Untitled

Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 64, 6 April 1880, Page 2

Registration Mattebs. — Owing to there being some doubt upon several matters connected with the registration of electors, and the making up of the electoral rolls, we have communicated with Mr Alfred Ross, Registrar of Electors for the district of Manawatu, and have to thank him for supplying us with the necessary information. The chief question we asked was, " Whether the names of persons on the roll under either of the abolished qualifications—household, leasehold, or ratepayers — would be removed ?" To this Mr Boss replies — " I read the new Act that I have ample authority to see that leasehold, household, and ratepayers will appear under the residential qualification. Of course this will not include Maori ratepayers. The npmes of persons upon the old roll who require alteration to residential will not be struck off. I think it was nut the intention of Parliament to make such a clean sweep of the electors as the removal of persons having household or leasehold qualifications would necessitate, as nearly ull leasehold and household are residential; not so all the ratepayers. This authority will save the electors some trouble." Mr Ross also explains that " the time for receiving names for now roll was fixed for the first of April, to enable me to get it printed by the first of May." We are not aware when or by whom the date referred to was fixed. Had it been known that such was the case, we are sure a groat number of persons in Manawatu would have sent in their names. It is to be regretted that Mr Ross did not notify the new rolls would close on April. However, as registration can be effected under the new Act at any time, wo would remind all tlio9o who are not on the roll that they may sen.l in their names at once, and they will be duly registered, and should there be an election, they will be fully entitled to vote, as the Act says, " A supplemental roll shall be printed immediately previous to a general election, or when a vacancy shall occur in the representation of any district." We therefore again remind the public that every man who holds a freehold of the value of £25, whether subject to incumbrances or not, and which he has held for six months previous to making his claim, is entitled to register himself as a voter ; also, every adult male who has resided in New Zealand for twelve months, and has been in the Manawatu electoral district — thu boundaries of . which are Halcombe oa the one side, and Paikakariki oa the other— for bix months, is entitled to be registered as a voter. In view of the probabilities of a readjustment of the representation being made during next so.^ion, and which will in all probability be followed by a general election, we urge the settlers to make strong efforts to pLtce every qualified man on the voters' roll* If our roll is swelled before Parliament meets by the addition of two hundred names— and we are sure that number can easily be obtained — we shall have a very strong claim to a second member. Huckster ! Register ! Reoistes !— ln order to afford every fucility for registration of voters, forms are now lying at the Maxawatu Heuau> office, where they may be obtained free of charge. They may be also obtained of the Postmaster, Foxton. In filling up the forms oare should be taken to do so correctly, and especial attention is called to the necessity of seeing that the person who witnesses the signature is either a Justice of the Pease, or an elector whose name is oa the roll. These precautions are necessary to prevent dissappointment. Grazing. — Mr Brightwell offers to graze a number of cattle on his land. Thb Fbbry.— The delay in getting into working order has been caused by the difficulty in getting a suitable wire from Wellington. We learn however, that every effort is being made to get the repair pushed on with as speedily as possible, and it is hoped the feiry will be in working order by tomorrow, Land. — Plans and schedules of the Man. gaone land offered for sale can be obtained at the Heiuld office, also schedules of the other land offered for sale. R. M. Court. — The Resident Magistrate sat at Palmerston on Saturday, to hear the charge of larceny preferred against the native girl Tioriori. (Jpon the case being oalledon, Tapita (*he native woman who had laid the information) came forward and said she desired to withdraw the charge, as she believed the dress in question was not stolen. The police made no objection to the case being withdrawn, but subsequently asked that it might be proceeded with, as they wished to elicit some information from Tioriori, which would be useful in another case. His Worship said he could not allow the case to proceed for that reason, besides which was the fact that Tioriori being at present a prisoner could only volunteer a statement, whereas if the information were goc at when the other case referred to was called on, she could give evidence on oath. The case was thorefore withdrawn, and the girl dischai gad. To Shootists. — Sportsmen would do well to bear in mind the notice published in this issue, signed by Mr M'Lennan, of Oroua Downs. Cabnakvon Election. — The election for a Warden in place of Mr H. Rookel took place lost Saturday, at the Carnarvon Schoolhouso, Mr Jas. Linton acting as Returning Officer. Very great interest was taken in the proceedings throughout the Ward, and at the olose oi the poll, the numbers were declared to be — Gifford, 73 ; Whiteman, 62. Mr Gifford was therefore declared to be duly elected. Sic George Grey.— A report that Sir George Grey was suffering from ill-health, which was likely to prevent his attending the next session, has been contradicted. He enjoys good health, except from the old affection oi bis leg through the spear wound he received in Western Australia.

