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Manawatu Herald, Volume I, Issue 72, 6 May 1879, Page 2

A Deserved doiti*LuiENT. — We understand that a number of tho settlers along tho railway line, recognising tho courtesy of Mr Charles Bait; whilst employed as An official up^on tlie train, have determined upon presenting him with a beautiful gold ring, and also a handsomely-illuminated address, us a memento of. their rsgard, and. also in testiruoiiy of their appreciation of hi? unvarying kindness and urbanity. The affair has chiefly been got up by tho settlers resident near Karcre, amongst whom Mr Batt is deservedly popular. We hear the presentation will probably take place next Saturday. Accident. — \\ y u regret to record a serious aticident which occurred a few days ago to a lad about 6 years old, son of Mr W. Whiteman, of Carnarvon. It appears that as the lad was riding through an open gateway) his Toot caught, and he was thrown to the ground, breaking his right arm. The plucky little fellow endured the pain bravely, and returning homo told his parents he had tumbled off and hurt his arm. Mr Whiteman at once proceeded to Bulls, and obtained the services of £>r Froude) by Whom the arm Was skilfully stSt; Tllo lad is progressing favorably. Too LATii. — On Friday afternoon, just after the train-bell had rung for the passengers to secure their tickets, a horseman was seen galloping up from the ferry to the railway station; From thß vigorous manner in which he belabored the horse, which appeared to be dead beat, and the violent gesticulations he made, it was evident he wished to tike the train, aud speculation was rife as to whether he would be in time or not. With inexorable punctuality, however, the stationmaster gave the words " All right 1 " as the clock showed 4.25j and the guard sang oiit, " Take your seatfli please ! " followed by a signal to the engioe driver; the engine screeched her farewell, and the train moved away just as the horseman got up to the platform. It appeared he had travelled from Paikakariki, and had evidently ridden hurd to catch the train, but had missnd it by a minute, and was compelled to wait till next morning. He stated that a detention at the pnnt whilst the coach was taken over, had made him miss ihe train. It was said, however, that even had he arrived in time, the horse could not have been taken on, as there was no horse-box at Foxton. We -would suggest to the authorities that as a terminus of the line* it is desirable there should be at all times a spare-box kept ready for use at this end of the line. The Iron Horse. — On Friday morning, the Black Dwarf hooked on to six waggons laden witli railway iron weighing 80 tons, and attempted to take them up the steep gradient from the Foxton whurf to Mainstreet. It was a heavy pull, and the Dwarf snorted violently, as every possible ounce of steam was pressed into service. But after goiug a few yards, the anortings and puffings gradually ceased, and at last the heavy weight stopped the " bulgine" altogether. Air Stevens, who was driving, was equal to the occasion, and "sanded" the rails to make the Dwarf grip, and slowly the great mass of weight was dragged along ; whilst Collins, who esteems his especial charge, the railway horse, at a high value for a heiivy lift, called out with a sarcastic laugh, " Shall I bring Farmer to help you ?' ' The base insinuation was treated with contempt, and after another slight rest to enable the Dwarf to get up a little more steam the heavy load wa9 successfully run on to the level, and the triumph of scientific strength over animal demonstrated. Pharisaism. — Fortunately there is not much of the above spirit in Manawatu, but there is a little, as the following shows : — On Sunday last, a man discovered that | his horse by some means had got into a boggy drain, and uuless speedily liberated was likely to die. The owner, seeing that assistance was necessary, made all haste down to iiia neighbour's, to ask his help. But his neighbor wa* a " religious man," and could not desecrate the Sabbath by helping a man to get his horse out of a ditch. The man urged his necessity, and the sufferings of the horse, but the pious neighbour would not yield. The owner then saw another man coming down the road, and he sought his aid. This was refused, as No 2 was then on his way to church. Not yet daunted, the unfortunate one espied another man in the distance. Having explained the case to him, he was met with another refusal, on the same ground as No. 2. He then saw some men whom ho did not know (the first three wore neighbors), and having made known his trouble, tha new chums instantly went to his