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Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 65, 9 April 1880, Page 2

Inqubst. — An inquest was held in the Schoolhouse, Awah.uri, on Monday last, touching the death of Chas. Mason, who was burned to death in the Awahuri Hotel fire on Sunday morning. No evidence was elicited as to the cause of the fire, whiob appears to have been unaocountable, and a verdict was returned, " That the deceased Charles Mason came by his death in the burning of the Awa Huri Hotel on the morning of the 4th of April." In his evidence Mr Samuels, the proprietor of the late hotel, said:— "As far aa I know the hotel wad insured for £2000, and the stock and furnitnre for £500. The insurances were effected in Wellington, and the premiums were paid by Messrs Jacob Joseph and 00. There is a mortgage on the premises and furniture. I reckon the hotel was worth £1500 or £1(500; stock, £250; furniture, £600 ; jewellery, £2O0 ; clothes, private jewellry, eto, £320. I have also spent about £180 on improvements." Rbsiqned.— Major Willis has resigned his position as M.H.R. for Eangitikei. In bis farewell address he aaya :— " I find thai

neither my health nor my business will perme any longer to continue your representative in Parliament." The Marton paper suggests a deputation to Sir Wm. Fox, asking him to stand for the seat. Foxton Public Hall Compant. — A meeting of the shareholders of the above Company was held on Tuesday last, at the Public Hall, at 2.30 p.m., Mr Gray (Chairman of Directors) presiding. The ■ meeting was held to consider ways and means, and a resolution was passed authorising the Chairman and Secretary to accept an offer that had been made to lend to the Company the sum of £400 for two years at 12^ per cent. Rowing Club.— A meeting of the Manawatu Rowing Club was held at Whyte's Hotel on Friday last, Mr Russell in the chair. The Treasurer, Mr J. Young, reported that the public subscriptions received for sending the crew to Wanganui amounted to £9 10s,and the expenses to £10 16 a 9d. The balance in hand was £19 2s 2d. Ac counts amounting to £2 18s 3d were passed for payment. It was resolved to thoroughly " pitch " the shed, Messrs. Young, Howe, and Symons being appointed a committee to carry out the necessary arrangements. A lengthy conversation took plao as to the desirability of purchasing decorations for the members who pulled the Queen Mab in the winning races at Wanganui and Foxton. It was felt desirable, however, at pre. Bent to use every pound available in the purchase of a four-oared outrigger, and to allow the matter to stand over. The follow* ing resolution was proposed by Mr Russell, seconded by Mr Burr, and carried :— That whilst the Club fully recognises the services of the crew who pulled in the Queen Mab, it regards the purchase of an outrigger as being of so muoh importance that it is reluctantly compelled for the present to postpone obtaining any memento of their successes. An offer was made to sell the wellknown outrigger Dolly Varden to the Club, and the Captain (Mr A. Howe) was requested to write to the owner as to price, &c. A discussion took place as to the de sirability of getting up an entertainmeufc to supplement the Club's funds, and Messie Howe, Gray, Young and Russell were appointed a Committeo to report on the matter. View of the Flooi>.— Mr J. Kirkwood took a couple of very fine views of the Manawatu river during the flood. One is of the wharf, and the rush of the water over the corner of it is excellently shown, whilst the figures of several well known citizens stand out very prominently. The oth°r is of tho M&ori flat, taken from Mr Liddell's bank, and is an excellent portrait. As mementoes of the flood they are excellent, and should conmraand a ready sale. The price is fixed at 2s 6d each, and copied may bo obtained of Russell Bros. Locati Board. — A vacancy lias occurred in tho above body through the resignation of Mr Andrew Whyte. The nomination of candidates will take place on Wednesday next, and tho poll (if necessary) the following day. A Knowing Oxe Although Tawa Hohaia is only a youth, he is smart. See* ing a oanoe which Henma Turangn had " planted " with a view to "salvage," Master Tawa " collared " it, and was about to take it back and gel the reward, when Honiara caught an 1 promptly "ducked" him, besides administering a sound and well-de* served thrashing. For this Tawa laid an information against Hemara, the result of which will be found in the Court report. Not content with thU step, the youth took out a oivil action against Hemara, and laid his claim at £2 19s 2d,made up as follows: — Money loßt out of pocket, 10a ; damage to coat, £2 2s ; damage to shirt, 3s ; food at a hotel, Os ; ticket by railway, Is 2d; total, £2 193 2d. He was nonsuited with costs. Tawa is a " promising youth," and we expect to hear of him again. The Kate Moynihan.