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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3215, 19 October 1881, Page 2

The Penguin arrived at Wellington at 10 30 p.m. yesterday, with the English 'Frisco mail. We may therefore expect the Hawke's Bay portion to arrive by the evening train to-morrow. It will he seen by advertisement that the concert which should have taken 'place at Hastings on Thursday last will be held on Friday next. As these concerts are generally very popular, we expect to hear of a pleasant evening's entertainment. The Napier Harbor Board cannot he considered an energetic body in the face of an imported dredge lying idle and nothing ready to put it in use. There can be no excuse offered for this blunder. The dredge is at present a monument to the inertness, want of thought, and general incapacity of a public body in relation to one of the chief wants of this town and district —a good harbor. We are requested to call attention to a somewhat serious error in the report of the Harbor Board proceedings that appeared in a local morning paper. In that report the secretary is made to say that the income of the Board " was quit 9 insufficient for its ordinary expenses and the payment of the interest on the loan." It should have been that the income waff " quite sufficient," &c, which is rather an important difference. A form to be filled up by subscribers to the Hospital has been left at the office of the Da£ly Telegbaph, and we shall be happy to receive contributions on behalf of that institution. We desire to state that subscribers of one guinea per annum can be admitted into the Hospital on producing their tickets. A subscriber of two guineas a year will receive a double ticket, which will admit himself and a friend. Non-sub-scribers can be admitted on payment of 3s a day, or 9s a day for a private room. Of course every one applying for admission is subject to the approval of the House Surgeon as to the necessity of admission on medical grounds. People unable to pay are required to produce an order from a member of the Committee, but this rule does not apply to accidents. It is reported in and about Waipawa that, in connection with the Catholic vote, Mr W. C. Smith wrote a letter to the editor of this paper denying the statement that he (Mr Smith) had circulated the story concerning a circular having- been sent to all Catholics, through the Church, calling upon them to vote for Mr Johnston, and that we had refused to publish his denial. We beg to state that Mr Smith never wrote to us on the subject; but he did send a letter to a friend of his in town, leaving it to him to publish or not as he might think decreet. Mr Smith's friend was discreet enough not to publish the letter. But as Mr Smith is part proprietor of the Waipawa Mail, why, we a=ik, did not he contradict in that paper the statements made by us as to his origination of what he called a " lying statement ?'' At the meeting of the Harbor Board yesterday afternoon leave was granted to Captain Roberts, of the Hermione, to Keep his topmasts standing while in the roadstead. The Harbor Master reported that no vessel drawing more than 11 feet 6 inches could be brought inside. The Inspector of Works reported the erection of the dredging crane, ard the launch of a dredging punt. The secretary of the Board, by letter, forwarded the resignation of his ofhce,_and the Inspector of Works applied for an increase of salary. The secretary informed the Board that its income was quite sufficient to meet ordinary expenses and interest on the loan. The Chairman stated that, out of the £10,000 to the credit of the Board, he had placed £1500 to current account, and had deposited £8500 for six months. The month's accounts were passed and ordered to be paid, and the Board adjourned. The annual social meeting in connection with the Trinity Church Sunday School was held in the schoolroom last night. The attendance was large, and the viands enjoyable. After tea a public meeting was held in the church, the Rev. R. S. Bunn in the ohair. Addresses were delivered by the Revs. Messrs Sidey, Penney, Cornford, and Berry. Mr Wellsman read a report of the progress of the school during the year, showing that there were 196 children on tho roll, with an average attendance of 137 ; also that there were 21 teachers engaged in the work, with an average attendance of 17; and that there was a credit

balance of £9 on the year's finances. Burthe evening the school children sang a number of well-known hymns. Mr Prime also contributed to the harmony of the evening. The superintendent and teachers are to be congratulated upon the substantial progress which has been made during the year, and upon the very pleasant gathering of last night. Messrs Gilbert and Sullivan's opera " The Sorcerer," which will be played to-morrow night for the first time in Napier, is considered by the English press to be the greatest effort of the prolific playwright and the eminent composer. It is said to contain more musical gems than any of the other operas by the same authors. This will be the only opportunity the Cary Company will have of producing it in this town, and we are assured that no efforts have been spared to place the opera on the stage in a manner worthy of its great merits. On Friday night." Tho Pirates," at the request of a large number of playgoers in the town will be repeated. On Saturday night" H.M.S. Pinafore" will be produced for the first time in Napier by an adult company capable of doing justice to this popular opera. Miss Leaf will take the part of Josephine, Mr