assistance, and extricated the poor horse from his dangerous position. The above story we believe to be substantially correct. How unlike the advice given by the master whom those three profoss to follow, in reference to a similar case. We may remark that there was some excuse for No. 3, as his church met only once a month. Defaulting Ratepayers. — It will be seen by our report of the Local Board meeting that notice is to be given through the columns of the Manawatu Heuald that all ratepayers who have not paid their rates will be sued for them, unless paid, within 14 day<j after such notice is given. We trust that the good sense of the ratepayers who are in arrears will prevent any action of this extreme nature being necessary. It must be palpable to them that unless the Board has the money, the works must stop for want of sufficient funds, and that by their action they are hindering necessary public works from being carried on, and other improvements to the town bung effected. We again say we hope the good sense of the defaulters will show them the necessity of paying up, not only to avoid trouble and expense, but also to help the progress of the town, as the Government subsidize the Board £ for £ upon all rates collected. Local Boaru Meeting. — The Local Board held a meeting on Friday kst, when a large amount of business was transacted. We hope that this is an earnest of better thing 9, and that the troubles of the Foxton Local Board are now about to cease. Annual Rate.— The Local Board decided at its last meeting to announce its intention of striking a rate of Is in the pound on all properties situated within the Foxton Local Board District. Earthquake.— A smart shock of earthquake was felt here early on Saturday morning. It was accompanied by a heavy rumbling. The Little World.— This exhibition was well patronisdd on Friday and Saturday last, especially by the junior members of families. The Punch and Judy show attracted a good deal of attention, most of the youngsters never having seen anything of the kind before. The exhibition left for Wellington by tho steamer Stormbird on Sunday morning last. New Buggy. — By the s.s. Stormbird, on Saturday last there arrived a splendid buggy for a native chief named Tamihana, who resides at Otski. The vehicle is built to carry four persons, and is so constructed that

wlien oniy two are sitting in it, tho backseat portion can be shiit ddw'ris THe material used throughout is of the best description, and the convoyaice is fitted, with a ect of double and single shafts. The concern is painted beautifully. Messrs Me dun fiorton and do.j of Wellington are the builders, and the vehicle does them the greatest credit; and speaks volumes for tho Colonial lrianitfae'tdre. Tlie price paid for the buggy was only £65. VVe liear Tatnihana has aUo purchased a sot of hxrneas at £25, to me in connection with his conveyance. Wo think no one will doubt of the .progress of, civilsatiun amongst the " nobla savages " wheti thia is read; Local Board Election. — The election to fill a vacancy on the Foxton Looal Board was held on Friday last, at the Court-house, at noon. The Returning Officer, E. S. Thynne, Esq., having opened the proceodingSj Mr J". \V\ Liddell proposed Mr James Ooley as a fit and proper person to hold the oflieo of Commissioner on the Foxton Local Board. This was Secdude'd by Ml? Thomas Cameron. No other candidate being proposed, the Returning Officer declared Mr Coley duly elected, and the proceedings terminated. Sandon Railway Co.— The total number of shares applied for upon the list in Mr Sanson'3 possession on Friday last, was 3,852. We understand as the reSult of a Canvass in Fditou on Saturday, the number was raised to about 4,000. The numbei' applied for in Wellington is 310. Mr W. Johnston, M.H.R. for Manawatn, has taken up 40 shares. M.D; at PAmlerston.— ln our advertising colunin3 will be seen the Card of Dr Mariner, M.8., Master of Surgery of the Univerdity of Edinburgh, who has taken up his abode at Pa'merston, and may be consulted at Mrs WaUefield's private board-ing-house, on the Square. Dr Mariner will meet with a hearty welcome in Palmerston, and we trust will take up his abode permanently in MaiuwatUt Oiiau Punt. — Travellers on tlie coast will be pleased to learn that this punt is now completed, and was launched on Saturday last. Mr McLean arranged with the owners of the pa. Osprey to tow the punt down to the Ohau river, and she left on Sunday night, at 10,30., with her charge. The work has been well done, and reflects great credit on the contractor for the faithful manner in which he has performed his contract. The punt will be immediately put in position