Hawke's Bay Times. THURSDAY, 31st JANUARY, 1867. SUMMARY FOR ENGLISH MAIL VIA PANAMA.

Hawke's Bay Times, 31 January 1867, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times.

THURSDAY, 31st JANUARY, 1867. SUMMARY FOR ENGLISH MAIL VIA PANAMA.

PUBLISHED EVEKYMONDAY AND THURSDAY. “ Nulth/s adJidvs jurare in verba mnrjislri.”

Although we consider that very few of our friends will avail themselves of the mail for England via Panama — with its prohibitory tax of 3J—yet as some may wish to do so, we so far carry out our usual practice as to take a brief review of the events of the past month, —premising that we shall defer the regular summary supplied to our subscribers until the mail for England via Suez is about to leave.

Primarily we have to notice the commencement of an era in the taxation of the Colony. Uf course we allude to the Stamp Duties, which have given rise to all the vexation and annoyance we predicted would be the case. The iuauguraton of this tax was marked by the strangest ol all analomies, in that, vbile the Government bad neglected to appoint agents for the saleci stamps —or indeed to furnish the public with a needful supply for the transaction of ordinary business, —penalties of the most seven character were risked by non-compli-ance with the Act; thus, while not one penny stamp could be obtained for love or money, it was illegal to issue any cheque without such stamp ; and | parties so issuing them, rendered! themselves liable to a penalty of Aso.| Of course a vast number were so issued, and the parties rendered liablej in consequence, but, as may be supposed, such were not paid by the Banks until the arrival of a supply of stamps rendered it possible to affix them.

Another obnoxious tax, and omthat has given even more annoyance and disgust than the Stamp Duties, is the imposition of a postal rate upon newspapers, which, up to the end of last year, were (with certain exceptions) forwarded free. Already we have good reason to belie re the newspapers posted have fallen oif some sixty per cent. Most of our contemporaries have almost coascd to post their exchanges, and our number of copies now received by us per each mail i> something very different from what ii has hitherto been. The worst feature of the new tax is the threepenny rate on newspapers by the Panama route, which acts as a virtual prohibition of their transmission by the very 7 route i by which they would be sent.

Connected with the above is the strange and unfair method adontad

by the Government to push on the Panama route, even at the expense of public convenience," by the resolution made at both ends of the Hue to forward by that route every-

l i (.mug tuat io um CAjJicadiJ' uucuccu otherwise. We here feel the bad effects

of this most unjust arrangement this month, as the mails via Smz and Marseilles arrived true to their date, which

that via Panama did not: So that only two boxes came to Napier per last mail —one via Suez, and one via Marseilles, —the whole public, with few exceptions, being kept without their papers and correspondence until too late to reply by return of post. We know that packets for ourselves intended to come via Marseilles must have been kept back, because, perhaps, not specially addressed, and great annoyance has resulted from their non-arrival. It is not too much to say that equal annoyance is occasioned at home from the same cause, —the great bulk of letters, &c., posted iu time for the Suez route, and intended by the vvriti rs to go that way, being detained for the other, and certainly reaching their destination at a later date.

In the political world there is nothing stirring. The Provincial Council has come to its end, and we shall shortly have to resort to a general provincial election; but this excites actually no interest in the town. We believe that a little interest is felt in the outlying districts, on account of an alteration that has been mads in the boundaries of the several districts into which the province is divided ; the formation of several additional districts—twelve instead of eight, as heretofore; and an increase of three in the number of members for the Provincial Council. On account of these alterations and the trouble involved in rearranging the lists of voters for the several districts of the province, considerable di lay has been occasioned in the publication of the electoral rolls for the current year. We believe that rhisre arrangement has at length been made, and that the rolls will be issued forthwith. We have heard the question in voted as to whether these new arrangements will be legal or not; and the opinion expressed that the division ;f districts, &c., as in existence in October last, must hold for the twelve months next following.

