COUNTY NEWS.

Patea Mail, 7 October 1880, Page 2

COUNTY NEWS.

To Subscribers.-— Any error in accounts for the last quarter will be rectified on communicating with the manager. Occasional inaccuracies are found to have been made previous; to taking over the business from Mr Ivess, and it is; hoped these will cause no annoyance. They are purely, accidental.

The Homeward Ship Donne Castle, from Lyttelton, June 9th, reached London last Monday. The Orient Company’s steamer Aconcagua reached Adelaide on Monday. The P, and 0. Company’s Hydaspes, with the inward Suez mail, and Money Wigram’s steamship Somersetshire arrived at Melbourno on Monday. ’ The death of' an , infant child, and the narrow escape of the mother from the same fate, are reported from Hawera, where it seems an unqualified person is practising as a medical man, the law for thesnppression of charlatans not having been yet enforced in this district.

Markets will- be found on the fourth page. The Wakatu Steamer left Wanganui last night for Patea. The Maori Ploughmen are to be liber ated in batches, and about 25 are expected to be landed at New Plymouth this weak, per Hinemoa..

The working plant and stock on Mr George Tuck’s brick-yard,. near Patea bridge, have been seized under distress warrant issued by Mr F. O’S. McCarthy.

The first cargo of timber for the Patea wharf is coming from Kaipara, in a vessel owned by Messrs Guthrie and Larnacb, and may be expected shortly. Her draught with full cargo is 8 feet 6 indies. 1

The Garrick Club have been granted the use of the Council' Chamber, on terms, for private rehearsals. The Club have decided to give their first public performance in November, and the programme will b e announced in a few days.

The Creditors of Johh Wilson, merchant, Wanganui, met on Monday.. The liabilities were stated at £2,610, and the assets were likely to ,be nearly £2,0U0. The bankrupt was allowed to retain his furniture to the value of £lOl. Mr E. Wright was appointed trustee, with commission at 5 per cent. At Patea R.M. Court on Friday, Mr J. Black sued for County rates as follow Judgment by default against C. Dempsey, £3 and costs ; W. Lingard, £3 2s 7d ; J. Treweek,'jam, 5s 2d and 8s; M. Cockburn, £1 6s 6d ; W. Edwards, £1 18s 6d ; J, Vincent, £3 15s 6d ; with costs in each case ; also F. Bailey, 10s, paid into Court. The Depuiy Land Tax Commissioner sued Mr F. McGuire for £1 17s 2d, land tax. The amount was paid into Court.

The cricket match at Patea, married v> single, will be resumed on Saturday, when twelve players for each' side will he chosen from amongst those whose names are mentioned, and arc on the ground when play commences : —Messrs F. T. Horner, Coutts, Pringle, Jacomb, Dixon, W. Dasenl, Heenan, Tonnent,Taplin, Baggett, Fraser, Drake, Nicholson. Turner, May, Arundell, Shields, O’Grady, Croft, Fetch, Kitching, Houghton, A. Black, Cowern, Eyton, E. 0. Horner, Deere,-Fair-elongli, Forster, Gibbons, Chapman, Owen, and Read. Play will commence at 1.30 sharp.

Reductions are being made among the higher officers of the civil service. The native Minister has found that Major Brown can he dispensed with. Alb (ho police inspectors in Canterbury and Westland have received notice of discharge at the end of December. Many of these officers arc known to be excellent public servants, and on this coast Major Brown is distinguished as an officer of. superior intelligence as a commissioner of native affairs. It is known that the mysterious vouchors which Mr Bryce alluded to in Parliament have been cleared up by fuller inquiry. It is said Major Brown is going into business at New Plymouth.

Five Hundred Acres on the Wnimate Plains have heen applied for as an endowment to the Wanganui Education Board for high school purposes. It should. be understood that high school education is for the children of parents who are in a position to expect and demand a superior class of teaching for their children. We do not think they are the persons most in need of charity ; and it would be an unhealthy policy to give 600 acres of land for such a purpose when other claims for land endowment are more urgent in the public interest. If the claims which arc more urgent were first satisfied, we should not consider the request of Wanganui as unreasonable.

