PATEA COUNTY MAIL PUBLISHED Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1881.

Patea Mail, 5 February 1881, Page 2

PATEA COUNTY MAIL PUBLISHED Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1881.

It is supposed everybody knows there will be a cricket match at Patea to-day between Kakarameans and Pateans commencing at half-past one o’clock, and that town and country will muster in strength. The seamen on coastal steamers appear to be making a determined stand for the eight-hour movement. Some of the crews have been sent to gaol for refusing duty. Amongst others the seamen of s.s. Patea are reported as out on strike. The strike has caused much excitement in Wellington. A telegram received yesterday afternoon by the manager, stated that terms had been arranged with the seamen of the s.s. Patea, and the strike so far as they were concerned being ended, the steamer had left Wellington at three o’clock—may therefore be expected this morning. Schaefer, the well-known German traveller, who some years ago attempted to commit suicide in Wellington, has been sent to Callin Park Asylum, Victoria, in consequence of temporary aberration of mind. A gratis advertising sheet has been started in Wellington. The opening announcement says—“ We don’t aim at being journalists, but merely the medium of advertising at a fair rate of charges.” The Library Committee of the Canterbury College Board of Governors has recommended that the Reference Library and the Reading Room shall be open on Sundays at certain hours during the afternoon and evening. A trial of twine, manufactured by Messrs Hayman Bros, of Kiapoi, from native flax fibre, for reaper and binder purposes,was lately conducted at the farm of Mr Thomas Pashby, Elmwood. A Peering and a McCormick were both employed in the trial, which took place in a moderately heavy crop of Hunter’s white wheat, and the twine appeared to give every satisfaction.

Tnc schooner Wild Wave, coal laden, in entering Patca river on Thursday, ran too close in shore and stuck inside the breakwater. The Resident Magistrate being absent from Patea yesterday several cases down for hearing were adjourned to next week, amongst them one against Louis, the hawker, for criminal assault on a girl. The section of New Plymouth railway to Eltham will be opened on Monday, the day of the Taranaki harbor demonstration. To enable the country settlers to take part in the demonstration, a train will leave Eltham in the morning, and return in the evening, carrying passengers both ways for a single fare. The rapidly increasing population of Patea has lead to inquiry as to number of householders and ratepayers as a preliminary step towards forming a Municipality. It is found that moderate extension of town boundaries would give the requisite number of ratepayers, and it is not unlikely further steps may shortly be taken in the direction indicated. Books of Reference. —Mr W. L. Weiss writes in explanation of the motion moved by him at the annual meeting of the Patea Institute as follows ;—That in his opinion, “ the books of reference at present kept in the Library should be transferred to a suitable place in the Reading-room. There is in the Institute an Encyclopajdia which cost about £lO, and a Dictionary worth about £4. It is not permitted to take these works from the Institute, and they have hitherto been available only when the Library was open. It occurred to some subscribers that these works would be of increased used if placed where they would be more accessible; hence my resolution.” At the request of the Wanganui Exhibition Committee Mr Kenworthy has agreed to receive and forward exhibits, comprising all kinds in art, science, industry, natural history, curiosities, raw material, and produce. Freight will be defrayed by the Wanganui Committee which will hold itself responsible for the care and safe return of exhibits. The Secretary suggests the formation of a local sub-committee to act with Mr Kenwortby to canvas for exhibits and generally to promote success. Several Patea residents have already promised exhibits. In the order of procession on the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone of New Plymouth harbor, the Patea County Council is supposed to be represented, the place assigned being between the Taranaki County Council and members of Parliament. The stone is to be laid at 3 p.m. by Mr F. A. Carrington, and a trowel, for the purpose, is to be made out of Taranaki ironsand. There will be a torch-light procession in the evening, terminating at Poverty Flat, where the fireworks will take place. The public offices will be closed, and the Banks shut at noon. The day being a general holiday all Taranaki is expected to participate in the demonstration. As well as the banquetting at Invercargill, Major Atkinson and Mr Oliver were treated as follows :—An excited crowd assembled on the railway platform, and relieved their feelings by tremendous hooting, groaning, and howling, like a menagerie broken loose. The noise was audible more than half-a-mile off. The Ministers declined to enter a cab, and walked, followed by the crowd hooting to the hotel. Being hard pressed once or twice, Major Atkinson turned upon his pursuers, and exchanged chaff, but not being backed up by his friends, who evidently were in a hurry to get into shelter, had to give way. He continued, however, to perform the duty of rear guard with admirable coolness, and was the last man off the street. Messrs Oliver and Bain were special marks of popular disapprobation, and evidently felt the humiliation keenly. A few over-ripe eggs were thrown after the party as they entered the hotel. Growling was kept up for some time but no personal violence was done. The proceedings wound up with three cheers for Sir George Grey.

