The Patea Mail. PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS AND SATUEDAYS WEDNESDAY; SEPTEMBER'S, 1877.

Patea Mail, Volume III, Issue 251, 5 September 1877, Page 2

The Patea Mail. PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS AND SATUEDAYS WEDNESDAY; SEPTEMBER'S, 1877.

' Persons.desipg to. ‘ ancl reei4ewje>‘4tft? > ;gr- slioald ; (attend .Mr, W y Go%em?tl ®kle Dfi) GaMyle

At Waitotara on Saturday there will be a little sport in the shape of gyro pigeon shooting, footracing, and so on. The novelty pf the sport ought to attract a good muster of shootists at Southcombe’s hotel. ' Sport commences at two o’clock*

Messre J. Strachan Greig and Co. took possession of their new premises, at Hawera, on Saturday last, where in future the business of the firm will be carried on.

The Auckland- Herald referring to the proposed land tax says :—“ After all, New Zealand may not have the honour of being the first colony in which a tax is levied upon property.”. It was a great point at the late Victorian elections. New South Wales has affirmed the advisability of a direct tax upon property. South Australia has also discussed the question.

Carrier pigeons are used in Auckland by Messrs Fisher and Co., butchers, for carrying messages and orders between the town establishment and the slaughter houses the latter of which are near St. Ann’s Bridge on the Great South Road. The Wellington Argus referring to the proposed ueW Waste Lands Bill considers “That the Government have failed in producing a liberal land law or one fitted to encourage settlement. Instead of any advance upon past legislation, the present Bill strikes us as being in some respects positively retrograde in character.” The Wanganui Herald reports the financial results of the Exbibitition ,as receipts from all sources about £375, expenses £l5O, leaving a credit balance to be handed over to the library committee of £220.

Mr W. K. Hulke, Immigration officer at New Plymouth, in his annual report to Government, says there were introduced during the year ending 30th Jurie, - T£7 free passage immigrants equal to 109£ statute adults, and four nominated adults. Ho refers to the price of bush lands in the district as being too high for men of small means or even capitalists to profitably occupy.

In the. House, of Representatives, on Friday afternoon last, Mr Carrington, as a matter of privilege, iu reference to the Sartoris and Downes affair of last session, read letters between himself and Captain Bower and others, as to the charge made of his having been promised a commission. This bad done him a great wrong, and he desired to put himself right with the Press and the people of the colony. He also read declarations from parties concerned that he (Carrington) had never been promised any remuneration. Mr Stafford also read a letter from Captain, Bower, entirely exonerating Mr Carrington.

The Taranaki Herald, in reporting on the completion of the railway line, and the running of the first passenger carriage on tlie trial trip on Wednesday last,-pays a high but deserved- compliment to this district, as follows Although this line will be of great service to the township of Inglewood in enabling the settlers to communicate easily with New Plymouth, yqt no great advantage can be expected' to-be derived from the railway until Hawera has been connected, when it will open one of the richest agricultural districts in the Northern Island.” The workmanship is said to bo , far better than • that of the Waitara line, which the same paper believes has been ; done at a considerably less cost. The line has been carried on under the superintendence of the Resident Engineer, Mr C. W. Hursthouse. The report concludes : —“ Mr Hursthouse has shown ’ ireat ability in : ’this particular branch of,his profession, and we hope that the.Government will give him authority to push on with the works further, so that Hie Patea District may be connected with New Plymouth in as short a time as possible. . That done, ther,p need Then be no fear of the ultimate prosperity pf this part .of the Colony.”,

A local tradesman haying found it necessary to bring a few-dusky customers to the scratch" for payment of outstanding accounts, issued summonses, which .in the majority of cases ‘ lias had ' the' desired. effect. On a Maori presenting himself and referring to the summons, the tradesman would spread himself , out and cheerfully exclaim, his ‘ countenance all the yrhile beaming with .smiles —“-Kaipai the" smnmops ; nui nui good.” Native debtors did ; not see;- ii in that, light,; - and. replied .vehemently,: and In no! very choice terms —“ No - — r-r-i good the summons—raake-it-e .Maori-pay before he’s read}'.” j . • During thb week, a number of Jdaoris J had business to do ’ at 1 Carlyle,'' ehd the sanctum into which the party was ushered, being more than usually crowded, there was a Mircity/ .of seating. Ittcoojnmqdation. The room is warjas.cl.by means of a patent* flat-topped- stove,:- conveniently near ; to: the, table the natives • were ranged, some sitting and some : standing. The principal chief of the party, in lieu of trowsers, had a shawl fastened round his waist.. He had to do the talking, and'having' delivered himself upstanding, after the custom Of natives, and being ev-i dently well satisfied with his performance), gravely tobk his -seat on -the <stove j but' Immediately, and with a tei*rible ‘‘whoop, t bounded towards-,the- ceilings with ' both hands to his ; sWat./’TheVe was fire 'in the stoVe, end the top ; was - hot—.ttie;' Maori thought it‘particularly hot, and between

the rubbing expressed his sentiments accordingly, the rest of the company screaming with delight.

The Quarterly sitting of the Licensing Court for the district of Waitotara and Patea, was held at Carlyle yesterday, Captain Wray, E.M., Dr Croft, and H. F. Christie, Esqs, J.P.’s, being in attendance to hear applications. Mr Fitzherbert appeared for Mr Lingard, who had put in an application for' license for the Waverley Hotel. Mr Fitzherbert said the applicant was unavoidably absent in Wellington, and asked for an adjournment. Hearing adjourned until the 18th September. The Christy Minstrels will appear in the Carlyle Town Hall, to-morrow evening, when they will give the promised entertainment in aid of a distressed family. In another column will be seen a sign of confidence in the future, and desire to meet what are deemed to be the growing wants of the community. Messrs Rupert Jacomb and Co., announce their intention to commence business as general produce merchants and importers. Commodious premises are about to be erected in a central position in Carlyle, by the new firm.

An advertisement for tenders for furze hedge trimming, lias been received from Manutabi, the signature to which was almost undecipherable, and may therefore not be quite correct. A public meeting will he held at Hawera, at two o’clock on Saturday next re clearing of Mountain Road, and arranging for running of coach that way by November next. A. Standish, Esq., was a passenger to Wellington by Tuesday’s coach, to interview Ministers on the subject.

A meeting of the Patea County Council was held at Carlyle, yesterday. Hep or t will appear in next issue ; also, report of sitting of Resident Magistrate’s Court at Hawera.

A special telegram from Wellington to the Taranaki Herald , on Thursday lash says ; “ New Plymouth io koonmiug famous. Tho House and lobbies are strewed with ,papers on the harbor questionThe worst of it is that it is referred to as a tempest in a teapot; a most undignified way of putting it. You may now be sure that if the quarter of the land revenue is hot devoted to harbour works it will be quietly absorbed for Colonial purposes. On the 30th August, Mr E. J. Duncan auctioned in Wellington 400 acres of land situated at Tauratangi, near New Plymouth. The price realized was £1 lis per acre. A meeting of the Hawera-Waihj Cricket Club, will be held on I* rid ay to elect office-bearers. Candidates for the now local Board for the township of Waverley, will he nominated at noon on Thursday, the 13th instant.