NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 35, 15 March 1879, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

Presbyterian Church Services. — Mr. A. M. Wright, M.A., will conduct Divine Service to-morrow m Palmer3ton afc 11 a.m., and m Feilding afc 6.30 p.m. The Police Barracks.— We understand the. tender of Mr. Henry .Burrell, at £;i-5Q,. for the police buildings at Palmerston, has been. 'accepted, and that instructions have befen gi'vett to have the work proceeded with with all possible despatch. : T%E Ministerial -"Visitors. — The Hons. Messrs. Ballance aia.d Hacahdrew were supposed to reach Foxton yesterday, on a tour through the. West Coast, but it appears their, visit ha 3 been postponed un,fcil after the arrival of the, new Governor on the 26th. . ' Wesley Atf Anniversary Services.— We. woidd remind our Wesleyan friends that the, services m aid of the Palmerston. Sunday School will be held to-morrow, morning au,d evening. The. Rev. Mr. Lee, of Wanganui, will officiate, and suitable, hymns will be sung at both services. An.olican Church, Palmerston. — We have, been requested to notify to the. members of the Church of England that Service will be conducted to-iliorrow by tho Rev. J. M'Williams. ' ' As the Rev. Mr, Newt.h is shortly expected to be permanently located here, ifc is more than possible that to-mptrow will be. tho, last occasion uppn which Mr. IW- Williams, will officiate, m Paltnerdton, The County Council and the Emeaksy—Neither of. the gentlemen to whose semiofficial mission we alluded m our last issue, put m an appearance at the. County Council ou Wednesday. Perhaps this exhibited a commendable diicVefcioU, as ye understand

Councillor Linton had a very hot rod m pickle by Way of a resolution condemning the unwarranted action. . The document lay ujpittLthev Council table until the adjourment, awaiting the arrival of the delinquents. Inquest. — Dr. Rockstrow, the Coroner for thn District, held an inquest on Wednesday evening, at Karere, on the body of the infant child of Mr. James C. Sly, who had been found dead m its cradle on the previous day. After hearing the evidence m connection . with, the case, the jury returned a verdict that the deceased had been accidentally smothered. Moke Slaughter.— A valuable dog, belonging to Mr. Hoe, of Terrace End, came to grief on Thursday morning by collision with the up-train to Feilding. The poor animal had strayed upon the line, and not being so fleet of foot as its advancing foe, received such injuries a9 necessitated its destruction. St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Palmerston. — To-morrow, being tho third Sunday m the month, Mass will be cele brated by the Rev. Father Moreau, at the usual hour. Monday, the Feast of St Patrick, will be observed as a holiday of obligation, and Mass celebrated at eleven o'clock, after which a collection will be made to reduce the debt already incurred on the Church. Acclimatisation Society. — A committee meeting of the above Society will be held m the Public Hall to-day, at noon, to decide upon what' shall be recommended as " open season " for native and imported game. We might mention the subjeat of the rabbit nuisance referred to elsewhere, as one with .which the Society could take some steps with good results. Bringing Coals to Newcastle. — One should imagine that m a timber country, like Manawatu there would be very little need for the importation of coals, nevertheless the afternoon train on Thursday brought up no less than eleven trucks laden with coal, and as each contain over fiva tons, a stock of close upon sixty tons was deposited at Halcombe for the use of the engines. The Kairanga Survey Distbict. — It will be noticed that m our leading columns we expressed a hope that the G-overnment would call for tenders for clearing the road lines on the Taonui Block. Since our article was m type we were forwarded the advertisement from the District Engineer, calling for tenders. On the principle of bestowing honor'where it is due, we cannot too highly commend the Department for promptitude with which they are acting is this rery important matter. Patricks' Day. — Monday, being the Anniversary of Ireland's Patron Saint, will be both a Government and Bank Holiday. On that day our local cricketers are to meet the " Waipukurau Ramblers," and it is to be hoped that tho reception inthe field of the Peripatetics will be of such a nature as will m some measure compensate for the crushing defect experienced at the hands of the Feilding men. We aTe pleased to see that some of those chosen to play m the match have been m constant practice durin,g the week ; but, as is generalyl the case, it i» those who need it most who never put m an appearance upon such occasions. The Palmebston Station. — We notice that the railway station buildings at the Square, being found totally inadequate to the trade, an addition is to be made m the shape of a luggage and parcel room. This structure is to be added on to the station-, master's office, twelve feet by fifteen, and having a sliding window looking out on the platform, for the booking of parcels. , Considering the progress of the town, we think it would have