Cocnty Council Vacancy.— Dr Johiiflton, of Feilding. and Mr W. H. Lash, of Halcombe, have been nominated as candidates for the seat in the County Council vacated by the resignation of Mr Halcombe. Dr Johnston was nominated by Messrs Haybittle and Booth, and Mr Lash by Mesirs Bertram and Bell. The poll will take place next Saturday, April 10. Manchester Highways Bsard. — The following gentlemen have been returned unopposed to the Manchester Highways I Board :— Mr P. Bartholomew, for Ward j No. 1 ; Mr D. H. Maoartlmr, for Ward No. 4 ; Mr W. L Bailey, for Ward No. 5. For No. 3 Ward, only one candidate was nominated — Mr A. Douglas — but owing to a technical informality, a fresh election -will be necessary. For No. 2 Ward there are I three candidates, Messra Lash, Jones, and Wright ; and for No. 6, two candidates, —Messrs G. Capper (proprietor of the Feilding Guardian), and J. C. Thompson. A Waht. — A want has been brought under our notice, to which we desire to direct the attention of the authorities. It has been pointed oat to us that although a <nan resides at Carnarvon junction station | to water engines, and do a quantity of other work, no quarters are provided for him beyond an old broken-down shanty, which affords accommodation hardly worthy of the name. In fact, Thomas Chine, the man who in regularly employed at the junction, has only recently been compelled to desist work for several days, in consequence of an i attack of rheumatism brought on through the defeotive oharaoter of his whare. We mention the matter in the hope that as a workman must necessarily reside at the | junction, the authorities will provide suitable quarters. I County Bates. — Mr Sanson has carried the war into the enemy's camp, and oontributed a thoroughly practical letter to the Feilding paper, on the advisability of returning a member to the Council who will support the sixpenny rate. In his letter, Mr Sanson says: — "I would most respectfully and earnostly reirind those in whose hands the present election is that these are times in which it. behoves every man to look well to his shillings an well as his pounds; and also that settlers will be oillO upon to pay a rate of a Is in the £ to the Highways Hoard, and about Is 6d in the £ on the present valuation as a property tax. I notice that a land tax is also to be collected for six months ox the year. In view of those facts I would ask, Can settle™ afford to pay more than fid as County rate ?" If the settlers were directly asked the question, there CHn be little doubt but that four-fifths of the settlers within the County would answer in the negative Mr Sanson' s question. Inquest os Mk Gbeayes. — At the in quest on the body of Frederick Speirs Greaves who was killed on the railway line, as narrated in our last issue, the following verdict was returned :—' That on the 31st March, 1880, the deceased Frederick Speirs Greaves accidentally met his death by fulling uackwards from a gravel truck whilst travelling by rail between Foxtoii and Pulrneraton ; and that we consider there is no blame to be attached to anyone." The medical testimony was to the effect that the shock to deceased's ufci-vous system caused by the accident was suffioient to cause death. The Mijjtstjbb of Public Wobks. — Our Palmeraton neighbours are " real terrors" in the deputation line. Their deputation to Mr Bryce a short time ago, when they actually " interviewed " him as he sat on the box of Cobb's coaoh, should certainly go down to posterity as an example of An-glo-Saxon pertinacity. On Friday last, the Minister of Public Works and the Chief Engineer of the North