COUNTY NEWS.

Patea Mail, 30 October 1880, Page 2

COUNTY NEWS.

The Weekly Supplement of 14 columns is given with this issue of the Mail. Sec fourth page for Markets, Bank report, Exhibition gossip, Survey party lost, No more drowning, &c. At Waitara, the Harbor Board have just sold the leases of a number of reserve sections in the township. The' Auckland Herald says that owing to a scarcity of stock at present in the Waitara district, the p.s. Hauraki has been laid up for a time. Tenders were received in Wellington for the Uronui Road Bridge contract as follow:—Mr Cleary, Wellington (accepted) £981; Mr Walton Pell, £993 *, Alexander and McFarlano, Wanganui, £1114; Mr Basset, Stratford, £1101; Messrs, Berry and Newman, New Plymouth, £1175 : Messrs Harris & Gorie, Patea, £1387.

Messrs Williams Brothers have obtained several ?■ orders at. Wanganui for buggies, in consequence of taking first prize for a double-seated buggy at the Agricultural Show. One ot the judges said it was the best finished article he hud seen in the colony. A complete new workshop is to be built to accommodate the increasing business at the Patea Coach Factory. A new morning paper is projected in Wellington, on the co-operative principle. Twelve compositors are invite! to join in working without wages. It is to be hoped they will have more business shrewdness, for no speculation is so risky as a morning newspaper on a large scale, and none less likely to succeed in the present condition of Wellington. There is something wrong at Taranaki. Straws are useful to show the direction of the wind, even in politics. The Herald says, “ We feel convinced that Sir Dillon’s appointment will be universally disapproved of, as he is thoroughly unfitted for the office of Agent-General, and he avill not be long in that position before the Colony finds out to its cost the mistake made by the Ministry in this matter.” The Agricultural Dinner on the evening of the Show-day ought to bo an attractive event. The most important County gathering in the year ought to be the agricultural dinner. Covers will be laid for about eighty members and supporters of the Society. We are not informed of the names of guests invited from a distance, as public representatives and speakers ; but it would be regrettable if such representative neighbors as Major Atkinson, Mr Bryce, and Mr Pal lance do not lend their countenance and their eloquence to impart a proper representative character to this gathering of West Coast settlers.

The First Prize for a double-seated buggy at the Wanganui Agricultural Show on Thursday was awarded to the “commercial buggy” sent from the Patea Coach Factory. Messrs Williams Brothel's arc to bo congratulated on their creditable and welcome success against all competitors on the West Coast. The Abbott commercial buggy with which they took the prize was a remarkably neat specimen of carriage-building, and the more creditable for a new district, as every part was made in the place except the lamps. It was just a little amusing to observe the Wanganui Chronicle report this award as “ Double buggy, Ist prize Mr Abbott,” Who is tins Mr Abbott? There is an Abbott in America who introduced this stylo of buggy, and it is of ton called the Abbott buggy ; but how does the Chronicle make out that the Ist prize was awarded to Mr Abbott ? Wo must take it that if a prize were given for the best Wellington boot, the Wanganui paper would chronicle it as a prize awarded to the Duke of Wellington, or perhaps to the city of Wellington, fs reporting intelligence at a low ebb in Wanganui.

The Fish Ova for Patea river were taken up stream before daylight on Thursday morning, they having arrived from Lyttelton on Wednesday afternoon. Mr Sherwood took charge of them, as representing the Acclimatisation Society, and turned them into the river at a gravelly shallow above the first eel-weir. They headed up stream in a small compact group, and seemed quite lively after the confinement in a portable tank from Monday to Thursday. They continued steadily up stream, being watched from the boat a long distance. About fifty ova had sunk to the bottom dead, at the place where the tank was emptied. This small supply of salmon-trout will be inappreciable in a largo river lor many years to come, and it is desirable that the Society should obtain farther consignments as frequently as may be practicable. This so-called salmon trout is a dainty fish supposed to be a cross between the two varieties. It has the shape of a tront, with whitish flesh, yet the flavour is distinctly that of genuine salmon. It is so in England, and is sold in large quantities in London, where people buy it in the belief that it is young salmon.

Sin Arthur Gordon, the new Governor, is said to be a Roman Catholic. Reductions in the Victoria Civil Service are being made wholesale. Eighty-five officers of Customs have been dismissed, with salaries from £IOOO downwards, the saving being about £20,000 a year. The Triad of Kelly, the bushranger, is postponed. A Melbourne telegram says Mr Molesworth, on behalf of Kelly, moved for the postponement till next sittings, on the ground that the prisoner had had neither the time nor the means to prepare his defence, Mr Justice Barry replied that the prisoner had had the opportunity of seeing his attorney twice a week. The Crown would provide any counsel he nominated. He therefore refused the application. On the case being again called, the application was renewed, on the above grounds, when the Court granted a postponement until the 28th. Coaching is going “ off its track ” in this district. Two “ accidents ”in one day are too much. Accident No. 1 was that serious senseless nearly-man-slaughtcr smash against Manawapou bridge on Wednesday afternoon. We call that an “ accident” merely to distinguish it from murder. Accident No. 2 happened the same night in this same district. The up coach reaching Patea about 9-30 brought the South mail fer Patea post-office brought it, and took it back next morning, leaving us all lamenting for our lost letters, and asking anxiously if another coach had been smashed against some other bridge. It is supposed or hoped that this return mail bag did not get carried beyond Wanganui southward ; but none of us know for certain whether our letters by Wednesday’s evening mail have been returned to Patea or not. Nothing less than a Royal Commission of enquiry will satisfy the public doubts and anxieties as to the whereabout of that derelict mail-bag.

