The Patea Mail. PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 1877.

Patea Mail, Volume III, Issue 214, 28 April 1877, Page 2

The Patea Mail. PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 1877.

A meeting of the County Council will he held on Tuesday, the Ist May. The Wanganui Harbour Board is advertising for the services of an engineer. C. A. Wray, Esrp, R.M., Carlyle, has been appointed Licensing Officer, under “ The Anns Act, 18G0.” The Patea Harbour Board are intending to have another meeting on the arrival of Major Atkinson in the district, who may now be expected eaily. 20,000 acres of land outside the confiscated line, and bounded by the Patea River, the Government.

Inspector Atehieson, who for very many years past, has been Chief of the Wellington Police Force, passed through Carlyle on his way to Hawera, by yesterday’s coach.

Mr W. Dixon, who lately fixed up as a painter and decorator in Carlyle, has been operating on a few edifices in town. The Bank of New South Wales has just undergone a transformation at his hands, and now looks quite smart. Mr F. Adams, a now comer from Blenheim, who is intending to commence business as a butcher at Hawera, passed through Carlyle on Wednesday. The coach being full ho had hired a private conveyance. The family, all told, madeclose on a dozen. Mr John Whelan appears inclined to make a vigorous effort to induce settlers to turn their splendid land to good account. It will be seen by advertisement that he will shortly have on sale a first-class selection of every variety of garden seeds. The ss ‘ Clyde ’ left Wanganui on Thursday evening last, and arrived in the Patoa River at half-past eight o’clock on

Friday morning, with a full general cargo. She will leave again for Wanganui this morning, with a cargo of grass seed and oats, and may be expected back at Patea on Tuesday next. The necessity of a fire engine being procured for Carlyle, has been frequently urged and agitated. During Mr Lett’s late visit to Wanganui, he appears to have mentioned the matter to persons connected with tiro Wanganui Fire Brigade, in consequence of which a letter has been forwarded to him by the Secretary of the Brigade, as follows : “ Captain Cummins has asked me to write you with reference to the Californian engine belonging to this Brigade, with a view to selling the same. I think you saw it when here last. The engine itself is almost as good as new, having been very little used. The delivery hose will want renewing, and can be had very shortly of Messrs Drummond and Alexander here, who are expecting delivery of a shipment of various kinds from home. It cost us about £4O. We can offer it at T3O as it is. We wall get new delivery hose if wished, but that must be at an extra charge. We think it would be very useful for your township, as it can be got into almost any place for use.” It will be seen that a jiublic meeting to con- j sider the matter has been called for Thurs- j day evening next. j

A meeting of Licensed Victuallers’ Asso. ciation will be held at the Albion Hotel, Carlyle, on Tuesday next, at 2 p.m. All hotelkeepers arc invited. The Committee meet an hour earlier.

At the concert the other evening, there was a strong disposition on the part of a number of young follows, who ought to have known better, to be a little rowdy. A gentleman in the audience got up and administered a salutary rebuke, and pointed out that for disturbing meetings, the disturbers might find themselves before the K.M., who would have power to inflict heavy penalties. At Manutahi Hotel on Saturday last, a meeting of settlers was held, when it was decided to hold athletic sports on Queen’s Birthday. A committee (with power to add) was formed, consisting of Messrs B. Corrigan, E. W. .Foreman, D. Ginger, J. Ginger, and Teague. The committee met on Wednesday evening, and decided to canvass the district for subscriptions, and also to get additional names, to represent surrounding districts, as committeemen.

The Taranaki News says :—“ Wc are much pleased to hoar that the work of extending the railway line beyond Inglewood is being performed in a satisfactory manner, and at a cheaper rate than the portion on this side of Inglewood now in course of formation by contract ; also, that there is every reason to suppose that the line will be extended to Hawera in two years from this time. Whether under these circumstances the county should go to the expense of forming a metalled road parallel to this line is a question worthy of due consideration.”

The Wellington Argus says : —At tire last meeting oi ! the Grand Lodge of N. Z. South, I. 0. G. T., a new department was created in their official work, and rules to regulate it were adopted. There being r, difficulty in carrying out the scheme of. the Order regarding political movements, it was decided to appoint an officer whose special duty would be to superintend that particular work, and Mr J. M. Morris, of Nelson, was chosen Grand Political Councillor. It is now intended to organise a thorough system of procedure respecting all political matters.

