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Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 39, 9 January 1880, Page 2

Resigned.— Wa understand Mr "Walter Simpson has resigned his position as Sheep Inspector. As we stated a fo*v day* ago, Mr Simpson w a3 ordered to hand over all j papers connected with his office to Mr*B. K. Simpson, the other Inspector in the Rangitikei-Manawatu District, and report himself at Wellington, with the view of being appointed Inspector at that port. Mr Simpson duly carried out the instructions ho received, but being dissatisfied at his removal from his home, and having a strongobjection to break it up, determined to throw up the appointment, and devote bis whole time to the working of his farm at Puketo'ara. He has accordingly placed his resignation in the hands of the Government. As v public officer, Mr Simpson has dis~ r.layed the utmost zeal in the discharge of bis duties, coupled with great courtesy towards all the settlers with whom he came in contact. Through the Btep9 taken by him, the scab pest, which alarmed this district about a year ago, and which actually existed in several flocks, has been completely eradicated, and we believe tho district is now free of it. Whilst regretting his retirement from a position in which he performed such excellent service to tho district, wo are pleased to learn that he will remain a resident of Manawatu. Regatta Meeting. — A meeting of the Committee of tho Foxton Regatta was held at Why to' a Hotel on Wednesday List. There were pi-eseat — Messrs Russell (Chairman), Batt, Burgess, Shore (Hon. Sec), Liddell, Howe, and Young. It was resolved that each member of the Committee be furnished with a subscription list, also that one be sent to each hotel in the district, and to I the Eoxton Banks. The Secretary was instructed to write to a number of gentlemen interested in the district, and solicit subscriptions to the funds. A draft programme was prepared, com prising sailing race, two inrigged four-oared g'g-races, canoe race (open to all comers), pair-oared races for men and boys, sculling race, four-oared ship's gig race, &c, «fee. A proposal was also made that there should be in connection with tho regatta several swimming matches, and a greasy pole event. These will be added to the programme, should the funds allow. It wa3 also resolved to deduct ten per cent, off all prizes of £5 and over, and to do away with the qualification fee. The programme arranged will probably include prizes to the value of £70 and over. The Committee was opposed to all handicaps, except in cases where it was impossible to organize a race without such a course being adopted, as it was thought better to allow every boat to compete on its own merits. The Secretary was requested to write to the Wanganui and Wellington Clubs, informing them of the intention to hold a regatta, and stating that a programme would be sent to them in a few days. A balance of £5 remains in hand from last year, and if the public subscribe with their usual liberality, a first-class regatta may be expected. Removing the Cbutch. — A Bill was recently introduced into the N.S.W. Parliament by the Premier, declaring lanJs 83t apart in the early days for Church and school purposes, and the income from which ia at present mostly divided amongst the Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, and Wesleyan churches, henceforth to be Crown lands, and dedicated to public instruction. These lands are very extensive and valuable, and we think th« proposed course is correct, ns there aro so many religious denominations that it is manifestly unfair to assist the more powerful, and neglect the weak; besides which, is the fact that State aid to religious institutions is repugnant to the feeliugs of colonists generally. Ministerial Visits. — On Tuesday lu3t the Hon. Mr Bryce went to Wellington by the coach, and on Wednesday last Major Atkinson arrived per mid-day train, and left for Wellington yesterday morning. Both Ministers put up at Whyte's Hotel. Wanted. — We have been requested by sovbral Carnarvon settlers to urge upon the railway authorities the desirability of a weighing, machine being placed at the Carnarvon station. We comm-nd the matter to the consideration of Mr Rotheram. The Osfrey. — We understand a certificate has been issued by the Marine Department in favor of the steamer Osprey. She will be allowed to trade along th« coast between thr River Rangitikei and Porirua Harbor, but will bo allowed to carry pas■engers only on tho Manawata. We expect in a few days to see th* little boat getting regularly to work, and hone that she will prove remunerative to Mr Liddell. Received. — We have to acknowledge with thanks the receipt of a copy of the Statistics of New Zealand for lt<7B, forwarded to us bjr the Registrar- Genoral. The volume contains a vast amount of information, and Mr Browne is to be congratulated upon the highly successful manner in which bis arduous duties as statist for the colony have been carried out. Choral Society. — A practioo of this Society was to have been held on Wednesday last, but owing to several members being abflenffrom town, and the attendance of several of the gentleman at the regatta meeting, no praotico was held. It is hoped that there will be a good attendance next week.