The death of Mrs Anna Maria Hall, Irish authoress, is announced by cable. A Maori and a European lad have been arrested on suspicion of firing haystacks, the property of Mr Wright, of East Tamaki, Auckland. The cargo of the steamer Northumberland, which left Wellington on the Ist instant, for London direct, was valued at £122,000. The Taranaki Herald Plains correspondent telegraphed : The natives appear anxious for the sub-division of their holdings, and Sir William Fox is likely to have a busy time of it. The Ratepayers of Rangitikei County are discussing the important question of endowments, as well as the minor question of merging the Road Board in the County Council. At a meeting of creditors of H. limes a Wellington grocer, the liabilities were set down at £3,320, assets £2606. The debtor proposed to pay a dividend of 4s 6d in the £ on the debts proved—--2s in two months, and 2s 6d in four months on bills guaranteed by Mr Waterhouse, and the proposition was accepted without discussion. The following nominations have been made for the Wanganui Harbor Board: Messrs Ballance, F. R. Jackson, Cornfoot, C. S. Cross, G. Howe, G. Carson, F. J. Jones, and James Laird. For the County, Messrs D. G. Poison and W. Lowes were nominated, and declared duly elected, there being no other candidates for the office. The Directors of the Wellington Gas Company after paying an interim dividend at the rate of 6 per cent., recommend in the annual report the payment of 6£ per cent., making 124 per cent, tor the year. The number of consumers’ meters in use is now 1,677 —an increase of 175 during the year; 2 gas engines are at work, and the use of gas stoves is increasing. The Auckland Gas Company has declared a dividend of 15 per cent. The Harbor Engineer, New Plymouth, has submitted the following memorandum to the Chairman of the Board—“ With respect to the possibility of manufacturing Portland cement of good quality from local materials, I have procured the clays and limes, &c., similar to those used in the Portland cement factories of England, and have submitted them to Dr Hector for analysis. I find that the component parts coincide with the specification submitted to me by Mr Reid as fit material for the manufacture of Portland cement. lam further of opinion that the Board can manufacture Portland cement at 50s per ton, delivered at the works.” A correspondent writing to the Taranaki Herald says :—“ The farming pursuits in the Waitara are looking much better than I have ever seen before. Grass has been plentiful, and still continues looking as fresh as in the spring. The hay crops have been good, and, in most cases have been saved in good order. Root crops throughout the district are looking well, although the bird pest has been severe on the turnips. The grain crops, notwithstanding the late wet weather, promise to be good; and if the present fine weather continues there will be some good yields, if saved in good condition. Harvesting has now commenced, but there is not such a large amount of grain this year as last.” At a meeting of the Taranaki Harbor Board on Tuesday, a statement of the expenditure from its formation to the 31st December, 1880, was laid on the table. It shows—Management, £5054 11s 4d; Endowment, £3311 12s 7d ; Loan, £4736 4s 7d ; Harbor Master’s Department, £609 17s Id; Buildings, £563 7s 4d; Plant and materials, £11,646 9s Id; Harbor Works, labour, &c., £16,032 15s 3d. Total, £41,954 17s 3d.—ln reply to questions it was stated that at the end of the year there was £153,000 in the bank bearing interest; that when the plant had been landed and they were ready to commence the second section of the works that about £60,000 of the loan would have been expended.