been far more judicious to erect a suitable permanent station at once — which is merely a matter of time — than adopt the piecing and patching policy resorted. However, we suppose on the principle that we should be duly thankful for small mercies, must uotj complain. The Fate qf the — The Jane Douglas, which sailed from Foxton on Wednesday morning last, for Wellington, had on board captain Hjolmwood and the chief officer of the unfortunate ship Hyderbad, the owners having now, we believe, given up all hopes of getting her afloat ; and the proper time having elapsed for the insurance to be claimed. It will be thus seen, that the. vessel has been abandoned to her fate, as far as ; the efforts of the own^ei*3 are concerned ; although the insurance ofn,ce3 have not yet given up all hope. " Speed the Saw." — Monday will bo a rod letter day m the annals of Ashhru*3t, as on that day, the first sawmill erected ig the district will commence operations. The industry has been started by Mr. Peter Bartholomew, proprietor of the Feilding Mills, upon the grounu of the corporation. As there. is an almost inexhaustible supply of the very best timber m the neighborhood, now that the ryjad has bean cut through to Feilding,. the ne'vv venture will m some degree ease the demand which has been co great of late. It seems but a few montha since Feilding celebrated its " maiden saw," and now although the number of milk are pushing on towards a dozen, the demand far exceeds the supply, a future which we trust is also m store for this youngest candidate for settlement. LOBT m ths BU3H. — Wehave been, informed that one of the members of the s.ur- . voy party at preient at work upon the Wanganui Harbor BJoi-k, near. Ashhurst, lost his way m the bush on Sunday. As he. had not returned up, to noon, of Monday t-w;o of his matea started that evening on a search. The party sought, for, however, being an old and experienced bushman, got upon ojae of the survey tracks, and returned to camp shortly after the. departure of tho others. Up. to the timo of our receiving the information, which was Thursday morning, the search party had not returned, and a3 the two men corapp*jng it were comparatively now arrivals, it is greatly to be feared that fchey stand m much greater danger of being lost, than the one they went out to discover. . 1 The Arrival oy the Vanguard.— We. are pleased to learn that Mr. Francis Loudon m now hm^' 10 . arrangements for opening the extensive premises owned by him m the Square, as a fii-it-siaas drapery establish "

1 ment. The business will bo conspicuous for the absence of that olla podrida which is the one thing remarkable m most country stores, and with this end he has secured the services of a thoroughly practical draper from Wellington as manager. Mr. Loudon's energy and enterprise as a settler and a resident is well known and appreciated ; we welcome him to Palmerston, and only wish the district had a few more like him. We trust the step taken by him is only m. advance of the footsteps of more from the lower end of the County, and that ere long # we will be called upon to chronicle the arrival of others who hare followed his example. A Maori Church. — Considerable alarm was experienced on Thursday morning by the furious ringing of what waa supposed to be a firs-bell, and for a while a number of persons might have been seen hurrying to and fro m an excited manner. The noise, however, was found to proceed from a large bell, weighing upwards of 2 cwt. , which was slung upon a bar, and carried by Honi Mason and another to the railway station for transportation to Ngawakarau. A handsome building forty-two feet by nineteen, has been lately erected as an Anglican Church, for whicli the bell, purchased from Mr. Snelson, is intended. We understand that the church, although built by the Natives, is a perfect Bpecimen of architecture, and that the Rev. Mr. McWilliams, of Otaki, will minister to the spiritual wants of the congregation. Narrow Escape. — When the morning ■up-train to Halcombe had reached about a mile from that station on Thursday morning, the driver ofthe engine noticed a trolly on the line immediatly ahead of the train. The breaks were put on, and the whistle' sounded, but neither seemed to . have any effect, the men on the trolly apparently not hearing the warning until but a few yards separated them from the advancing train. They had just time to spring clear of the track when the engine dashed up, and the manner m which the obstruction came to grief was a suggestive index of what they had escaped. The cause of the accident arose from the fact that although the time table had been changed for the holidays, no notification appears to have been given beyond the stations, thereby exposing the men working along the line to considerable danger. Unwelcome Settlers. — We regret to hear that of late a number of wild rabbits have been seen m paddocks m and around the township. We have been informed by Mr. Waldegrave that m a paddock behind Deard's Hotel, he saw numberless burrowing places of the pe3ts, while m that attached to the brewery, on the Rangitik«i Line, they nmy be seen m any quantities early m the morning or late