Manamatu Herald. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1880. OUR CHBISTMAS GREEITNG.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue 33, 24 December 1880, Page 2

Manamatu Herald. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1880. OUR CHBISTMAS GREEITNG.

• :- ■» •■- For tho third time the Editor has the pleasure of wishing readers of the Manawatu Herald a ••Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year." Father Christmas is again at our doors. Tomorrow there will be reunions of families, and from our churches will arise songs of praise to Him whose advent was heraldbd by choirs of angels carolling, " Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill toward men." The ancient Arabians had a sacred month called Ramadhan, in which all warfare ceased, and hostile tribes laid aside their spears and traversed in peace and safety their enemies' territory wenditfg theii* 'days to Mecca. The associations attaching to Christmas, the sacred memories ; that cling to it and the illustrious display of Divine compassion which originated it, all point to it as v time when party

lends should in like manner be laid aside, and when we should seek to feel that we are brother meu> Naturally the mind looks back over the year, since last Ohrisfcinas. And t?o\y ; quickly it has flown ! It seems but yesterday that we last wrote our Christmas greeting. Time waits not ; and it is satisfactory to know that during the year that has gone, the county of Manawatu has continued to prosper and progress. As with .the rest of colony, it has felt the 'weight of the financial depression. Some of its most enterprising and energetic business men hate had to succumb, but speaking generally the mass of the settlers-- the farmers, affd*graziers, and labourers — are in a position of comparative prosperity that may well be envied by those in many other parts of the Colony. Those who have carefully watched the depression, and the influence it has exerted on the district, cannot have failed to notice that the farming class have escaped its effects to a re- 1 markable degree. Probably the reason of this is that that class are able to get along with a minimum of cash. Their living comes from the ground, and the cost of their homes, apart from what they raise, is a mere bagatelle. Consequently, the dearth or pleutifulness of money matters little to them. Xot so with regard to the business man. His profits are regulated by the amount of money circulated in the district, and though he may easily dispose of his goods, his ability obtain payment must depend upon the amount of money in circulation.

What do we infer from this? That the prosperity of the county will increase according to the number of bona Me settlers we possess, and that if our progress is to be constant it will be by attracting men and youths with hard hands and willing hearts from the big towns to these districts. To the people of South Manawatu, the country lying between Foxton and Waikanae presents the greatest interest, as being a district admirably adapted for all classes of farming, and therefore likely to support many hundreds of settlers. The especial cause for congratulation this Christmas' is that a large portion of that country has been absolutely purchased from the natives, and from information we have gleaned, it is almost certain that before next Christmas we shall be able to chronicle the opening of the inlandj road. More of this anon. The effect of this on the progress of both Foxton and Otaki, especially the former, it is easy to foresee. There are other can sea of congratulation at this time. Chief among them may be named the fact that the import trade of Foxton with other countries is steadily growing, through the enterprise of our local merchants; also, that the Customs duties collected have placed Foxton before many much older ports ; whilst the reclamation works now in progress will afford such conveniences to shipmasters as must tend to develop the export trade in timber and other produce. If in addition to these present and prospective benefits Foxton and San don are united by a good road during the year, the future of Foxton will be placed upon such a foundation that it must progress rapidly. "We are therefore justified in encouraging our fellow-settlers not to dwell upon the past, except to draw wisdom from its failures or hope from its succosses,and acting ourselves upon this advice, we wish everybody A Very Merry Christmas and a Happy Nrw Year.

