PROVINCIAL AND COLONIAL.

Cromwell Argus, Volume III, Issue 135, 11 June 1872, Page 6

PROVINCIAL AND COLONIAL.

Beet-root is being grown at Wanganui with entire success. Agricultural settlement is steadily progressing in the Grey Valley. The larrikins are disturbing even the peaceful streets of New Plymouth. The policeman of the town is unable to put a stop so their pranks. In the foot-races at Greymouth, between Twohill, of that place, and Drake, of Sydney, for £IOO a side, the latter won two out of the three events. James Irving, a railway employe' in Canterbury, has been dismissed for agitating against the Government, and declaiming against them at a public meeting. A shark, five feet long, ran ashore recently at White's Bay, Marlborougb, in the agony of being killed by carbuncles, a number of which were eating into its body. The first systematic crushing has been completed at Reefton. Two hundred and sixty tons of stone from Mace's claim have yielded at the rate of three ounces to the ton. "Cameo," in the Auckland Weekly News, says that the gold from the Thames cost twice as much to procure as it was worth ; and that every ounce of gold yielded at Coromandel has cost £lO. The Canterbury Provincial Council have passed a resolution to ask the Governor that, in future, the Superintendent may be elected by the Council, either from amongst themselves or otherwise, as they may see fit. A man named William Parker was killed at Naseby one day last week, while working in a chum, by a sudden fall of earth. The poor fellow, who was a runaway sailor, had been in the Province only three months, and at Naseby only a fortnight. Six candidates have come forward to represent Waikouaiti in the General Assembly : Sir David Munro, Mr Preston, Mr D. Hutcheson, Mr Andrew Thomson, Mr Cutton, and Dr Webster. The show of hands at the nomination was in favour of Sir I). Munro.

Dr Moran, in an address on Education in Dunedin lately, said he thought the Catholic body of the community ought to have a newspaper of their own, if it were only for the s ike of refuting the blasphemous assertions that appeared in the public prints. He said the Press of the Province was altogether onesided, and utterly incapable of telling the truth.

The Daily Times says the following qualifications must be possessed by applicants for admittance into the Police Force of the Province : —They must be under 30 years of age, at least oft. lOin. in height, and must be found by a medical examination to be of strong constitution. They must also be able to read and write well, aid produce satisfactory testimonials as to character. The Thames Advert ser of a recent date savs : —" A singular circumstance has been brought under our notice by the manager of the Hauraki Saw-mill. A few days ago a large log of kahikatea was brought to the mill. Jt was sound at both ends, and was to all appearance an excellent solid log. Put when the first slab was taken oil* it a cavity of about 3 ft. in length was discovered, and in it were found the remains of a tui-bird, in good preservation. It would appear that the bird died while sitting in its nest, and the wood grew around it. There were 8 in. of solid limber on all sides, of the bird."

The Haioke's Bay Herald, speaking of the advent of a newspaper—the Waikato Time* — at Ngaruawahia, the capital of the Maori King, savs : —" Tlie circumstance will bring back to the minds of the settlers of ten years' residence, the remembrance of its luckless predecessor, the Pohnhoi, started at TeAwamatu under Mr Gorst's auspices. The Poho'thoi might be translated, as Mr Fox remarks, ' the chirping sparrow," and it chirped in a style so irritating to its powerful neighb mrs, that a strong party of them, led by the celebiated Itewi Maniapoto, it incumbent on them to abate it, which they did effectively, by smashing up the press, types, and material, and taking away the remains in bullock-drays. We hope for a better fate for its successor."

The Evening tifar of May 31 says : —Upon a I'eport of the Gold-fields Committee being considered in the Council last night, Mr Henderson, the member for the Clutha, said that next session he should move that an Agricultural Committee be appointed as a balance against the Gold-fields Committee. This brought the Chairman of the Gold- fields Committee, Mr Shepherd, on his legs, who, in the course of his remarks, said "that such a Committee was unnecessary, as the Council, as at present constituted, was in reality one large Agricultural Committee. There were, in fact, agricultural members in the Council whose ideas were so narrow, that they never saw beyond a bed of turnips or carrots, and especially a field of thistles." The inference was so plain that it caused a laugh. A rather ludicrous incident, for the truth of which the Southern I K ross says it can vouch, occurred a few days since in connection with certain public works proceeding not a thou sand miles from Auckland. A son of St. Patrick was instructed to take a dray and proceed to Newmarket and bring in three " frogs," a piece of pondrous railway furniture familiar to people who have seen trains being shunted from line to line. Pat proceeded on his mission, and to the annoyance of his employer did not make his appearance till the evening—an annoyance which gave place to another feeling when the cause of the delay was explained. " Pegorra, sir," says Pat, " shure can wasn't I trying my best to find the br.stes, and the people there all tould me that there Avas plenty of them, but they only came out at noight; and shure they're the very divil to catch."'