COUNTY NEWS.

Patea Mail, 11 June 1881, Page 2

COUNTY NEWS.

Archdeacon Thorpe will preach at Hawera on Sunday morning, and at Patea in the evening. At the nomination of candidates for the General Assembly at Greymouth, the show of hands was in favour of Mr Weston. The contest is going to be a keen one. A contemporary has been informed that since the beginning of the year the sum of L 2,600 has been spent iu the purchase of flour, sugar, rice, tea, etc,, for the semi-political gatherings at Parihaka. It is understood the natives recently liberated at Opunake will not visit Parihaka until the arrival of the remaining prisoners by the Stella, from Hokitika, when they will attend the June meeting, and place themselves under Te Whiti’s orders. At the farewell supper given to Mr Cleary at New Plymouth, the resident engineer, Mr Holmes, stated that the railway to Hawera was nearly completed, and that they would have a train running into Normanby by the end of June, and into Hawera for the conveyance of every class of traffic by the end of August. Mr Dale will sell a quantity of Nelson shrubs to-day, and merchandise. Mr Barker’s fortnightly produce sale takes place to-day.

Tenders are invited for improvements at the Patea Cemetery. The steamship Ocean, with 450 Chinese from Hong Kong, left Port Darwin on the 6th June for Sydney. Mr J. Anderson, Wanganui, advertises the opening of his branch furniture warehouse in Patea. Elder John P. Sorrenson, the Mormon or Latter Day Saints missionary, is seeking converts at New Plymouth. Mr Fred Gowern filed his schedule on Tuesday. The fact has not been advertised in Patea. The dog tax grievance as it affects farmers is to be discussed at a pub meeting convened at Waverley tor Saturday, the 18th. Major Atkinson suggested that County Councils might remit any portion of the tax. The Council did consider that form of remedy, and decided to postpone any abatement till the next year. The exemption to farmers for working dogs should be made in the Act, if the exemption is to be made at all, as it certainly ought to be, in our opinion. A meeting of the creditors of Messrs W. and Culraer Skelly, of Patea, who filed at Taranaki, was held at Wellington on the 7th instant. The meeting was adjourned from Taranaki to Wellington by order of the Supreme Court, and the object of the meeting in Wellington was to appoint a trustee. Mr T. J. Ladd was appointed to that position. The liabilities are set down at £1961 7s 2d.; the principal Wellington creditors being Messrs Turnbull, Smith and Co., £493, and Messrs Whittem, Nicholson and Co., L2S3. The assets are stated at L 1142, leaving a deficiency of LBl9 7s 2d.

Mr Ball, Kakaramea, was sued yesterday for balance of wages to a farm servant and wife, who are Switzers. The defence was that the parties used him as a convenience ; that the man made excuses to go about several days looking for another place, taking eight days out of two months, while claiming wages for working, and that the woman was doing the same kind ot thing. Mr Ball objected to be imposed on, and claimed reduction for time lost. The Magistrate allowed two days, and reduced the claim by 6s. Mr Ball said he would put the 6s in a poor box; but there being no such box in Court, a spectator held out his pocket saying it was the most deserving poor box in Patea. Mr Ball did not see the fun of that, but left the 6s at the Mail office, to be handed to the County Chairman for any proper case of charity.

Licenses. —Among licenses renewed by the Taranaki Licensing Bench were: F. Ballot, Mountain View Hotel, Waipahu ; T. R. Hanwright, Mount Egmont Hotel, Midhirst; Gustave Tisch, Stratford Hotel, Stratford ; and W. D. Middleton, Telegraph, Hotel, Opunake. Mr Halse applied for a license to be granted to Arthur Owen for a house at Oeo. The police offered no objection to the license, and it was granted. Mr Halse, on behalf of Samuel Prosser, applied for an expression of opinion of the Court as to whether they would grant a license for a house to be built at Opunake, according to plans submitted to the Court. The building was to contain twenty-nine bedrooms, with sitting rooms and parlours. The Court gave the unanimous opinion that they would be in favour of granting a license when the house was erected.

The Governor’s Message is a pleasant gospel of peace, progress, and prosperity. It is shaped on the lines of the 9 Queen’s Speech at Home, and follows the ancient model in its well-rounded periods and elaborate significanct of nothing. The Speech tells the colony less than it knew before of the intentions of Government. The Premier’s address at Leeston contained all that is promised in the Governor’s Speech, and more. The measures promised are few, but the'l are more than the statute book is to show as the finished work of an expiring Parliament. What is novel in the Governor’s Speech is the tone of personal compliment, and the welcome assurance of revived prosperity. The Speech seems to say : “ Be good boys, and stick to your work, and rattling times are in store.”

Patea is to be made lively with local politics. Mr Sherwood advertises his anti-Atkinson meeting for Monday evening at 7 o’clock, when the Major is to be reckoned up and dressed down . The Patea Town Board met last night and laid a rate of ninepence in the pound. Mr J. Milroy was re-elected Chairman, somewhat against his will. Messrs Aitchison, Adams, and the Chairman are the new Works Committee. For the very worst conundrum that Wanganui wits can produce, ten shillings were offered by the Exhibition Committee. There must have been heavy competition for that prize last night. A shocking bad conundrum being valued at ten shillings, only twenty were offered for the best. Mr Ballance challenges Mr Bryce to produce proof of his assertion at Waverley that the Grey Government had it in mind to abandon a large portion of this Coast, as the easiest way of getting rid of the then native trouble. Mr Bryce referred to documentary evidence, and said he made the charge with some deliberateness. That being so, there must be revelations in store, as Mr Bryce’s damaging statement is certain to stir up somebody in Parliament. Fatal Accident. — A man named George Brackenshire, who was accidentally run over by the train at Norman by, on the Bth, was taken to New Plymouth, where his right leg amputated, but he sank, dying at half-past twelve tne following day. The man had been employed on Mace and Bassett’s contract. The following unopposed renewals of licenses have been granted by the Wanganui Licensing Bench Alex. Tawse, Kai Iwi Hotel ; Jonathan Harle, Maxwelltown Hotel ; William Handley, Nukumara Hotel. After several adjournments through the Wakatu not being in Wanganui to allow of witnesses being examined, the jury in the inquest on the body of Amy Corcoran have returned a verdict of “ found drowned.” W. J. Kitson, a tailor at Wanganui, charged with having carnal knowledge of a girl under twelve years of age, has been committeed for trial, and the parents bound over to prosecute. Mr J, Bathgate, formerly Minister of Justice, is likely to be a candidate for Dunedin at the next general election.