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Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue 84, 21 June 1881, Page 2

Foxtox-Savimj? Roat>. *— ' The recent rains have hardened the sandy road between Foxton and Sandon, and it is now in Very fair conditio:i. The traffic along the ioa-1 is considerable just now, and there •can be no doubt that the formation of this road would have a great effecfc on tho progress of Foxton. Mr Lumsdcn, who does a great deal of Carting in all parts of the Sandon district, informs us that the^road is not so bad as it is generally represented, and that carters can do very well at 30s per ton between Foxton and Sanaon, From enquiries we have made, We loam that metal is to be found in considerable quantities abont a mile or a mile and a half down the llostna line. If this statement is correct, it should render the me tilling of the Sandon road an easier work than is generally supposed, especially if a wooden tram wero. laid from the road to the Rangitikei river. The metalling of this road ia a most important work, and if the County Counoil were to borrow the money necessary for the work, we should heartily support a spocial rate beiug levied for the purpose of meeting interest and sinking fund. We may on a future occasion recur to this aspect of the question. The Saxdox Highways Board and Rate Collection*. —This Board is particu larly unfortunate iv its collection of back rates. At ita la.it meeting the collector waited on the Board and iuformed the members thafc though the Board's solicitor, Mr W. N. Ward, had received from the Court ovor £50 of rates recovered by civil process, more than £30 of that amount had gone in "expenses." At this statement Vie Wardens naturally looked aghast. Some facts, however, have come to our knowledge which show how the money has gone. A few weeks ago a wellknown resident of Ft>xton Was summoned to Bulls for the Sum of £4 B*, rates alleged tn be due to the 8-iudon Highways Board Upon the case being enquired into, however, it appeared that the property upon which the rates were unpaid was in the Foxton Highways District, being about half-a-mile the Foxton side of the boundary line. A nonsuit was therefore granted, with costs against the Board of £4 9s, or exactly one shilling more than the original claim. Another instance has come under our notice. A fow days a*o Mr Harry Symons, of Opiki, was served with a summons for £7, beiug rates due .to the Sandon B >ard. Like a loyal subject, Mr Symons obeyed the Queen's maudate, t iking with him Mr W. G. Robinson, Secretary of the Foxton Highways Board, for the purpose of proving that his property was in the Foxton Highways District. When the Sandon Board's solicitor saw Mr Robinson he "smelt a rat," and wrote to Mr Maclean (Mr Symons' solicitor) that he would withdraw the case and pay costs to save further expense of hearing, &0. A ' « little bill " of £6 15s was ac cordingly senfc over, and a oheq-ie for that sum having been handed to Mr Maclean, on behalf of his client, the case was withdrawn. We deem it right to acquaint the Sandon ratepayers with these facts, that they may know how the rar.es are spent. Truly. if the money goes in this way, there is need for closer sut ervision by the wardens of their servant;, espeoially as Mr Symohs' property is three miles, as the crow flies beyond tbe boundary of the Highways District. In this connection we may inform the Sandon wardens that a sum of money was paid to their collector by Mr Walter Simpson under the impression that they had a just claim upon him. Thia money also belongs to the Foxton Board, and unless it is paid over there may be yet another Court case. Timber. — We notice Mr Bishop, of Wollington, ia advertising in the Wellington papers for vessels to oarry timber from Foxton to Waitara. Chemist. — Mr Fitzgerald, chemist, has taken the premises so long occupied by MrPalmer, and intends to open on Thursday next. Aa we are always pleased to welcome new settlers, we wish Mr Fitzgerald success in his new venture. Court. —The usual fortnightly sitting of the ft. M. Court will bn held at Foxton tomorrow, before Mr Ward, R.M, Several cafeea adjourned from laat Court day will be heard, in addition to which a few other summonses have been taken out and will come on for hearing. The only criminal oharge on the sheet at present is one of being