Island appeared on the scene, and in the words of tho local paper, " they were, of course, promptly deputationised." The party, on arrival, were driven to inspect the Gorge bridge, which Mr Oliver promised to have repaired and strengthened, subject to the direction of Government Engineers. The real business of the deputation wns then proceeded with, though where it took place our contemporary does not state. We presume this time tho respective speeches were made from the buggies. The following Bubjeots were discussed : — The new court house, which Mr Oliver said " should not be forgotten" ; theKairanga Block, regarding which the Minister promised that, the remaining balance in hand, about £3000, should be expended at once in forming the roads through the Palmerston end of it ; the enlargement of the Post and Telegraph offices, which the Minister said could not be done at present, owing to the financial depression ; and the inevitable West Coast railway, regarding wnioh he stated "he could say nothing definite until the report of the Commission, appointed to consider this and other railways, was received." The promise re the Kairanga Blook represents a good day's work, and though our Palmerston friends are rather " heavy " on the deputation business, their determination deserves success. The Shilling Rate.— We notice that in Saturday's issue our Feilding contemporary devotes a large amount of spaoe to the consideration of our remarks re Mr Kebboll and the shilling rate. Our contemporary, in the oourse of his article, says :— " We should say Mr KebbelPn duty in the matter is as clear as mud." The article in question just as clenr. The Guardian assumes that " a few " of the ratepayers of Horowhenua hare opposed Mr Kebbell iv bis action. This is a gratuitous assumption, and directly contrary to fact, for neither in Otaki nor any other part of that Hiding have we met a single ratepayer who supports Mr Kebbell in his action. We challenge the Guardian to produce three residents of Horowhenua who will support Mr Kebbell. Here is another amusing sentence from tho artiole in question: "Neither can we recognise the propriety of the action of Mr Kebbell's constituents in expressing at a public meeting their disapproval of his action in this matter !" And still another : " There can be no doubt but that Mr Kebbell has excellent reasons for his action — reasons that oan neither be gainsaid nor set aside." What these excellent reasons are is not stated. Comment is needless. The above are fair examples of the article, which is a whining, cajoling appeal to Mr Kebbell to vote for the shilling rate, and by no meant to resign until he has done so. To follow our contemporary through the mass of verbiage of which his article is made up would occupy more time and patience than we have at our disposal. The settlers of Horownenua have expressed their opinion on the subject, and have unanimously requested Mr Kebbell to vote for the sixpenny rate. Surely they know their own business better than the Feilding Guardian. If the support of the Feilding Guardian is any consolation ;to Mr Kebbell for the wholesale I condemnation bis action has met with amongst his constituents, he i» welcome toil. Mobe Law. — We notioe Foxton is to be represented at the approaching Supreme Court sittings at Wellington, there being a common jury case on the list— Trustee in H. Brown's estate v. Thynne. Sib Julius Voqkl.— The above gentleman was a candidate for the Falmouth constituency, during the present general election for the British Parliament. He was, however, rejected. During bia stay at home as

