Manamatu Herald. TUESDAY, MAY 25,1880. THE COMING SESSION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 78, 25 May 1880, Page 2

Manamatu Herald. TUESDAY, MAY 25, 1880. THE COMING SESSION.

Next Friday the second session of the sixth Parliament of New Zealand will be opened, and speculation is of course rife as to the probable results of the session. We have heard a rnmonr on tolerably good authority that the Opposition intend to move an amendment on the Address in Reply, expressing no-confidence on the ground of the administration of the Goyernmont in connection with the Waimate plains. Such a course would be more likely to strengthen the position of the Government than to achieve their ejection from office. The Opposition would most certainly be defeated ; for what can they pit against the native policy of the Government ? Certainly Mr Sheehan's administration looks very paltry and undignified when compared with the businesslike management of Mr Bryce ; and very few who desire to see public matters conducted with dignity and honour, would take the Native Department from the hands of Mr Bryce in order to hand it over again to his predecessor. That a very large expenditure has been going on at Waimate, no one will deny. Still, we have the Hon. John Hall's word that the cost of keeping up the force has not been at the " ridiculous price of £GOO per diem," as alleged by the Greyite journals. Even admitting the cost has been very great, there are two redeeming features — first, that war has been avoided ; and second, that the Constabularly have been usefully employed in road making. The first point is one of veiy great importance. When the Hall Government took office, native affairs were in a very doubtful state. Each day the Colony expected to hear of an outbreak of war. Fortunately such a catastrophe has been averted, and to the energetic but prudent action of the Government this state of affairs is due. The outbreak of war at Patea would have had a most disastrous effect on the whole North Island. It would have depreciated tremendously the value of North Island property, paralysed settlement on the West Coast for years to come, prevented the influx of bona fide settlers and capital from the home country, and have done the Colony immeasurable damage on the English money market. These evils have been averted by the administration of Mr Bryce, and the Government can boldly say

that peacejhas been secured, provided their policy is adhered to. There are other parts of their policy upon which the Government may be ousted. The intended discontinuance of the subsidies, unless some scheme is enunciated to replace them Avithout increased local taxati a), will doubtless be a point of attack by the Opposition, with good prospects of success. Another matter upon which the Opposition raay prove too strong for the Government is the Property Tax, which is most unpopular, on account of personal property being included. On this point we shall not be at all surprised if the Property Tax is repealed during the session, and a Property and Income Tax substituted, only real property being made liable to taxation. These, however, are questions of general policy, and upon them the Government may be ousted during the session. On the native question, however, we believe their excellent administration has oomm ended itself to the country, and the people of New Zealand, after a fair trial of the two men, would strongly object to Mr Sheehan taking the place now held by Mr Bryce. Thb Native Prophet.— Our Horowhenua correspondent writes : —The influence of the new native prophet in Wairarapa is spread* ing rapidly on this ccast. Letters have ! been received by several tribes along; the West Coast, inviting not less than four leading men of each tribe to attend a large meeting to be held in Wairarapa, This meeting is to fix a great many things which have been " brewing " amongst the natives for some time past in secret, and hnve been suggested or proposed by one To Kere, — a native prophet for this part of the island, and a kind of second Te Whiti. The natives seem to place great fuith iv Te Kore. In the invitation tlu Wairarapa prophet states that people with any illness or who nre bowi'.ehed (which is supposed to result in sudden death), would find a sudden cure in vieiting him by hearing him preach as a Hmu Tlau prophet, and after ffoiug through the performances laid down by him would be free from all illness and tapu. The main thing about this "bog orange'Scoffn's" meeting, as I see by his own handwriting, is to consider a scheme of his to turn all the natives against the Europeans, and drive all white people out of New Zealand, ns he thinks they have no right to be here. Me also states in his invitation