PATEA DAILY MAIL. Thursday Evening, Feb. 16, 1882.

Patea Mail, 16 February 1882, Page 3

PATEA DAILY MAIL.

Thursday Evening, Feb. 16, 1882.

Published every Evening, Price \d. Circulation nearly 600 : average la«t quarter 510. Politics, Independent.

Part of the arrears dne to Patea school as capitation allowance has been remitted by the Wanganui Board. The appointment of a chairman and secretary who arc known to the Board, has evidently induced more confidence as to regularity in the business department. The Board had threatened to pay no more capitation until the high school fees are collected. Arrears cannot be collected instantor. The Harmonic Society’s next quarterly concert is announced for next the principal piece being Birch’s operetta “ Eveleen the Rose of the Vale.” The “ Pirates ” gave fair satisfaction in last evening’s performance of a famous light opera. The hall was well filled, and would have been crowded if so many seats had not been reserved at the 5s rate, that being too high an average price for so large a nnmber of seats. The 3s and 2s seats were crowded inconveniently. The scenic arrangements were a pleasing surprise for Paten, the Gothic arcade making an effective “ set.” It is among those sombre arches that the comical Major-General worships the ancestors whom he purchased with the property; and he has a confident way of asserting the rights of property, for though he doesn’t know whose ancestors they were, ho does know whose ancestors they are. The voices of the principal actors might be better. Mabel is a clever little heroine, good in voice and gesture. The Pirate King looks like an infant Napoleon, and acts fairly, but lacks voice. The pirate Apprentice is the hero of the plot, and as sneh he sings excellently and acts with confidence and coolness, though his manner is excessively stagey and his pronnneiation too brOad. Remembering that they are youngsters, they go through the stage business with amnsing cleverness, and as a chorus they sing well together. The instrumental band is .uncommonly good. The company appear to more advantage, we are told, in the operas set down for this evening, “Chilperic” and “Pinafore.” None could fail to be pleased, and most wonld be surprised, at the completeness and novelty of the spectacular effect when the stage is crowded with an army of juveniles in pictnresqne costumes. The finale was suggestive of the transformation scene in a pantomime : Britannia triumphant in a glow of red fire.

Mr Ashwin, advance agent for Mr Robson, elocutionist and singer, has arrived tb make arrangements for an entertainment in Patea. Mr Robson’s powers of voice are spoken of as remarkable.

A Catholic Mission is announced to commence in Patea on Sunday, and continue eight .days.

Referring to the letting of the Harmonic Hall, and Mr Cary’s grievance about the key being a sufficient receipt, the honorary secretary, Mr E. C. Horner, writes to explain that the Committee are not aware of any rule as to the key being a sufficient evidence of payment, and that the Treasurer may have misunderstood the Committee’s instruction. "•It is not desirable to carry this matter farther, as the inconvenience of the present practice only needed pointing out to ensnre prompt alteration. The Treasurer has probably insisted on payment before passing the key; and hence the key has been treated as sufficient evidence of payment.

An exchange says it would be ranch more to the pnrpose to make the primary schools already in existence of real valne to the people, by establishing technical classes for boys and girls, in the lessons of which they might learn how to earn a living, than in establishing secondary ones.

Mr Jacksou’vS stock sale at Kakaramen to-morrow comprises nearly 4,000 head.

Commodore Erskine, with Australian squadron, will be present at the opening of Christchurch exhibition, and the commanded. of the French Squadron at New Caledonia will also send a man-ot-war if the New Zealand Government makes official application. St. John the Evangelist’s Church at Napier has 400 sittings let. Three years ago the offertories averaged £6 per week; while now £lO to £ll is collected in the three districts into which the parish had been divided.

A correspondent writing from the township of Walpawn, Hawkes Bay district, says : The public library is already a great institution among a certain class of our community, and I guarantee it all sorts of success under “ Big Jack’s ” able management, for does he not when he starts go the u whole hog,” which is the only way I know of to keep an institution like a public library going in a small township. I reckon there are now fully one hundred members’ names on the books, with a prospect of adding another twenty to the nnmber after the annual meeting next month. The new committee have already paid off all the oli one’s debts, and still have some funds in band, which speaks well for them, and shows there is nothing like introducing “new blood ” when a public body is becoming stagnant.

The proprietors of the tramway scheme to connect Wanganui town with the beads have asked the Borough Council for permission to take the line, the rails being flush with the road, along the public highway from the station through the Cemetery Road to the private properties which the line would intersect. The Council unanimously agreed to do so, if no legal obstacles prevented. The Auckland Free Lance says when a parson, in the performance of his clerical duties, makes himself obnoxious to the bulk of his parishioners, if they cannot get rid of him, they starve him Wt. A glance at one or two balancesheets of Auckland churches would show how wonderfully a united congregation (united against their parsons) can work the oracle. The cleverest adepts at the game are regular church-goers, and moat strict in their observance of all the recognised church ordinances. The poor parson has all the worst of it, and can only wire in from the pulpit, which, after all, is but a poor consolation for the loss of (he root of all evil.

At a recent meeting of the Timaro Harbor Board a member drew attention to an item in the annual accounts showing that the expenditure on the Landing Service during the past five years had exceeded the revenue by £3200, or over £6OO year. In reply the secretary said landing dues had only just been imposed, and the Landing Service would henceforth show profit. The post and telegraph offices at Wellington have for many years been a standing disgrace to the colony. Most large towns have convenient, commodious, and in many cases really handsome postal and telegraph offices. Tender for Wellington post office building has now been accepted, the price being L 22,440, and Barry and McDowell, the successful tenderers. Ten tenders were received, the highest being L 27,626. The work is to be commenced at once and pushed on with speed. A new forage plant has been introduced into New Zealand. It is called the teosinte plant, and was sent by Sir Julius Vogel to Mr Murdoch, of the Bank of New Zealand, Auckland. The plant has been recently brought from Egypt, where, when it is mowed down, it grows again at the rate of a foot in four days. It is rich in saccharine matter and highly nutritions. It is a grass of an enormous size. The people of Leipsic have recently celebrated the 400 th anniversary of the introduction of printing into that city, long so famous as sthe centre of the publishing activity of Germany.