NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 35, 16 April 1879, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

The Assessment Court. — It is just as well that persons who baye lodged objections to the rates levied, should bear m mind that it is absolutely necessary they should appear m court to-morrow to support their objections, otherwise they will not be enter* tamed. Tq Co-respondents. — We hare received a letter with regard to the early closing movement m Feilding, but as our correspon* dent has failed to forward his name, we must hold over his communication until that most necessary condition has bee* complied with. However, although we require the address and name of all correspond dents, it is not necessary that they should be published. It is Betteb to be BobxXttokt.thah Kich. — Some few months ago we had much pleasure, m chronicling the fact that Mr. Stake, solicitor, of this town, was the winner of the £1000 sweep. The fickle goddess would appear to have him still under her protection, as we learn with pleasure he has now drawn the second prize m Bonniiigton's Art Union, consisting of a piano valued at seventy-five guineas. We have little doubt Mr. Staite has not heard mnsic for some time which would sound so sweetly to his ears. The Eastebdays Hoxidays. — Pleasureseekers appear to have disported themselves m various way during the holidays. A large member patronised the opening of the Butts, while others, wenfc-off with, " 4°g and gun," but those were of course composed of what are termed " buck parties." The pic-nickers proper, h,ow,eyer, betook themselves to the Princess Ho.tel, wheye . with swings, quoits, . and otjher kindred amusements a very pleasant tjime was passed, winding up with a ball m the evening. Th.c Taontti Block. — We hare been informed upon the most reliable authority thatifhe several contracts for the work on the Taonui Block were signed yesterday. They were taken, up by different parties, and consequently will have, the better chance, pf being pushed on more eineditjousLy, As the amount of the work, will not be fay. short of £1500, that little sum spent m the district will provide labor fojr a considerable ntunher of nand» during the winter, a provision, which is yerv acceptable, ' . •' -. A Matter fob Co^asATUiATioK. — We hear with pleasure that Mr. Mo'ffatt, the Pakeha-Mabri, w,hohas lately married Peeti Aweawe's niece; has also purchased from him the. section of land m Broad street, opposite the Catholic Church, with the intention of finishing the, building;, at present upon it. The house, although for . years past an eyesore to the town m its unfinished condition, is, nevertheless, the framework of one of the finest — if not really the finest— dwellings m. PalmeMton, and when completed m a manner suitable to its architectural pretensions, will be as great a c redit to the town, as it formerly was a disgrace.. The Palmebston Sohooi.— As will be seen by our renprt elsewhere, the School Committee has sanctioned proposed exchange of positions between Mr. Lock and and Mr. Watson, the,, third master of the Wanganui High School, ' In the, retirement of Mr, Lock the district will \ose anable and painstaking master, 'but h> is consoling to know that his successor brings wi^h.him the reputation^ of. possessing high accomplishments and the good- will and esteem of those amongst whom he has been hitherto located. '.■....." Help fob the Makaw/attt. — Con,s^able Gillespie, acting under instructions from the Immigration Office, applied to his Worship the Mayor,' to know ; if %he^ district would be able to absorb any of the immigrants "by the. Stadt Harlaam, w^hich . recently arrived at Dunedin. Mr, Snelson : replied that he believed work and accomodafcion could be f qun.d for, at least twenty, • and that number is to ae. forwarded. Upon the evening of the application, ha further despatched a, letter, to the Minister for , Public Works, pointing out the advisability of haying the, promised covering of the drain m the, Square proceeded with at once, as the £250 set aside for the work would keep the men temporarily employed until they ;jgot into something permanent 1 ' So far no. reply ha>. been received to the, suggestion, but there is little, dpuht but ilj will be acted upon. An Acknowledgment.— We h«,v« ip- : ceived a post-office order, for £2 4s. 3d. from Mr. Duncan A. Poole, of Oroua Bridge, being the amount of subscriptions kindly collected by him amongst Ilia men on behalf of the, unfortunate fellow, Mclpwen. However, although, Mr. Poole has forwarded that amount, it would appear that but aj^ery small proportion, has been paid, the, balance being advanced from his private, purse. The following are, the names of those who hay» paid and the sum contributed : — Bjeid, ss. ; Blakes 2s. Gd. ; Spencer (Fletcher and mate) 2s. 6tf. ; McGee, 55. ; Campbeil!29. • Ryan, 2a! 6d. Mr. Poole is to be commended for ;his' generous thoughtfulne93, as we feel sure the money will be very acceptable. The order.lies at the office awaiting lijr i?cEwen'« application for it. FBATHEBEDViOTiajs. — If we were to ju,dge by the number of deadly weapons p.araded about just now, they would augur hard times fo* the feathery tribe, but we are, inclined to believe the majority of the sportsmen to be met with are much more harmless than they look. On Good Friday we noticed one individual perspiring under tho accumulation of gun, powder flask, and game bag ; while to add to his discomfiture he was proceeding upon his tour stern foremost, that unusual mode of. pro