— It will be remembered that some few years ago a vessel called the Eate Moynihan, laden with railway iron, went ashore at the mouth of the Manawatu river. The iron was takea out of her, and Mr R. Gr. Knight bought from Captain M'lntyre, of Wellington, the hull, which he ineffectually tried to raise. The Eate became a total wreck, and some timo after tho remains of her quite disappeared from sight. After the last flood, however, the pilot (Mr Seabury) in taking soundings dropped on something in midchannel, about sft beneath the surface at Iqw water. Closer examination showed that this was the hull of the Kate Moynihan. A temporary buoy was promptly anchored over the spot, and Mr Seabury communicated with the Marine Department, asking that two large buoys and mushroom anchors might be at once despatched to Foxton. We now learn that on Tuesday last, on Mr Seabury again sounding in the vicinity of the buoy, he w»s unable to find the slightest trace of the wreok. In all probability the old Kate has gone fuither towards " Davy Jones' locker." Removing the Pegs.— Great amusement was caused in the County Council on Monday afternoon, by Mr Linton' s recitation of his experiencies at the Waikanae ferry. It appears that on a recent occasion the worthy representative of Taonui was travelling per coach to Wellington, and on the way was warned by the driver that the Waikanae ferryman had taken a flight, and was now charging passengers one shilling each for transmission across that river, in addition to " sticking it on " for extra luggage, &c. So on being requested to deliver the shilling the Councillor asked the ferryman, "By what right do you chargo a shilling ? " "Oh by direction of the Manawatu County Council," responded the ferryman. "I doubt it," replied M. 1 Linton—" Where's your authority P " "Upat my house," was the reply. "And where's your house?" " Up yonder about two miles away," replied the ferryman. The zeal of tho Councillor was not strong enough to warrant him in taking a walk that far, especially as the coach was waiting. He therefore contented himself with refusing to pay any more than Bixpence, and ordering the ferrymam to hand back the extra sixpences he had collected from the other passengers. To this the man demurred very strongly. " I am always allowed to charge a shilling when the river is so high ! " he said. "How high is that ? " said Mr Linton. " Above the peg," ■aid the ferryman. "What peg?" "Oh, it's down there." " Who put it in t" asked Mr Linton, " I did myself." " And is it over it?" "Yes, just over it." This explanation, however, was " not good enough" for Mr Linton, and he inexorably demanded that the money should be returned to the passengers. This was done, and with a merry twinkle in his eye, Mr Linton informed the Council that the ferryman charged him " only sixpence) " when he was on the return journey. In reply to Mr Linton, the Chairman stated that so far as the Manawatu Council was concerned, the ferryman in question had no power to charge the extra sixpence. He added," however, that the offioer in question was under the control of the Hutt Council, the Waikanae river beiug the boundary of the two Counties. It was determined to communicate with that body on the matter. Local Industries. — The mirth caused by Mr Linton's recital seemed to infect the other members of the Council, for shortly afterwards, when the question of looal industries came on for duousaioD, in reply to

the communication from the Royal Commission on that subjeot, quite n general outburst of wit occurred. The prevatent opinion Was that in local industries Mana»vatu was lamentably deficient, and the members accordingly set to work to consider the desirability of suggesting new industries to the Commission. One member thought that " owsng to the amount of sand near Foiton it would be a capital place for the manufacture of egg and hour glasses 1" Another thought " Carnarvon would be a very good place for the manufacture of sugar," Whereupon the Chairmin asked " whether that was because of the facilities that district afforded for adulteration, owing to the nature of its soil?" and some one else enlarged on a new plant from which sugar can be extracted. A member thdught " the whole district would do very well for the manufacture of soap— at any rate, of soft