that people "who do not believe in him are particularly invited to attend, and he will be qui f e prepared to answer any questions they may put to him. It is believed a gceat many will visit him. Avenue Road Contract. — Mr Nathan, the succedsf ul tenderer for the Avenue Road contract, yesterday made a commencement at the work. An energetic start has been made, and in another month or two the Avenue will be greatly improved. Wanganui High School. — Mies M'Neil, of Wellington, has been appointed assistant mistress of the Wanganui Girls' High School. Amongst the published list of applicants, we notice the name of Miss M'Phee, of Foxton. Rowing Cluh Entebtainment. — The entertainment in connection with the Manawatu Rowing Club, which was originally to have taken place to-morrow, has been put off for a week, and will positively be held on Wednesday, June 2. Every effort is being made to make the thing a thorough success, and a most varied bill of fare will be presented. Amongst other features of the entertainment will be " The German Band," which creates immense laughter wherever it is performed, and which will includo seven or eight performers. Besides this there will be a comio duet from " Genevieve de Brabant," called " The Bold Gendarmes," which will be specially adapted to Foxton, and contain a number of capital local hits. Some comic songs will be contributed? which will thoroughly enliven the audience, and upon the whole a capital entertainment may be expected. Tickets are on sale at several places in town, and the price fixed is very low, so that a crowded house may be expected. New Settleu. — We are glad to notice the arrival of another new settler of the right stamp, in the person of Mr Mudford, Ben., whohas determined upon settling permanently on the Douglas Block Already two of Mr Mudford's sons are located on sections fronting Jones' line, and givo promise of being good and industrious settlers Mr Mudford, sen., is a settler of many years' experience, and of the genuine order, and we hope to see many more like hiir coming into the district. I Legal. — In another column is published tho professional card of Messrs Button and Hankins, barristers, solicitors, and notaries public, who are about to station one member of their firm at Foxton. We are re quested to state that Mr Hankins would have arrived in Foxton ere this, but the heavy westerly weather prevailing along the Coast has prevented him leaving Hokitika. He fully expected, however, when he telegraphed, to reach Foxton some time during the present week. Excursion. — The Jane Douglas, on her last trip, brought up about 80 excursionist, the return fare being only 255. They bad a good " knocking about " on tho passage up, and unfortunately the weather during part of their stay in Manawatu was anything but pleasant, heavy rain fallinsr throughout nearly the whole of Sunday. The Douglas started on the return trip yesterday evening, at 5 o'clock. Licensing Cockts. — Attention is called to the fact that the Licensing Courts for Otaki and Foxton will be held next Tuesday and Wedaesday, at noon. Local BoAnD. — The Foxton Local Board will meet this evening, at the Athenaeum, to strike a rate of Cd in the £. It is also probable that the election of a Chairman will take place at the same time. Foxton Bakery.— Mr Liddell has imported from Wellington a very handsome cart, for use in connection with tho bakery department of his business. Hitherto, Foxton has been sadly deficient in vehicles, owing to the heavy nature of the roads, but as metal is laid down and new road lines formed, the number of carts, &c, will doubtless increase. The Keclamation Contiiact. — As some doubt appears to exist as to the time to be occupied in the completion of the reclamation contract, we may explain that the first work to be undertaken by the contractor in tho repairing and renewing of the old wharf, which was damaged by the heavy flood a short time ago. This work is to be completed within eight weeks of the acceptance of the tender under a forfeit of £20 per week. Within eleven months from the acceptance of the tender the whole of tho works to the north of the present wharf are to be completed, including the reclamation and deviation, ereotion of new station, goods

