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Patea Mail, Volume IV, Issue 381, 11 December 1878, Page 2

Through the courtesy of a member of the County Council, we have been permitted to copy the following telegram in reply to application of the County Council for £12,000 to complete the Mountain Road—“ Wellington, December 9th.—The Chairman Patca County Council.—ln reply to your letter of the 20th November, Minister authorises you to incur expenditure by public contract to £3,000. You are to report tenders when entered into, and certify the expenditure from time. This sum is not to be exceeded by you without authority, although it is possible chat the Minister may eventually be able to place a small additional sum at your disposal out of any balance that may still be remaining in hand. — John Knowles.” According to the above, there is small hope of consideration from the Minister of Public Works, though we are hopeful that the Native Minister, who had not then arrived in Wellington, will usehisinflucnco as promised, and see to the forwarding of money to complete the road. On Saturday evening last, a meeting of the Wairoa Light Horse was held to. consider the disposition of prizes won during last season when an equitable distribution was made.

,R. Eoulis, Esq., Inspector of Schools, is now engaged at this end of the Educational district. The ketch Falcon, which was aground at the Patea Hoads, on the Ist December, is about to proceed to Wellington where she will be taken on the slip for examination. She is perfectly dry, and beyond the grazing of her copper, and the breaking of the lower gudgeon of the rudder, which latter has boon replaced, is believed to have sustained but little damage. She is now loading for Wellington and will sail with the first slant of wind. Mr Cowern will hold cattle sale at Kakaramca to-day. Sale of teachci’s residence, Nonnanby, will be held at Lloyd’s Hotel, Hawera, on Saturday next. Tenders for works will be received by the Carlyle Town Board until noon tomorrow. Mr F. R. Jackson will hold his stock sale at Waverlej l, on Friday. At a meeting of the-Taranaki County Council on the 2nd instant, the Chairman said ju had received a telegram from the Government asking for a statement of the cost of making and metalling the Mountain road as far as Stratford. He had accordingly got the County Engineer to make out an estimate, which amounted to £12,069. This included the culverts, tunnelling, draining, bridging, and metalling 13} miles of road.—At the same meeting it was resolved to instruct the Engineer to inspect the Mountain road between Inglewood and Waiongona with a view of calling for tenders for the work.

The N. Z. Times says that :—On Thursday last the sth instant the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency held the first of a proposed series of wool sales at their wool (stores on Lambton-Quay. The sale was well attended. Owing to the recent bad news from London wool market, the bidding was not very brisk. Hides and tallow were also sold by the auctioneer, and we trust that ere long these sales may become quite a feature in our commercial life. The day of little things is not to ’be despised, and considering the depiessed state of trade generally, the result of this first attempt on the part of the company must be regarded as fairly* satisfactory.

The Taranaki Herald , reporting on the cattle show held at New Plymouth on Wednesday, last says ; —All departments appear from the catalogue to be fairly represented, and, although the number of entries do not seem to be so large as last year, yet this is owing apparently to there not being so many special prizes offered. We are unable to-day to go into the merits of the exhibits, but from a hasty glance round the square at the animals, we think we can safely say that the average of excellence was higher last year than this, as a number of those who had entered animals did not send them in.

The Wellington Prices Current refers to discovery of graphite which has been variously stated to have been made within the boundaries of Wellington and Taranaki provincial districts, but which we have good; reason for believing to have been made within Patea County. Perhaps as our Taranaki and Wanganui contemporaries are so very anxious to have the site of sale of Waimate Plains moved to their respective Townships, they will also strain themselves to have the site of the find of graphite moved either to Wanganui or New Plymouth, and thereby hope to rob Patea of both the honor and the profitThe one is about as reasonable as the other. To remove the site of the find would not however, be accomplished so easily as was the late removal of Cleopatra’s needle. Coal lies near graphite.

Mr F. 6’S. McCarthy, who sent an agent to Wellington to bid for him at the sale of Town Sections on the Whemmkura side of the Patea River, received telegram yesterday, that No. 34 had been bought'for him at £BS, other numbers having sold from £9O upwards.

Mr Knorp, Inspecting Engineer for North Island Railways, has been, in Patea the last few days, and has, we believe, inspected possible or probable routs for line to tap Carlyle. We are hopeful that the main line will be brought through Carlyle as desired by Mr Sheehan. It is ;a matter of notoriety that the valuations of country properties hitherto have been very uneven, and generally very low. Yet the Rating Act is very clear as to the definition of the words “rateable value.” Whilst a wide margin is allowed in the case of houses, buildings, and other perishable property, the Act states that the “’rateable value,” which means the rent at which such property would let from year to year, “ shall in no case ho less than five par centum on the value of the foe-simple thereof,” and “that in valuing the fee-simple, the valuer shall be guided by the actual selling price, and not by the provisions of any Waste Lands Act.” This would mean that property valued at £lO per acre to sell, would-be worth 10s per annum to rout. All valuators have to make a solemn'- declaration before a Justice of the Peace that they will be guided by the provisions of the Act in estimating value. We understand that the County Council has the power of objecting to valuations which do not come up to the standard, and that some Councillors are intending to watch this matter closely, and bring to book any Valuers who may have failed in their duty. We call attention to announcement that a Bazaar will bo held at Hawera on the 19th and 20th instants, in aid of the Trust Fund of the Wesleyan Church. Usual attractions. Worthy object. Help much required on account of increased population. Expected goods having arrived, and the Bazaar, in aid of the Carlyle Harmonic Society, will be held on Thursday and Friday, 12th and 13th instants.

Tenders will be received for lease of 300 acres of land and dwelling, by Mr Dale on Saturday nest.