Local and General.

Kawhia Settler and Raglan Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 243, 19 January 1906, Page 2

Local and General.

The date upon which Mis# Beswick resume# teaching has been altered to February sth. The next sitting of the Kawbiaß.M. Court will be held on Wednesday, January 81 st, at 9 a.m. In another column Mr Pearson invites tenders for two miles of post and wire fencing at Awaroa. By the s.e. Kia Ora op Tuesday last, Mr W. A. Mason imported 20 well-bred Lincoln rams. Three-quarter wool packs 2/7, twine’ cuddle, oils,, atones, lamp black.— Jonathan; Ltd,, Kawhia.* The many friends of Mr A. F. Wilson will be gratified to learn that be making progress towards recovery. A nice collection of post, cards, comic and views of New Zealand, have pat been secured from Auckland, and are now on sale at the Settler office. A mob of 500 fat lambs, bred on Mr Mason’s Kawhia rau, left for tbo Waikato on Tuesday, they having been purchased by Mr Chitty some weeks back. We bear that the oil launch Queen of Beauty is to make trips from Waitara to Marakopa, and it is expected that the initial run will be about the 10th of next month. To night (Friday) a meeting of tbc Kawhia Hack Racing Club will be held, whilst a meeting of the Kawhia Harbour Railway League is called for Saturday night, at 8 p.m. Great preparations are being made for the farewell social to Mr and Mrs Gosling on Friday next, 26 h inst., when it is expected that a large number of people will be in attendance. The Marakopa sports, held on New Year’# Day wore a financial success, there being a surplus of about £6Application is to be mnde to the Government shortly to grant a piece of i land on the banks of the Marakopa River as a recreation reserve. On Wednesday last Mr Whitcombe put 48 young cattle on hie section on the south aide of the harbour. The cattle were purchased in the Waikato, and put cn Mr Newton’s pontoon at Oparau, by which means they were safely landed at their destination. The first State apiary has jast been established at the Government experimental farm at Ruakura in the Waikato, by Mr Hopkins, Government apiarist. There are thirty-one hive# occupied by bees, and this number it is hoped to shortly increase to a hundred, as soon as it ia ascertained what numbe r of hives the locality will carry. A meeting of the Kawhia Wharf Trustees was held last week, when the resignation of Mr Gosling, wharfinger, wat received; it was resolved to cal j applications for the vacancy. It was decided to call applications for tarring the wharf, and also to offer the money in band to the Government, to add to the £75 put on the estimates to form the road to the wharf. The following petition may be signed at Mr E. C. Falwasser’s offio# : —“To His Excellency the Governor of New Zealand, My Lord, —We, the undersigned householders of the Kawhia district, do hereby humbly petition that you will declare the area we now submit a Town District, under I “ The Town Districts Act, 1881,” and “ The Town Districts Act, 1904,” ” Fayoured by fine weather, the work of harvesting has been pushed forward daring the past few days. We Iflarn that the crops of oats at Pakarikari are very much above the average and the yields will be exceptionally heavy. Wheat’bas not been largely sown, bat it is anticipated that the yield will be almost double that of last year. Altogether the harvest will be a highly successful one. The weather that has prevailed daring the past weak has been bright and hot, and from a back-settler’s point of view all that could be wished for for drying the felled bush. Several settlers have already burnt, the burns on Messrs Mowatt, Althorp and Hustler’s sections iu tho Awaroa district being very good. If the present fine weather continues, several large areas will be ignited iu a few days time.

Overheard on wharf.—Mr B.: Have you seen the summer goods Jonathan Ltd. have just landed ? They are simply lovely and the prices are exceedingly low. Mr C.: No. I have only just landed by launch, but I always procure my drapery there. I find their ’goods are always of best quality, the prices are right and a good assortment to pick from. Mr B. : Yes •, that is so and I advise everybody to inspect before they buy •Ise where,* Some time ago it was reported that a large patch of ragwort existed on Mr Hillyer’s section at Waiharakeke, and, naturally, the rumoar caused a certain amount of uneasiness to settlers in the South Kawhia district. On their solicitation Mr John Shaw paid a visit af inspection on Monday, and was delighted to find that the report was not true. In fairness to Mr Hillyer, Mr Shaw asked as to state that tho weed is simply the ordinary groundsel, which is not placed under the heading of noxious. Mr Lawrence Armitage, of Kinohaku, met with another unfortunate accident iu the bush the other day. Whilst telling on his own section, bis u?e getting caught iu a twig caused it to turn and the blade striking th# shin bone inflicted a wound about half-an-inch deep and three inches long. He was seen by Dr 0. Campbell Jenkins, who state# that th# wound, although sever#, will not permanently disable him, as (he cut is lengthwise Rud uot across the bone, had it been other wipe it would most certainly fyave injured the nerves and arteriejj irretrievably.