illegal'y. pu premises, preferred against a Maori woman, named Rangi. Otaki Concert. — The sum realised by tbe last ooncert at Otaki wm £6 ls, — a very satisfactory amount for so small a town. We have been requested to convey the thanks of the committee to all who have assisted at the concerts in any way, and particular^ to Mr Greenough for the use of his lamps at both the concerts. Harbor Board. — A meeting of the Foxton Harbor Board w«s appointed to be held ft 2 p.m. yesterday. At that hour the only ' members present were Messrs Gray and Thynne, and consequently the meeting was adjourned until Friday next. Contract. —Several persona are enquiring why. MrW. Reave does not Btart removing the sandhill on the Avenue road, ' the oontract for which he ..obtained some few weeksjago. It is quite time a start was made. The Avenue will have a greatly improved appearance when the unsightly mound is takenaway. HERtf Bakdmann. — The above talented actor will appear at the Foxton Public Hall this^Tuesday) evening, and we hope to see a. .crowded house. The reputation of Herr Bandmann as an exponent of Shakespeare has travelled throughout the world, and it is therefore with great satisfaction we look forward to seeing him in some of the characters whioh have secured him so wide a fame. •fMiur Beaudet, who accompanies . him, is highly spoken of by the Press everywhere, not only for her winning manners an^exq-oieite singing, but also for her rendition of Shaknsperean characters ; while Mr Catheart is no unworthy companion of Heft Bahdttfaun and Miss Beaudet. The trio who will perform scenes from Shakespeare at the Foxton flail tonight are I

in a word possessed of such brilliant abili- . ties as have never before beeu displayed in these districts, and we hope they will be ■ .rewarded by seeing a bumper house when the curtain rises. Sale on Saturday. — Messra Thynne, Linton & Co. held a most successful sale of Mr Saunders* horses and plant on Saturday. Thore was a very large attendance, especially of country settlers, who camo from all parts, particularly from Sandon and Carnarvon. The bidding was spirited throughout, and every lot put up, excepting the punt, was sold. The following were the horses auctioned, with names of purchasers, and amount for which the horses wero sold :— Grey mare, Polly, £12, Liddell ; grey horse, Jerry, £14 10s, J. Coley ; bay mare, Young Dolly, £31 10*, J. Coley ; bay mare. Blossom, £21, J. Oliver: roan horse, £26, Hopkins; bay mare, Fagtn, £14, Coley; grey horse, Jerry, £35 14s, A. J. Whyte ; bay mare, £30, Whitcombe ; bay horse, i.30 9=>, Whyte ; chesnut horse, £25, J. Coley ; bay horse, Prince, £25, Whitcombe ; chestnut- mare, £27, C. Pascal; total result of sale of horses, £292 3s. Eight drajrs were also sold, ond brought prices ranging from £4 to £10. The total results of tho sale were £405. Licensing Couß'i.— Mr Linton, J.P, has been appointed a member of the Palmerston Licensing Court, rica Mr V. Monrad, J. P., resigned. Railway Returns. —The railway return* for t o four Weeks ending April 30 are published, and the Manaivatu-Patea line shows up well, the receipts on it being larger then all the ofcher North Island lines except; Auckland. The receipts for the month amounted to £3,761 14s lid, being about £550 more than duriug the previous month. The principal improvement was in the goods traffic, the passenger traffic showing an increase of only about £80 over the previous month. The per centage of revenue to receipts was 52.73. The Grey Valley Election. — The above Election has resulted in the return of Mr T. K. Weston, an ex Judge of the District Conrfc, and who vtna " retrenched *' hy tho Government about a year ago. The candidates were Messrs Weston. KilzGternld aud Morris, but the contest was between Hie two former, Mr Morns bei'"g quito out of the running. Strangi? to say, while Mr Weston was an ex- lud ire at Hokitika, his opponent (>sr FitzG-er.il-I) wis an ex-lt.M. and Warden at tho same place. Between the two men, so far us ability is concerned, there Is uo comparison, Mr Fitzgerald being admittedly superior to the sneceesful candidate, not only iv knowledgo of the political history of the colony, bufc also in his general ability aud knowledge of the wants of a mining population lie would havo proved a tower pf strength to the representatives of mining dis' riots bud he been