Untitled

Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 50, 17 February 1880, Page 2

Thb G-auden- of New Zealand. — Several pl'ices in ihe Colony lay claim to the above title, but we question if any more fertile spot could be found thau Otaki. A few days ugo we hud the pleasure of beins* shown over Mr Small's garden at that township. In addition to the s^eat variety of fruit trees of tveiy description scattered about, a largo amount of nttention has been bestowed on tko cultivation of the grape vine. The vines are grown in the open air routid the garden fence, and occupy a space, of about I,' feet. They reach iv some parts about G or 8 feufc high, and aro literally covered with buna! its of grapes just ripen ing 1 . W« do not know the lau.«rth of tlft> vines, but should siy from 100 to 150 feet. Mr Small expects the yield to be about a ton. The Bishop of Wellington, who receu ly inspected the vinery, stated that he had not seen such a sight since he was in Spain. A Stravge Cask. — In a township of \Tanawatu there dwells a rather eccentric medico whom we will call Poultice. Ho is known to be a man of strong 1 feulinjrs, and adopts v most novel m thod of*' paying off" his enemies Be it kuowu, that w'a.n any patient of bis refuses to pay, or his lawyer blunderingly los?* a case, oi' any uuluoky individual ofF-nds him, he at once selects fiom a number of pictures he keeps in stock the ugliest man or woman he can find, draws a tremendous, apelike tail, and writes *he pirson's name under it. Wnen in couvei'Siition with hi- intimate friend.", Poultice offen «rets very excited, and on those occasions produces his bo<>k of caricatures, and shows the various points of resemblance to ■the persons whoso names are written bfiueatli. "Well, tho other day, a man named Quill called on him, and 'soon Poultice dropped inio the usual theme. Tho " black books" were produced in clue course,' and opened with v flourish l>y Poultice, but the first object that struck Quill's notice, was his own name iv large letter-* under a most diabolical liend, with a prodigious tail. In mi instant poor I'oultioo saw the mistake, and the book vanished, whilst Quill hastily left, and Poultice heard loud explosions of 1 slighter, as he walked down tho garden path. It serins Quill had some years before had a quarrel with Poultice, but though th<?y|br-c»iine goo-1 friends, tlulatter no- lect-d to strike Quill out cf liL. hi>d books. The moral is that \wh.-n a man's revengeful feelings have evaporated, he should remove the ji^ns of them. Public Hall. — An entertainment was given at 'he Public Hall on Friday last by a variety Company recemiy formed at Wellington, comprising tho renowned Bi ly Wilson, Hoseu Easion, Karl Kiehty, Freil Crook, aid others. Owing to but litlle notice having been given, there was not a very 'lar#e attendance. Miss Annie Benuroont, who had been billed to appenr-, did not, for th>! very substantial reason that she di't n i( t arrive with the troope. Tb^ performance was }?one through with a srood deal of si ir , and evidently pleased the auiience. The company proceeded by tr.iin on Satuida\, where they [lay at tlio Ndrth crn townships. Miss Bmumont arrived by the coach from "Weliin^tuu on Saturday. Ki.ECTttic Bell.— We recently a nnounced that Foxt n had the honor of being the first township of Mauawatu in which gas was burned, Mr A. J. Whyte having had a gas uiacl-ino erected at his hotel. Messrs Thynne, Lint or. & Co. have de crmin d that Foxtou shall lead in the matter of electricity also, having recently had fitted up jn their offices an electrio bell, which proves

a most hfndy and convenient method of communication between tho various portions of their offices. In the jnsic?e room the handle is attached to the 1 desk; and a couple of wires projected by padding, traverse tho walls, dropping 6n to the co:ijter in the front olficfy where a box is fitted containing tho bell, batter v, <tc The ring oi' the bell is sharp ,'md cleiii", and nil be a great <o (lie offices of Messrs Thynne, Liuton it Co; Konanga. — The erection of the new run«irtgahou3eatMolUiliis proceeding .slowly. Tho Maoris are not building it very fast, but they mo doing it well. Time is no object with the noble savage. 'I he roof and decorations me mainly completed, and the: greater part of the carving is done. When finished, this house will be one of tho best of its kind in the colony. It is expected that it will be completed in about six weeks time, when it will be opened with a great feast and lorrro, at which a larsre number of natives are expected to be present. We intend to give a foil description of the building when it is finished. CoMPUMEXTAUY.-— We have to acknowledge with thanks the courtesy of the Sec retary of the Alarton Horticultural Society, in frrwarding ua a complimentary ticket, available for all the Society's shows till the 3 1st of July, ISSO. Wo shall have great pleasure in sending a representative to the noxt show, in order to inform settlers of ti e Marawatu County of the progress the Mar* touitfis have made in the art of horticulture. E.M. ContT.— Mr Ward, R.M., will hold a sit'iug of the R.M. Court at loxton Uniorrow. at 10 a.m. The list of cases wiil be heavy, as Mr London has recently invented a largo amount in summonses, besides which there are several criminal cases, including charges of fightiug, 6L*c, Cattle Yakds. — We understand that the Government contemplate a large catte traffic on tho railway, co soon as the line fs extended to Waitotara. With this view there will be large cattle yards construct.