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Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 12, 3 October 1879, Page 2

The Manawatu Bab. — When tho Stormbird crossed the bar yesterday , thero were 1 1 foet of water on the bar. The Rainfall. — The rainfall at Foxton dering the month of September was 0.06 inches, and at tho Manawatu Gorge Bridge 4.79 inches. Pii.ota«_ Rat_s. — The pilotage rates received at the Port of Fox 'on during the quarter ended September 30 amounted to £35 Os lOd. The Diiivkx Sand.— The Otaki Highways Board appear to be fully alive to tbe necessity of preventing the encroachments of sand, and ha Vo appointed a committee to report what damage has been done by sand since Europeans settled in the district, and also what grassoa ttnd plants are best adapted to reclaim sand heaps. We shall look with interest for the report. To a CoimEsvoxiiEN'T. — We have received a letter from Otaki, signed " Fair Play." The writer has omitted to furnish his name, and we therefore cannot publish the letter. Tn every case correspondents should enclose their names, not necassarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith." Sandon Railway. — We understand that in accordance with clause 36 of " The District Railways Amendment Aot, 1878," which wg recently quoted, Mr Christopher Simpson has lodged an objection against the classification of his lan 1 under the San don Railway scheme. Mr Simpson considers an injustice h-s been done him through his properly being included in the rateable area, whils . that of other settlers equally near to the line is omitted from the scheme. The courso taken by Mr Simpson will enable the whole matter to be thoroughly sifted before the Resident Magistrate, who is judge of the Appeal Court, A full investigation will doubtless be iv accordance with the wish of ail parties. Cattle. — A fine mob of cat '.le were crossed yesterday at the ferry, en route for Wellington. They were in charge of Mr Stevens. Thr Weather.— Tho weathor since the beginuing of the present week has been unusually wet aud stormy. The Mauawatu river was running buik high on Wednesday, but no damage has beea done. On Tuesday and Wednesday a heavy westerly gale was blowing. Yesterday, however, the bad weather had spent i.self, and a sharp breeze and clear sky gavo a happier aspect to the country. Movie LiHEr.. — Jlr Ha!co:nbe has raised an action for libel against the proprietors of the . ..veiling Chronicle, Wellington, for printing and publishing tlio celebratod " vivisection" article. He off.red them the sam • alternative as tho proprietors of this journal, viz., an apology nnd tho payment of £50 towards the projected Churoh of England at Feilding. This was of course roj- cted. the Chronicle replying in a characteristic article, in which it reiterated itsmain oharges of incompetency, &c. Messrs Izard and Bell aro Mr Haleoinbe's solicitors. Rowiso Cum. — The annual meeting of ths Manawatu Rowing Club will be held at the Foxton Athenajum on Tuesday next, at 8 p.m., wH<m all membirs aro partieniaily requested to attend. Goods. — We have been requested to direot attention to Mr J. C. Thompson's advertisement regarding his spring goods. A Legislator. —In the Legislative Oouncil, on Tuesday last, the Hon, John Martin made the following speech, in seconding the Address in Reply: — "Sr, after tho long statement of ray hon. friend, I'm sure t can't improve on it, so I'll second the motion." Tho N. Z. Times says the above is the longest legislative address he has made ! The Second Seat.— Our recent " local *' to the effeot that a numberof electors think of asking Sir Wm. Fox to contest Manawatu for the second seat (should such a favour be vouchsafed), and that if he did so, they predict a walk over,— has furnished our Palmerston contemporary with a text for his Wednesday's leader, in the course of whioh he says : — •' According to our Foxton contemporary, Sir William Fox has only to condescend to honor Manawatu with his patronage, and the seat is bis own ; to knock, and the door which admitted the Lieutenant to the House of Representatives will be swung open wide for the General Our contemporary does not state why it should be so, nor think it worth its while to state the particular claim upon whioh the defeated L.ader bases his right to the second seat for- Manawatu." If our contemporary were oalled upon to explain the " why " of every item he furnishes his readers, the demands upon his leading column would be much greater than at pre.