We have also to notice a beneficial fall of rain, which will, we believe, end for this season all complaints of drought. It has continued for a whole week, raining every day more or less, and has at length given place to beau'iful dry and hot days. We bear that! for peaches and some other kinds of: fruit the rain has been somewhat inj excess, and that considerable quantities have fallen from the trees and spoiled.

Masonic Hall.—Amusement for the Million —This evening (as will he seen hy advertisement in another column) a grand entertainment will take jdace in the Masonic Hull. The bill of fare is a good one, including as■ it does the beautiful sketch from real life, from the pen of Slingsby Laurence, Fsq., entitled ‘A Cozy Couple; 5 a grand miscellaneous concert; and the beautiful operetta of ‘ The Swiss Cottage.’ We are in hopes of witnessing a full house on the occasion ; and hero wc 'may direct the attention of our readers to the grerlly reduced rules of admission, —stalls, half-a-crown ; pit, one shilling. Tickets may be obtained at the office of this paper. Panama Mail. —The P., N.Z., and A.P.M. Co/s s.s. Airedale, W. H. Meikleharu, due here from Southern Ports on Saturday next, 2nd Feb., will probably be the bearer of the Panama mail.

We are glad to perceive that the Government (whether acting on our suggestions or not we are not aware) have caused the railing round one of the bridges near the Steam Mill to be removed, and a new one erected. The bridges have also, we observe, undergone considerable repairs.

The Weather.— l he weather has completely broken up. When we last went to press* the rain was coming uOwu in torrents* and the skyborcsvciy appearance of settled bad weather. Next (Tuesday) morning, however, what a change 1 Old Sol rose very red and fiery, and not a few supposed that it was too hot to last long. Bat the fine weather, thus ushered in, has continued up to this writing, and —if there is any faith in barometers —is likely to continue yet a little longer.

Volunteer Drill. —Such of our own readers as have the honor of belonging to the Napier Kifle Volunteers Company would do well to bear in mind that Saturday next, being the first Saturday in February, is thedayappoiuted for the usual monthly inspection. We understand that usually very few of the members think fit to put in an appearance on these occasions of monthly inspection. This is much to be regretted, inasmuch as a little drill is absolutely necessary if the company is to be at all efficient in case of any emergency; and surely two hours once a month is not too much. In our opinion the drill ought to take place once a week instead of once a month. However, as it is, so let it be. We only hope there will be a good muster on Saturday.

Colonial Government Prize Firing.—Elsewhere in our columns this morning will be found a Militia and Volunteer District Order, which inti motes that the Colonial and District Prizes will shortly be contested for (of which the earliest notice will be given.) Intending competitors are therefore requested to prepare themselves for the coming contest by private practice. Regarding this request, we have one word to say,—where are the men—such as do not happen to belong to the N. R. Club—to practice ? There are plenty of targets in Napier we know, but will the Government allow the men to use them ? Those interested should see about this as soon as possible. We are desirous that this Province should exhibit better firing this year than they (mainly through insufficient practice) have hitherto done; and this can only be ensured by regular practice. These remarks will apply principally to men of the Milliti i companies; the Rifle Volunteers have, we understand, some six targets, the private property of the men, and if they fail to make good shooting through want of practice, all .ve can say is, that it will be their own fault.

Exportation of Gold —A General Government Gazette, issued on the ; 19th January, contains a proclamation with reference to the exportation of gold. It is ordered that from the Ist of next month (to-morrow) no gold other than gold coin shall hereafter be shipped for any part of the Colony, cither for exportation or to be carried coastwise from one port to another in i the Colony, except gold upon which the export duty in and by the Gold Duty Act, 1858, authorised to be levied, shall have been duly levied, by and paid to the Collector of Customs for the port from which the same gold shall be first shipped: Provided always that gold upon which the said duty Jaall have been duly levied and paid ion shipment at any port of the Colony may be landed in the Colony and again shipped for exportation without any further payment of duty, in the same or different parcels, upon production to the Collector of Customs at the port c —, ~f „ Ui ic*3uipdicui Ul a vli uuuva the hand of the Collector of Customs of the port whence the said gold was originally shipped, of the due pay mem of the said duty upon the same or au equal amount of gold, and upon every such re-sbipmeat the Collector of Customs at the port of re-shipment shall 1 cancel the certificate of payment of , duty so produced to him, as aforesaid, i by writing thereupon his name, the date of such cancellation, and the

. . * ii.. * u:„u a Dame Ul tut pvt l IV VYUiVU 3UVM gviv* is so re-shipped.