on arrival at its destination. Foxton School. — We understand Mr Hulke, master of the above school, has recdmiLended to the Committee the desirability of beginning the winter holidays next Monday. It is expected that the new building will be ready about the end of May. We understand that in addition to the inconvenience of the Public Hall for school purposes, the whole of the teachers are suffering more or less from the effects of the din and clatter of some 130 children being confined in one large room. The building has, however, proved a most valuable substitute during the erection of the new schoolhouse. Caoft.u,. — .V Choral Society 13 a boat tc be started at Palmerston. Concert. — About £30 will be added to Sr Patrick's Church Fund (Palmerston), as the result of the late Roman Catholic Con* cert there. Falmerston Borough. — The accounts of the Palmerston Borough are published in the local paper. From them we learn that the receipts for the General Account, in« eluding balance and overdraft (£226), amounted to £1304. The expenditure was as follows : — Construction and maintenance of roads, £569 ; administration, £252 ; and miscellaneous, £45J. The Hospital Account shows that £6 17s was received in donations, ot which £0 11s was spent in necessaries. The sum of £35 ss, received from the Government, was spent in making approaches to the Manawatu Bridge. The Borough Loan Account shows that .-€7lO was raised, of which £619 was expended in constructing roads. An Explanation. — We must apologise to our readers for being unable to give the resolutions passed at the School Committee meetings verbatim. At all other meetiugs of public bodies in this district, the Chairman hands the resolution to the reporter, after it has been put to the meeting. Dr Rockscrow, however, who is Chairman of the School Committee, has not been long enough in civilised society to know what it is to be a gentleman. We therefore make every allowance for him, and apologise to our readers for this defect in our school reports. Perhaps time may yet work a cure in " the Doctor." Bradshaw. — This invaluable publication ( for May in now issued. It contains an almost inexhaustible amount of information. A Genuine Pboof. — The surest way to test the reality of a person's convictions, is to enquire how 111 uch those convictions cost him. Judged by this standard, the people of Foxton are thoroughly in earnest regarding the necessity of a reliable medical man. During the last few days over £150 has been guaranteed by the residents, without anything in the shape of a canvass. We believe it is intended to hold a meeting of the committee towards the end of the week, at which steps will be taken to invite some medical gentleman to settle in this district. A Further Development. — And writing upon the above matter, we hear that yesterday, a petition was being circulated in Foxton, as a kind of addendum to the now celebrated ladies' petition. The latest phase is that the husbands of the ladies who signed the previous petition are now being invited to ask *' the Doctor " to continue to practise. The number, however, is po very small, that it would be most un-« reasonable and selfish to expect that gentleman to devote the rest of his lite to the practice of medicine amongst his friends, — about a dozen people. But really it would have been far more sensible if the husbands had gone round in the first place, as it ia quite absurd for them to be obliged to play « seoond fiddle." School Inspector.— We have received from Mr Foulis, Inspector of Schools for the Wanganui district, a copy of his report. We shall review it at an early date. Post Office.— Mr T l . Easton has seonred the contract for the alterations and additions to the Foxton Post Office. The contract price is £387. Corruption and Bribery.- We have been favored with the following extract foom a letter received by the head-teacher of the Foxton School : — " I am informed the custom is to make the teachers presents on their birthdays, and other special occasions, by the parents, for the purpose of getting thei" childeren especially forward, and as I find my children are almost quit? neglected, I suppose I must conform to the rule, al« though I believe it to be a thorough bad one." The letter is to be referred to the School Committee. We anticipate some grand revelations will be made if an investigation takes place. The writer of the epistle has not yet forwarded a present (except the letter) to the master, but we should chink after the receipt of so rare a " curio," Mr. Hulke will show his gratitude for the present by developing as fast & b possible whaterer latent talent those children may possess.