A-gent-General of Now Zealand Sir Julius has done his best ro ingratiate himself into the esteem of the people of Falmouth by Bending immigrant vessels there to take in passengers, and other little "sops." The Cornish, however, are a "knowing folk," and evidently do not believe in the disin- i terestedness of the New Zealand statesman. It takes a smart man to find the soft side of " (Tousin Jaokey," and Sir Julius must try again. We shall not be at all surprised if he now resigns his Agent-Generalship and returns to the Colony, on the principle Milton places in the month of a certain astute individual who is reported to haveexclaimed "Better to reign iv hell, than serve in heaven." Probukly Sir Julius is even now soliloquising, " Better to reign in New Zealand than be licked in England." Had Sir Julius been returned, his voice would doubtless have been heard to good effect in advocating the tightening of the cords which unite the mother country to hercolo Dies. His influence on behalf of New Zealand, coupled with his thorough knowledge of our wants, would bavo been of great advantage to the Colony. We therefore regrst his oandidature was unsuccessful, and doubtless this feeling is shared by the large majoiity of the colonisfcH. However, he is not the first great man who has not achieved all he desired, and we have no doubt his indomitable perseverance will yet land him on the floor of the Houbo of Commons, and once there his elevation to the Ministerial Benches is a strong probability.

Tbadb in thk Pacific. — It will be remembered that in 1874 Sir Julius Yogel elaborated a scheme for pushing forward New Zealand trade among the ielauds of the Pacific A gentleman — if we remem ber rightly, a Mr Coleman Phillips — shortly afterwards turned up, and declared Sir Julius had borrowed his ideas. Whether this were true or not, the scheme was- a good one, viz., to guarantee a certain amount per annum to any company that would undertake to open up a trade with Polynesia. Unfortunately, it met with poor sucoess, as people were then doing too well out of the money Sir Julius had borrowed. The matter has again cropped up. A German firm named Goddefroi & Co., engaged in this trade.lately failed, and now we learn from a despatch of Sir Julius Vogel's to the Government, that a German company has been formed, called " The Gevman Maritime Trading Company," its object being, " Transatlantic trade : the purchase and working of factored, mills, und plantations, particularly in the South Una Islands." Sir Julius has reported the matter immediately to tho Government, because (to quo'e his words) '' I think the people of New Zealand should, without delay, ponder on what may be the effect of a large foreign trading company, supported by national funds, t-iking up its position iv their imme> diate vicinity." Prince Bismarck considers the undertaking an important one from a national point of view, nud has undertaken to prooure for tho company a guarantee of 3 per cent., or £15,000 per annum for 20 years on half a million sterling. Iteferrinjj to his own scheme, Sir Julius regrets it did not meet with success in 1874, and proceeds to say, " Now that I read the papers again I am more than ever convinced of the soundness of the proposal. The German company is formed on similar lines, but with almost unlimited powers. If it can suit Germany, so averse as a rule to colonising operations, to attach to such a company a national importance and to assign to it a guarantee, it need scarcely be argued that New Zealand has tenfold inducements to a similar course. The South Sea Islands are a remote incident of German commerce, but they are probably destined to be the leading exterior feature for weal or woe of New Zealand's future. She etinnot afford to continue indifferent to the destiny of Polynesia, and the longer she remains so the more onerous will be the task when she awakens to the consciousness that nations and the dependencies of nations cannot escape the responsibilities entailed upon them by geographical and natural laws. New Zealand, from its position, is the country, possessing a temperate climate, to which Polynesia should, and must in the future, attach the most importance. * * * In self defence it seems to me, New Zealand should proceed with tlie project cotnmenoedin 1874. State assistance is of great importance to such an undertaking, because although in the long run the enterprise would meet with commercial succeKs, it might for some time have to subordinate such success to the object of laying its foundations broad and deep. The trade it would bring to New Zealand, and the industries in the shape of mills and factories it would establish there, must also be taken into account." There is a deal of sound common sense in these remarks, and if our Government and our merchants are alive to the future, interests of New Zealand they will strain every nerve to outdistance Germany in the race for the Polynesian trade. A Government guarantee of 3or 4 per cent, would probably be returned tentold to the Treasury in additional revenue through the increased trade, employment, and capital such a company would undoubtedly bring to New Zealand.

Sad Rembmbrancbs. — Her Majesty's interest in the Zulu war has been shown in a vary sympathetic and touchiug manner. Lately many noblemen and gentlemen and their ladies were favored with a view at Buckingham Palace of a splendid silver gilt casket, ordered by the Queen. In this were placed lockets of pure gold, contain* ing locks of hair of thirteen officers who fell at Rorke's drift, each locket being engraved with an " In Memoriam" and the date of tb« melanoholy death. The casket is in the shape of a Greek cross, and the locketi are arranged in that form. Messrs Harvey, Cockburn & Co., her Majesty's jewellers, who' have executed the work, have been authorised by her Majesty to receive and treat in a similar manner any like relio or souvenir of officer? or men who fell in the South African campaign.

Narkow Escape. — On Saturday last, as a mob of cattle were being crossed at the ferry, a wild beast got away, and rushed down the street, A couple of men, seeing the beast coming towards them, ran through a gap in the fence into the yard connected with the house adjoining Mr M'Fadyen's, followed by Mrs Sullivan, who happened to be driving ber cows along the street at the time. The bullock gave ohase, and the men and Mrs Sullivan ran as fa.st as their legs could carry them, the benßt following through the broken part of the fenoe. Away they went along the fenoe inside, the bullock after them, until they reached the front fence, over which Ihe men jumped with the agili+y of steeplechasers, leaving the woman to her fate. Being unable to get ove I*,1 *, Mrs Sullivan ran into a corner caused by the conjunction of the saddler's shop and the adjacent house, and faced the infuriated beast, which she tried to wave off with a stick. This effort did not sucoeed, and the animal made straight for her. However she crouched close into the corner, and luckily the horns of the bullock were so long that they simply struck the woodwork on each side of her, and she escaped unhurt beyond receiving a dreadful fright, the animal at once making off in a different direotion. It certainly was a narrow escape.

Council. — The County Council sat at Foxton yesterdoy.

Mr Simcox's letter and other matter is held orer.