On Thursday last, there was a great gathering of settlers from the surrounding districts, and some from rather far afield, at Messrs Inman and Co.’s first sale at Hawera. A liberal lunch was served in the new auction room. There was a fair muster of cattle and sheep in the wellarranged and substantial pens, whilst in the auction room, after the remains of the spread had been cleared away, there was found to be a good collection of general merchandise for sale. Mr Charles Brown

„„ “uctioiienr. ’ 1 * -i Over twenty horses were passed under the hammer, the majority of which found purchasers. The sale was a thorough success. The auctioneers deserve commendation for their enterprise in erecting such a suitable and commodious auction mart, and such convenient and substantial cattle pens as arc to be found adjacent to the auction mart. *

Settlers at Manutahi desire a Telegraph Office opened in the township, and have agreed to pay Government the required guarantee of £BO per annum for three years. Government have agreed to open a Telegraph Office there. On the £BO a year being guaranteed, settlers naturally expected that Government would erect a suitable building, which would serve for Telegraph and Post Office, on ground which had been reserved in the township for that purpose. Instead of doing so, arrangements have been made to rent a small shanty, which, besides being too small for the purpose, is not in any way decent-looking, or in a good state of repair. Settlers are indignant. The guarantee of £BO for three years should warrant Go-

vernment in erecting proper buildings, as by the end of that period, at present rate of progress, a thriving township may reasonably be looked for. To put the selected shanty in repair will take almost as much money as would be required to erect a new building. A numerously signed petition is being forwarded to Government, praying that a new building may be erected on the reserved site. The report on the Colonial Prize Firing meeting, 1877, which was held at Hold tika in February last, has been published in the N. Z. Gazette. Lieut. Colonel Reader, in his report, which is accompanied by detailed returns of the firing, says, “It will be seen that the average

snooting tnrougnout is very much higher than it was either last year or the year before, which I attribute, in a measure, to the representatives having this year been provided fpr the competition with new rifles of a uniform pattern, and first-class arms in every respect. The range, which was situated nine miles from Hokitika, on the Arahura River, was everything that could be desired, and contributed not a little to accurate shooting.” An English paper, referring to the Volunteer movement in Great Britain, says :—“That the strength of the volunteers is steadily in creasing, is notorious; but it is not equally well-known that their quality is also improving. The returns for the year show that of an enrolled force of 185,501 —the largest number yet recorded—93.B9 per cent., or 174,181 are efficient members.”

Large numbers of Natives, of both the he-male and she-raale persuasion, many of whom appear to have spared no expense in regard to get-up, have been passing through Carlyle during the past week, bound for Waitotara. It is said representatives will be present from Wellington, on the one hand to White, ClifEs» and even further on the other. Although the meeting has been called for Saturday, it is not proposed to commence the actual business—that is to endeavour to agree as to boundaries of land belonging to different tribes from Wanganui to Waitara—until Monday next. There is every indication of a large gathering. Circulars had been sent to representative Natives in the various districts, suggesting a meeting, by Mr Booth and Major Brown, and the Waitotara meeting is the answer. We learn, that, Major Brown will not himself be present at the meeting now about to be held at Waitotara, as he left yesterday for New Plymouth. lie will, however, go to Waitotara on the 12th May, to meet Dr Duller and the Native Chief Major Kemp, on Native matters.

From the Chronicle report of the Supreme Court sittings at Wanganui, we learn, that his Honor Judge Richmond, sentenced Molfat, who was charged with manufacturing and disposing of gunpowder to Natives, to two years’ imprisonment, with hard labour. In passing sentence, his Honor said “If your oifenco were to be punished in proportion to the danger which it occasions to the public, there is none—not even the crime murder —which ought to receive a heavier sentence. i'ou are to be looked upon by all well-judging persons as tire enemy of both races in tins Island. On the one hand, you have been strengthening against you r fellow-countrymen a merciless foe. Maorj victory, you well know, means massacre—massacre sparing neither age nor sox. On the other hand, you havebeen encouraging the disaffected in a vain resistance to the advance of civilisation. You have been planning disaster for the European, but for the Native you have been preparing utter destruction.” George Brown, charged with indecent assault, was found “Not guilty,” and discharged.