at nights. This has been the result of the escape of a coupls from the Royal Hotel, let loose by Mr. Gilbert. Hitherto wo have possessed a blessed immunity from those scourges, and we certainly think that the different local governing bodies — the Borough Council, Highways Board, and County Council — should offer a bonus for every one" destroyed. Jus t now there is a possibility of their, being ! stamped out, if determined efforts are taken without delay, but once let them get anything like a footing, or down along the river, and we pity the settlers of Manawatu. Not only should a license be given to hunt, shoot, stone, or destroy the pests, but such ■ other means should be adopted, as would effectually nip the evil m the. bud.. Penny- Wise and Pound Foolish. — We believe the Wanganui Races took place on Thursday, but we would have been quite oblivious of the fact, had it not been that the morning train from Foxton arrived an hour earlier than usual, and we inquired the cause. The Wanganui Racing Club ignored the people of Manawatu, and did not think it worth while to advertise their programme m the Manawatu papers, and consequently the people of this county exhibited either blissful ignorance or apathy with regard to the Races. The General Manager of the line made ample preparations, no less than six double, carriages having been put on at Foxton, but on its. arrival at Palmerston there was not one passenger for each carriage. We. regret that the spirited conduct of the railway authorities should be rendered useless by the parsimonious conduct of the Club m hot givipg anything like sufficient circulation to the programme, for surely if it expects that people, at a distance should patronise their Sports, some littla expense should be incurred m bringing them under their noticeA Dastardly Act.— On Thursday afternoon a poor old Maori, from Awapuni, named Pauro, was giving, a little, pig into town, aod when opposite the Palmerston Hotel three or four cowardly scoundrels came out of the bar, and set their, dogs upon the animal. The poor . old fellow pleaded an.d threatened in- vain, the only notice taken by, the blackguards boing to. hound the dogs on to their work with greater vigor, and as might be expected, it was not long until the life was worried out of the' animal. The owner', sought the services of Constable Gillespie;, but unfortunately that :offlcer was about to leave town with charge of a prisoner for Wanganni, and could not.movein the cose until his return ; but no doubt he will take the earliest opportunity of making the rascals pay dear for their brutal sport. Notwithstanding the grief of the old fellow — who., was sans culotte — one could not help smiling at his appearance aud gesticulation, and his pathetic recital of his loss, the more so, as, on discovering a covert smile, he promptly asked "if the kill ee very great fun for the Pakeha ?"■ A Distinguished Visitor. — The. Jane Douglas on her last trip took away a passenger who, although ho attracted but little notice, was still somewhat out of the ordinary ruck of humanity. The individual referred to was of rather, low stature, with a small leather bag slung on his shoulder^ and had a friendly kind of expression on his countenance. To look at him, few would think that he camp from the. settler ment ma.de famous and in-famou- 3 by the, deeds of Brigham Young and 1113 a3aociate3, who have been the first to immortalise one of the race of Smith. But so this youthful traveller, came, we are informed, and came, too, as a kind of missionary m advance for tho Morm on , Cause. 3e arrived m Palmer-.

ston on Friday, last, and remained till Mon day, when 'he went as far as Feilding, we believe. He expounded ihe Mormon ideas to a limited audience somewhere near the Palmerston Square on Sunday morning > and visited Awapuni m the afternoon of the same day — but not, we should imagine; for the purpose of endeavouring to change the Maori belief from Hau-hauism to that religion propounded by the divinely-sent Joseph Smith. We are also given to understand that the young missionary purposes visiting the district again m a few months, when he will be strengthened and comforted by the presence of another brother m the faith, because, if all poor Artemus Ward has written of the Mormons be correct, they certainly think "it is not good for man to be alone." If there be any among ua who wish to be muchly married, it behoves them (to use the language of a distinguished municipal councillor, .whose portly frame can now be seen reclining against the door of his hostelry m the Empire City) to be on the quivy-vivy for the brace of expected disciples and missionaries of the religion of Smith. Lapsed. — There would appear to be some kind of epidemic amongst the members of our public bodies just now. The County Council had to be adjourned on Wednesday for ten or twelve days, as a quorum could not be got together ; and on the following day the members of the Palmerston Borough Council were called together to discuss the report of the Reserves Committee on Mr. BrigbtwelTs application for an extension of lease, but the meeting had to be adjourned for a similar reason, after his Worship the Mayor, and Councillors Coleman, King, and Fergusson had waited fotf fully half an hour, to see whether a fifth councillor would put m an appearance. No doubt, the time at which the meeting was called — 3 p.m. — is not the most convenient time for business people ; but that argument might just as easily be applied to those who happened to be m attendance as well as to those who had not. The meeting stands adjourned till Monday next, at the same hour. Parliamentary Papers.