The Motueka Star PUBLISHED TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS. "Te Oranga Moti Iwi." FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 1902.

Motueka Star, Volume II, Issue 45, 17 January 1902, Page 3

The Motueka Star PUBLISHED TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS. "Te Oranga Moti Iwi." FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 1902.

At the next ordinary meeting of the 3VL.otue.ka Borough Council to be held on Tuesday evening,; the following notice of motion, tabled by Cr Moffat t at the last sitting of that body will be discussed "That the Council, at its next meeting, take into consideration the desirability of appointing a Town Clerk and overseer (combined office)." The necessity for such an appointment has been appa rent to the Councillors and burgesses for some mouths, past, and it is to be hoped the Council will see fit to i;ive efiect to the proposal. The finances of the Borough will not allow of separate offices being created, and the system that has been in vogue of dividing the area, and appointing a Works Committee, whose members undertook to look after the wants of their separate localities, has been tried -with the result that the said Committee lias not altogether been a happy family, charges having been made that in certain districts an undue proportion of rates was spent ; also that the workmen were, by reason of, the divided authority, expected to be in two places at once. The clerical work performed by the Town Clerk is .not of so much importance as the judicious allocation and spending of the rates upon the roads, and in other directions. To do this effectively a responsible, capable overseer is required, and the Council will find that, in the end, their interests will be better watched and attended to. The additional salary it will be-necess-ary to offer for the performance of the combined duties need not be introduced as a reason for adhering to The policy hitherto adopted, as it is just possible and probable for a qualified man to introduce economies, now unattainable, which would have the effect of making the apparent increase a mere tr'fle. ,

Midnight prowlers are reported .t° be holding levees in the back yards o* residents of Motueka just now, and taking away mementoes of their visits, in the shape of firewood, clothes, and other " unconsidered trifles." It is about time these " slim " individuals were caught and made an example o£.

Mr J. C. Black more, the Government f uit export, has gone to Wellington jjnd Christchurch on matters connected fc- : th his department and expects to be absent from this district for about a fortnight. He, has requested us to state that all letters addressed to him at Christchurch will be promptly attended to.

We regret to "hear, "of "the death, at Nelson y of Mr Edward : O'Hara Canavan, father of Mr S., Caiiavani of the Lower Monterey which took place yesterday. Dece;ised, who was 72 years old, bad been in indifferent health for some months past. .. He .was' well-known throughout the colony as a man of superior abilities and social qualities. A special]] meeting; of. the Motueka

Borough Council is culled for the 31st instant.in order to fix the statutory half holiday for 1 902,.as required by law.

We Lave made arrangements with Messrs A. Moritzson & Co., Dunedin, for the reguiar publication of their fruit market reports, the first of which appears in 'this The Dunedin market is one that should be patronised by locai fruitgrowers. As a rule, good prices are obtained, and Messrs Moritzson & Co. are in a position to dispose of fruit and other produce to the best advantage. , Owing €0 an accident we are com r pelled to hold over a description of the factory of the Motueka Fruitgrower's Syndicate. It will appear in our next issue. .

Mr - Parker the American Dental Company's representative will be in Motueka on Monday and Tuesday next, in accordance with arrangements made for regular monthly visits during the current year.

A charge of alleged robbery at Ngatimoti will.de heard at the S.M. Court on Monday next. Mr G. S. Cooke, Inspector of Stock, has been visiting this district in to overlook and register the dairy factories ; also to inspect the herds in the locality, which he reports to be free of disease. Settlers have also been approached with reference to clearing their holdings of noxious weeds and Mr Cooke reports there is a general deshe on the part of farmers to comply with the requirements of the' Act. It is reported that a meeting is to be held at Ngatimoti shortly to ascertain the views of the large and small fruit growers in that locality as to the advisibility of moving in the forming a powerful co-operative company, a with head quarters at Motueka, to deal with the whole of the fruit grown in the district. We understand this is the outcome of an informal interview with the Hon. Mr Duncan on the subject, during his late visit.

