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Patea Mail, Volume III, Issue 223, 30 May 1877, Page 2

The Banks in Hawera and Carlyle will bo closed to-morrow being the first day of tho Hawera Races. The outgoing British mail closes in Carlyle on Friday. Messrs Inman & Co., Hawera, announce an important sale of blood stock and horses, for Saturday next (2nd June), at heir yards. The Canterbury Jockey Club, at a late meeting, drew up a programme for the Spring Meeting. All events are the same ns last year, excepting that a Steeplechase is substituted for the Tradesmen’s Handicap, thus making two Steeplechases during the meeting. The stake for the Cup and C. J. Handicap, are increased to 500 sovs. each. Tenders have been invited by the Public Works’ Dcpai-tment, for the formation and permanent way of the Wanganui Town contract of the railway line. The Taranaki News says the Acclimatization Society have decided to procure fallow deer from.Nelson—a buck and two docs—which will bo placed on the southern slope of the Ponakai Ranges, which will give them the run of the open slopes of the hills, the swamp, and sides of Mount Egmont. The Canterbury Time s, says a correspondent to an Australian paper, recommends the practice of sowing grain on horseback—and states that though many labor-saving machines have been invented, no one appears to have thought of “ making the horse perform the labour of walking, carrying seed-bag and sower to-and-fro across tho field during the operation of sowing the grain. The writer declares that after long experience, he lias found that the seed could he distributed more regularly from the saddle than on foot—- “ as any good seedsman will find after a short practice.”

Tbe Chronicle, commenting on the rider to the verdict on the late inquest at Kakaramea, says :—“ The only way in which the authorities can interfere is to punish those individuals, by restricting their privileges, who make the natives intoxicated, and thus render them dangerous to themselves and others. Tbe axe should be laid at the root of the tree.”

Tbe Taranaki Herald says : —“ It was incidentally mentioned by the Town Clerk, at the Council meeting on tbe 22nd inst., that gravel could not be bad from the native land on the South Road, Mr Cholwill said he had seen the Civil Commissioner, who had told him that the Maoris would not accede to tbe request because T« Whiti bad told him not to, and th ft t chief bad just now great influence over the natives. Tc Whiti bad told two man lately that they would die, and they had died accordingly. This had had a effect on the native mind.

It is reported from Manntahi that on Thursday night last, during the heavy gale which was blowing, that about half-a-ton of earth, being part of one side of tbe Block-house, fell inwards, and was within a trifle of burying a member of the A.C. Force who was sleeping there. The Blockhouse is old, and in a rather exposed situation, and has for a long time given evidences of breaking up. Another strong blow or two, and probably the whole lot will bo brought to earth. Pleasant for the fellows who have to sleep there. That portion of the County of Patoa which is within the Provincial District of Taranaki has been gazetted a Land District within tbe meaning of tbe 14th section of “ Tbe Taranaki Waste Lands Act, 1874,” amended by “ Tbe Waste Lands Administration Act, 1876.” C. A. Wray, Esq., R.M., lias been appointed District Land Officer under the above-named Acts. ■ . The Govcrnor-in-Council has decided that all original tulcgiumo nro to ho destroyed after being kept two years by tbe General Manager of the Telegraph Department.

The claim of William Gorman, Private, Patea Rifles, to a New Zealand War Medal has been recognized. The Hon. William Fox was a passenger per coach on Monday, for Taranaki. He will lecture at Kakaramea on his return trip on Tuesday, sth June. The Chronicle says that the bon. gentleman will take part in the laying of the foundation stone of the new Presbyterian Church at Waverley. No political address will be delivered, nor has any been solicited. The Annual Ploughing Match of the Taranaki Agricultural Society, took place tUo O-lfli irißfnnf. \Vf> loam from the Herald that though the weather before and after tbe matches proved bad, it was most suitable during the time tbe work was being done. Fourteen ploughs were entered, being an increase of five over last year. The following are the winners :—Class A.—lst prize, £4, Mr Allenby ; 2nd prize, £2, Mr G. A. Sampson. Class B.—lst prize, £3, Mr West 2nd prize, £1 10s, Mr Richardson. The conditions were that half-an-acre of ground should be ploughed within five hours. Allenby occupied 4 hours 35 minutes, and West 4 hours 55 minutes. A dinner was held in the evening, at which about fortypersons sat down.