Prize Cattle.-. On Wednesday last there arrived per Stormbird, from Wellington, 7 bead of maguificent purebred stock, imported from England for the purpose of improving the stock upon tho Moutoa and Carnarvon Estates (Mr Larkworthy'a.) There were two bulls, four cows, and one "infant," calved on the voyage out. The bulls arrived at Wellington per Bebington, and the cows per Western Monarch. They appeared to be in good condition, and should form a most valuable addition to the stock of the district. They were shipped from Wellington to Foxton in charge of Mr Satherley. Otaki Races.— The programme of -the Otaki Races, whioh take place on January' 22, has been drawn up, and gives promise of a day's good sporfc. The Otaki horses are doing steady training, and outsidera: will need to be up to the mark to bea£ thorn. Reclamation. — On Wednesday last, whilst the Hon. Major Atkinson w-m staying in Fox'on, Messrs Gray, Thynne, Flower, and Liddell interviewed him, with reference to the proposed reclamation and wharfage works, and urgod him to use his influence in pushing on the work as rapidly as possible. Major Atkinson informed the gentlemen referred to, that the matter not being in his department, ho could give no answer. He was, however, improved with the importance of the work, and it was the intention of the Government to allow of no delay in carrying on the work. He also promised to inform them, upon his arrival i»t Wellington, about what date tenders would bo called for. Latk Thais The Wednesday evening's down train to Foxton die* not arrive till 20 minutes past 1 on Thursday morning, owing to the train getting off the line at Ualcombe. A stone in the points wa^ the cause of the accident. Court.— A sitting of the R.M. Court will be held in Foxton to-morrow before ft. Ward, Esq., R. 31. All Saints' Church. — A meeting of the parishioners of this church will bo held this evening. Keeping Flowers. — It is very desirable to preserve gift boqnets fresh aud bright as lonz as possible. A poor withered bunch of dowars always make* me feel sad ; it reminds one of the beautiful human flowers . that are cut down in their loveliness, and left to wither and die. A boquet can be preserved a long time by changing the water every morning, anJ dropping a little ammonia into the vase. When the flowers ate taken from the vase, plunge them into abafchofcold water, so that every part is wet; brush the water off by a gentle shake, and you will be astonished to see their cheery brightness restored inojt perfectly. Flowers in a home give a pleasant look to tho roon.s, and a sweet fragrance to the air. It does not requiro a large boquet of rare exotics to. gladden a room ; a bunch of palsies or a few roses aro ju3t »s pretty when surrounded with fresh, green leaves, and prettily arranged ; aud they give a charm that no other ornaments can import. — Country Gentleman. The N. S. W. Bcsimanoep.s.— Referring to the trial of the Wantadbadgery bushrangers, the Sydney correspondent of the Canterbury Press writes: — "Tho Judge, Mr Justice Windeyer, who has but a few weeks been elevated to the Bench, having been Attornoy-G-enernl, appears to have scarcely settlad his mind to the judicial repose, and to have retained something of the feeling of Public Prosecutor. From first to last he evinced a settled disposition to regard the prisoners as guilty, and to treat them— Scott especially — as requiring severity and repression. Scott towards the close of the ease took exception to one of the jurymen, who is of foreign birth, and himself represented that he was unable to understand much that he said. It was with difficulty that Scott could induce the Judge to attach any importance to his representations on that point, but he succeeded in the end, and the point has been reserved, and may necessitate a new trial. The injudicious leniency with which the Executive treated the last gang of bushrangers—the Hatfield gang — now reacts upon the present prisoners. The necessity for making a severe example as a deterrent to others, presses upon every f one, fronr thr Executive to the humblest individual, and there is a feeling almost universal that Scott at any rate must not escape the gaHow3. A more fitting scapegoat could not readily be found, but there is no doubt in my mind that the prevalence of tho sentiment in question weighs down the scale of even justice in this instance, and that Scott is likelier to hang than would have been the case had the public mind been less agitated." A Wabning. — A mm naiuid Wallace, late of Rangiora, and also of the Hutt, who it is supposed has been a tailor, but has for months practised as a doctor nt Collingwood, has been charged with a breach of the Practitioners Act, and fined £50, or throe months' imprisonment. Tender— The tender of R. M'Lein, of Foxton, for erection of station buildings at Waitotara, has been accepted, the price being £1780. The Sparbow Nuisance.— At a meeting of the Canterbury Acclimatisation Society held recently, it was resolved for the present to discontinue the practice of giving a premium for hawks' heads, on the ground that those birds were useful agents in keeping down the number of the sparrows. The TotallßATob. — The following is the full text of thi Act legalising the use of the totalisator in South Australia : — An Aot to Remedy Some of the Evils Arisiug from Betting and races.