COUNTY NEWS.

Patea Mail, 13 July 1880, Page 2

COUNTY NEWS.

Another Ciiangk in the local mails was made yesterday. The post-box at Patea closes for Waverley, Wanganui, and the South, 15 minutes earlier, namely at 10.45 forenoon. The box closes at Patea for Hawcra and the North at 12 noon.

The Sheep Inspector, Mr W. Mackenzie, requests ns to inform settlors that he will be absent a week at Wanganui, after Friday next, and any orders for the shipping of sheep should be applied for before Friday.

Orangemen celebrated the 12th July (yesterday) by banquets and other forms of demonstration, in various parts of the colony. At Christchurch the Catholic clergy warned their flocks against taking any notice of these parly anniversaries.

The County Football Match was played on the Wanganui ground on Saturday, in beautiful weather, and resulted in a complete victory for the Patea County team. That is as it ought to be. We are able to present an excellent report of the play.

In the horsewhipping case at the Wellington Custom-house, last week, the party who whipped the collector to avenge an old grievance has been sentenced to six weeks’ hard labor. We are told ho is the mildest-mannered man that ever used a horsewhip to a Government officer; so quiet, and physically so weak, that the wonder is how lie screwed his courage and his strength to the whipping point.

Doo Poisoning lias begun in Patea. Three animals ate some poisoned stuff yesterday; a young pointer, a terrier, and a retriever. Two of them died, but the terrier had an emetic given to it by its master when he observed its condition, and this saved the dog’s life. What can be the object of placing poisoned meat for dogs to pick up ? Many curs might be disposed of with advantage, if the poisoner could be sure that only useless curs will swallow the bait.

The Plains are likely to compel the attention of Parliament at an early date. Certain movements in the nature of tribal unity arc known to be going on, and these, will require more sagacious firmness on the part of pakeha officials than has been shown of late. There will have to be a change of system in the management of Maori affairs on this coast, or those affairs will soon be beyond management. When a change is made, do let us have the Native Department directed by some politician who understands the cardinal principles of human action. And do drop this nambypamby practice of treating the native chiefs like children, to be petted to-day and neglected to-morrow. The present. Native Minister is an improvement on the last, but a poor one at that. We should not care a brass farthing about his party opinions, if West Coast affairs could only be placed under a Minister equal to the situation; and that situation threatens to be graver than some complacent politicians at Wellington seem to apprehend.

John; Boyle, a soldier who served in the. 65th' Regiment during the warp and was afterwards in the A.- C. Force, was sent from ,Hawera on Thursday, and admitted into the County Hospitalpon the recommendation of Captain Wilson, J.P.

The Doctor who was charged with manslaughter at Invercargill, on the verdict of a coroner’s jury, for causing the death of a woman in labor by refusing to attend her, is now being arraigned before the R.M. Court. The evidence is not complete, and the case is adjourned till Wednesday,

The Light Horse Volunteers of Patea district mot last'night, at the Albion Hotel, and resolved to make an effort to get the corps up to the regulation strength of 40, and to have six days’ drill in September. A Cavalry Ball is to be held, to signalise the close of the exercise week.

Ned Kelly, the wounded bushranger, and only survivor of the desperate gang which so long baffled the whole police force of Victoria, and terrorised large districts, was in New Zealand a few years ago. The Bruce Herald states that he was shearing on Sir Dillon Boll’s station, near Invercargill, in the season of 1876, and passed by the name of Bill West. He was “ wanted” at the time for sheep stealing, and no wonder.

Patea Harbor has improved in an encouraging degree during the past month. The pilot repotted to the Harbor Board yesterday that the depth in the channel is now 17 feet, with 13 feet on the bar, and 23 feet at the end of the breakwater. The channel is also perfectly straight. This is the most favorable report yet received, and shows that the navigation is improving rapidly, even with the breakwater in its very unfinished state.

Twelve Tenders were scut in for the Patea section of railway, as follow ; the first being accepted, as already reported ; —Downes and Proctor (Dunedin), £16,928; Saunders (Wellington), £17,926; D. Wilkie (Wanganui), £17,903; Mace and Bassett (Patea), £18,4-36 ; T. Den by (Wanganui), £18,721 ; W. Rowe (Grcymouth), £19,732 ; J, Lockie (Wellington), £19,841; J. B. Blair (Dunedin), £19,800 ; Hunt and White (Auckland), £21,858 ; McGrath (Christchurch), £22,134 ; Dickson and Aitchison, £25,301. It will bo seen that the highest tender was sent from Patea by Messrs Dickson and Aitchison,

The Wharf Contract has been let to Mr Dickson, Patea, at £1723. Throe tenders were opened at yesterday’s meeting of the Harbor Board, as follow: Messrs Mace & Bassett, Patea, £1940; Mr Dickson, £1723; Mr Pell, Wanganui, £IBO6. The new wharf is one-

fourth section of the large wharf projected on (Sir John Goode’s plan for the town side. It will adjoin the lower wharf now used for steamers, and is designed chiefly for shipping stock, with space for general traffic. Mr Dickson, who is interested in the present contract for the breakwater, will be required to complete the wharf contract within five months from the date of signing the contract, and we believe this will be done to-day. Settlers will now see a prospect of reasonable facilities for the cattle trade of the district being provided in a short time.

The Redistribution of Seats Bile is still the subject of rumor, its provisions not being definitely known. A hint comes from Wellington, apparently from a well-informed source, that the Egmont district will remain untouched by the Bill, that the JNew Plymouth district, including Grey and Bell, will not be reduced in representative strength, but that Wanganui is likely to lose one member. The principle of distribution is believed to be this: A town of 20,000 inhabitants will be divided into four sections, like the wards of a borough, and each section Avill return its own member. A town of say 5000 would thus return one member, in this proportion. Patca County will not have to be put off without political recognition, unless the politicians within it are strangely indifferent to the importance of the present opportunity. We don’t think they are.

‘ Biglow - ’ at Windsor. —An interesting incident (says a home paper) recently occurred at Windsor Castle, when Mr James Bussell Lowell, alias Dccon Biglow, presented his credentials, was rccieved in the usual form by the Queen and dined with Her Majesty when for the first time in the history of the Victorian era, a Royal reception included the recognition of guests whose claim to honor is connection with literature. Her Majesty had, at dinner, to meet the representitive oAmcrican literature, besides the most distuinf guished intellects of England—Tennyson, Carlyle, Buskin, George Eliot, Ouida, Mr.Tom Taylor, and George Simms.