he adds that* as the store is not supported as it should be, he will probably be obliged to close it, as he could make use of it more advantageously for other purposes. With reference to Mr Jordan's letter, we would remark that we did not overlook the laet that he advertised opening a bonded store, but we understood at the time Mr Jordan ceased to advertise the store, some six months ago, that the time bad arrived to whioh he alludes in his letter as likely to arrive, when from the fact of it not being patronised, his bonded store would be closed. We quite coinoido with Mr Jordan when he says that the store is calculated to be of very great accommodation to the public, and as it appears that there is one bonded j store in Tauranga, it would certainly be a source of regret if sufficient business were not transacted to make it worth while to keep it open. A meeting of the District Highway Board was held at the residence of Mr Parsons on Monday afternoon, when, in addition to business of a routine nature transacted, it was decided to call for tenders for the formation of two cross roads at Greerton. The road on the eastern side of the main road is to be formed eastward from the corner of Mr Kennedy's bouse, then to be continued round the corner southward, along the road marked off to run parallel with the Greerton main road to where it comes out on the Tauranga and Taupo road. The road on the western side is to start a short distance on the Tauranga side of Mr Moon's residents, and be oarried westward a distance of about four chains. We understand that tenders for the formation of theso roads would have been called for earlier but for the reason that owing to the unsuitable position of the road on the western side as marked off on the map owing to the swamps through whioh it would have to paßß,the board has been in communication with the Government relative to altering the posh tion of the road. By permission of the Government, the board has, therefore, changed the line of road, and land has been purchased to enable the road to be formed at the place now chosen. The balance of the land not required, and the land upon whioh the former road was marked off, will be sold by the board, to recoup the necessary outlay.