Wellington is laughing over a really clever joke. Wellington lias a journal which claims to be the “ leading journal ”of the colony. People are exceptionally critical of a leading journal which doesn’t know how to lead, and cannot even follow. The new manager has made the leading journal absurdly pompous and stupid, so that Wellingtoniaus arc making fun of him for not setting the harbor on fi ,- c. Now that the Empire City has disbanded its fire brigade, the people might console themselves in having a leading journal which will always be handy as a “ wet blanket” to smother even a conflagration. That is no joke ; but a joke that was a joke has been printed by the “ leading journal” with charming innocence, “ Cecilia ” sent a “ pome ” to the editor —a nice poem, neatly turned; and the editor printed it. Wherever he went next day, he heard people laughing and sniggering ; but he didn’t see the joke, nor even smell a rat. Jokes don’t penetrate sometimes, without a surgical operation. This one didn’t, for the editor of the leading journal ia a serious person. Cecilia’s little poem was an acrostic. The initial letters of the first stanza formed the editor’s name; and the initials of the other lines suggested “he is an idiot.” This was clearly libellous ; but as the editor had printed it in his own journal, he decided not to sue himself for damages. The acrostic reads thus: Changed, did you say I The change is not in me. How many years have passed since first wc met, And pledged our troth, and felt that but to be. Nay, but to breathe the self same air, and whet The appetite of love ou mutual smiles and tears Revealed the wealth of all this world can give, Even through the vista of all coming years. Yet do you say I’m changed ! and still I live. Is not the change in you who charge me so ? Say, has not Time bedimmed the earlier love And light of youth? and yeti am your wife! Nay, scorn me not— I am your wife, you cannot say me no. Days, months, nay years may pass my head, In weary following, until that welcome day— Othat it were at once, when in my narrow bed The love and wrongs of life might be forgot for aye, —Cecilia.

.Captain.. Johnson, late Secretary to the Marine Department, has declined to accept office in a lower , grade; and. has elected to retire from the ’service on compensation allowance. Actions for compensation are talked of in connection with the coach collision. We think a test action would have a whplesome effect in checking reckless or careless driving in this coaching district; and we hold a strong opinion that public subscriptions would be forthcoming, if required, in the shape of a guarante for law costs. In reducing the staff of the Auckland Lauds Court Department, four officials retire, but the youngest of the young clerks is retained and one of longer service dispensed with. There must be a reason. The only reason offered is that the youngest clerk “ is an excellent player on the violoncello.” That is reason enough to satisfy anybody, and we hope the Premier will keep his weather eye on that excellent young violoncellist. The Land Sales at Hawera on Thursday and yesterday were largely attended, especially at the sale of cash sections yesterday. A report will be found elsewhere. The prices were lower on the average than had been expected, the highest cash section going lor £8 ss. All the 88 cash sections were sold. Of the deferred payment sections, 11 remain open for selection. Mr Wray, Land Commissioner, acted as auctioneer; and bidders say he screwed the last shilling out of them by “ prolonging the agony” before knocking down each section. This ought to be a compliment. The Finance Committee of the Education Board at Wanganui have presented a lengthy report anent a petition from teachers in the “ country districts ” alleging unequal reductions in salary as compared with teachers in the Wanganui high school. The conclusion is that the Committee “ cannot recommend that any alteration should be made in the scale adopted by the Board at its last meeting, with the exception of an amendment of a minor nature. They would suggest that up te an average attendance of 80, an intermediate advance of £5 per annum should be made for every additional five scholars.”

Huuseholdkks in Palea arc warned not to go early to bed next Tuesday evening; for the Fire Brigade have arranged a plot for alarming the town with the new fire bell, just hung in the juvenile Tower of Babel near the Court House. People who don’t read newspaper advertisements—if there be any such unpoctical souls among us—will run serious risk of having their nerves unstrung by the u clang and clash and roar ” of the fire bell on this occasion. The Captain of the Brigade protects himself against actions for damages by publishing official warning of his intention to frighten the whole township out of its wits (if any) next Tuesday.

Church BAZAARS.— The Primate of the Church of England, in the course of his opening address to the members of the Diocesan Synod, at Christchurch, took occasion to comment very strongly on the practice of holding bazaars and entertainments in aid of funds for church purposes, and the Press says that, judging from the very hearty applause which greeted thispart of his Lordship’ address, the majority of the members of the Synod held similar views on the subject to those expressed in the address.

A Strong Charge. —Mr Parnell made a speech at Galway, in which he stated that he considered the House of Lords and Mr Forster, the Chief Secrotay for Ireland, were answerable for the murders which have been committed, lie further said he believed that the sole remedy for the state of affairs which at present existed in Ireland was local autonomy.

Large Trout. —A trout (male) measuring 35in in length, and weighing close on 121b, was taken from the Sling River, Otago. It was a splendid specimen, although in low condition. Several parties have been very successful this season, having got some largo baskets, the fish weighing mostly from 51b to 61b.

As much as £90,000 a year is sent out of the colony for fruit that could be grown in New Zealand.