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Patea Mail, Volume V, Issue 446, 23 July 1879, Page 2

Having telegraphed to Government to know if it was their intention to proceed with the Carlyle Branch Railway at once, Mr Sherwood received the following reply “ Wellington, July 21.—Directions have been given to go on with survey and working plans, and acquisition of land. Until these are completed, and money voted, contracts cannot be entered into.—J. Macandrew.” British mails, via Suez, close at the Carlyle Post office, this day, at 7.33 p.m. The adjourned debate on “ Local Selfgovernment ” will take place in the Council Chambers to-moirow evening. Mr. F. R. Jackson will hold his monthly stock sale at Waverley, on Friday. The half-yearly meeting of the Patea District Jockey Club will be held at Mr Covvern’s office, on Saturday nest, at 3 p.m. Tenders for supplying the Opunake A.C. Camp with beef, will be received up to to-morrow. The s.s. Clyde arrived from Wanganui yesterday morning. Captain Bonner does not look so well as he did when trading regularly with this port. We have picked up the following, which several critics, to whom we have submitted it, say is partly historieal and partly prophetic ; —■ Sing a song of promises, That are all my eye, That first were roast, and then were hashed, And then put in a pie. When the pie was opened, The naughty people swore, Because the crust that looked so fresh, Held what they’d left before. The cook was in the kitchen, A’laughing to herself, When Billy Fox brought in the pie And floored her with the delf. “ This kind of thing won't do, old gal. So go and pack your clothes; ” And Billy watched her altered look With his finger on his nose.

The match fired between the Hawera and Carlyle Light Horse, on Saturday,resulted in a victory for the former, by 19 points. The day was a very unpleasant one, consequently the shooting on both sides did not come up to the mark, Hawera made a total of 362 points, or an average of 36£ per man ; and Carlyle 343 points, or an average of 34|. Sergeant G-. Bayly topped the list with 43 points for Hawera, and Trooper H. L. Adams with 46 for Carlyle.

An accident, which might have resulted fatally, happaud at the Patea Breakwater yesterday. It appears chat those employed were lifting concrete blocks by means of the crane, and placing them in position at the end of the works. When one of the blocks had been .hoisted in the air, two links near the devil’s claw broke, and the muss of concrete fell on to the base of the crane, and from there rolled into the river. The crane was turned clean over, and a brother of the late.Mr Dickson was thrown fairly into the river, bat fortunately escaped with only a sousing. We fear the damage done to the crane will cause considerable delay.

' We take the following from Monday’s Wanganui Herald , which was telegraphed from New Plymouth :—The Aruthcr Wakefield from Lyttelton with wheat, for this port, foundered in the Straits on Saturday night, and the captain and crew in an open boat made for New Plymouth, arriving in the roadstead at 8.30 last night, being twelve hours in an open boat.

In the Legislative Council last Wednesday, the Hon Mr Waterhouse complained of members going away at the end of the session without paying their accounts for refreshments. The House Committee was several hundred pounds in debt at the end of every session, and this was not cleared off for several "months. “ For instance there were then £34 due to last year’s ball committee for wines.” The Hon Mr Hall said the Council would be astonished to find the loose manner in which many hon members treated their pecuniary obligations in connexion with Bellamy’s. He withheld names for the present, but the practice must be stopped. Mr Waterhouse said if it occurred again the amount should be deducted from the honoraria of the hon members defaulting. Mr Thomson, the new Minister for Lands, speaks broad Scotch, and his ideas are more foggy than the place of his nativity. He will speak for one side of a question, and vote for the other. He enlivens his statistics with anecdotes, and is a great financier. He calculated that the Land Tax would yield £150,000. He proposed to make the Beer Tax 8d per gallon instead of l£d, adding “ I never drink beer mysejf.”* Bellamy’s always drive a good trade while he is speaking. ‘ Promising George,’ is the latest acldi tion to the Premier's titles. Tin’s is not half as original as the New Zialander's description of him, “The most competent statesman in Australasia.”

Tho Opposition is believed to number nn absolute majority of tbe House. With Sir William at its head, the coming struggle should resolve itself into a game of Fox and geese.

The Hawera correspondent to the Press Association, telegraphs as follows : “ There is a strong feeling that Mr Livingstone should stand to represent the Patea District when an election takes place. People are not satisfied with what Major Atkinson did when in power with respect to the Mountain Hoad and railway, and the promotion of settlement. It is probable that, in the event of a general election, Major Atkinson will stand for the District of Grey and Bell.” The Taranaki Herald says : —“ Amongst the prisoners taken at Opunake was Wi Kingi Matakatea, of Umuroa. Wi Eingi will be remembered for the gallant manner in which he assisted in saving the survivors from the wreck of the Lord Worsley atTe Namu Bay, in 1801, and afterwards conveyed them through the rebel country, at the risk of his own life, landing them safely in New Plymouth. He is a very old man, and we hear had only walked down to look at the others at work ; but, being there, he was taken, and shipped away in the Hinemoa with the rest of the natives.”