Porter that of the Admiral, and our townsman Mr Charles Hill has consented to play the part of Ralph Rackstraw. As the company do not leave Napier until Sunday We need not fear the hurry and scramble which occurred to a company that produced the same opera on a Saturday evening, and had to leave by the steamer in an hour or two afterwards. Madame Lotti Wilmot is at Greymouth, where a severe cold has latterly interfered with her lecturing. The Resident Magistrate intheWairarapa (Mr H. S. Wardell) has, after taking time to consider the matter, decided that in a criminal case a resident magistrate has no casting vote—that, in fact, his vote may at any time be neutralised by that of a J.P., who, sitting on the Bench with him, differs from him in regard to any particular criminal case. A few days ago the town of Masterton was thrown in a state of some excitement by a statement that " Chang, the Chinese giant, 7ft 9in in height," was to be exhibited at a local hall, in conjunction with a panorama. The announcement naturally caused some surprise, it being difficult to imagine how the giant could have been smuggled into New Zealand without anyone knowing anything about it until the prodigy made bis appearance in the Wairarapa. The mystery is apparently explained by the Wairarapa Daily, which cautions its readers that " the giant" is a fraud, being simply a figure of wood, while the so-called " panorama" is merely a chronological map. Referring to the approaching elections and the " Working man cry," the Rangitikei Advocate says:—"Now, we take it that nine-tenths of the people of New Zealand are, in the proper sense of the term, ' working men.' They have not been born with silver spoons in their mouths, but rather with wooden ladles, and all that they possess, whether much or little, has been acquired by their own unassisted efforts as " working men.' We would give a word of warning to ' working men' of all grades —Beware of the politician who comes forward as the champion of the ' working man;' for be sure that, in the words of 1 Poor Richard,' he has an axe to grind, and he wants you to turn the grindstone." The Taranaki Herald is writing strongly on the present administration of native affairs. We quote from a leading article published on October 3 :—-" From the remarks of the Native Minister to the deputation which waited upon him in town, and from what he told the settlers at Manaia, the " taihoa " element appears so prominent that we fear, notwithstanding the assurance of the Government to the contrary, the present difficulty with the natives will be only patched up for the present, to be reopened when the large force now being formed has been again reduced to a ' helpless ' footing. Brat will the colony stand this shilly-shallying, and the waste of public money that must result from it ? and is the district to be for ever kept in a state of turmoil by the menacing attitude of a number of rebellious natives ? Although Mr Rolleston considers ' the newspapers are answerable for a great deal' for publishing what he terms ' false reports,' we suppose it has never struck him that he is far more censurable in displaying a total ignorance of the events which are passing round him." It may not be generally known that there is a clause (No. 167) in the new Licensing Act which runs as follows: —" When it shall be made to appear in open Court that any person by excessive drinking of liquor misspends, wastes, or lessens his or her estate or greatly injures his or her health or endangers or interrupts the happiness of his or her family, the Justices presiding in such Court shall by writing under the hands of any two such Justices, forbid any licensed person to sell to him or her any liquor for the space of one year, and such Justices or any other two Justices may at the same or any other time in like manner forbid the selling of any such liquor to the said drunkard by any such licensed person of any other city, town, or district, to which the drunkard shall or may be likely to resort to the same." The penalty provided for a breach of this section is a sum not exceeding £10. This clause, of course, only comes into force after due notice has been given to the publicans. It will have been noticed from our telegrams that the clause has been brought in force at Dunedin in the case of a man who attempted to commit suicide through drink. We (Post) learn from a Southern paper that the Town Clerk of Timaru read a statement at the last meeting of the Borough Council showing the cost of street-lighting in several cities and boroughs. The cost in Timaru is £7 16s per lamp per annum for an average of eighteen nights per month; Ashburton, £6 10s for eight months in the year; Christchurch, £9 for large lamps and £7 14s for small ones, for the year; Lyttelton, 6d per lamp per night (the charge for gas being 14s 6d per 1000 ft), kerosene costing per lamp per night; Sydenham, eighteen nights per month, £10 per annum, and kerosene lamps at £6 per annum; Oamaru, £4 10s per annum, the works in this case belonging to the borough. To this may be added the result of our inquiries as regards Wellington. There are 184 street lamps in the city, and the average cost of each for gas is £7 9s llfd per annum. They are lit and extinguished by employes of the Corporation at a cost of £98 16s per annum. They are lit every night from sunset, unless there is a moon, when they are lit on the setting of the moon, provided that takes place before midnight. In the event of the moon rising after midnight the lamps are then extinguished. The Gas Company charge the