gression being necessitated by his endeavors to haul with him a monster retrierer. The animal, however, had apparently more strength than its master, and as the struggle continued, the pair formed a ootoplete letter "V " the few strong expletives discharged . at the animal by the enraged sportsman, not apparently haring much weight ifith it. We do not know which of the pair gave m first, and though we heard "aftenwdiYoung Nimrod shot one 'duck, "w.e very mqch doubt it, " Penny Wise aud Pound Foolish." — We believe there were Sports held at Mar« ton on Monday, but judging from the amount of passengers booked from both Feilding and Pahnerston, they were not rery extensively patronised from Manawatu, as although the Railway Department had made ample provision, m the return train to Palmerston, of six carriages, on Monday night, there were not twice that number of passengers. Considering that the hon. secretary of the Sports was a Pressman, it is certainly surprising that he should hare been, sq stupid, or selfish, as to confine hit advertising favors to his own paper, to the exclusion of the representative journals of the districts from whence he was supposed to draw patronago, and J)he result show* that it was not a wise proceeding, Spobis at Tebeace End. — -A good number availed themselves of Mr. Beard'.s invitation to partake of the amusements which he had provided for family and pic-nio parties m his paddock on Easter Monday. A variety of games were provided— -merry- : go-rounds, swings, and. other like amusements for children; and quoits,. skittles^ and tilting-in-the-ring for grown-up perions. Towards the afternoon some racing wai got up, but just about that time a little rain fell, and as the weather became; more threatening, the crowd dispersed, "son\e of those who were present having corae a cont siderable. distance to enjoy the fun. The same enterprising caterer had a ball at his 1 new and spacious hall m the evening, which was very well attended, and much enjoyed by those present. , . "liQcra, Bolts, a»D'Bam."-t-A gentle ; application of these three very' necessary products o^th^bj^pljismitih'i art would not have, been amiss. «j, th^ case of the parties who disturbed- the* peace, of . Paimerston on faster Monday night. When ( the evening | traip. from Wtuiganui' reached, Palmerston, ; it brought a member.of the gen^r sex, who was w,eU. known for, the unenviable character whjflh she bore during her terjn of ijesidence here, S^hq, was accompanied by a valiant knight from, the port of tjhe A Manawatu, and they were both apparently well pleased with each oj^herV society. Unfortunately, however, fbr.^hejr p«ic& of. mind, a former lover of the. lady m question ap- > peared on the scene, and seizing the fair one round the waist, he vowe&v that they ' " should' never part; agaiij,"' • As might naturally-. hayg hesen expected alj holiday times, a good many sympathising friend ß gathered, round, and an adjournment was made from the/ fiailway platform to the .Square, wjiere, the. scoffs, jeers, and ribald ; language indulged m, by ,sie crowd and the. parties concerned would) have done credit ; to King street, m Sydney, or Little Bourke street, m Melbourne. We believe that the ; principal actors m this disgraceful disturbance will be called 'upon to aps-wer at the Police Court}, »nd we can only hope that Palmerston may be long spared from such ' an unseemly exhibition as that witnessed on Monday night. Miraculous Escape.— As the evening trafa^ w.aa. returning with the excursionists who went to see the sports at jj&nrton on Easter Monday, it stpppad) at the Railway Bridge, between Halcombe and Mar ton. A respectable young man, a carpenter by • trade, who was amongst the excursionists', mistook the bridge for. a. raijway station, quite unthinkingly stepped frpm^ the,platform of the carriage into what; must have been very near akin, to eternity. Instead of finding himself on terra Jiwna, his sensa- : tion— fop it could, scarcely be called feeling— .' was that he had involuntarily dashed him--1 self into the immensity of space. The un« ; fortunate young fellow's sensations were" next a splosh m. the water, and rising and : lowering, and once more rising and making a resolute swim for one of. the abutments ; of the; bridge, on to which he climbed until 'help reached him. T^is must have been no easy matter, as tho current runs very strong about the bridge, as a rule. There ; must have evidently been a water-hole where the young man felt m, for; had the. water been, as shallow m 'that! spot as it is m the greater portion of; the. riy4r v aii around, it would hare been next to an impossibility for him , to have escaped without some very serious or fatal injury. As it is, ? tjhe, only serious outcome of the matter is a not; oyersavere shock to the neryous system, as our repprter conversed pretty freely with him about two hours after the a^rjyal of the train at Palmerston. H^ admitted #iat he: had taken a' few glasses of drink during the day, but was no.t,.by any means tipsy— a statement . which our reporter is very much inclined to believe-from, his previous knowledge, of the young man^ It has beenmany times asserted, and it is impliojtly by' some" people, that suicide is a kin.dof epidemic* disease — that, rarely one. case, occurs without being- closely followed by a number of others. Even this case of almost involuntary suicide was very nearly followejd by three or four, others. Luckily, however, the mistake was just discovered m time to avoid the serious consequences which might have ensued had they not; so fortunately become alive to the danger they were m.