The man named . Johnston who was J killed by the fall of the scaffolding at Waikanae Bridge, leaves a wife and three children. The Gulf of Finland, a steamer of the Thames and Mersey line, left the East India Docks on the 11th of December, for Australian ports. Other steamers of the same line will follow at intervals. At the thirteeiflh half-yearly meeting of the Colonial Bank held at Dunedin on the 25th January, Mr G. M‘Lean, the Chairman, in moving the adoption of the report, said it would be seen from the Bank’s account that their business, as formerly, had been very favorable, and was now just in a sound and prosperous condition. So far as the reduction of dividend from 8 per cent, to 6 per cent., or from 4 per cent, to 3 per cent, for the half-year was concerned, that was to be accounted for by various reasons, and was not attributed to bad debts. The Bank had been particularly free from debts during the half-year. ■ The Auckland Free Lance says—- * That the secular system of education is generally approved of by the householders in this province is plainly shown by the late meetings held for election of school committees. In a good many cases a direct motion to that effect was unanimously carried, and in no case at all did the advocates of “ Bible-in-school’ doctrines secure a victory. There is a well-known proverb, “ Let well alone,” but in all ages and in all places there have been ignorant, designing, or evilminded men only too willing to destroy that which is good, to gratify some little weakness or foible of their own, no matter what the cost, or what may be the general bad result. A representative of an eminent Glasgow firm, is now in New Zealand, The firm to which he is attached are large dealers in oats and oatmeal, and their usual source of supply is now and for years has been the United States. The demand for oats is increasing, and the samples of New Zealand oats sent Home attracted the attention and admiration of dealers in farm produce. The firm referred to require annually a supply which amounts to £160,000. Their representative has received a commission to erect oatmeal mills in the colony, which must prove a boon to all concerned, but which will be a positive source of wealth to the whole farming interest in the colony. The following are among special cable messages to the Melbourne Age, under date London 24th January:—lt is reported that Mr Joseph Cowen, proprietor of the Newcastle Chronicle, and Liberal representative of Newcastle, meditates acting with Mr Parnell in haranguing the monster meeting to be held in London in opposition to the application of the Government for coercive measures in Ireland.—Mr Gladstone has expressed sympathy with the loyal Boers, but regrets that it is impossible to grant them independence.— It is stated that Earl Beaconsfield is pressing upon the Conservative party the necessity of supporting some measure of Land Reform in Ireland, with a view to checkmating the designs of the Land League.—Mr Bradlaugh having again called the attention of the Government to the cruelty alleged to be practised upon the Maoris arrested in the New Plymouth district, New Zealand, by keeping them in prison for several months without trial, Mr Duff, Undersecretary, has requested that the question should be postponed until the arrival of full information on the subject, which is expected to be received by the March mail. At the Sydney Conference on the C 24th January, the votes for and against the Federal Council Bill being equal the measure was abandoned though it is probable that Sir Henry Parkes may bring the matter up in another form in the New South Wales Parliament. Mr Mann’s motion for a uniform colonial tariff was carried, the Victorian delegates dissenting. A motion was afterwards passed to the effect that the special circumstances of each colony should be considered in passing the tariff.

It is computed that there are between 1,000 and 5,000 dogs in Wellington city. Only 781 had been registered at end of January. A piece of quartz brought by a surveyor from the Norse wood district to Napier some time ago was accidentally broken on Monday showing rich gold. A prospecting party has been formed to test the Ruahine ranges. In ordering several publicans to pay a fine of £2 and costs at the Resident Magistrate’s Court, for breaches of the licensing laws, Mr Shaw, R.M. at Wellington, said the law must be obeyed, and future defendants would not be let off so lightly. In view of the Governor crossing the Manawatu river, a Wairarapa paper trusts that his Excellency will, when he crosses, be bailed up in his buggy by the native bushrangers who earn an easy living by the infliction of illegal toll. Should this be done the Government will no longer be able to wink at this particular black mail. At Invercargill the Hon. Mr Oliver was asked if it would not be possible to have a small sum placed on the estimates for the better working of the Preservation Inlet coal. Mr Oliver replied that he could promise nothing in that direction, as sufficient coal seams were accessible now to supply the colony for years to come. Mr Dick referred to the grants stated to be made to the Caswell Sound Marble J Company in the prospectus. Mr Oliver said there was no foundation for that statement. At the Auckland regatta a racing gig was run into by a yacht, and the crew were taken on board by the steamer Planet. The Auckland boat was swamped on returning to the flagship while sailing in the Champion Race; she ran into the Planet, smashing the funnel, steampipe, and bulwarks, breaking her own jib-boom. Some of the people on board the Planet, fearful of an explosion, leaped overboard, but were rescued. The steamer was towed to the wharf, where the winning gig of the Dunloe was capsized. The man aboard swam to the shore.