Tenders for the Hawera Town Hall have been opened, with the following result • A. Tourner, £489 ; Holtham and Warren, £547 19s; Alexander Strang and Frederick Searling, £524 lls; George Syme, £552* The tender of Mr A. Tourner was accepted.

To-morrow night, at the Block-house, Hawera, a concert will be given in aid of the Building Fund of the Presbyterian Church. Programme may be seen in advertising columns. Local talent has been freely enlisted, and there is little reason to doubt but that the arrangements made by the Committee will be successfully carried out, and we hope to hoar of a substantial addition to the Building Fund. To-morrow and Friday, Hawera Races will be held. Readers will have seen by the entries that there is every probability of good sport. The Committee have worked heartily and well together, and appear to have spared no efforts to make the meeting thoroughly successful. We hope to see the race grounds well patronized by settlers from all parts of the county. Several Wanganui men have already put in an appearance. Taranaki will also be represented. The settlers of Patea should not, therefore, be behind. Roll up in force from every quarter. Mr Clement Govett, barrister and solicitor, from New Plymouth, announces that he will be at Carlyle from the 6th to the Bth June, and may be consulted. The fortnight’s yield of gold at the Monatairi Mine, Thames, for the week ending 26th May, was 2,003 ouuces. A company has been formed in Taranaki called the Waitara and Manukau Steam Navigation Company, who propose pur. chasing a boat from Holmes Brothers, of Auckland. Holmes is there,and the steamer Hauraki is expected in a week. Mr William Williams, of Carlyle, has been gazetted as an interpreter under the 12th section of “ The Native Land Act, 1873,” and is now prepared to execute any commissions entrusted to him, with accuracy and promptitude.

We understand that! the formation of a new building society will shortly be announced, —the success attending the one started some three years since being suoh as to warrant the establishment of a second Society, which could work in conjunction with the first to mutual advantage.

It will be seen that considerable additions have been made to the important sale of land and merchandise announced bj Mr W. Dale, for Saturday next.

At a meeting of the creditors of Mr James O’Shea, Wellington, on the 2Gth instant, Mr Schultz declined the guarantee of 7s 6d in the £, 5s down and 2s Gd secured by deed of conveyance on the the property settled on the debtor’s wife, to which the solicitor advised no legal title could be obtained. It was resolved by a large majority that Mr O’Shea file a declaration in bankruptcy. At the previous meeting of creditors, as reported in the N.Z. Times , Mr O’Shea owned that he had been living at the rate of £1,700 a-year for the past three years. Of money taken out of the business a considerable portion had been spent in improving property belonging to the debtor’s wife, and which the creditor’s could not touch.

Telegrams from various parts of the colony report serious damage caused by the late gale. At Auckland, fears were entertained for the safety of the schooner Asphasia, which left Wellington on the 2nd of May for Kaipara. No news had been heard of the May Queen, up to the 2Gth instant. From Nelson we learn that the captain of the s.s. Taranaki reported that the steamer had been struck with a tremendous sea when oif Cape Farewell, which carried away two of the boats, dashed another against the engine-room skylight, carried away the whole of the railing round the poop, stove in the cabin skylight, and smashed the wheel to pieces. The cabin was flooded, and the lights extinguished, but no one was hurt. She looked a complete wreck on entering port, and had a heavy list to port, owing to the coals having shifted. At Greymouth frightful squalls were experienced, the river was in a high state of flood, and the sand and gravel protective works were being partly washed out to sea. At New Plymouth on Friday night, about eighteen feet of the North end of the stone wall at the mouth of the Huatoki River, had been washed away, the sea had encroached on the railway embankment, and was washing up to the engine-house.