PATEA MAIL PUBLISHED Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. TUESDAY, JUNE 22, 1880.

Patea Mail, Volume VI, Issue 536, 22 June 1880, Page 2

PATEA MAIL PUBLISHED Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. TUESDAY, JUNE 22, 1880.

Mr Fov, engineer in charge of the railway works in this district, has been engaged these few days correcting levels along the intended line, preparatory, we suppose, to inviting tenders for other portions of the permanent way not yet touched. Yesterday was the shortest day. The winter is turned, and lengthening o.ij a mu oui/M i/u <vppi eeimjie, with brighter weather, and the promise of spring buds and blossom. With spring will come, we all expect, the long-looked-for revival of trade, with an impetus to the great business of settling the land. A School Treat is to bo given on Friday to the Patea scholars, about 130 in number, on the break-up for winter holidays. The children will be entertained with games in the paddock attached to the school, and a substantial tea will wind up the day’s romp. Parents whoso children arc educated free will be asked to send contributions towards providing a well-laden table. Taranaki came in for a “good thing ” on (Saturday, The Hawera politicians have been holding a public meeting to discuss local wants and grievances. One speaker was so carried away by his subject that he inadvertently found himself depreciating the produce of New Plymouth. The Brethren of the Mountain district could not grow turnips to compare with those of Hawera, nor were their cabbages to be mentioned in the same week. This was a natural outbreak of eloquence which needed no apology, for we all know that “ truth is mighty, and must prevail.” But Mr Bayly, a wary politician, rose to check the ebullition, for he was just afraid these comparisons would not tend to promote the objects of the meeting. He thought such things should not be said, and it would be a pity if they went forth through the press. The local Press then volunteered, with unusual magnanimity, to leave all the naughty words out of the report, if the meeting so desired. The local Press was in the hands of the meeting, and would do anything to oblige. The local Press sat down; but the meeting expressed no opinion either way as to the desirability of supprsseing what had been said in depreciation of unoffending, innocent, unselfish Taranaki. And now the public who were not at the meeting will be curious to know “ all about it.”

The Outrage by Southern Volunteers has been strangely hushed up. A fruit shop at Ashburton was looted, and about £8 of goods carried off by a crowd of Dunedin Volunteers, without payment, some other'articles being paid for. The officers of the accused corps have professed to hold a rigid and searching inquiry, with a burning desire to wipe away the shame by making au example of the offenders. They have enquired, and they solemnly find that nobody was guilty; that no Dunedin Volunteer did anything wrong anywhere at any time. This must be pleasant for the accused Volunteers, but what about the poor woman who lost her £8 worth of goods ? Have the rascally crowd subscribed among their shabby solves to make up for the missing goods ? Not they. Persons who steal and then deny it are not likely to subscribe in that way. The affair might be appropriately commemorated by presenting a brass medal to each of the officers who conducted this “inquiry.”

A Total Eclipse ot the Moon will take place In-night. The first contact of the earth’s shadow on the moon’s disc will be at 10.48; the middle of the eclipse being at 20 minutes past 1 o’clock, and ending at 3.52 morning. A Proposed Loan of <£60,000 fo r improvement of Wanganui harbor is announced in the London market. Whether the loan will he “ floated,” or whether British lenders will take fright at the. difficulties into which the Harbor Board have got through the disastrous results of their previous expenditure, remains a moot point. Wo sympathise with the predicament in which the people of that port find themselves. If Wanganui could be made a port for European trade, that fact would react to the benefit of this district, which is likely ere long to need largo facilities for exporting directly to Britain.

Coach Changes, long expected, have been now made. The up coach commenced yesterday to make the journey in two days; from Kai Iwi to Normandy in one day, calling at Patea about 11.30 in the forenoon; and from Normanby to Stratford station for Nov' Plymouth the second day. Wc suppose the coaching will still be a daily service, an extra coach being put on each way to make up for the difference in time. The down coach passoss through Patea also at 11.30, the coaches arriving hero from opposite ways at the same hour. It is not a little surprising that this change should have been made without notice. When an eclipse is to happen, the public arc warned in advance to prepare their nerves or to make their wills ; but these coaching changes are made so suddenly, that everybody except the whips who bring the coaches and the news arc left to find out the change by losing their letters or their tempers over the departed coach. Wc all depend on the coaches more or less, in this uiirailwaycd region, and it is taking a mean advantage of our helplessness to let us find out that the coacli hour is changed, coming up with a carpet-bag after Cobb’s machine has gone on its way. The Parihaka prophet ought to have foretold this strange thing. What’s the use of having a prophet on this coast, unless ho foretells uncommon events of this sort? The Patea Light Horse mustered yesterday for their monthly inspection at Carlyle. Major Noako was rather unwell, and Captain Coworn conducted the inspection. The muster of troopers was not large, and as the total strength of the troop is under 30 at present, some distinct encouragement seems necessary to induce settlers in a thinly peopled district to give time to the drills and musters requisite to qualify them as efficient troopers. The Government do not allow the capitation fee to troopers whore the total strength is under 40. Efficiency is therefore no advantage to the trooper in this district, so far as Government regulations affect him ; yet it is in precisely such districts that volunteer cavahy is most needed to ensure peace, by keeping a well drilled body of troopers on the ffrnnml who hnow tho district intimately, and who would be vastly more valuable than ton times their number of volunteers from a distance in the event of a disturbance. Tho Government seem to want some enlightenment on a common-sense matter of this kind. They are too busy with party bickerings to attend to the real requirements of the colony as these may be ascertained by intimate Ministerial knowledge, if Ministers will only set about it in a business - like way. Tho troopers mustered at 2.30 in the afternoon, and after the regulation inspection, blank ammunition was served out to them, and at the Rifle Range they practised firing in threes, and parties, and as a troop. The members will hold their annual meeting on the 30th, to discuss matters affecting the troop.