PATEA COUNTY MAIL PUBLISHED Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1881.

Patea Mail, 17 February 1881, Page 2

PATEA COUNTY MAIL PUBLISHED Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1881.

The balance sheet of the Harbor Board, which the auditor should have returned in time for Monday’s meeting, arrived by post yesterday. The auditor’s report is satisfactory. In the Patea Rifle Volunteers Mr F. M. Chapman has been gazetted Lieutenant, and Mr Andrew G. King, Sub-Lieutenant, date of commission 11th January. Permission has been given by the County Council for Messrs Downes and Proctor to divert the traffic at one end of Patea bridge, while making a railway cutting under the roadway, to be bridged over. The clerical strength of the Patea Land Office has been increased by the appointment of a sou of Colonel Trimble, as junior, wiio arrived from New Plymouth on Tuesday. The following are the successful candidates in the election of members for Wanganui Harbor Board, with the members polled—J. Ballanee 380, F. R. Jackson 380, 11. Corn foot of* 1, C. S. Cross, 512-1. Te Wetcrc, a Mokau chief, lately on a visit to Hawera, is reported to have hurried homewards with the intention of turning Barry and his gold prospecting party hack, as there is danger in proceeding inland unless special arrangements for protection are previously arranged. The Chairman ol the Harbor Board expressed distrust or doubt as to the spirit which had actuated the public in the election ol members lor the now Harbor Board, in bis address to the retiring Board on Monday. Our full report will appear next issue. It seems to us that the Chairman gave but a gloomy welcome to new members ol the Board, expressing a ball-distrust in advance. 'This is much to be regretted. We can see no sufficient ground for it.

Mr F. C. Bacldeley has been appointed Registrar of Electors for Egmont. Mr G. N. Baggett has been gazetted Receiver of Land Revenue to act within the West Coast (North Island) Land District. Mr William Lupton Dean has been gazetted clerk at Patea of the District, R.M., and Licensing Courts, formerly held by Mr Baddeley. G. W. Woon has been appointed superintendent collector of agricultural statistics, vice Edward Hardcastle, resigned, for the Counties of Wanganui and Patea. The Wellington Acclimatization Society have been authorised to issue trout fishing licenses for the Hutt and Wainuiomata rivers. Sheep Inspectors throughout the colony have been appointed agents to sue in R. M. Courts for foes and rates under the Sheep Act. Sittings of the District Court at Patea will in future be held on the Monday before the second Thursday in the months of January, April, July, and October, in each year. The district lying between the rivers Waingongora and Oco, from the mouth in each case to the source, thence terminating in a point on Mount Egmont, has been excluded from the operation of the Dog Registration Act. The boundaries of about fourteen chains of railway line, within the Wairoa district, commencing and finishing within section No. 336, has been gazetted, and particularly delineated on Public Works Plan 8116. Patea will be expected to be duly thankful for this small extension. The Bth and 22nd days of March are appointed as the clays on which two equal instalments of duties under the Property Tax Act shall be paid. The place for payment Patea district has not yet been named. C. M. Crombie is collector for Wellington district. The following are the successful candidates in the election of members for the New Plymouth Harbor Board, with the numbers polled:—T. Kelly 675, Davidson 629, King 555, Dingle 523, Wells 416, and Ruudle 337. There were six other candidates, the highest polling 33 1, the lowest 62. The sailing craft Wild Wave was being towed out of the Patea river on Tuesday night, by the small steamer Clyde, when the tug’s power proved insufficient to cany the craft through the breakers, and she had to be left anchored on the spit inside the bar till the next tide. This is risky work. The captain of the Clyde is not the man to refuse towing when asked, but his courage and confidence are so much greater than are warranted by the weak steam midge he commands, that it is really time to request him, iu the interests of this port, to refrain from these risky experiments in tugging, and let bigger steamers take the jobs, oven if sailing ships have to wait. It would be a satisfaction to many people who know Captain Bonner’s seaman-like qualities to see him promoted to a bigger steamer than the puny Clyde. Respecting the registry of sheep brands, (he following letter trom G. 8. Cooper, Under Secretary. to Mr F. J. Cane, will explain itself: —•• I am directed to acknowledge the receipt ot yonr letter of the 7th instant, addressed to Hon. Major Atkinson, forwarding a paragraph ent from the Patka Mail. having reference to the arrangements of districts under The Brands and Branding Act, 1880.” In reply, I am to inform you that it is not practicable to appoint two Registrars of Brands for the Wanganui subdivision. The requirements of the settlers in the northern part of the subdivision will, however, be met by instructing Mr William Mackenzie, the Sheep Inspector residing at Patea, to receive applications for the registration of brands and forward them to Wanganui. A copy of the Register of Brands for the Wanganui subdivision will also be deposited with Mr Mackenzie.”