* d in connection with the new JPoxton station. If the pi ices of transit are fixed at a sufficiently low rale, iho traffic should prove most remunerative. School Meetings — We remind housnholders of Puxton and Moutoa that Thursday evening next is the day fixed f'>r the election of school committees. As o: r venders kn<>w, a sufficient number of t>ersous did not attend on the last occasion to elect committees at the places named, and tho Board has therefore been under the necessity of appointing Thursday for the purpose. The neglect of the Foxton people to muster <m the first occasion was most discreditable, as showing Lick of interest iv an institution of the deepest importance, and we trust they will wipe out the re proacsh by attending on Thurailay evening in large numbers and electing a committc competent to m tnagethe local school. Fur this the very best men possible should be secured. The Foxlon school is increasing ve.xy rapidly, and a lurgejjinfLus of population will probably take place during the nexifew months. Ii is therefore important that seven good men ard true should be chosen for the committee of uiana<remi tit The settlers of Moutoa would also do well to meet, und elect a c.mui'tfcee. Ueiuy a scattered district some allowance may be mado for an insufficient attendance on la«t occasion, but we would ur^e them to tna-lse an effort to be ; resent on Thursday evening. We beiicve that two persons, if present., can elect a committee for the ensuing year. Thitt would be better than allowing the meeting to lapse, as, if no committee- is elected on I hur.-day, the power of admitiis tration will te taken out of the hands of tlio residents, and vested by tho Board iv a CJinrni*sioti<r. A Complaint. — Very great inconvenience is caused to l^uxton people by the whole of the wharf and r:iilw:iy r-fliciiils going to dinner ac no.m, mid ah -.it ting up the whole or the premises. In tlie first place, the majority of bu-iness people go to dinner at one o'clock, and in the second placi?; it is most absurd tJint no one should be left in charge duri.ig the- dinner h >ur. It. is a common thing to see business people ro'iining around Ihe railway sheds when steamers are at the wharf, and to hear them m ittering imprecations over the loss of time resulting fnm the inability (o fitii! s-'inc one in authority. Surely, considering that there sue several officials at foxtou. it would ba pO'Siblo to detail off some one of them to Slop the office open from twelve to one o'clock, for ihe convenience of the public. Stock Fnn Sale. — In another column Messrs T. Kennedy Alacdonald and Co., of Wellington, as agents for the vendors, invite tenders for tho whole of iho valuable stock-in-trade of Mr K. K. Crowther, of D'oxtoi, comprising general drapery, fancy goods clothing, groceries ironmongery, &C., &c, amouu'.ing in value at cost price (lens depreciation) to .ZH'to'i 03 4d. 1- xceedingly libeml terms are offered to intending tenderers. The stock is now on view at the premises;, Foxtou, and tenders close at Wellington on Friday, the 27th inst. How aue tub Mighty Fallen-. — Mr Fred. Crook, who acted so naturally at iJu; peil'orni-uicc on Friday hist at tho FoxtOD Public Hall, was, a few months ago, one of the shiniug lights of the " Liberal " p irty at Wellington ; in fnct, it was even con teinplated to " trot him out" as a working man's candidate! Tliere wiis a MniiiiWiitu resident who vi ifed one of Mr Hutchison's elections, and saw Mr Croi k in the chiiir. ££c saw him again on Fri lay nyht in ti i-hiiii- of ano'-her kind, and next day he slid Vo "Freddy" across Whyte's dinner table, '' Yiiu seem to be an excellent actor ! I thought you were a shipbuilder ! " "Ah !" replied the Liberal, "So I am, bnt those confounded Conservatives have driven me oiu of Wellington ! " Tnu Retuiinh ri:oM Grain*. — " An Old Farmer," w iting to the Timaru Kei-ald, s-iys : — " Last year I was offered by th - re |ir sentative of v large firm here ',U 41 per bu<hol for my wheat. I shipped it Homo, und fin.l by my account smiles, recently receiveii, that upon a produce of some. 2'o acres I have made a clear profjt of over £lf)D over the price olfsieil mo on tli>« spot. I fim), upon taking out a calculation, that nry wheat cost.- me last year about Is Bi- 1 pef bushel to sliip lv>me, iuuluding ul) charges. Taking the freight this year at oils • which, tiltliO'igh very higli a- compared with last year, is really not exorbitant, fnmparing the re'utive v.ilue of wheat iv E:igImd^ the outside charges will not exiMed 2* to 2s Id. This means that New Zunlaud wiu'ttt at OG3 to 58-» |)er qmiitor will'loavu a ma* gin of 4s lid to the New Zealand shipper, so that if the merchants mean offering ■is 6 I to 3s 91 as opening prices, it means that they intend making a similar ' ring' to this one area ly started in Christ church, an'l to fl-t'co. the grower by making eno:; monr profits out. of him. There in one thing I can assure the merch'ints of, weaiv not nearly s> hard up ns they imagim 1 , mi 1 the monopoly of buying they are now cretins will work its own cure." ' TiiOß to thb Last. — At a recent meeting of the aommittee of tho Chiistchurch Liberal Ke p orm Associution, the following resolution was cairied : — " That the secretary wiite to Sir George Grejr, respectfully requesting th'tt ho will come to Christchurch to ad In-sa his constituents, as this Association still consider him to be tUeir representative ia Parliament."

