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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3250, 1 December 1881, Page 4

The Ohinemutu correspondent of the Auckland Herald telegraphs : —" Last Sunday (20fch instant), all the whares occupied by invalid tourists at the Tikitere springs were totally destroyed by a fern fire. The surrounding sulphur becoming ignited, the suffocating fumes caused a regular stampede of the occupants, and prevented anything from being saved. The sulphur is still burning fiercely." The Wanganui Herald, Mr Ballance's paper, thus delivers its sentiments on Sir George Grey's late speech at Auckland : — "We have always freely recognised Sir George Grey as a tribune of the people, intractable and impracticable, it is true, but "whose principles were Colonial, unci whose sentiments were broad and liberal. But there runs throughout his recent utterance the very opposite of what might be expected from a Colonial statesman. His appeal to the local selfishness of his audience, and the reference to the incarceration of the Natives, is the meanest pronouncement ever made by a public man. We have no hesitation in saying that his statement about being ' hampered by colleagues' is a falsehood. He mows he was cordially supported by his colleagues in every act of public policy. Mr Macandrew and Mr Fisher never thwarted him surely. Mr Sheehan seconded loyally, and even without criticism, whatever was promulgated. Colonel Whitmore might criticise, but he acquiesced in the decision of the majority. And does Sir George Grey mean to say that Mr Stout and Mr Ballance •were not always as ready to advance, as eager to lay down the broad lines of a liberal policy, as he was himself ? What a contemptible meanness it is to turn upon his colleagues without giving one fact to justify him, and without, we venture to affirm, one fact to give. We do not wonder at the position Sir George Grey finds himself in. He has hardly a follower at this moment in the Colony certain to be returned in the present election. He has bid high for the Auckland vote ; but men in the mass are not governed by the lowest instincts, and his appeal will not produce anything like its old response." The Manawatu Standard records an amusing incident which took place at the Palrnerston Anglican church on a recent Sunday evening , . A Maori, accompanied by his wahine, entered the sacred edifice shortly after the service commenced, but apparently thinking it was not good enough very soon beat a retreat. Presently the couple returned, however, and remained until the plate was handed round. Now was the aboriginal inhabitant troubled—what should he give ? Pulling out a handful of silver he showed it to a lad flitting next to him, making signs in an inquiring , kind of way as to the correct amount. He held up half-a-crown ; at this the lad shook hia head, as if to intimate a smaller amount would do. Just then the collection plate was put in front of him while he kept up his enquiries. He was advised to give a shilling, but declined, saying , , soto voce, " I think hickapenny enough :" By this time he had made up his mind, and motioning to the churchwarden he held up a two shilling piece, and Bpoke loud enough to draw the attention of the congregation, "You give one herring hickapenny, I give you two herring." The change was produced, the coin deposited, and the little scene terminated amid the manifestation of some merriment on the part of several members of the congregation. It may not be generally known, says the Thames Advertiser, that there is a clause (No. 167) in the now Licensing Act which runs ac follows :—" When it shall be made to appear in open Court that any person by excessive drinking of liquor mis-spends), 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, in writing, under the hands of any two 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 time or any time in like manner ferbid the selling of any such liquor to the said drunkard by any licensed person of any other city, town, or district, to which the drunkard shall or may be likely to resort to the seme." The penalty provided for a breach of this section is a sum not exceeding_£lo. 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 into force at Dunedin, in the case of a man who attempted to commit suicide through drink.