We understand it is the intention of the Comity Council to exercise the powers of a Wellington provincial ordiance south of the Patea river,, in reference: to heavy dray traffic over the County road. The carting of heavy pile timber from- Waitotara to the Patea wharf is likely to cut up the road in excess of the usual traffic ; and the County Council intend.to enforce the following ordinance : —Whenever it shall appear to the satisfaction of any Highway Board that the weight carried on vehicles having the breadth of thei l ' wheels less than five inches requires to be restricted . , . all vehicles will f be

subject to a penalty of not less than one shilling per hundredweight or fractional pai;t so carried above the weight of one ton five hundredweight on two wheels, or two tons ten hundredweight on four wheels.” The ordinance protects from damage “for any necessary delay in ascertaining the said weight.” The weight of timber might be ascertained by measurement. ; i

The Homeward Mail via ’Frisco closes

in Patea this evening, seven o’clock.

The Plains Road from Manaia to.Normnnby is formed 3£ miles.

A Fine of £25 is inflicted on J. F. Rockstraw at Foxton for, practising medicine without legal qualification;

The Salaries of the Clerk and the Engineer to the County Council are to be reduced after three months. -

Another Death has resulted from the Rimutaka disaster, that of Stanley Nicholas, Featherston.

The Charge against W. L. Pees and others of forcibly entry, at Gisborne, has been dismissed.

■Rabbit Skins sent from Dunedin to New York, have been made into §oft felt hats, and returned to Dunedin for sale.

Salvage from the Rangatira was sold on . Saturday at New Plymouth, and the bidding was spirited. Some small parcels realised over the retail price. They like good bargains at Now Plymouth.

Horses are being driven from Waverley for shipment at Waitara, a distance of eighty miles. They pass through Patea, the natural port of the district, because no regular shipping trade is opened between this port and Manakau,

Mb Parnell has commenced a fresh agitation in Ireland on the rent question. He made strong speeches at Kilkenny and Cork. A reward of £I,OOO is offered for the discovery of the murderers of Viscount Montnorris, who was shot dead in his carriage at Denham a few days ago.

The Town Board of Patea is falling into loose habits of business. The Works Committee is constituted pnoo a year, but the present Committee has been doing business without electing a chairman. It does not appear to us reasonable to oppose the Committee on technical ground, it being an apparent oversight, but a protest against business done in this irregular manner appears reasonable and necessary.

Wiienuakuba School. —A special meeting of the Committee was held on Thursday last, all the members being present, to inquire into a complaint made by Mr Hugh McLnnglilan. After careful consideration of all the circumstances, the following resolution was passed: “That this Committee having heard the complaint of Mr McLoughlin as to the treatment of his daughter Mary on the Ist September last, are of opinion that no evidence has been adduced to show any unnecessary punishment, but would recommend -the teacher not to keep young children after school hours in the afternoon.”

An Accident of a serious nature happened on Tuesday at Manutahi to a lad of 13 named Guslav Nichol, in the employment of Mr Foreman. The hoy had been endeavouring to catch a horse, which had shown itself a singularly quiet and manageable animal on all previous occasions, but something frightened it and it started to run, when the boy’s leg became entangled in the rope, and lie was dragged twice round a large paddock before the rope caught against a tree and fortunately broke. His cries arrested the attention of some passer-by, and he was removed to Mr Foreman’s house. Dr Keating was telegraphed for, and arrived promptly from Patea. The boy’s injuries were dressed, and he was carefully. removed to the Patea Hospital, where he now. lies. The injury is a very severe one* Both bones of the - leg were broken, and were protruding through the skin in such a way that their , replacement could only be effected by enlarging the wound, and removing fragments of broken bone. It is very probable that the limb will require to be amputated, but it was thought better to defer this, even at some additional risk to life, while there appears any possibility of the limb being preserved. The boy is bright and intelligent, and bore his reVnovaTand'sucb suffering as could .not be altogether assuaged with decided fortitude. A Quarrel is raging at Auckland between Mr Lingard, manager, of the : opera company now performing “ H.M.S. Pinafore, ” and the Star newspaper. , The reporter gave an unfavorable notice, and the manager then excluded him. Letters hot and strong are appearing in the local press, and the exhibition of spite and bad grammar isaltogetherridiculou's. Mr Bain, M.H.R. for Invercargill, has divided his : honorarium thus : ho) pockets one-half, and divides the rest- (£B4) between the local Hospital and the Benevolent Institution.

Otago .Coal, brown lignite, has been tried for steam regeneration on the local railways, and failed, the engine coining to a standstill after each short run.