A handsome marble headstone from the monumental works of Mr G. M. Simpson, Nelson, was received by Mr Frederick -Parker on erection over the grave of the late Frederick Arthur Bisley, late assistant master of the Deuniston School, and formerly of Motueka. The cost of the stone was defrayed by " the people and school children of Denniston," as a mark of respect to the deceased, who took a leading part in the social and religious movements'of the black diamond town on the hill.— The following is a copy of the inscription on the tombstone:— In fond memory of Frederick A. Bisley, who died September 2nd, 1901. Aged 24 years. " Thou art gone to the grave, but we will not deplore thee, whose God was thy Ransom, tbv Guardian, thy Guide." Erected by Denniston friends and school children.

Two years ago a cutting was? made and the road formed at the foot of the hill near the school at Ngatimoti. The work was done to avoid the steep hill which has to be negotiated by the settlers. Over two months ago a petition, signed by over 50 settlers, was sent to the Waimea County Council asking that it should be opened for public use but so far no more has been heard, and those interested want to know the reason, as it is only necessary to remove the wire placed across the load and clean out the slips The deviation would be a great convenience to tho settlers, and as "hope deferred maketh the heart sick," we trust soon to hear of the way being available for traffic. The high school is now: nearing completion, and weipresume steps will soon be taken to teach"the higher branches of education for which the building is being built, and: teacKers advertised for. We hear several settlers in. Dovedale and Ngatimoti, who wish

to secure for their children higher education than that obtainable in the public schools, in order to better equip them for the battle of life, intend taking advantage of the facilities to be provided by the Nelson Education Board.

Excellent progress is being raa.de-bv Mr Alfred Edwards and his staff of workroeu at the river pi otective wot ks at Glover's overflow. About tweuty two men are employed, carting stones, making wire netting; etc.

The S.S. Manaroa is advertised to leave Motueka for Wellington d irect on Monday at 5 p.m. The Motueka Borough Schools reopen on Monday next. On account'of raspberry picking the attendance will not be large. Yery shortly the Committee will have to consider the ad visibility of making the midsummer holidays extend till the end-of March, as with an additional acreage of small fruits, followed by hop gathering, parents wilLnaturally expect their children to earn a few pounds when opportunity offers. The Ministerial party left Holvosike's Hotel, Motueka, on Tuesday last, proceeding to the site of the proposed bridge;at. Pangatbtara After inspection, they were driven to the residence of Mr A. White, Ngatimoti, where a halt was made for slight refreshments. The journey was then continued Richmond being reached at eight o'clock the same night. On Sunday, the 19th instant, Mr H. E. Gilbert completes-a term of 28 years he has served in the local Post Office. Mr Gilbert came to Motueka. as a cadet under Mr C. E. Nicholas the first post master, and upon the latter's removal, three years later, stepped into the position, the duties pertaining to the office having been faithfully carried out during the whole of the long period mentioned.

A large number of applications for renewal of Old Age Pensions will be dealt with by Mr- Wilson Heaps, S M. at the sittings of the Court at Motueka on Mondav 1 exfc.

In reference to the request made by Mr Fry. the mail contractor, to the Takal a R >ad Board, and to which no attention was paid, that the trees abutting the main road to Takaka should be felled and cleared, we may state that several travellers have mentioned the possible dangers to those who use the road. A number of the partially burnt trees which overhang the thoroughfare are rotten and we should think the Board wise to avoir! costly law suits which might follow an accident. Another desired improvement is the widening of the road at the 15 mile peg, where it is somewhat narrow ; the slips on the road below ought, also, to be cleared away. The Woodville correspondent of the Wellington Times says : Mi Hursthouse, Chief Engineer of Roads, was on a visit t > the district last week. In reply to inquiries as to the probability of the G >rge-Balance' bridge being erected this year, Mr Hursthouse stated that there was not the slightest chance of any expenditure till after 31st March. He said he was given'a. sum of ,£350,000 to complete authorised works, would cost roughly .£450, 000, and this did not include a liability of <£2oo, n OQ brought forward from the previous year.

-.. An enormous quantity of summer fruit is wasting on the Hawkesbury River, New South Wales, at present, for want of hands to pick it, also owing to the low prices in the Sydney markets: One fruitgrower recently sent 40 odd cases to his agent, and the net return amounted, to 14s 4d. He estimated that 600 cases of-fruit are going to waste in his orchard alone. .:*** Subscription to the MOTUEKA STAR: — Three Shillings and Sixpence a Quarter which may begin at anv time