returned. The following were the numbers polled : — We-ton, 938; FitzGerald, 92); majority for Weston, 63. Competition. — Competition appears to be the order of the day just now amongst tho local storekeepers. In the present issue, Mr T. P. Williams, the popular proprietor of the stores opposite the .Bank of New Zealand, Foxton, announces-a clearing sale for 21 days, and publishes a price list which should " astonish the natives." County Rolls. — We are iuformed a large number of names have been omitted from the new county rolls, especially iv the Carnarvon district. The faults in such ca«es do not lie with the County Clerk, but with the person who drew up the valuation list, from which voters' roll is made. We remind our readers thafc objections to the roll must be sent iv before June 30, to tho Resident Magistrate at Foxton, who will appoint a dav to hear the objections. As the Couuty elections take place this year, it is desirable every elector should have his namu enrolled. At the same time, we do not anticipate thot there will bo any contest in Carnarvon, as Mr M'Lennaa's re-election is almost a certainty. Tjectcrb. —We understand the Rev. D. Dutton, of Wellington, will lecture on (Vstronomy at the Primitive Methodist Chnrch, Foxton. on Thursday, July 14. I (, ull psrticulars will appear in our advertising columns in due course Express —Travellers are requested to notion that Mr \. .1. Whyte, witn the view of afford in tr convenience to persons arriving at night by train, will havo an express waiting at the railway atatioa eaoh avening for *he purpo-e of conveying to his hotel those iuteuding to stay there. DisrurcT ' ouar. —Tho District Court sits at Palmerston today. Tho Otaki contingent proceeded per train hint ovening. Licensing Hill. — The L^w^r House on Thursday niirbt by a majority of 34 to 19 amended the Licensing Bill by makinsr the Licensing Commissioners elective The clause providing for family hotel licenses w&s struok out, and it w.ih also resolved to ol me clubs between midnight and 6 a.m. Tho amendments aro all in favor of the ab .tamer*. The whole of the m rubers of Government were on the losing side when th') division was taken as to whether the Licensing '.'onunissioners should or should not be elective. South Manawatu Lands. — In last Thursday's Gazette ie is declared that certain lands in the Provihoinl District of Wellington ar-» free from native claims and all difficulties in connection therewith, and are waste lands pf the 'rowu, subject to be sold ns such. Indud-d in the list are the following blocks in the South Manawatu district, viz., Manawaiu-Kukutauaki No. 2 G (part of), 400 aores; do, do, No. 78, 730 acres; do do. No 70, 731 j aores; Ngakaroro No 1 B (0»;<»ki distric), «,138 acres ; Ohau No 2, 6,361 acres ; Nga whakanguMi No. 2 (Otaki), 4,413 acres; also Muaupoko (part of; at Nsarara, Manawatu 983 acres ; total area, 19,786 acres We hope this will prove a good step towards the settlement of the South Manawatu country. Inlvns Road. — In the Gazette of June i li, Frank VV Knowlen is authorised to takp and lay down roads under " The Crown Gran's Act, 1866," over cci tain landH b <tween Foxton and Paikakariki, including the Manawatu • Kukutauaki, Pukehou, Horowhenua, Muhuioa, and other block?. This proclamation will facilitate tho construction of the inland - road from Foxtou to Otaki Thb Manawatu Highways Board Served with a Writ. — A special meeting of the Manawatu Highways Board was convened for Wednesday, in order te consider the fact that the Board had been served with a writ at the instance of the Foxton Highways Board,andto take action with regard thereto. At the appointed time but three members — Messrs Bruce, Skerman and Row — pufc in an appearance, the consequence being that there not being a quorum, no meeting could be held. The writ has besn issued for tho immediate reoovery of £381 and rates collected since the award, due by the Manawatu Highways Board to the Foxton Board. It cannot be disputed that the claim is a just one, and should have been paid long ere this ; but the members of the Foxton body are quite well aware tnat although the Sandon and Carnarvon Board is heavily indebted to the Manawatu Board, the latter bas found it impossible to obtain a settlement and refund from the former. In I »ac sense that may appear a matter out*