sheds, and engine sheds, &•-•. Another four mouths is allowed for the completion of the remainder of the contract, including the removal of the old wharf, the eree'iori of cattle puns, &c, &c k Tho whole time allowed for the carrying out of the contract is fifteen mo: th*. Missing.— Just as the Jaue Douglas had cast off lji>t night, Mr Pugsloy called out to Captain Frasor to look out for the llokomai, a small vossel owned at Otaki. The little craft haß been out for some days, and on Saturday last was off the Otaki River, but the sea was too rough for her to enter, anil sh'> sailed away towards Mun.'iwalu. She has not been seen siuoe, although a boat put off from Otaki on Suuday, to look out for her. The crew, two men, are probably short of provisions. Ifc is to be hoped the Hokomai will turn up safely, and get into the OtaUi River. Holiday. — Yesterday being the 61st anniversary of the birth of the Queen, was observed as a close holiday. A special train started from Pulmoi ston at an early hour, conveying the volunteers from the different townships to the sham fight at Wanganui. Heavy rain prevailed throughout most of the day, marring the enjoyment of pleasure seekers. Mit Maoandbew. — Mr Maoandrew addressed his constituents on Friday evening last, at Port Chalmers. He strongly opposed the property tax, and thought if the present system of government went on, taxation must be increased, and to obtain the financial equilibrium spoken of by Major Atkinson, they should pursue a system of retrenchment, not a system of oppressive taxation. If they submitted tamely to the properfcv tax, they would deserve a great deal more. They were some time ago bribed to part with thftir liberties by an offer of cerfc-iiu permanent endowments ; now if these endowments weie continued in the shape of subsidies, it would simply mean that the money would be taken out of their pockets to bu restored in tho shape of subsidies, fifty per cent, of which would be lost l.i the Government sweating proress. In reply to questions he expressed h'mself in favour of a reiinposition of school ft-6S, end thought the system of cram in schools should be abandoned. Also, he thought all money required by Government should be borrowed within the colony, and that then, when the interest was not going to enrich English money lenders, the limit of borrowing should he to the extent to which reproductive pubic wcrks could be carr'ed out. Paikakariki Hotel.—" Traveller" writes as follows to one of the Wellington papers : — " As one of many travellers on the We-*t Coasf, I have to make a complaint against the want of nccomodotion at Pailakariki. Anyone who has travelled the West Coast during the late boisterous weather has, I feel assured, felt the want of a licensed house, where one could at leist get some creature comforts. I therefore think that the County Council would be conferring a great benefit to travellers by granting a license to the said house, but I must admit that the present license fee is far too heavy for a house there. It will then become a half-way house between Otaki and Pahautanui." Another Diamond Discovery. — It is a well-authenticated fact, remarks an English paper, that scientific discoveries are seldom made singly. Chemists, electrians, scientists, whatever their category, seem to move in the same direction at about the same time. This was the case with the discovery of tho electric telegraph, of chloroform, and lasf, but not least, of the electric light Something of the same kind hns just occurred with regard to the aitifioial produo tion of diamonds. Just when Mr McTear, of Glasgow, made his process public and seemingly failed to establish his case, another eminent chemist of Glasgow has entered the field, and reaped a far more substantial success. The second discoverer — Mr Ballatine Hannay — has, it is said, produced cartain crystallised particles which puzzled experts cannot deny have most of the qualities of real diamonds. They satisfy all requirements They make furrows in sapphires, the angles of their cleavages are correct, and they will ignite and bum as it is proper that diamonds, which are really crystallised carbon, should do. All this Mr Story Maskelyne, who was so sceptial in Mr McTear's case, fully admits, and for the moment the scientific world is taken by storm. The immediate consequence will be a fresh scare in the diamond market — not so n.uch among the merchants, perhaps, who do not as yet dread the competition of the artificial stone, as among the hitherto fortunate possessors of rc?l gems. Possibly the terrors of the last-named are somewhat exaggerated. There is every reason to suppose that these artificial stones cannot be produced on any large scale. Nature herself has found a difficulty in doing this, and a diamond to be valuable must be of respectable size. But that the new discovery, if developed, will be a boon to many industries in which diamonds must be employed in spite of the expense, is certain enough. Destbuctivr Whirlwind. — A telegram from New Plymouth, of Thursday last, says: — A destructive whirlwind passed over Omata this morning, doing a considerable amount of damage to buildings there. It cleared everything away in its course, trees, fences, and