Corportion 10s 6d per 1000 feet. The " most travelled" agent having no new stars worthy to introduce to these colonies', has started a new idea. Mr R. S. Smythe writes to the Melbourne Argus as follows :—" If private mwiificence should fail to accomplish the object, I would suggest that the Exhibition building might be utiliised for the purpose. Everybody is wondering what the trustees are going to do with the wilderness. As it stands at present, a considerable sum would have to be spent to make it suitable even for musical performances ; and it is worth consideration whether it would not be better at once to convert the place into a magnificent, commodious national theatre, with spacious vestibules, passages, and foyers. When completed, it could be offered free to any great lyric or dramatic company that liked to come from Europe to occupy it. Even then we should not be in advance of another English community, viz., Mauritius, the capital of which colony has a much more comfortable theatre than many of our Australian houseß, and it is ! placed gratuitously at the disposal of any talented company that chooses to apply for ; it." ■' The Home News says that a good many people agree with the opinion which has been expressed lately that the Houb© of j

Commons is proving unequal to its work. The Daily News had the following recently : —" The affairs of the Empire have become too great a burden upon an assembly where the irregular ebullitions of a morbid egoism have full play, to the hindrance not only of public business, but of genuine and serious discussion." The King of the Sandwich Islands, says V a Paris correspondent to the Pall Mall Budget, was greatly mobbed during , ■ his last visit to the Electrical Exhibition. f He told a disagreeable truth to the Minister '' for Foreign Affairs which shows the Polynesian monarch to be more frank than polite. "1 am," he said, "delighted with Paris. It is a city of splendid palaces. But when you have such public buildings, why do you not try and have finer men to put in them ? The beauty of your palaces jars with the plainness of their inhabitants." The European Mail says that a remarkable illustration of Mr Henry Irving's popularity was afforded by an incident which occurred at a ceremony of opening a bazaar in connection with the Shakespeare and Burns Club, of which he is president. Just before his departure Mr Irving had a little refreshment. But he left behind him a biscuit from which he had taken one bite. This was immediately pounced upon by the ladies, and there was a regular scramble for ihe treasure. Eventually it was sold for three shillings, and doubtless it will be carefully preserved by the happy possessor, and handed down to posterity as a mouldy memento of histrionic greatness. A Baltimore paper of July 11th says:— A number of children have died here during the past few days from lockjaw, superinduced by slight burns received in the hands from the exploding of paper caps in toy pistols on the fourth of July. In every instance where these accidents have occurred the dread disease has followed like a strange fatality. The physicians are unable to account for the singular appearance of the disease. The injuries have been so slight in some cases that only the skin of hand was slightly burned. It is thought, the caps contain a poison never before used in their manufacture, and the health authorities are about to investigate the f matter. Eight deaths have been reported within the past 24 hours, and a number of new cases have been reported to-night. The sufferings of those afflicted have been terrible and beyond all medical assistance. The following appears in the Pall Mall Budget of August 26th :—" The difficulties of acclimatisation in New Zealand have been overcome. Indeed, the fish and game which have been introduced have thriven so well and multiplied so rapidly that large quantities are offered for sale in the markets. Pheasants and partridges are ruthlessly shot down and hares are coursed in large numbers whenever the sportsmen in the towns are able to get a chance of their favourite: pastime. When the game is further re* moved from towns it lives uninjured and increases unchecked. In the harbour of Otago sea trout are caught every day to gratify the palates of the gourmets of the province, in spite of the fact that heavy fines can be inflicted on any one caught redhanded in the act of taking thefish. Within a few years, if this rate of progress continues, we may expect to read of' sanguinary encounters' between poachers and the police in New Zealand." An exciting balloon adventure took place* in the suburbs of Vienna lately. M. Godard, who has made upwards of twothousand ascents, went up, accompanied by three journalists, in his great balloon. The voyage, according to the aeronaut himself, was the shortest and most perilous he had ever made. After ascending to a height of 3,800 feet M. Godard found that the balloon was driving along between, two tremendous thunderstorms which were raging on either side. In order to avoid imminent danger from the lightning he resolved at once to descend. The balloon -«C came down with great rapidity, but it had > no sooner escaped the electric fluid than it was threatened with another danger not less great. It seemed that nothing could save it from falling into the mid-stream of the broad Danube. By dint of great exertion and helped by his long experience,? however, the aeronaut succeeded in bringing the balloon to the ground in a wood a few feet from the bank of the river, and landing his companions and himself in safety.