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Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 31, 9 December 1879, Page 2

The Wharf. — We understand that the sum of £15,0 0 has been placed upon the estimates, for the purpose of carrying out the deviation of the l\se and wharf extension at Foxton. That th* works are a crying necessity the G-overnment themselves admit, and wo trust the House will pag9 the vote, and that tho contracts will soon be in progress. Saxson Railway Deputation. — As wo stHtod in last Tuesday's issue, a deputation of directors af the Foxton-Saodon Railway Co. waited on the G-overninent. The deputation consisted of Messrs. Sanson, Gray, Grower, and tl'Lenn-in, and was introduced by Mr Johnston, M.H.R. The object of the deputation was to remove certain difficulties in thf way of the Government recommending the Governor's consent to the line, in terms of " The District Railways Act." The obstacles were purely technical, and the deputation having explained them away, the Ujvernment held out to the deputation the hope that they would be able to Gazette the Governor's consent in a few week*. A conversation also took place as to the Government taking over the line, but nothing definite was reached. It is probable, however, that the Government will shortly take over two or three lines in the North Island, in which case they would be almost certain to treat in a similar manner the line from Foxton to Sandon. The member? of the deputation speak of the results of their interview as upon the whole very satisfactory. Arson. — The charge of arson preferred against Mr Halcombe by John fielk was heard at the Feilding Court on Friday, and, as we expeoted, tho case was dismissed. Fatal Accident. — We regret to record a fatal accident, by which a man named .Mudford (so wo are informed) met with his death, The deceased was a settler near Ashhurst, and was riding at tbe time of the accide it, when a fall from his horse resulted in his deuth. Wo hoar he leaves a wife and family to deplore bis loss. A. Contrast. — So many sneers hare been uttered about the Foxton aand, people subsisting on stones, and all th:it kind of thing, that, it is ins'ructive to enquire how far Fnxton is behind Paltneretou in the matter of hard cash. Mr Loudon's sale of drapery, &0., sliowed conclusively that if the amount of money in a place is a test of its prosperity, then Foxton is many »ime3 ahead of the northern township. The sale at Foxton lasted nearly a fortnight, whilst that at Palmewton began on Thursday, and closed on Saturday, there being literally no buyers for the reason that thero was a dearth of money. The receipts at Foxton amounted to about £1250, whilst at Palmerston they reached about one-fifth of that sum. In fact, it is said that it wa3 a common thing to hear persona who wished to gain a bargain imploring bystanders for tho loan of the money. We make these contrasts simply as a set-off agaiilst the systematic attempts of our Palmerston oontomporury . to decry the quality of tho soil aroijnd Foxton. Palmerston must live a liitle longer to catch up to Foxton in real prosperity. Wellington College. — The above institution is in a bad way. It has at present a bank overdraft of .4' l loo, and whilst the estimated income for'the year is only £2,409, provision has to be made for payment of salaries, £2,900 ; interest on borrowed money, £500 ; contingencies, £250. A deputation is to wait on the Government, to represent to them the financial position of the College, and ask for aid. - Police. — Mr Sherman, Police Commissioner for the North Island, is at present on his annual visit to the Manawatu District. Improvement. — We not'ee Mr Harris, of Alain-street, has had a very neat and. lofty verandah erected in front of hu shop. Naturalised. — Letters of naturalisation have been granted to Caspar Setter, settler, of Palmerston North. To the Undiscovered Bourne. — One cannot prevent a feeling of regret rising in the breast on looking over Gaiettes published on Wednesday last, and noticing the familiar name of" T. E. Young, Judge," signed in various places. Such is life. One day amidst the whirl and excitement of life and duty, a few days after beneuth the sod. Where the Monet Goes.— From July 1. 