COUNTY NEWS.

Patea Mail, 28 August 1880, Page 2

COUNTY NEWS.

A Webky Supplement of 14 columns is presented with this issue of the Mail. The police force is being reduced by 42 men in the North Island and G3 in the South.

There are about 2d,000 sheep fewer in this district than last year. The total is over 88,000.

Tim two contingents of unemployed in the Patea district now number about 97 men, a few having-left the spado work at the railway camps. The Picton coal recently discovered is not the common brown lignite, but an excellent marketable article. The seam is 14 feet thick, and abuts on deep water, thus greatly cheapening the cost of getting and shipment.

It is stated that the horses which Sir Hercules Robinson had entered for the Canterbury spring meeting will perform their engagements. This is a proper example of that rare quality, turf honor. Building Plots around Patea arc rising in value. Two sections have been disposed of along the hill known as Sherwood’s cliff, north of the Hospital, and a good house is in course of erection on one of them. We hear that Mr Sherwood has just refused an offer of £95 for another acre section for building. Mr. W. Dixon, Patea, has disposed of his ironmongery business, through Mr Dale’s agency, to Mr Foreman, storekeeper, Manutahi. Mr Dixon’s business as a painter and decorator will bo continued in his former premises opposite the Court House.

Rifle Shooting. —The second competition for the Williams Martini rifle will take place to-day at the Carlyle range. Captains of the various county companies have been notified of the event, and it is expected that a goodly number of competitors will take part.

Parliament is expected to rise early next week.

Felt Hats are being manufactured from rabbit skins at Dunedin.

Archer the Derby jockey made £II,OOO last year iii retaining fees and tips. A Prime Minister of the British Empire, who carries, the world on his shoulders like Atlas, has to put up with a beggarly allowance of £5,000 a year —and no tips.

Whenuakura. —A meeting of the principal householders in the Wbcnuakura school district was .held on Wednesday evening, when it was unanimousl}' resolved to contribute the sum of 2s 6d per head per quarter, equivalent to the capitation grant lately withdrawn by the Board.

The proposal to lease the late Mr Rhodes’s land north of the Sandhills as a show-ground for the Agricultural and Pastoral Association has fallen through, after a protracted negotiation. The trustees appear unable to deal with the land at present. The Association has subleased the large paddock of Mr H. I. Davis, convenient!}' near Patea township, for a period of 94 years.

Four Sections of the new allotments in the Ngaire district have been applied for by three applicants, the land being open on and after last Saturday. One applicant has got his section ; the others are to be put up to auction. The inaccessiblcness of this new district, since the Moun-tain-road became so bad with neglect of the Government, has probably deterred many from applying for this bush land. Another remarkable instance of the preference of N.Z. securities in the Home market is shown in the case of the Auckland city loan. The amount wanted was £55,000, at six per cent.; and lenders tendered for £335,000, about six times the amount required ; the average price offered being at a good premium, namely £llO 5s per £IOO stock. All the N.Z. Government stock is also quoted at premiums of 4 and 44.

Attack on the School Inspector.— At the last meeting of the Education Board at Wanganui, Mr Sanson moved that the Inspector, Mr Foulis, be dismissed after November 30th, having failed to perform his duties satisfactorily. Mr Notman seconded. Allusion was made to Mr Foulis’s credentials, which were described as of the highest character. After an angry discussion, the tone of which was discreditable to an Education Board, the motion was negatived, 2 voting for and 6 against it.

The Fat Lady and the Two-headed Nightingale arc superseded by the Elective Boy. Ho is the latest novelty, a walking conundrum, a sort of nature-freak that puzzles all the scientific professors. This Electric Boy takes you by the hand, and shocks 3’ou. Your nervous system twitches all over at once, with a more touch of that boy’s hand. The boy is seventeen years old, aud this electric phenomenon is said to be the result of a severe ilness. No sooner did ho recover than he took to a shocking career. His touch was like that of an electric battery, and he is now delivering quivering shivering shocks to all and sundry of visitors who introduce themselves to him with a shake of the hand. The Electric Boy is now on exhibition at Sydney, but Barnum is sure to get him sooner or later.

Mr Robert Wilson, aged 58 years, died at Wanganui on Wednesday. Formerly a settler at Dry River, Wairarapa Valley, Mr Wilson sold out about 8 years ago, went to England, brought out a saw-mill plant, and various useful agricultural implements ; and on his return about six years ago he settled at Normanby, where he started the Ketemarae Saw Mill (now owned by Mr James Robson), which has aided to a large extent the growth of the townships of Hawcra and Normanby. Mr Wilson introduced the first steam threshing machine to this district, thereby stimulating the growth of grain. He was widely known and much esteemed, being shrewd but modest and retiring, Few were more plucky in enterprise, and he was every ready to advise or practically aid any useful industry or any deserving settler. After disposing of his saw mill and other property at Normanby, he resided for some time at Havvera, being there elected a member of the County Council; but health failing, he moved to the genial climate of Nelson. He passed through Patea only a few days ago, having come with his wife to visit two married daughters settled near Hawera. Business called him to Wanganui last week, his wife remaining at Hawera, and he had a severe attack of bronchitis, and died in an hotel. Mr and Mrs W. Williams were telegraphed for on Thursday, and left Patea immediately for Wanganui.

