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Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue 57, 18 March 1881, Page 2

All Saints' Church. — We understand that tho Yen. Archdeacon Williams, of Gisborne, i.s expeoted to arrive at Foxton at the latter end of next week. Should he arrive in time, he will oonduot the sorvices at All Saints' Church on tho 27th inst. As Archdeacon Williams' name is a household word in the North Island, owing to his lengthened experience as a missionary to the Maoris, his visit will be looked forward to with interest by many of the settlers in these distiicts. Educational Amenities. — The New Zealand Times says it is a curious and some what significant faot that although qualified teachers were very scarce in the Wauganui Educational District a short time ago, no less than four gentlemen who held masterships in that district were candidates for the vacancy caused by the resignation of Mr Bad land, master at Karori, while there was not a single one from within the Wellington District. Perhaps if the Times knew the condition of public feeling in the Wanganui district regarding the Inspector and his fitness for tho position, it would not wonder at the quartet of dominees desiring to escape to the Wellington District. Removal. — We understand Mr George Hadfield has disposed of his property at Moutoa, and is about to remove to the island of Kapiti, where he has leased some 2000 acres from the natives. Mr Hadfield has Iseen singularly unfortunate at Moutoa, one year suffering very heavy loa? from scab, and the next year losing largely by the flood. We ate sure that Mr Hadfield's many friends iv this district will unite with us in wishing bim better fortune in future. Campbelltown.— A correspondent at Campbelltown writes — " I see a local in your paper about J. Kennedy's crops of oats. You must have been misinformed, as he hrd not a seed of oats, but wheat, of which he tells me be had 28 bushels per acre. Rich & Co. had the threshing machine, and their barley turned out at the rate of 70 bushels to the acre, and the oats 60 bushels net, both the best of samples." Assessment Court.— At the sitting of the Assessment Court for the Foxton Highways District on Wednesday, Mr Ward, the Judge, complimented Mr W. G. Robinson, the valuer, upon the very correct manner in whicb the list had been made out, and expressed tbe hope that the Board wonld secure his service in the like capacity on future occasions. Moutoa and Carnarvon. — During the hearing of Mr Lark worthy's objection to the Foxton Highways valuation list, Mr Gower expressed a desire to bring in as collateral evidence in support of the objection the valuation placed upon a large property ef a

similar character to the Moutoa estate in the (Carnarvon Highways District. Mr Ward said such a course would be irregular. Possibly the Carnarvon Highways Board would object to the valuation referred to as beiug too low. Mr (lower said he was convinced the valuation on the property he referred to was too low, and that the Highways Board lost a large sum yearly in consequence. The matter then dropped. The Taranaki Saxd.— The Taranaki News of a recent date says :— Somo months ago Mr Davies, the energetic proprietor of the Eskbank Ironworks in New South Wales, called hero for the purpose of personally inspecting our deposits oftitani' ironsand. On his departure Mr Davies took with him five tons of the sand for experimental purposes, and calling at Wellington he obtained, for a like purpose, from th» directors of the Titanic Company several of the "pigs" cast at the Henui furnace Duriag the week a letter has been received stating that Mr Davies has succeeded in melting the sand and converting it and the " pigs "into bar-iron, which has stood every test to which he has subjected it. A Remarkable Sword. — There is bow in the Museum in tbe city of Mexico a remarkable sword made from an aerolite or meteor that fell in the State of Dourango. Mexico. A Mexican gentleman sent to General Ord, of the United States army, a small slab or tablet, about an inch thick and six inohes sqaare, which was sawn out of the meteor. It resembled iron, and, in fact, was what is known as meteoric iron. Tiie piece weighed 21bs. General Ord sent it on to the national armoury of Springfield, to be worked U|> into a sword. Considerable trouble was experienced in annealing the meteoric iron but at last they succeeded. The sword L a small straight blade, aud is a fancy dress sword, its mounting representing an eagle with the olive branch and arrows. Waste Lands Ba.w.n.— The ordinary fortnightly meeting of the Waste LandsBoard was held on Thursday. PresentMessrs J. G. Holdsworth (chairman and commissioner), T. Mason, R Pearce, and H. Bunny. