County News.

Patea Mail, Volume VI, Issue 541, 3 July 1880, Page 2

County News.

The Weekly Settlement will be given with the Mail next Tuesday. Inward Shit. —The Parcora, from London, with passengers, reached Wellington on Thursday. Fine Arts are to be promoted by a society just started at Christchurch, called the Canterbury Society of Arts. At Hokitika, Mr Callishaw, a local tradesman, has been drowned while stepping from the Albion steamer to the tender in the roadstead. Thlegbatii Offices arc to bo closed in all towns at five o’clock, opening at seven p.m. for despatch of late messages during one hour. Customs duties at Wellington for June amounted to £15,095 ; the Customs duties at the same port for the quarter ending June amounted to £40,089, being an increase of £5352 on the corresponding quarter of last year. The Kelly Sensation is at an end. The bodies of the dead outlaws have been bulled without any demonstration of sympathisers, and without a formal inquest. Our cable despatches present the latest reports from the district. The Native Lands Court will commence its sittings at the Patea Court House next Wednesday ; and the claims to bo enquired into will involve the hearing of so many witnesses as to native pedigree and tribal location on particular clearings, that the Judge and his Assessors arc likely to be occupied two or three weeks.

Lawn Tennis and bowling are to be promoted at Christchurch by a club started on the basis of a limited company. Grounds and conveniences for these pleasant outdoor games are to be provided on a luxurious scale. The social charm of a colonial town is much enhanced by co‘ operative enjoyments of this character, and there seems to be room in more thru one town in this district to do on a smaller scale what Christchurch is doing in metropolitan style. The Chairman of the Harbor Board will proceed to Wellington early next week, to carry out the resolution of the Board relating to the raising of funds for prosecuting the navigation work at the heads. The Patea Harbor having proved so remarkably successful, as compared with similar experiments in other rivers, there ought to be little difficulty in demonstrating to the Government that Patea is better entitled, as a proved success, to have its river works completed, than is New Plymouth to be allowed to throw gold into the sea by bucket-fuls, for no appreciable benefit. New Plymouth has been fed on official sops too long for a robust colony to tolerate the costly coddling. That farce is played out ; and like people returning from a bad play, we want our money back.

Economy. —lt is said that the Goverment finding that the duties of the New Zealand land Commisoners consist now merely of adjudicating some twenty claims —when tl ey are sent in—do not intend to fill up the vacant office, but attach the remaining duties to the department of some existing Goverhment official.

The Opposition in the House have undergone sudden reconstruction. Sir Geo. Grey is pushed aside as an impracticable leader—the which must have been patent to all experienced politicians,—and Mr Macandrew is quietly relegated to a second place, in company with Mr Ballance. The new leader, the coming man, is Mr Ormond. If be will put forward a sensible policy of reform, and will suppress all tendency in his fiery lieutenants to grasp at power prematurety, ho will have much sympathy in the difficult position he has to fill as Opposition leader. Let him try to lift party politics above the low level of dishonorable selfishness and mean illiberality which have marked the public affairs of this colonj’.