■_■*_■ - -U__IUI_I|I|IMBOBB<»CT_B»S-ga_B-PW___iM--_-l sent. In giving the information, wo expressed no opinion, for the simple reason that it was unnecessary. Sir Wm. Fox has no olnim upon tho seat, and wo should oppose nny effort being made to 1 ring Uim forward. We trust "th . jail way question will be settled before another election, and that the candidates-Will include a local man whom we can support, as we have a strong objection to Manawatu being made a haven of refug . for a politiainn whom Dr. Hodgkinion graphically described as " a sheer old hulk." F. HT-iEii Pp.ookess.— We learn from the P .tei Mail that iv a couple, of weeks MiAndrew Young intends running a daily coach from Kai Iwi to Stratford and vice verm, meeting the trains at tho places named, so that passengers will bo able to reaoh New Plymonth and Waugauui in one day. When this is accomplished, travellers will be able to go overland from Wellington to Ta-anaki in a day. This is a great improvement on the old days, when Gene rai Chute marched his men through. The Fencing Act. — With reference to the position of the law on fencing in this Proviuce, regarding which a correspondent asked iv a recent issue, we have been unable to ascert .in by what Act (if at all) tho Provincial Foncing Ordinance was abolished. We have been informed tliat the Ordinance in question is abolished, but our infotmant cannot point to the statute which effects it. Having carefully looked over the Statutes for tbe past few years, wo fail to find auy Act abolishing the cXi-aing law. If we Come across anything furiher on tho nutter, we will inform our correspondent. Beacon Lights.— We understand that«a number of promises have been made by the Marine Department, to furnish the I'ort of Foxton with proper beacon lamps. These promises have not been fulfilled ns yot, and the only lamps provided for Pilot Seabury's use are common ship's lamps. We bring thi* -m -ttcr under the notice of the Collector of Custom-, who would certainly be doing shipmasters a service If lie would represent to the Murine Department the neces. i'y of proper 1 ■ m;'.s boiiig provided. At present, ia wnidy weather, the lamps e_nnot be depended on. The Land Qu _61ion —In a recent lead ing article we urged the impoi tance of population being attracted from tho towns 1 1 the rural lands, on the principle that '* if we develop tho country, the towns will take care of themselves.' 'A correspondent writing to the N. Z. Times expresses similar views. H e s;iys: — " Jf we had more settlements such as the Vesey Stewart settlement— which, by offering land advantages to farmers with capital, would increase our colonial precuniary resources— we should be taking a step iv the right direction towards' the development of manufactures. Every inducement should be held out to those who are capable, to go into tho wilderness, and by their ca.ntal and enterprise make it a fruitful field, but none to those persons who stay in the towns reaping tho benefits of their neighbors' hard earned profits, and securing tbo largest part of tho colonial residuum of the borrowed money, besides makiug laws for the mortgaging of their country neighbors' property aud industry for generations tq come." Gossu*.— The betting at present is that the Government will have a mnjority of at least 3. The Opposition have already begun cabinet-making. The following ure to be tho new Mini-tors if the no-confidence motion is carried : — Hon. John Hall, Piemier and Colonial Secretary ; Mr Wakefield, Public Works ; Mr Stevens, Treasurer ; Mr Whitaker, Postmaster- General ; Mr Oliver, Minister of Lands; Mr Ormond, Minister of Nativo Affairs; tho lion. G. Buckley, Ministerial representative in the Upper House. It is intended to call Major Atkinson to the Legislative. Council, in which case Mr Buckley would resign the leadership in that Chamber in favor of the Major. — Evening Chronicle. A Coincidence. — Speaking of Dr. Hodgkinson, who wus the recognised advociite in the late Parliament of the .Marriage with a Deceased Wife's Sister Bill, a contemporary poims out that "it is singular that his successful opponent was a gentleman who certainly should have sympathised with Dr Hodgkinson's unwearied efforts to assimilate tbe law of New Zealai. d to that of some of the neighboring colonies in this respect " We suppose that means tint Mr - I'Caiighan, tho new me nbor for Kivortou, hai married his deceased wife's sister. If so. he cer tainly should follow in the legislative footsteps of his predecessor. Major Atkinson — The Patea Mail thus refers to tlie fact that Mr Ha.l has taken Major Atkinson's place as leader of the Opposition : — " U certainly appears strange that a man should havo to be re-ira ported into tho arena of tho Lower House to lead tho Opposition ; and if this has really been done, as rumor has long said it was, it is not very complimentary to such men as Major Atkinson. It is very evident that the .Major is not very popular among his party, or, nt least, could not get it to follow him in such a compact body as would bo required to oust the Government. The l-eaeon of this unpopularity is not that his capacity or his integrity aro doubted, but that ho somewhat laoks social qualities. While he does not positively mike enemies, ho does not seek to make frieuds. It is notorious thut ladies have a very great influence over the votes of certain hon. members, aud equally notorious that the Major do; s not secure the exercise