An Industrial Exhibition is to be held in Dunedin in June. The Conservative Herald, started in Dunedin, shows a loss of £327 on the year’s transactions. The Property Tax lie viewers at Auckland have decided that Building Societies must pay tax on their cash value of shares, less £SOO exemption. Five stacks of oats belonging to Lieut Colonel Herrick, at Ongona, Hawkes Bay, together with threshing machine and elevator have been accidently burned. The land ring agents, Mackay and Brissendin, fearing probably that if left too long Parliament may interfere, are at Auckland pressing on their claims to the Patetere block. The Dunedin Cricket Association have disqualified W. J. Moore from play lor twelve months in consequence of his refusing to obey the direction of the Captain to bowl against the wind in the match with the Australian team. Stone from Terawhiti, near Wellington, is believed by Dr Hector to contain three ounces of gold to the ton. At a meeting of the Philosopical Institute on Saturday night, he stated that the new reef was in conditions quite distinct from those previously tried, that it ran right angles to them, and that a straight line drawn from the new reef would exactly intersect the main reef of the old Marlborough goldfield across the Straight. Dr Hector, who has inspected the ground, considers the discovery an important one. It is reported by way ol Napier that a surveyor’s hut on Donnelly and Hiraka’s station, Tikitiki, has been plundered by natives belonging to Renata’s tribe. Kennedy, the surveyor, had all his instruments, books and blankets seized. On a Maori messenger being sent to inform Hiraka, Renata’s party met the man, stripped and maltreated him, and sent him back. “ Not a single application for Parihaka land was received at any Land office on Monday, the day for sending in applications for all allotments on deferred payments. Taranaki people think the high price put on the new land, and its close proximity to Te Whiti’s residence, the cause of no attention being drawn to it.” May be the fixing of Taranaki as the place of sale had much to do in damping land ardour. The sale of deferred payment land in the Forty Mile Bush was not a success, which a Wellington paper attributes to the attempt being made to sell the land near the spot. Out of 66 sections offered, only two, comprising a total of about 250 acres, were purchased—one for £343 and the other for £153 10s. Applications were received for sixteen out of twenty-four deferred payment sections offered, the sum realised being £3,834 12s 6d, being £9O over the upset price, which added to the cash sales makes a total of £4,331 Is 6d. Mr Ivessiu handing over the Waikato Mail to Mr C. O. Montrose, says: The rings of all kinds, the pawnbroking institution of a certain kind, do not want a paper in Cambridge or elsewhere unless they have the power of pulling the wires, and the writers are puppets that will dance to any tune that they may think fit to play," and he takes his leave of the public of the Cambridge district •• with the greatest pleasure, for the treatment he has received at the hands of those who chiefly control public affairs hero has been of the most scurvy kind," A Wanganui contemporary lately stated that the Hon. John Hall was expected to address his constituents in about three weeks time, and that Mr Bryce would follow the Premier in addressing Wanganui constituents. The Wellington Post with semi-official authority announces that the Hon. MiHall will address his Selwyn constituents on some day during the month of May, but not before then, as it is quite an unusual thing for the Prime Minister of a country to declare the programme of his Government in the middle of the Parliamentary recess.

A writ for the election of a member of the General Assembly for the Southern Maori Electoral District has been issued. Nominations to take place at Kaiapoi on Ist March. The stone-breaking for bread plan adopted in connection with the Wellington Benevolent Institution has reduced the number of applicants for relief from twenty-four to four. The Governor in exercise of powers delegated under the Protection of Animals Act, declares that imported birds known as sparrows and linnets may be taken or killed in all or any of the provincial districts in New Zealand. Conscience Monev. —Please receive £3, Government money, from a Roman Catholic.” The above amount and notification, sent to Major Atkinson from Hokitika, has been acknowledged by the Treasury Department in the Government Gazette. The Australian Cricketers took advantage of the spare day on Sunday to see as much of Wanganui and country as possible. Kai Iwi was visited on Sunday, and on Monday morning a large party proceeded by boat up the river. The following deposits, not bearing interest, were in Banks within the colony on the 31st December last: Bank New Zealand £1,734,575, Union Bank of Australia £512,800, Bank New South Wales £277,502, Bank of Australasia £182,553, National Bank of New Zealand £326,723, Colonial Bank of New Zealand £309,594 —the total amount being £3,443,750. The total amount bearing interest in the above named Banks at the same date was £4,912,067. The total liabilities were set down at £10,042,507, the total assets at £13,861,199. Capital paid up £5,450,000. Rate per annum of last dividend ranged from six per cent, in the National, to seventeen and a half New South Wales, New Zealand being fifteen. The Wanganui Herald writing on the Harbor question says—What we want to see is an intercolonial or English trade established with the port. This we know will follow a certain depth of water in the harbor, and therefore the soundest enterprise is to push on improvements until the end sought for shall be accomplished. Having the trade once fixed hero, we can hold our own against rivals, and every inhabitant must feel the effect of the general prosperity sure to follow. No one will realise this truth sooner than the farming community. They want an outlet and a foreign market for their surplus produce. It ought to be one of the objects of the Board to maintain Wanganui as a cheap port by keeping down to the lowest point consistently with improvement the charges. Considerable preparations arc being made at Christchurch for the’graiu season. The N.Z. Shipping Company announce a fleet of eighteen iron vessels, representing an aggregate tonnage of 30,000. Eoyse, Stead & Co. also publish a list of nine ships to sail for the United Kingdom or Continent as desired, and Shaw, Savill and Co. will have five vessels laid on ; these altogether will give 15,000 tons. The Wairarapa Daily says that on Monday, the 7th instant, one of the hundred odd bridges on the bush road, one of those limn sap structures which were built in the good old days, collapsed, and a heavy timber waggon went through it and smashed up in the creek below. His Excellency the Governor drove over the same bridge only a few days before the smash. New Zealand produce, it is stated, forms quite a new feature in Mark-lane Market. Besides the wheat and flour which has been sent for some time past, there arc now to be found on the stands samples of New Zealand oats, oatmeal, barley, peas, and grass seeds. A Wairarapa journal urges that a marketshould be established in Wellington, pointing out very properly that it would be a boon to town consumers and country producers. Air Macandrew wants £40,000 to be borrowed for the purpose of establishing a free reference library in connection with the University of Otago.