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. Tin chairman reported that since the last meet ing of the Board 10,635 acres 1 rood 21 perches had been sold at Masterton .and Palmerston, the cash receipts being £;">ofl 3--10.1, scrip being paid to the amount of £678 10s. Mr A. Meads wrote giviug up section 27, Block VI, iv the Mangaone district, and it was resolved that his claim thereto be declared forfeited. It Ma* resolved that the thauks of the Board be conveyed to the Mayor and Councillors of Palmerston North for granting the use of their hall free of charge oo the occasion of the land sale. Several applications forthe transfer of deferred payment sections were granted. It was decided to throw open for selection a number of the unsold sections in the Fitzherbert, Pahiatua, Kairanga, and Arawaru districts. — N. Z. Tunes. Wiiitfav ashed. — A humorous contributor to the Sydney Mail tells thefollowing: — "It was a good practical joke, of which the principal constituents were a bucket of liquid whiting and an ordinary whitewash brush, aud the locality was somewhere on the southern coast. There was an agricultural show or a race meeting, which was followed by a dinner, to which all t!i«> leading men of tho district had come. 'L'o further enliven the proceedings, a circus troupe was in the towu. The leading men, for the greater part, came to the feast ou horses ; and these — special permission having been obtained — were turned into a good paddock. There were bays, browns and blacks ; and thesa, while the owners were feasting, by the aid of the whitewash hefore mentioned, some «ag converted into pie and skew-balds. Midnight had com*.* before the last toast wa3 responded to, and ! all hands sought their horses to take flight;. Tlie paddock was reached, and iv the dim light each man, with bridle on arm, sought his trusty steed. So many hard words were newr before uttered in the distiict when the universal verdict was declared, I tlio circus men had let out the rt side. its' horses aud turned their own in. The owner of the paddock, who wa* oue of the banqueters, was mor.; irate than any of the lot, aud warmly seconded ho motion that every horse of the lot should be put into the " pound— and pounded they were. Daylight brought headaches and misgivings, j and never were pound- fees paid with lesi | cheerfulness. The general desire now in that district is to learn who is the local Laudseer." A Savaoe Horse.— While Alexander Davidson, a farm servant at The Lawn, Dundee, was looking after the horses in a threshing mill, one of them made a snap at him and bit his nose clean off. A Divine on the War-Path. —The Rev. J. U. Davis, of Dnnedin, is about to get up a monster petition to Parliament for the suppression of consultations, sweeps, lotteries, and other common forms of gambling. Melbourne Town Sections. — We learn from the Homan Insurance andßaiikinij Record that the National Mutual Life Association of Australia has purchased the finest available corner in Melbourne, on Collins aiv*> Queen streets, fifty feet square, at £460 per foot ; or £23,000. Campbelltown School. — The Hon. Secretary of the Campbelltown School Committee desires to acknowledge with thanks the receipt of £1 ls from J. M'Liunan, Esq., on behalf of the funds of the school. Insurance. — The Agents for the Norwich Union Fire Insurance Society in Wellington are taking first-class risks at 2s fid per cent. A Chorus of Curates. — A theatrical paper states that it is currently reported that one of the features in Messrs Gilbert and Sullivan's new comic opera will be a chorus of curates. Mr Bryce.— The ex-Native Minister is to address his constituents at Wanganui on Wednesday next. It is to be hoped he will tell his hearers why he left the Ministry, as the mystery attacking to his resignation has never yet bcou satisfactorily explained. Horse Accident. — Yesterday morning another horse came to grief on the railway line. It appears that the driver ou the 7.30 train from Halcombe, on turning the corner near Oampden street, noticed a horso galloping along the linn in front of the engine. The driver found he was gaining on the horse coming down the incline, and immediately shut oif steam and put on the brake. The horse still kept on his course in the centre of the live, until he came to the bridge opposite the residence of the Rev. J. Jones. Instead of turning off as was expected, the frightened animal endeavored to jump the bridge, but as the distance was too much for him, ho fell between the sleepers. The engine was close behind him, audit was a matter of impossibility to pull up in time to save the animal from being run over. The conse quence was that the horse was partly picked up by the cow-catcher and dragged a distance of ahout four chains from the bridge before the engine conld be stopped. On examination it waa found the horae was cut to pieceß, portions of his carcase having becomo entangled in tho driving gear '

