PATEA MAIL PUBLISHED Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. SATURDAY, MAY 29, 1880. PATE A TIMBER TRADE.

Patea Mail, Volume VI, Issue 526, 29 May 1880, Page 2

PATEA MAIL PUBLISHED Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. SATURDAY, MAY 29, 1880. PATE A TIMBER TRADE.

Can nothing be done towards establishing a trade in sawn timber on the Patea river? At present we arc importing largely and continuously from the Manawatu district. Patea County grows endless bush, much of it very marketable 5 yet freights of sawn timber arc coming into port from remote districts, to supply local wants. Two small bridges hare just been let by contract, and they are to span creeks close to the river bank, within two miles of the port; yet the timber for these has to bo fetched from Wanganui. A large bridge is to cross the river on the branch line of Railway, and this also will have to be constructed of timber brought from the upper reaches of the Wanganui river. The building trade is likely to be very brisk around Carlyle within the next two years. Once begun, the growth of Carlyle and of settlements adjacent to the port may he expected to go on with increasing impulse. Where is all the building timber to come from ? Cannot the district' supply its own wants ? Suppose a saw-mill, say only one, were placed in the bnsh up the Patea river, with convenience for floating a barge clown with the tide to the port, a large local trade

in sawn timber might be done without the least risk. What is the difficulty ? There arc Maori weirs on the river beginning some seven miles up, and these would be a present impediment which only the Government could remove. Is the river to be eternally blocked with weirs ? The bush in the upper reaches contains black birch, and this is the timber preferentially required for bridges, and lies ready to hand. Owing to the cost of overland transit, the timber required for these bridges is certain to come from outside the district. Many of our settlers know that the bush in this district contains timber suitable for various trade uses. It would be difficult to find a. river better adapted for the timber trade than this; and water power could be readily secured for driving machinery. Hundreds of thousands or pounds arc lying undeveloped up that stream. There arc well-to-do settlers among us who are casing their labor and waiting for openings to lay out capital with advantage. Let them picture in their mind’s eye what the port of Patca will be five years hence—even three years hence. Let them consider how the capitalist will stand at that time who had the foresight and confidence to embark in the timber trade up this river j having supplied the growing wants of the place, and having expanded Lis business without effort and with no risk of undue competition. Without going so high up as the weirs, there is room for a mill at present, and soon there will be room for several saw-mills along this river. A snag here and there is the only hindrance to deep-water navigation for seven miles into the bush. No other difficulty is visible. The trading facilities of the Patca river, above the port, are lying strangely dormant.

INFECTED SHEET. Three prosecutions for alleged neglect of the Sheep Inspector’s order to clean infected flocks came before the R.M. Court yesterday. Two cases broke down, owing to a technical defect in proving the service of the order. The Inspector had posted the order in the form of a letter, but had not registered it, as requited by the regulation attached to the Act. In the other case, that of Mr Peacock, of Manutahi, the charge of driving infected sheep along a public highway was proved, but only after a long contention ; and a fine of £u was inflicted. Whatever the merits of these cases may bo, it is notorious that infected sheep may be seen straying on the highway both at Whcnuakura and at Manutahi. Persons passing along the road may give information, but generally they object to be identified with a prosecution; and so the Inspector docs not receive that assistance from the public which this serious offence would justify persons in rendering as a public duty. Information reached ns yesterday for example that forty to fifty sheep, some of them bearing the infection brand, have been grazing this week on the public road at Manutahi. Either fences or gates have been defective. We are told of one place near Manutahi where sheep on an infected run may be seen daily passing from a paddock to the highway under a gate. No person who roads the evidence in the last case heard before the R.Myesterday, can feel satisfied with the manner in which the prosecution was defeated. A sense of public duty is always admirable, and not less so when a man recognizes and publicly admits he has made a mistake. There is no merit, and there can only be a shabby satisfaction, in defeating the efforts of a properly appointed officer, whose duty is to protect the interests of the many by harassing or prosecuting a few careless farmers, because they strangely resist a beneficial and necessary law.

FILIBUSTERING COLONISTS. .A. cablegram from Sydney says : Official information has been received hero by the Government that a vessel has sailed from Aidon on April 2-1 (query, May 21), for New Britain, laden with arms and ammunition, it is conjectured on a filibustering expedition. The New Zealand Government also received a telegram, stating that the vessel was flying the Liberian colors, and had on board persons of various nationalities. Her destination was mentioned as Port Breton, in the group of islands east of New Guinea, of which the most important is New Ireland. It will be remembered that the Marquis de Rnys, the Bolivian charge d’affaires in France, fitted up three ships for a colonising expedition to New Ireland. Two of these—the Chandcrnagore first and subsequently the Port Breton—reached their destination some time ago. The Chandcrnagore was afterwards driven by stress of weather into Sydney harbor. The ship mentioned in the Sydney message is evidently the third.