1878, to October 31, 1879, Air John Sheehan received fc travelling expenses £522 18s ; carriage hiro, £491 16a ; total, £1014 14s. Arrived. — The three bulls for the Oroua Downs station— Firby, Leander and Prince William — to which wo have referred in previous issues, arrived per Storrabird on Friday last, in charge of Mr John Reid, and were taken on to the station. They were greatly admired, especially Firby. Feilding Public Hall. — We have reec.ived the first annual report of the Directors of the Feilding Public Hall Company, which holds its yearly meeting on December 15, at 7 p.m. The substance of tbe raport is as follows :— -826 shares have been allotted, 15 of which were forfeited, whilst there aro arrears amounting to £50 15s. There ire now 189 shares still unallotted. The Hall will probably be completed in about a week, and the directors are no»v considering the advisability of lighting the building with gas, and providing sceaery and necessary Sitings for the Hall. The Directors hope from the letting of offices in front of the Hall to obtain 10 per cent, per annum on tho capital of tho Company. The balance-sheet shows that the paid up capital of the Company amounts to £751 15s, tho sum of £73 8s 5d being *till due as arrears on calls and interest on same. The payments on the hall amount to £7' 7 16s, whilst there is a contingent liability on the same account of £299 13s. Mork Immigrants'. — Tho ship Hurunui arrived at Lyttelton from London on Saturday last, bringing 250 immigrant. The Arethusa also arrived at Wellington from the same port, bringing an addition ot 372 to the population of tha colony. We near that a small* number of the latter are io be sent to Fox,ton by the Stormbird. Native Lands Court. — This Court hat now concluded its Foxton session, and the officials loft yesterday to hold a further sitting at Palmerston. After concluding there, we understand the Court will open at Otaki, when some cases from Poroutawhao will be heard. PrßLio Hall. —On Friday last the Hewett family occupied the boards at the Public Hall. Owing to the performance not being properly announced, there was

not a largo attendance, but those who did attend spent a very pleasant evening. Mr Hewett is a very good performer on several instruments, including the sornet, violin, flute, piocolo, &c, and on him tho brunt of the work falls. Mrs Hewett performed some music on tho piano in exeelh- nt style, and sang several songs in a very pleasing manner. Aitogothar a good evening's entertainment w\a made up, and wo regret that the detention of the steamer prevontod a second performance.

Prugress. —We notice with pleasure that Whyte's Hotel was lighted last niirh for tlie first time with gas. The light was most brilliant. Cash. —We are requested to point out that Mr Lie) dell's clearing sale of drapary is for cash only. An Old Friend. — Never ha 3 been aeen a more painful performance thun that which is now to be witnessed in the old Exhibition building, in Vienna, where Blondin daily riaks his life on a rope stretched across the vast dome at a giddy height. Blondin has expressly requested that no net be placed under the rope ti break his fall should an accident occur. He says that he has found by experience that the public do not care half so much for hi 9 performance when the possibility of a terrible accident is not present to lend a zest to the show. He receives a large sum of money for every exhibition ; and the more daiinar his feats the higher are his wages. He now traverses the rope | without the balancing bar, walking backwards blindfold. Blondin is foUowed everywhere by a Mr Thompson, who has made a bet of ten thousand pounds that the hero of Niagara will fall from the ropo and be killed ere he attains the age of sixty. Five more years and the cruel wager will be decided one way or the other, for Blondin is already fifty- five. New Zealand -Timber.— Mr Wakefteld on Friday asked the Government — (I) Whether they will, during the recess, cause inquiries to be made as to the possibility of introducing New Zealand timbers into Kuropean .markets ; (2) Whether " they will bring in a measure, next session, for tho conservation of forests, and the systematical disposal of timber as a source of revenue ? The Promior replied that the " Government would cause enquiries to be made, but they did not think they could carry out the proposition contained in the second part of the question." The best plan to try the possibility of creating a timber trade with Bn?