side of consideration by ihe Foxton men, as certainly Manawatu should look after 1 its interests sufficiently, and the punish- i msnt of a failure to do so should not be i visited on the shoulders of others. On the other hand, taking the circumstances of ' the case into account, we scarcely think they warrantod the extreme step which has been resorted to. Another meeting of the Board bas beeu called for today. — Manawatu Tirms of Saturday. Legislative Councii.. — In tho courso of hia recent address to his Westport constituent Mr J. B. Fisher referred as follows to tho question of reforming the Upper House:— "He hoped the Housa would not adopt either Sir George Grey's proposal to abolish the Upper Chamber, or Mr Curtis's to make it half nominative and half oleotive, tho latter to be ohosen by the Lower House. The members of the Legislative Council were the most intellectual, most cultivated, most truly Liberal, and the safest branch of the Legislature. They look after their own interests and those of tho Colony ; they stop a lot of loose, slipshod, ill-considered legislation, which part} and personal feeliug withiu Parliament and popular pressure without, forces through the Lower House ; they lick multitudes of ill-drawn, badly-worded, and altogether unworkable laws into shape and symmetry, ho that they aro returned to the Iv>.ver House and passed to the country in a workable form, so that they can be read and understood. He never yet knew Legislative Councillors to obstruct any measure which they thought would benefit the country, or for a longer period than was necessary to give the country a chance to re-consider it, aud to convince themselves ifc was required. His advice was to allow the constitution of the Upper Chamber to remain as at present. " Reform of thf. Laws. — The chief reform needed, especially for local bodies, aud one which has been advocated times out of number, is that any alteration or amendment of an Act shall bo embodied in the original Aot ; the repealed portion being struck ont, and the amendment inserted in its place, in the same way as amendments are made in committee by Parliament. A little extra cost in printing would save one-half the legal expenses i whieh local bodies throughout New Zealand are forced to incur, because the members arc afraid to trust their own judgment when dealing with such involved and intricate statutes. Most of the illegal acts done by local bodies are done in ignorance of the exact state of the laws under which they are actin .'. Such ignorance is, in a measure, excusable under the present circumstances, but would nofc be if copies of the laws, as ameuded, could be placed iv the hands of every member. —Now that, through modern improvements in printing, a stereotyped copy of any Act could be easily kept on haud by the Government Printer, it woul I seem that the plea of great cost could hardly be urged with much force. On this point, it is difficult for any person not thoroughly acquainted with the trade to speak. The reform would be a most beneficial one ; it is probably far more practicable now than formerly, and is also one which, if local self-government is to 1 c successfully exteuded, deserves the careful consideration <>f the Legislature. Clear, and explicit sailing directions are absolutely essential to the safe navigation of a ship. If the ship is to be manned and officered by amateurs, as is the case in local self-go vernment, disaster is almost certain to ensure, if the above m ixim be neglected or lost sight of. — Hawera Star. Phonography ix Miniature. — Some mouths ago the publisher of the Phonoj graph, a shorthand magazine, offered prizes | for immature shorthand. The system was I to be Pitman's, the writing to be legible to i the naked eye, and to be one side of an English postcard. The first prize in this competition was awarded to a Mr G*. H. Davidson, whose postcard contained 32,363 words including the whole of Goldmith's " She Stoops to Conquer," an essay on , John Morley, and half of Holcrof bs " Road , to Ruin." New.Zeala.xd Oatmeal. — A correspondent who some time back resided in the ' Waitaki district, but who at the present time is on a visit to the United states, sends us the following, which he said ' should prove interesting to farmers in the ' Oamaru district. The Montreal Gazette says that New Zealand is successfully rivalling Canada in thequalitv of her oatmeal, 1 and points out that New Zealand oats arc of magnificent quality, and weigh from 451 bto 491 b per imperial bushel, and realise in Liverpool 33 8d to 3s 9 1 per 451 b. | against 2a 81 to 2s 9d per 451 b for Canadian. Several cargoes are now on passage to the United Kingdom. The oatmeal is ' reported to be fully equal to the best home made Scotch, aud several parcels have been aold delivered in tho United Kiugdom at £10 sterling per 2401 b, which is fully ls • 6d per 2401 b lower than Canada meal can be exported for. Our correspondent say.