underneath the engine. Those in charge of the train immediately set to work to clear the remains of the animal out of the machinery, and after a delay of about twenty minutes the train came on to the Feilding station. The horse, which was a valuable animal, was the property of Mr D. It. Lowers. There is no doubt that the train narrowly escaped destruction as the sleepers have actually been shifted out of their places ; had they not done so there is every probability that the train would have been wrecked. It is now time that fche line through the township was fenced in, and we think that pressure should be brought to bear upon the railway aunhori 'ies to compel them to atteud to the matter without further delay. — Feilding Guardian of Wednesday. The Bumble Bee. —The honor of successfully introducing the first bumblebees into New Zealand is due to Mrs Belfield, of Timaru. Two only survived the voyage out of a shipment of eighteen. The majority are supposed to have arrived safely it the Bluff, but between that place and Timaru an unconscionable delay in their transmission took place. The Arawata, by which vessel they were brought over from the John Elder at Melbourne, arrived on the 2Gth uit. , but it was not until the 3rd inst. that they reached their destination. The two surviving queens were at once liberated amidst a clover field, where there is every chance of their doing well. Extremes Meet. — The Vienna Presse draws a parallel between the present situation of the British and Russian Govern■nents. It observes: — "Extremes meet. The two members of the political system of Europe who represent the opposite poles of national development — England and Russia, are the victims, at the present .nomfent, of revolutionary maladies presenting a close resemblance. " The I'resse notes that all the reforms of Louis Melikofi' have failed as yet to extirpate Nihilism in Russia, but the British Government have a more difficult task to perform than ins friend on the Neva. In Russia, by a move nent iv the direction of sound reform, the Government may succeed in cutting f ,he ground from uuder tho feet of the conspirators. But not even from the mo3t ex'.eusive measures for the diseuenmbranoe •if land, not even from changing all the destitute and hungry tillers of the soil into free peasant proprietors, docs the English Government ever expect to mako British patriots out of Irish Home I fillers and Nationalists. The .Schoolmaster Abroad.— The following is a verbatim ct literatim extract from the letter of tho sscretary to a local school board in a country town to a linn in •Sydney : — " I am disirous of Being informed whether you would supply me with I tour school desks, to Be Capable of holding G (six) children with iron legs and cedar tops, and what the freight would be I to also the price of iron l<y/s each if you would sell them separately, or without r.tie wood." The firm replied that they had no children of the kind described, and always sold whole those they had. Size op ax Australian Farm. — Some idea of the extent of Australian sheep farms may be gathered from the fact that Sir Samuel Wilson haa recently sold one of liis pastoral estates for teu yearly payments of .£50,000. The " ruu " comprises about 3,000,000 acres of land, carrying about a quarter of a million of sheep aud several hundred head of cattle and horses. The station was bought five years ago for less than £100,000, but since then over 1,300 miles of wire fencing have beeu erected, and, as the lease is direct from the Crown, the value of the property will steadily increase, especially if the efforts to export fresh meat iv carcase are successful. Nelson Jam (Jo. —We learn from the Colonist that it has been decided by the directors of the Nelson Jam aud Fruit Preserving Compauy to call a general meeting of the shareholders for Wednesday evening, March IU, when, besides the election of directors, the question of the advisability of at once ordering the necessary plant will be considered. The directors arc confident that a successful, importaut, and growing industry may be established in Nelson, if the oountry settlers particularly would render a hearty assistance. Mr Kirkpatrick, who has had considerable experience iv such undertakings at Home and in California, is at present iv Nelson, and intends paying a visit to the country in a f<>w days, and in the meantime Mr H. Budden will supply all information needed. It is estimated that should the factory be in working order next season, at least 20,000 gallons of small fruits, such a3 currants, raspberries, and strawberries would alone be required. The growing of these fruits would entail very little trouble, but their sale would add very materially to the annual income of every settler. The advantage of obtaining cash for their fruit would soon be appreciated by the producers. Nelson's climate auA central position make her pre-eminently adapted for the seat of such an industry. A show of public spirit like that exhibited in other parts of the colony with reference to starting companies to send Home colonial products is only needed to make the Nelson Jam and Fruit Preserving Factory au established factory. Patetere.— The celebrated Patetere busiuess has gone one step further. The last Gazette contains a notice that Her Majesty has ceased to have any interest iv a portion of certain lands known as Patetere— 300,000 acres or thereabouts. Bailway Tariff.— The through rate for sheep carried on the Wanganui sectiou of the New Z.