— We have to acknowledge the receipt of a mass of intereating Parliamentary ~? Papers from the Government Printer, to some of which we will take occasion to refer m a future issue. There is one, however, upon which we feel Called upon to make some remark, and that is a return showing the number of resignations, discharges, and dismissals from the police force m the Middle Island, between the Ist, of June, 1877, and the Ist of September, 1878. So much has been said and written upon the disorganised state of the Police force consequent upon the changes made m its constitution, that any light let m upon the result will ba perused with interest. From the statistics furnished, we learn that during the fifteen months which the return covers, m Otago 23 constables sent m their resignations, 10 were dismissed, and two received discharges, making m all a total of 35 changes. In Canterbury, 18 resigned ; 11 were dismissed > and 2 discharged. While m Westland, Blenheim and Nelson fourteen members either resigned or were dismissed. Unfortunately the return does not give the full strength of the Force m the Island, and consequently we are unable to strike a per centage of those dismissed, &c, but it is by no means a oheering fact to know that m that comparatively short space pf time no less than eighty constables left the department, either voluntarily or compnlsorily. JudgiEig from the very large number of dismissals, we are inclined to put considerable faith m the. statement of a Dunedin paper to the effect that the mem-, bers of the police were the scum of every other city m the Colony, whose migration had arisen from causes, over which they had no. control, and whose acceptation of the position of constables alone saved them from prosecution under, the Vagrant Act. The County Council. — The usual monthly meeting of the Council lapsed for want of a quorum, and was adjourned till Friday 21st instant. At the usualtime of meeting, the Chairman, and Councillors Halcombe, Linton, and Kebble were present. Just at tho same hour the Licensing Court was being held-, and Councillors Sanson and Rockstrow occupied seats on the Bench with Mr. Ward R.M. However, the Court did not last long, as the business transacted was only of a formal nature, and Councillors Sanson and Rockstrow put m an appearance immediately afterwards at the Council Chamber, when, they were informed that only a minute previously the meeting was adjourned to the day named. Councillors Grower and Carr did npt come to Foxton, and Councillor Loudon hud been m Wellington, jbufc arrived by the afternoon coach. In the morning our reporter heard it whispered that some of the Councillors did not particularly wish for a meeting — that " it would not suit their books," to use a racing phrase — and that he would be astonished^ after a time, to find how many little wheels there were, within the big one which- encircled the County Council. As our, reporter happens to be. a stranger m the district, he was hardly inclined to believe that some members of the. Council would put the majority to the expense, and inconvenience of coming to Foxton, merely because it did not suit their ideas, or caprice*, or whatever term they may wish applied] to have the regular monthly meeting held on the day duly appointed. If what our reporter.heaid rumored m the morning has any foundation m fact — and we trust such is not the case, for the. sake of the Counsil as a whole — then it seems a mpnstroua wrong that contractors and others should have to wait for payment of their accounts for ten, or twelve days longer, and that some members of tha Council should have been put to ths inconvenience of a journey to Foxton, because, forsooth, it did not chime m with the, ideas of others to hold the meeting at the regular time. The. public are concerned m this matter just as well as those whom they have elected to transact their business, and if rumors su?h, as those which were m circulation m Foxton on Wednesday morning are repeated very often, ratepayers may demand from their representatives that the business which they were sent m to perform shall be done, and , shall npt be sacrificed to suit thepeauliar ideas of some as to what may or.itiay not i be exp&dieut,