* a remedy for this low price iv New Zealand meal can be reached by a more careful selection of the seed, and greater care in tbe preparation of the meal. — North Otago Times. Telegraphists in England. —The number of telegraph clerks who have resigned in Great Britain since 1872 are, in England -males. 1192 ; females, 636. Scotlandmales, 136; females, 66. Ireland — males, 159 ; females, s4 ; t0ta1, 2, 343. Showing that about one-third of the staff left for more remunerative employment, or about onehalf of those who proved themselves to be efficient in their service. These figures do not inolude deaths or dismissals. As Innocent M aori. — An amusing story is told by the Waikato Mail of a great chief who resides nofc over one hundred miles from Punui. He suffered from "hakihaki" and bronchitis. A sympathising pakeha friend sent him remedies for both these complaints : some ointment to be applied externally, and a bottle of cod liver oil to be taken internally. Somehow the directions got mixed up, and the chief in his untutored innocence reversed the order of things, eating the ointment and rubbing on the cod liver oil. The distinguished "rangatira" has since been troubled with serious misgivings as to the efficasy of pakeha "ronga," and has decided to let nature take its course. Lost and Found.— "Truth is stranger than fiction " is an old saying which was verified this week in a very remarkable manner. A young man had bought 2000 acres of land near Palmerston North, and had business in the Wairarapa, bo he started to come through, having on his person a pocket-book, containing notes to the amount of £130. He reached his destination at Waihenga when he found he was minus the pocket-book, and he had no remembrance of having it since leaving Eketahuna. He came to Greytown and reported the circumstance to Constable Laurie, who advised him to go back on the road he came and make enquiries everywhere he had stopped. He did so, and having reached Masterton he made enquiries but could not get any tidings of it He then remembered that he . had occasion while in Masterton to visit an outhouse of the Club Hotel, and upon examination found the peoket book,— Wairarapa Standard,

A Rat Story. — A correspondent writes fco the Taranaki News :— " A most daring attack was recently made by a swarm of large rats on John Ailing, of Cape Egmont. \ Alliug lives in a whare not far from the , Cape camp, and a short time ago complained i of rats being very numerous aboufc his \ place but not considering them dangerous | lie did not trouble himself aboufc them. ] Aboufc two o'clock on Sunday morning, , however, ho was awakened from a sound , sleep by a dreadful sensation, and to his , horror found several monstrous rats disfiguring his face. He did all in his power to frighten them away, but they clung to his bedding until a light was secured, when they made away like a pack of houuda, Alling's flesh wounds are not of a serious nature, his ears having been bitten the most. As he fears the caraiverous rodents may take ifc ihio 'their heads to pay him another visit;, he intends to quit feis present quarters as soon as possible. This account will convey an idea of how dangerous rats are at times, especially when they get the taste of blood." WeDDIXO RlNft.S AND THE REVENUE — A correspondent to a Home paper writes : — -"It is but little known that matrimony, an cxpeusive luxury at all times, is rendered more so in this' country by a tax upon wedding rings. The duty is 17s an ounce, and the revenue derived therefrom is about £20,000 per annum. The ; fashion of wearing very thick wedding rings has greatly increased tho revenue of lafce years -viz., from £0000 to £20,000. Foreigners may well laugh at our caUing ourselves a Free Trade nation. In no other country in the world is a wedding riug taxed. "