-aland Bail ways has beeu fixed on the following basis : — .Sheep in lots of 5900 and over, for distauces not under sixty-three miles or exceeding seveutyeisjht miles, will be charged 30s. per truck for single-floored trucks. Bate Collecting. — In this district we are constantly hearing of the difficulty i>f collecting the rates. The City Council experiences the same difficulty in Wellington. At a meeting the othor day, Councillor Allen asked what had been the amouut of rates collected for the financial year. If the rates did uot come in satisfactorily, he shojild move that active steps be at once takeu to compel payments. The Treasurer replied that the rates were coming in very slowly, perhaps slower than any other year. Councillor Allen's suggestion was made a recommendation to the Treasurer. Dogs. — At a Borough Council meeting down south the other day, a letter was read from the local sergeant of police, suggesting that a sum of 2s 6d for each conviction be paid to the police, and that they be empowered to destroy all unregistered dog* they find. It was decided to allow the police 2s Gd per conviction iv the case of all parties brought up after the 31st of March, and to advertise tho Council's resolution. "Rascally Bills of Costs!" — The country has to thank Mr Travers, of Wellington, for inventing the above sentence as applicable to the expensa of litigati m. As a commentary upon Mr Travers' desoription of legal expenses, we quote the following paragraph from the Wellington City Council report : — In reply to a question by Councillor Fisher, Mr Page, City Treasurer and Acting Town Clerk, said that tht total

amount of Mr Travers' bill of costs in the lawsuit with Mr Climie was .£.173 7s Gd ! Surely Mr Travers had that bill in his mind's eye when he mule his speech on law reform. Cheese. — The Canterbury Press says : — " The dairy farmers of the Peninsula are bestirring themselves in reference to j obtaining a better price for their dairy produce, and with that object in view it is j intended to form an association to export cheese to London. It was hoped that the s.b. Noi folk would be able to carry home a , trial shipment, but it is doubted if that steamer will return direct. If not, it iB thought advisable to try and procure suitable space in one of the grain Bhips that will shortly leave for home, and should the cheese thus sent reach London iv good condition it will be arranged to send nearly all the Peninsula cheese to the old country, with a view of obtaining higher prices than rule in the colony. " An Interesting Statement. — A Russian statistician has calculated the distance travelled in the year by the hand of a printer. He takes the principle that a skilful compositor, working 10 hours a day, allowing for distribution and correction, sets up 12,000 letters. In counting the year at 300 working days, he makes then a total of 3,(500,000 letters, consequently, the distance from the case to the stick and from the stick to the case being estimated at two feet, makes in all 7,200,000 feet. There beiug 5280 feet in a mile, the distance made in a year under these conditions by a printer's hand is in the neighborhood of 1 3.">0 miles, or four and a half miles a day. Billiards. — A publican in the head centre of Presbyter ianism, Dunedin, was charged with permitting billiards to be played in his house outside the regulation hours, aud he got ofl' on the plea that those sail to be playing were only "knocking the balls about." A few nights ago, says Liberty, a gentleman asked whether there was much playing in Christchurch. " Well, sir," he said, " I don't know as to playing, there's plenty of gents, bank clerks and others who fancy they do something iv that way, but law, sir, they most of them only knock the balls about. " The Telegraph Wires.— The following circular has been addressed by the Education Department in Wellington to the teachers of the public schools : — "The attention of the Minister of Education having been directed to the fact that an annual loss of abont £400 is sustained by the Telegraph Department in consequence of wilful damage done to insulators, the masters of public schools are requested to U3e thoii influence with their pupils in order to induce a feeling of respect for the public interest involved in the regular working of the lines." The Christchurch Shooting Case.— Tho West Coast Times of a recent date says: — "In connection with the extraordinary shooting case at Ohristchurch, it may be mentioned that the would-be assassin Bcautield was some years ago working in the neighbourhood of Ross. He bore a character for violence and was brought, we understand, into unpleasant relations with the police here. Ho committed a murderous assault at Ross on a woman named Mrs Dobson, and threatened one or two other persons with violence. He was at the time we refer to married, and deserted his wife. He was we believe a French sailor and must have known Spriug, the man he endeavoured to shoot at Christchurch, at Hoss, as the two men were working ot tiie latter placa at the same time."