of that influence in his own favor. But apart from thefiirsex, thero are many men who get inlo Parliament who have no idea of voting for great political principles, or of following the man best ablo to cany thoso principles iuto effect, and who allow their personal likes and dislikes to override mere political considerations In order then to .ecure these men, it is neoessary to choose a leader against whom they have no potty prejudice, and whom the ladies do not vote du'l and stupid." Cuoitu, Fooietv. — A meeting of the above Society is called for this evening, at the Athenaeum. A Bad Look-out. — Mr Lowe, the moteo rologist, prediots a great drought in England before long. It is, he says, already dve — the same drought .is that of which we have heard such feariul accounts in the East and in Australia, where it haa oost the death of ten million sheep, and tho great deterioration of the remaining thirty millions. The Times says:— ".Let our agriculturists sco to it, and provide against the want of v rainy day. What tiiey are to do is not easy to say. They have gone on wasting the water which Heaven has been lavishing upon them to the last moment, and when the windows of heaven ure closed agaiust them, they will only look up in vain. If Mr Lowe's prophecy now prove correct, it may lead to the storage of water ou a scale worthy of the immense capital staked in agriculture, and the still larger iutcr.stof the British people and its prosperity." The Coming Division —If the Wanganui Herald's loader of Tuesday is a faith ful re ex of the opinions of the junior member for that town, the hopes of those who expeot Mr Ballance to vote against the Government in the coining division will be disappointed. Our contemporary says : - M With half of Mr Hall's amendment, contained in the following passage, we cor*

dially agree. The words are : — ' Wo feel bound to submit f> your Excel' eady fiat your Excellency's Government, as constituted, d nos not posses, the co__ileiro of this Hou*e.' Hut in giving in our adherence to so nm. i of the a nendment, we oinnot subscribe to tho natural sequence of the successful carrying through of the. amendment, viz., the formation of a Minis try fiom the opposite side of the House. The Ministry, as . t present constituted, does not inspire confidence, but the strengthening power must bo sir-plied from the Li beral ranks, and uot fr 'in Conservatives, who have only a. sumdl .Liberal garments because they are fashiouable." Loan. — The Wung.inui Borough Council have determined to raise a loan of I'l o,ool* for urgent public works, including the following: — The acquisition of Virginia Lake, extension of the water system throughout the Borough, rivor bank protection works, drainage, office accommodation, &c. The Phemieu.— Mr Murray, it is 8. id, requested a promise in writing that Sir George Grey would retire from the leadership of the Liberal party aftor the division on Mr Hill's amendment. This not having been given him, he has declared for the Opposition party. Commeh cia . Timidity.— One of the Wollington papers says that a few months ago commercial matters were so shaky in that city tbat creditors wero afraid to bo severe with biukrupts, in case thny might bo treated similarly if tbey themselves fuiled, and that "perhaps the best sign that commercial matters are impioving is iho faot that creditors are no longer sj easy ami goodnatured as thoy wero a few months ago. Within the last few days three meet ings have passed resolutions recommendi»g that the bankrupts' discharges be suspended." Tur Pot axd tub Kettle. — The Evening Post is very severe on the Wellington climate. Ifc says :--' People at Karori are so accustomed to windy weather that wben they get a calm, flue day like that with wbioh th. y were favored yesterday, they get quito uneasy. They expect a severe earthquake to lullow!"' In explain tiou ot the paragraph, we may s_y that. K-irori is about three miles from WeUington, vi hilst the fear of an earthqu-ike on a calm d;iy is precisely the experii-i.ee of 9 out of every 10 residents of the Empire City. New Fost-0- . ice. — A post-office ha 8 been opened at Balnei* .a. Mr Christopher Simpson being appoiuted Postmaster. The mails will close at Foxton each day at 3.45 p.m., and will bo despatched from Llainesse by the night train. Mrs. BittTTKX.— Referring to Mrs. Britten, the Fiee Thought lecturer, the Evening Post says : — " We cannot follow Mrs. Britten through her argument, nor can we say that the light thrown was of a very illuminating character. She used extremely high-flown language an I tho longest words, wliich rolled from her without the slightest hesitation or difficulty ; and she advanced the most stup -ndous new theories 'with all the ease and self-complacency of a wellprepared schoolboy repeating a theorem of Euclid. H»*r conclusion appeared to be that the doctrine of the atonement was a myth, but that if individual exer: ion was used to abandon evil aud live virtuomly, the soul would win its way to tho distent and unknow.i heaven 4 of the celestial spheres." Tohpkdo Conrs — The officers of the Telegraph Department have formed a Welling ton Torpedo Volunteer Corp.. The Government has expressed its intention of rendering the Corps every possible assistance. Scullin'o. — Messenger, the Victorian sculler, is expected to visit Wellington shortly. Hearn wishps to row him again, but Messenger wants his expenses paid, and the stakes to be £200.