buildings being carried away hundreds of yards from the spot where they originally stood. A fence was cut through as if with an axe, and outbuildings were thrown down. Some stables at Omata were razed to the ground, and part of them blown into tho road. Part of the hotel, as well as the building at the bacK, was^torn off and carried across to Mr Oliver's property, through a piece of busb. The violence of the whirlwind is visible in tho trees, their limbs being cut clean away along the course that it took. The houses at Omata, whilst tho whirlwind was at its greatest force, rooked fearfully, and fears were entertained that they would be blown over. When tho wind exhausted itself, the whole village was covered with debris. Protection in VioToiiiA.—Latest news from Victoria states that a deputation, representing the Victorian farming interest, waited on Mr Service, tho Premier, to ask whether the Government were prepared to place an additional duty on imported feeding grain to the extent of 2s per cental. It was pointed out that at present prices the farmers could not compete with New Zealand. Mr Service said they were asking for relief in a wrong direction. He did not feel that the step they asked him to take was likely to result in the prosperity they wished to bring about, and expressed an opinion that the whole Bystem of protection must break down, and that he could see clearly the folly of trusting to artificial means to maintain high prices. He did not give them the slightest encouragement. Another Motive I'owKß.—At the last meeting of the Liverpool Engineering Society, a paper was road touohinjr the probable exhaustion of coal, in which the author advooated the substitution of tho tides as a producer of motion whioh would outrival all othor sources of mechanical power. A correspondent of the Builder, too, is of the same opinion. A compressed air chamber filled by the tido at Brighton, for instanco, would, ho is confident, run an atmospherio railway, such as Brunei invented, from that place to London. If the

tides could bo thus utilised* all our railways and factories— in fact-, all the wofk now done by the steam engine— could be performed by them. There would, moreover, b« no jorlc, no .-team, no smoke, no noisa. Apiii-fc from the fact that the present generator of stoam will in time co3t more to produce than it is worth, coal has so many aisad vantages thut no one will regret to see the time when it will bo supplanted by another agent. When ia this to be, ia the question of the future. An Im.mr.vse Autesian. — The artesian well near Buda Pestb, in Hungary, is now completed. The works w»re commenced in 18'iH. The total de r -th is 3,'iOOft., and the temperature of the water it yields is nearly 16odog. Fahr. The temperature of the mad brought up by the borers was taken every day, and was found to increase rapidly in spite of the loss of heat during its ascent, down to a depth of 2300fb. to 2700 ft. Beyond this point the increase was not so marked. At a depth of 30>f ft. the temperature was 177deg. iahr., giving an average increase of ldeg. for every 23ft. bored. Water first commenced to well up at a deptb of 3070 ft. Here its temperature -was llOdeg. Fahr., and from this point onward it rapidly increased both in quantity and temperature. Thus, at 3092fb. its temperature had already risen to 150 eg. Fahr. and the yield in twenty four hours to 44,000 gallons. A Deserted City. — Acoording to the New York Sun the United States now boasts the finest ruia in the world, an American Baalbek in fact. It is the erewhile city of Pithole, Pennsylvania ; once a place containing 20,000 inhabitants, and now owning but three families- Its history is a peculiar and sad one. In 1864 "oil was etruck" accidentally, and immediately all the population of the adjacent districts flocked to the scene. Houses were erected, lots apportioned, streets marked out and built, Government offices, establishments, churches, chapels, theatres, drinking saloons, all gi-ew apace. In a very short time Pithole bid fair to become ono of the most flourishing townships of the Union. Two years passed by. All was going merrily forward, when suddenly the oil cotsed Howin;?. Then a stampede ensued for places where petroleum was to be found. Away went the populace, and, following them, the officials, until three families only remained to plough up the streets and grow wheat where once the citizens had disported themselves. In the eyes of the American paper that recorJs this, bul ono satisfaction remaius, and it is that happily all the great classes of political thought in the States are still represented at Pithole. for while one of •the remaining resident* is a Greenbacker, the second is a Democrat, and the third a Republican.