Holidays, — . Newspaper employos, like other people, enjoy a holiday whenever they can get i+, and in order to enable our haads to take the full benefit of Christmas and Boxing Days, the Manawatu Herald will not be again published until Wednesday next. Christmas Cheeb.— Host Whyte makes his usual Christinas announcement of cheap wines and spirits during the Christmas and New Year's season. Divine Service. — The usual Christmas services will be celebrated at All Saints' Church, Foxton. totnoi row (Christmas Day). Trains. — Persons who think of using the i railway during (he coming holidays would lo well to note the alterations of the timetable annonnoed in another column. The train arrangements appear to be exceedingly complete, and wo have to oon jratulate Mr Kotheram upon the measures he has taken to secure the public convenience. Patchwork Company. — This talented company iuttnd giving a aaored concert at Palmerston on ''hristmas night, and miscellaneous entertainments at FeUding on Monday and Tuesday. The down train leaves Feildiug on Monday night about ]<> p.m., so that visitors to that town will be able to see at least part of the Patchwork performance before starting for home. Railway Officials. — We hear that Mr Chas. Hatt, who for some time past has held the offices of stationmaster and wharfinger at Foxton, is about to be remo\ed to Wanganui, the stationmaster there, Mr Lamb, having lef* the department and gone into business. Mr Batt a successor will be aMr Dawson, who is expected to arrive from the South in a few days, and who, in add i Lion to hi* railway duties, will hold the position of officpr-in-charge of the Cuitoms Depart ment at Foxton. It will be remembered Mr Bilt declined to acbept the Customs work. During the time Mr Ha'.t has been acting M stationmaster and wharfinger at Foxton he has done his duty well, being both conrteouM and obliging to the public, and at the same time ev»r oareful of the interests of the Ulaiway Department, and we feel sure that all with whom he bus come in contact will unite with us in wishipg hint that prosperity and i>romotion in the future we are sure he will continue to merit* - R. M. Court.— There was a small Court at Foxton on Wednesday, one case only being down on each sheet. A '• drunk "' named Morris forfeited his bail, and th« ether case was an unimportant civil one.

Messrs ThyniiD and iim^e, J.P.'s, presided, the businedS not being oF sufltuiont importa»co to require the ;ittcnd-»nco of Mr Word. Contbact.— Mr Suuuders invites tenders for station buildings cbnhacti Otaki RArEs.-^The Otaki people havo arranged a capitnl programme fo^roces on Thursday. January 13. Wo shalVfefer mote fully fo thu matter in next issue.' * -; " Right auout-Face !" — The* postyipps are r versed, und novs- Air Francis Rubia'ey. is to be tried for pei jury, Mr Greenbugh having laid an information against Him charging him with that offiyicu -.., It will: be heari at JToxtou next Oouife dayi • , '■]■ Masonic— Members of the Masonic otder will jbe interested in an advertisement appearing elsewhere. Electuic Light.— The discovery of a new system of electric lighting, m which filaments of carbon are employed, is tielieved to have solved the difficulty of bringing the invention into domestic use* Liot-RUN Bees.— lt will be remembered the Local Industries Commission recommended efforts should b made to introduce the Ligurian bee into the colony. Recent telegrams from Lyttelton inform us that last Tuesday Mr Adams, recretary to the Canterbury Bee-keepers' Association, went on board the English ship nangitikei and had an interview with Mr Chaplin, a passenger who had bi ought out a quantity of Ligurian bees for the association, and he learned that all had died during the passage trom dysentery, the last about three weeks before the end of the voyage. Mr Chaplin had four hives and two queens, all Lignrians. The captain rendered Mr Chaplin all the assistance in his power, but no efforts on their part could rescue them from the disease.

GtF.or.itA?HY IK Schools. — In conneotion with the recent examination for scholarships in the Wellington schools, the examiners reported as follows npon the geography papers:— "The anuwers of some candidates displayed an almost incredible ignorance of this subject. Ihe pupils in our jyublio schools ought to be well acquainteJ with the geography of their own country, yet we are told that 'Banks' Peninsula and Akaroa Harbor are in the North Island;' that 'Cape Egmont is at the entrance to Port Nicholson,' that the M.fot Lak.ea are in utago,' that ' Wanganui is ou the East Coast,' that the ' chief export from port Lytteltou is kauri gum,' <fee, &o. We have no i iced equally flagrant blunders in the answers to questions on other places. We mij>ht reusimabiy have expected candidates to know the mail routes, und certainly were not prepared to be tola that the " i-risco mail started from Wellington, went to Ascension, and thence to London,' and that ' New York was on the Pacific' Many of the answers to the questions in Physical Geography were equally absurd, and showed (tie candidates to have no real grasp of the principles of that (<ubject. It is quite manifest to us either that geography does dot receive in many schools the attention it demands, or that it is taught in a very unsatisfactory fashion." We agree with the examiners that greater prominence should be given in the Schools lo the Geography of the colonies, and especiuliy of New Zealand.