— [Assented to October 25th 1879.] Wnereas great evil* have resulted from rash and indiscriminate betting it raoea, and young men and others are often tempted by reason of the uncertainty of losing, and the chance of wiuning, to make bets which, if lost, are wholly beyond their means to pay, and in order to pay the same resort to criminal means of obtaining money : And whereas the use of the totalisator would tend to diminish betting by giving young men and others a pecuniary interest in races without the evils incident to indiscriminate betting— Be it, therefore, enacted by the Governor of the Provinoa of South Australia, by aud with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council and House of Assembly of tbe said province, in the present Parliament assembled, as follows : — l. From and after the passing of 1 this Act the instrument or contrivance for I wagering or betting known as the totalalisator, or any other machine or instrument of a like nature and conducted upon the same principles, shall, when used under the auspices of , and with the permission of, any duly recognised racing club, upon any pubHo racecourse, be exempted from the provision of the Lottery and Gaming Act, 1875, and no house, office, room or place, or any racecourse used for the purposes aforesaid shall be held to be within the provisions of tho said Act : Provided that no more than one such totalisator, machine, or instrument shall be authorised or used upon auob raceocurse at any one time. In tbe name and on behalf of Her Majesty I hereby assent to this Bill.— William P. Drummond Jbbvow, Governor,

A NoveltyinJßankrvptov.— The following oircular f says the Otago Daily Times) has been issued "to creditors in the estate of James Black, and is not only of special interest, but, we imagine, almost unique in its character. It is taking the bone out of the dog's mouth with a vengeance* — "The verdict, obtained by the trustees against the Bh«riff and others having been reversed on teohnical grounds the costs of both plaintiff and defendants have to be paid out of the estate. After paying the preferential claims and the dividend of 10s in the pound, there remains in hand a sum of .€528 4s lOd. The law expenses amount altogether to £717 10a I lid, leaving a deficiency of £189 6s Id, to ; meet -vhich a call of 2s fid in the pound haß tyoen made upon the solvent creditors, whose claims amount to £1535 5s Bd. We have therefore to request payment of the sum of .j£vT ■, being the amount ot your call, to Mr :n. H. Leary, at the office of Hastings Leary, 1 and Co., Dunedin, within ten days from this date, at the expiration of whioh period our solicitors will be instructed to take proceedings to recover the calls that may remain unpaid." Agricultural Pro3Peiuty. — The year of 1879 will pass iuto 'American history (aajs the Turf, Field, and Farm,) as the year of wonderful agricultural prosperity. The cotton crap is largea by half a million bales than ever before, the tobacco crop 12,000,000 pounds greater; and tho augar crops exeneda by some 200,000 hogaheads all previous yields. These are crops which belong almost exclusively to the southern half of the republic. In behalf of tho Northern States the excess ot products this year over the crop of any previous year is, according to tho Chicago Journal of Commerce, 20,000,<00 bushels of wheat; and from 80,000,00:) to 100,000,000 bushels of corn. The hop crop also is larger this year than for a number of years past — if it be not the largest ever raised. FiohtJat Samoa.— News from Samoa, rut Auckland, says : — On Sunday last the heaviest battle fought by Samoans during the present civil war took place. Early on that day the old Government made every preparation for a general assault upon the forts of the King party both by land and water. The King party from their look-out forts saw the preparations being made, and orders were at once given, " EveryJ man to his po3t." Shortly afterwards, the signed being given, the old Government forces rushed from the forts in every direotion. The King patty waited patiently till the onemy were well within range, and then flred volley after volley, which had the effect of driving them back, not however without great loss. Having completely routed tho shore divisions of the old Government, the King party turned their attention to the party who were coming in boats. As soon as they came near enough such good fire was kept upon them by tbe King party, that most of the boats of the old party turned tail. One or two boats kept on, and landed i"«n, a little to the east of the King party's fort, but they were se warmly received that few of them escaped with whole skins. In the fight tho killed and wounded are variously estimated at from seventeen to twenty killed, and from thirty to ninety wounded of the old Government. Not less* than seventeen wer<) killed outright, and thirty seven wounded, whilst mivny of the wounded are dying. The loss of the King party was only one killed and four wounded. Mining in New South Wales.— -From the annual report of the Department of Mines, New South Wales, for 1878, it appears that the number of miners engaged in searching for gold was 7,074, and that the quantity of gold won was J19,6650z5, valued at £430,033— a decrease of 14,2400aa as compared with the previous year. The output of void was 1,575,497 tons, or 131,226 tona ir.oro than iv 18?7_