soap," whilst a brother Councillor blandly suggested that " the last ipeaker would'probably make a good manager for tho company," to which lie replied, " Oh, no, I'm very poor at soft soap." After a little more good-humored banter the matter dropped, several "members expressing the opinion that had the Commission given sufficient time, some useful suggestions might hava been made. As, however, only a few days were allowed for the work of preparing and transmitting suggestions, it was felt advisable to attempt nothing. Logic to the Fore. — A rather tedious drainage case ocoupied the principal share of the Resident Magistrate s attention on Wednesday. The chief point in dispute WuS whether certain roots and pieces of timber lying 1 in tho line of drain were to be removed or not. Tho drainers had left the timber there, but had worked a water way either under or round them. Of course the matter greatly turned on the weighty of testimony, and there being two plaintiffswho swore the logs were not to be removed, and only one defendant who swore they were to be removed, the former weighed down the scales of Justice, and gained their point. One witness for the defendant, his brother, adduced a very strong argument in the course of Itis evidence. He said : "It is evident the timber wag to be taken out, for the drain was to be 3ft wide at the top, 2ft wide at the bottom, and 2£ft deep. Of course, to make it the size mentioned, all the timber had to be removed, for if any wood were left across the drain, say a foot from the surface, and the -waterway made under it, how could it be 2\ib ieepP" The 'cuteness of the argument was appreciated by those present in Court. Wanthd, a Stamps— The neglect of people doing business, and miking agree raents, to stamp their documents, as required by law, is perfootly incomprehensible. At the R.M. Court on Wednesday, about an . hour and a half were occupied in a case which might have been settled in five minutes if the agreement had been stamped. The defendant, upon handing hia" flopy . to his Worship, was promptly told that being unstamped it was worthless, but that if tbS" parties liked to pay the fine of £5 each for breach of the Stamp Act, it could be admitted. This alternative the parties objected to, and in order to eaaVle them to fight out the question, a considerable amount of the time of tho Court was taken. People cannot be too oareful never. to sign any agreement without getting it first duly stamped. In this case, although defend i n't saved tho shilling stamp, he was put' to the expense of £1 14s, costs of Court. . Eeo> omy is rather dear at that price. Once More — The Feilding Guardian in Wednesday's issue contains another most amusing sentence on the shilling rate ques- ■ tion. Hero it is: — "Mr Kebbeil can bo trusted to act in conformity with principle and duty, even though opposed and abused by any particular organ, which also encourages Mr Kebbell's constituents in their wayward, narrow, and scarcely courteous or grateful behaviour — a course of persistent obstruotiveness." Tho insinuation that Mr Kebbeil has been abused by this journal is a deliberate falsehood, and we defy the Guardian to produce a sentence to bear out the mean insinuation. So much for that. We certainly have encouraged the ratepayers of Horowhenua, who are our constituents as well as Mr Kebbell's, to protest against bis action, and they have done so* It is absolutely ridiculous to hear a journal speaking of the action of the settlers of Horowhenua in asking their representative to vote in. accordance with their interests as " wayward, narrow, and soaroely courteous or gratef ulbehaviottiv- a bourse of persistent obstruetivenesa j ! !" Wayward — because they hold opinions of their own ! Narrow-^-beoause they think of their interests, in preference to those of others JScarcely courteous— because, they venture to differ with a representative who has doubled their rates for the year ! Scarcely grateful— beoause they stand up for their rights ! A Frenohman once remarked that " Gratitude is a lively sense of favours' to come.'' The Feilding Guardian's idea is that " Gratitude is a lively sense of thankfulness for injuries received \" It would take a great number of such deep sentences as we have quoted to prove to the settlers of Horowhenua that the ought to be " grateful " to MrKobbell for his action r« the shilling rate. For the information of the Otaki people, however, we quote another sentence from the Guardian : "Mr KebbeH has expressed his firm determination to vote as he indicated when the question of 'amount of rate was before discussed."