---land is to do what a Manawasu firm has done, viz., send home a trial shipment. Thames Railway. — With reference to the Thames Valley Railway, the Waikato Times regrets to learn " that the Government find themselves in so stringent a oosition for money, the new loan having been already so largely anticipated, that it has been considered necessary to countermand an order for the railway bridge over the Waikato, at Hamilton." In view of the above statement, it is very improbable that anything will be done d.uring the year to forward the Wellington- Foxton Railway. General Church Fund. — At a meeting of the Wellington Diocesan Standing Committee on Friday evening, the principal business was the initiation of- the necessary step 3 for the administration of the now General Church Fund for the diocese, as ! established by the Synod in its recent session. The Rev. K. J. Thorpe was appointed organising secretary, and Mr 0. P. Powles treasurer to the fund. It was decided to commence canvassing for subscriptions and donations from the Ist. January, so as to form a substantial riuoleus by the time the Act came into operation, viz., Ist July next, although no stipends or other sums can be paid out of the fund until that date, expenses of administration and organisation of course excepted. The Property TAx.^Referring to the Property Tax, the Evening Post says:—" At the Bame time it is vary probable that the tax itself may never be actually imposed, as a good harvest and improvement in trade might do away with its necessity before tie time arrives — eight months hence — when, at the earliest, it was proposed to collect it." We very much doubt the probability of the tax not being collected, and look upon the property tax as a settled matter. The best thing the people of the Colony can do is to face and prepare for it. A Stamp Case. —At the Christohurch R.ltt. Court, on Friday last, R. Davis, De-puty-Registrar of the Supreme Ciurt, was charged on five informations with filing unstamped declarations under the Debtors and Creditors Act. Mr Cowlishaw prosecuted on behalf of the Auditor General, and stated that during the month of November tba attention of the Auditor- General was drawn to the fact that there were a large number of documeats unstamped. An in vestiga*ion led to the discovery that there was a daficiency of over £50 worth of stamps. An opportunity had been afforded defendant of recouping the money, but he had not availed himself of it. The Crown Prosecutor had been consulted, and he had given it as his opinion that on technical grounds an information for larceny or embezalement -would not lie, and therefore the only course that remained was to lay an information under the Stamp Act for the recovt-ry of the penalties incurred. For the first offence, a fine of £5 was imposed ; for tho 2nd, A' lo ; for the 3rd, £15 ; for the 4th, sth, and 6th, £20 each ; making a total of £90, with Court fees and expenses of witnesses. The Bench expressed an opinion that defendant had been dealt with very leniently. The Loan.— The Evening Post of Saturday says : — lt is with great pleasure that we publish in another column a special cable message from our London correspondent, sonveying the important and gratify, in,? news that the Bank of England has undertaken the issue of the whole Five Million Loan. The fact that tho Bank of tin.: land has thus, as it were, fathered our loan is a practical guarantee that the entire five millions will be floated, as \\ is a rule never to place definitely in the market a larger sum than there is a very good prospect of getting taken up. It is considered certain that the Bank of England has been able to satisfy itself that this is tolerably safn, otherwise the previous intention to issue only £3,<>00,000 in the first instauco would not have been departed from. There is every reason therefore to believe that the whole £5.000,000 will be placed on fair terms. The minimum price, £97 10s, is apparently some vhat low, but judging from the present price of money at home, now that the Bank of England has " fathered " our whole loan, and it is issued under such favorable auspices, it is deemed probable that it will be taken up at prices ranging considerably above the minimum. The news on the whole must be rogarded as eminently satisfactory. A Kicking Cask. — On Saturday last, at Timaru, John Gibson, a farmer, was fiued 20s for kicking John King in a public street. It appears King went insolvent, owing Gibson £500 for oats he had got to sell on commission, and for which he (King) had received £200 in cash. The Terrace TRAOEDV.-The sale of furniture, &c, at the residenco of the late Mr Miller, Wellington, took place on Friday, when a large number of persons attended, and the goods were sold at very high prices, a great many petbons desiring mementoes of tho dreadful tragedy.