Thb Palmebstos BLM.- Coxtbt.— lt sp? pears that Wa*cere ur®iS>r m supposing that Mr. Ward is to hold Weefiy sittings of his court m Palmerston, as we learn there is to ; be no change. This is both a surprise and a disappointment, as we were decidedly led to believe that so soon as a permanent resident clerk of the court had been obtained, the Court would be held weekly, if not more often. Of late the business, both civil and criminal, has increased materially, and it ha* been not an Unusal thing for three sitting* to be held m one week,' being rather a ' severe tax on the Justices. It is too bad that Marton, with a population equal to but half that of Palmerston, should not only have a stipendiary magistrate there, but bareweekly and even more frequent sittings of his Court. There are four- Justices m the Palmerston District—Messrs. Snelson, M'Neil, Dalrymple, and Monrad — but it is rarely Mr. Dalnnyple visits town- at an hour sufficiently early to sit upon the Bench, white Mr. Monrad seldom acts at all. The bulk of the work, then, falls upon Messrs. Snelson and M'Neil, and it is scarcely fair that an undue . demand should be made upon the time and services of a few when, there is every facility for the Resident Magistrate presidisg himself. We do not make these re* marks m any spirit of hostility to Mr. Ward. Far from it. We have the highteat opinion of hia ability, equity, and the courteous and painstaking manner m which he conduct* the business of his Court, and it is. juat for that very reason that we wish; to see mor* of him. We some little time since advocated that he should be allowed to travel free upbri the Gtoverment railway, and we were pleased to announce that the concession had been granted, but we certainly were led to believe that the request had been perferred as a means to enable Mr. Ward to visit his charge more frequently. The time has now arrived when Palmerston,. and the large district surrounding it, should possess a Resident Magistrate m the broadest meaning of the term, and certainly until that step be taken, we think it is" not too much to ask that Mr. Ward wiU favor ua with his visits more frequently. Feilding is now building a Court-house,, so that its. residents will not be put to the- expense of coming to Palmerston to obtain justice, 1 and it has an equal right to request that when its court is opened, it will have also weekly sittings. We would ask l^r. Ward to. take the matter into consideration, for it is one upon which we hold very strong views, and are determined to move m persistently. If we are not mistaken the Resident M^isi*at» is allowed £100 ppr year travelling expenses*; m addition to his salary, andas the-bulk of the townships <=<> be visited— in fact, all with. the exception of Bulla and Otaki—now lie along the railway route, the expenseis hay* been considerably reduced since the allow.-: ance was. settled, and consequent^? more, frequent visits could- be made without greater strain. This, however is a matter, entirely outside the. subject, and beyond consideration. The necessity has arisen, that the Police Magistrate should -hold weekly courts m the several townships*. of the. Manawatu, and if the travelling expenses be not Efficient we make no doubt representor ; tion m the proper quarter would meet with, the same result as the. application, for free travqljiijg.. •"•. A Long Ride and Smart Cafttibb. — A young fellow with a taste for bprseflpsh, and a corresponding disregard at whose expense he enjoyed it, fell into the clutches of - Constable Gillespie on Wednesday. It ap-. pear 3 that the individual, who is a Sydneynative, travelling by the name of Luxford, had been hanging around Turakina for a. week- or ten days, and simultaneously with 'his departure a horse, belonging to Mr. Davis, of TuraXina, was missed pn, Sjjo^day , morning. The owner took the train to Palmewto^ on Tuesday ipprning, -and at noon, conferred; with Constable G-i}lespl*a, the. re--1 suit being- that both started towards WoodviUe- m pursuit. TJppn reaching thf Manawatu Ferry they were, informed that their man had crossed at fiye m themonjjngafter , waiting, for fou?.ho.urs for Boyd; to^U* him across, and at Woodville heard that he had pjissed through before breakfast Tfitjhoufc halting. At Ekatahuna, the runais&ay was duly installed at. the hotel, negotiajtfftg.for the. sale . of the. stolen ajaimal, Hearing that Luxford -was m they stable; the constable, i»rho was m plain clothes, went out to him and, inquired if "he. were the man who waa, trying to sell the little black horse.?!* The unsuspecting youth, promptly resppnded ia the affirmative, when he was met with the reply of, " lam glad of it, as I waflt both you. anjl it." At first he was inclined to show resistance, but a sight of the handcuff* was sufficient to prove that Constable. Q-flles-p|e,was master, of the situation, and; he re-, tuyned h> custody to Palmerston q^te resignedly, from, whence.be was taken to Wangauui by the. afernoon train on Thursday. He started without a saddle, riding.-upon an old bag, and he. said that he travelled at night, lying, to m the day. . As the die-. tahce. to Ekahahuna is $fty miles, and Constable ,*,G-ille3pie was abpjit forty-eight hours away, 'including stoppages and delays, one hupid»ed miles m the time upon one horse is npt bad- travelling. Luxford, |who is. only twenty-two years : o^ age, s^empd- quite. ohap-^allen at his capture, and although, at first he. said it was alia joke— only he had carried it too far— he afterwards intimated that hewouliwillingly accept fifteen Team straight off; sooner than get two, and have** to go through the exposure and ordeal of a ' publio triaL