A nice variety of pic’oral pos’ cards for sale at the Settler office.* Thcs the Manganni County Times : “ Reward for Service to Country Mr W. W. McOardle, who obliged Mr. Seddon by keeping Mr. Massey engaged, is to bo appointed to the Upper House almost at once.” Word has been received by Mr W. J. Shaiy (hat the Government ha* increased the grant for the Kinohako School from £220 to £332, and that A. Grayson’s tender for £287 has been • accepted, the work to be commenced immediately. At the last meeting of the |R ..an County Council, jt wee resolved that th# Clerk write tn the Kawhia County Council, asking for a meeting to consider the eeveronca of a portion of the county and the ent• true ion end maintenance of certain Raglan roads. The Nautical Coart on the Claymore • Kapanui collision has suspended tha certificate of Captain Southgate of the Kapauni, for twelve months for improper and negligent navigation, and ordered him to pay iht costs of the inquiry. Notice of appeal has been given. A representative company has been formed at Hokianga for the purpose of parchasing the “ Hokianga County Times” property from Messrs, Wake Bros. All shades of political opinion haye united in th<L- venture and the company will be launched with eclat during the latter pavt of January. An iutreeting episoe'e in the polling at Foxton (says the Mana warn Times) was the arrival of the Rev. James Duncan on the arm of his daughter to record his vote. Kr Duncan i# now 93 years of age and was probably th# oldest person in the colony to cast his yote at the election. “With reference to the payment by the Government of the expenses of the. New Zealand footballers’ extended tour via Canada and the United States (writes “A Bit of Common Sense”) “ would it not be worth while at this opportune moment to form a New Zealand State B’ootball Department? Considering the financial position of the Colony, the enterprise of the Premier seems highly to be commended.” —Post. It would be a good idea if the Government were to use their powers of acquiring native land by parchasing the swamp at tho back of Kawhia, which the owners are quite prepared io sell. The land could be easily drained, and when this was done would become very valuable. In the □ear future building sites will be eageriy sought after, and people would be prepared to give good prices for a freehold section. At the Kawakawa Magistrrte’s Court, the licensees of of the Junction and Star Hotels were charged with permitting gambling on their premise# üby allowing billards to be played for "drinks. The defence contended that billards was a gam# of skill, but the Court held that it was a game of chance, and that gambling was permitted where the loaer paid for either the game or drinks. The first defendant was fined £i» and costs, and the second case was adjourned, pending an appeal, which was granted A crusade has been started by a Liverpool paper against one of the most popular dances of the ball-room —viz., the lancers. Indignant letters from correspondents have been published protesting against what one writer calls the indecency and “indecorum of tho modern lancers.” Every mother, it is asserted, must feel aehamed of the scenes now witnessed in every ball-room, where, '• instead of pretty frocks, which are almost torn off the backs of girls in the mad grip of young men—cloth or sacking will need to be worn. ’ “ It is ao insult to girls to bang them’ about and whirl them off their feet,” says another correspondent. Mr Thomas W. Lawson, of Boston, U.S.A., whoso book, “Fremied Finance,” has caused such a commotion, has requested Mr Andrew Gray, of Wellington, to undertake the obtaining of proxies iu his favour from the New Zealand policyholders in the three great American Life Insurance Companies, the New York, the Mutual and the Equitable. In a circular letter addressed to the press of America, Mr Lawson states that he has already spent over a million dollars in this work, and is prepared to spend a million or two more in exposure of diflmanagement, and that far from seeking to profit by it, he is only collecting those proxies in order to turn them over to a committee to be composed of .the representative active men of America, men whose names when they are published will carry complete proof, that no man, men or interest can control, steer or influence them- Mr Gray, is himself the holder of policies for £3,000 in the New York and Equitable Companies. Proxy forms and addressed envelopes can be procured at this office. In th# career of a reporter various, forms of locomotion are used to convey him to events at which he has to be present, and oar representative, through year# of residence in country districts, has employed almost everything from a motor oar to a packhurso or sledge (not forgetting the old style of walking). Last week a banquet was tendered to Mr Greenslade, M.H.R, at Te Rau-a-moa, oonse- j quently our reporter started off to at- I tend it, expecting to got a horse (which a gentleman had promised to provide) at Oparau, The horse not being forthcoming a return was made to the Feny. where Mr Boeseu, tho popular coach proprietor, was interviewed. Here again a back could uot be obtained, and after V little thought it was found that the only way to gel to Te Rau-a-moa was per special coach, drawn by four upstanding horsos. This is the way the Settler reached the banqviat, baing determined to get there,

Snbrcriptions to the testimonial to Mr F. W. Lang, #x M H.R., can bj sent to th# Settler office. In the international football matchJ England versus WuLk, on SatuutaflH Wales won by two g. v’s two one try. During this (luday) fir- W’S put into 1800 acres at Opf.rau, all in lue one 8 ciiong of Messrs Elliott, Bro.?, and Page. The s,#. Muritai arrived at on Friday from Wanganui, atM shipped 400 fat lambs, which hsvM be#n purchased for freezing purposes' from Mr C. King, of Taharoa. According to the Eketahuns Express, ragwort ia again becoming a source of great annoyance in the Forty Milo Bush. All effort# to check its spread have been more or less futile. The Hamilton Times reports that there will shortly be changes in the Ministry, and states that Mr Jennings member for Egmont, will succeed Mr Dunean as Minister of Lauds, and Mr J. A. Miilar, of Dunedin, Me Milla, as Miniates of Customs. “ He toldbia sod to milk the cows, feed the horses, slop the pigs, hun ; the eggs, feed the calves, catch the tbree-year colt and put him in the stable, cut some wood, split up some kindlings for the morning, stir the cream, put fresh water in the creamery after supper, and be sure and study your lesson before he went to b d. Then he went to tbe Farmers’ Club to discuss the question “How he kept boys on the farm?”—Farmers’ Union Advooate. Word reaches us of the serious state of many of the natives oh the south side of the harbour, who are absolutely starving, caused chiefly through the blight having destroyed their potato crops. At present they a’e reduced to eating fern-root and para (the young fern fronds)—a terrible state of affairs in “ God’s own country” where there “is no poverty.” No, thes# people are not poverty-striken, for they are interested in th usand? of acres of valuable land, which is locked up through defective legislation. If anything will cause the Government to deal with this district’s greatest curse —the native land question—surely it is the knowledge that some of the Maoris are now in a far worse condition than they ever have been previously.