Ngaeueoeo Beidge.— The Provincial Government invite tenders (to ba received up till noon of Saturday, 16th February) for the erection of a bridge over the Ngaruroro river. The advertisement will be found in another place.

Wtt . n .> loci. i» xaow Thursday’s issue of the ‘ Times ’ appeared a letter with the above heading appended, setting forth tbs bad state of the Custom-house Wharf, and urging upon the Government the necessity of either repairing the present, or erecting a new wharf. The present s one is certainly in a very dilapidated condition, and really we cannot help thinking with our correspondent that unless something is shortly done, it will be giving way. We have made some enquiries in the matter, and hear that our Government do not wish to. taka any action in the matter until the arrival in Napier of Mr Balfour, Marine Engineer, who will doubtless furnish his Honor the Superintendent with a report upon the much vexed question of “ Harbor Improvements.”

The Dunedin Chamber of Com* MERGE AND THE STAMP ACT. —The following paragraph is taken from a recent issue of the New Zealand Advertiser :—At the quarterly meeting of Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, held the other day, the question who should pay the Stamp Duty in the cases of bills and acceptances, was brought under discussion. It was sought to lay down some uniform rule by which merchants and tradesmen should be guided, and it was ultimately resolved that the Chamber approved of the proposition of the Committee, that the acceptors of bills should pay the stamps enforced under the Stamp Act. Al* though we doubt very much whether any Chamber of Commerce is likely to. succeed in making such a rule general, their action in the matter will serve as a very good guide to business men, particularly since there are so many cases in which the practice of the Chamber of Commerce is accepted as a precedent in courts of law. A lesson is conveyed here to our Chamber which we sincerly wish the members would study, and render themselves useful to the community instead of treating every matter in which their personal interests are not directly and prominently concerned, with the most supremo indifference. We fear, however, that neither example nor precept will Lave much effect on a body that has striven so hard to earn for itself the character of being effete. Dunedin.—Election of an M.H.R. —An election of a fit and proper person to serve as a member of the House of Representatives for the city of Dunedin has recently taken place. There were two candidates —Hr Eey-

nolds, and the eccentric editor of the Saturday Review, Mr J. G. S. Grant. The former gentleman got returned by a very largo majority —333 and 52 being the numbers respectively polled. Adverting to the grounds on which Mr Grant offered himself in opposition to Mr Reynolds, the New Zealand Advertiser thus remarks: —“ He im-

pressed earnestly upon his auditors at the nomination the necessity for having some one in the House who would keep a diary of the proceedings, and offered himself as the person needed. What a pity that each Province does not return one of its members for this express purpose 1 We would recommend them to choose shorthand writers.” Gunpowder Explosion at Wellington.—We learn from the New Zealand Advertiser, of the 21st Jan., that “ an accident, or a malicious act —for it is not known which it was—caused the powder in the temporary magazine on the wharf used lor the signal gun of the regatta yesterday to explode. It was very fortunate that this occurred at the end of the sports,, as there only remained a few charges in the magazine. W ith the concussion the awning under which the gun was placed was blows into the air, falling on the heads of some people a short distance off, while two persons who were standing close by were Knocsen down and slightly injured. This occurred just as one of the committee was trying to put a drunkmi blackguard named Fenton out of the place reserved ■ for the committee, and as it was sus- , pected he had dropped a lighted match f , n-.11-d nW i into tne magazine, uc ito the lock-up. One man was severely i Krjf no rpfl.J Hanger is anticioa* *.„ j « UCU*