Mr Fraser, surveyor, is removing to Hawera. The s.s. Zanzibar has foundered on a voyage from New York to Loudon. Disastrous weather has damaged crops in the west of England. Mr Gladstone has again remitted 15 per cent rental to his tenants in Flintshire. Canadian riflemen have been defeated in England by Cheshire volunteers, by 1314 against 1306. Bradlaugh has been served with a writ for voting on the Irish Distress Bill. His right to vote is questioned by sticklers for precedent. Exemption below £SOO for the Property Tax is expected to be lowered to £3OO, to increase the revenue, as a makeweight for reducing the sixpenny duty on beer. Four hundred houses have been injured by a gas explosion in London. The mains burst in Tottenham-court road. Two persons were killed and 30 injured. Captain Wray has presented two guineas to the Volunteer fund of the Patea corps ; and at the last meeting of the company he was elected an honorary member. A double wedding has taken place at Nelson, two daughters of Captain Cross, harbor master, being married at the same time. Eighty guests were at the breakfast, which must also be described as a double one. A journal at Wanganui advertises by poster that it has “ the largest circulation in the counties of Manawatu, Rangitikei, Wanganui, and Patea.” Does the manager intend that as a joke ? With three of those counties we have nothing to do, although the Mail has subscribers in each of them ; but as to the Patea County, we have to inform the manager that his education is seriously deficient, and that if he will kindly inspect the subscribers’ list at the County Mail office, he will find no Wanganui journal can honestly claim to circulate more than one-tenth the number of the Mail in this County. He had better correct that poster, for his own credit.

The Rjele Cadets at Patea held a meeting last evening, and resolved to hold a Cadets’ Ball in a fortnight. These brave young defenders are desirous to take the ladies under their safe protection ; and the most feasible way of doing this with true military gallantry is to fix the Town Hall as a rallying point for timid ladies of tender years, and there shield them from war’s alarms by acting as a faithful bodyguard—throwing, as it were, their strongarms around those timid maidens, and assuring them that a soldier’s gallant breast is their safest shield against danger. Young Patea is going ahead ! We elder parties will soon be nowhere. Ladies will languish for brave young warriors who are the pink of military perfection in a Patea ball-room.

A Special Distaly of Meat was open last evening to Patca householders at Mr W. Colson’s. Christmas “ prize meat ”is out of season in this hemisphere, and as butchers cannot rule the scasonr, they must let the seasons rule them in fixing that great event of a butcher’s year, the annual meat show. Mr Colson seems to have been biding his time, and has fixed upon early lamb as his speciality. It is remarkably early to see half a dozen lambs dressed on the hooks, and apparently about six. weeks old. This is bringing lambs to the sacrifice long before the green peas are ready. These lambs are from the farm of Mr W. Gower. Two splendid heifers from the same farm were also hung, weighing nearly nine hundredweight each, and prime beef they makeAlong with this special show of lamb and beef were hung some choice and heavy 7 carcases of sheep, bred and fed by Mr Hunter Shaw ; also sucking pigs, pork, fat turkeys and other home-fed poultry) This sort of “ bazaar ” spoils the appetite for commoner fare.

The County Petitions relating to the Plains and the Railway are now reported upon by the parliamentary committees to which they 7 were referred. On the petition urging a speedy settlement of the Plains, the Waste Lands Committee report their opinion that this petition should be referred to the Government for consideration. The Railway petition was referred to Committee on Public Petitions, and they now recommend that the Government take this into consideration. The petition urged Parliament to cause such action to be taken as shall insure that the main line of railway from Wanganui to Waitara (the portion now in slow progress of construction) will be completed with reasonable soeed.

Mr Bryce is expected at the Constabulary camp near Parihaka. Mr Berry, private secretary, is travelling with the Minister.

A Question has been asked in the Assembly this week, at the instance of Mr McLean, of Waverley (whose brother was shot on the Momahaki Block}, whether any steps are being taken to bring the murderer Hiroki to justice. The Native Minister replied that it would be injudicious to state at present what steps were being taken to deal with Hiroki and other supposed criminals on the West Coast. In the estate of George Beamish, Oeo Hotel, a petition was presented to Parliament by Mr Dale, as creditors’ trustee, claiming compensation for loss sustained through the Licensing- Court at New Plymouth refusing to renew his license on the ground that a native outbreak was appiehended. As Mr Beamish was unable to pay his creditors, through being deprived of his license, the Government were now asked for compensation. The Committee on Public Petitions have reported that the colony is not liable for the loss, as the hotel was in a purely native district, where a disturbance was apprehended .