Chastised. — JNowspapor reporting a Mho "fiont" is rather a dangerous earufl. A telegram from Huwero to the Wanganui Chronicle sfc..tes that " A certain newspa^pr special correspondent; got ehnstised 'at Normariby by Mi- Cockbnrn, blacksmith, the littler accusing the correspondent of I'lomugbly misrepresenting the inteiview tiotwegu himself :>,nd Tenve&ore ftt Titoko- ! wavu's. Mono Pihaina also had an infer i view with the sanij person, slating th.it j i their previous interview had be?n misrepresented." The djvrespci: lent had bettec be more careful iii future. Railway Revenue. — In an article on finance, the EveaingPost says : — " Another aour. o of revenue which so far has faih-d to come up to expectations ia the railways, which were estimated to yield £90(),0CO for the current twelve months, or £675,000 for the nine months. So far us can be judged from the results of the first seven months, the actual receipts up to the 31st proximo will not quite reach £600,000, leaving a deficiency of nearly £80,0' 0. It has been ' ! >d that, this is due to the grain season being shut out of the current year, owing to its closing three months earlier than usual ; but experience does not bear out that explanation. The trrain traffic, although ve>y productive so far as gross proceeds go, involves such a heavy imrease in working expenses that practically it makes but little difference in the net returns. The passenger traffic is what really pays on < ur railways, and that Ims largely diminished, owing to the prevailing commercial dp-ession. It U clear that, every effort must be made to promote and encourage in evey practicable way this most profi' able braach of the railway service." On the Plains.— A few days ago it was r^:o ted that the t U-graph. wire near Hawera had been rat thn ugh, and the act was attributed to t!io natives. The following telegram received by the Hon. the Native Minister from Lt. -Colonel Roberts puts a less romantic aspect on the affair : — " Have in-pected wire where broken : am of opinion that it was caused by a dray running i up against one of the posts. 1 ' Settling the Country.— By a telegram from Auckland, we learn that a new feature iiis been introduced in hind settlement by o;i|it;un Colbeek, namely, that of special •uttluments for colo'iists exclusively. Ihe first infcentii n was ti> settle two adjoining blocks belong ng to him with immigrants from England , but as inquiries have been made fir land at Auckland, Captain Colbeck was pc s'»adeil to try the expyrinunt of forming a special settlement lo^illy. Already 5000 acres have been app ieel for. A Cum hit ■: ov Numbehs. — The mulliplioation >■!' 9876543:21 by -15 nivea 414444: ■1145. Reversing l-hu oivler of the digits nnd multiplying 123106759 by 45 we yet a vesnlt (qu-illy curio'is, dd0555d5()> > ) If we fake 13j-1-5G789 as the multiplicand, and interchanging the figures o f 45, take oi as the multiplier, we obtain mother remarkable product, (l6lLii<i(J(i6o,« Returning to the multiplicand first used, !)87<551 ;21, and takinur r> 1 as tno multiplier again, we get «)3333"J3333i— all threes except" i he first and las( figures, which read together -")4, the multiplier. Taking the same multiplicand and using 27, the half of y I, as the muli ipli r, we get a product of U()|>(iii6(i66 r 67. all sixes ex.-ept the first and last figured' whi'h reitd together 27, the multiplier 1 .. Next ititerchiingitig this figures in the number 27, •and using 72 as v multiplier, wi;,li 98765-1---321 as the multiplicand, we obtain a product of 7iyilllll2— all ones, except tho first and last figures, which read together give 72, the multiplier — Exchange. Native Matches. — The liawera correspondent of the Taranaki Herald writes : — The manner the Government have carried out their arrangements is universally approved hare ; more especially has Mr bryce won gel ion opinions by in no way pander ing to tho Maoris, in fact he has scarcely interviewed a Maori duiing his stay here. This will have more impression upon the vlaori miud than all the cajoling autl wasting of publin money by Sir George Grey and Mr .-heehan. There has been too much of tho sugar aui blanket policy on this coast up to the present time, and the .Maoris M)on saw that if thej^ were only to hold out, they would get possession of their lands and be f>;d besides.