PATEA MAIL Established 1875. CIRCULATION nearly 600 COPIES. Average circulation last year, 510. Friday Evening, Aug. 25, 1882.

Patea Mail, 25 August 1882, Page 2

PATEA MAIL Established 1875. CIRCULATION nearly 600 COPIES. Average circulation last year, 510.

Friday Evening, Aug. 25, 1882.

Delivered on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Evenings by mounted messengers— at Hawcra by 7-30 o’clock, at Nonuanby by 8-15, at Manaia and Waimate Plains by 8-30, and Southward at Waverley (for train) by (i o’clock.

Tenders for building Mr Taplin’s store and dwelling will close on Saturday. Applications for caretaker to the cemetery clove on the 30th inst. Wakatu left Westport for Wellington at 0 o’clock last night. She leaves Wellington for Palea to-morrow. The end of the session seems not far off, and members are thinking more about going home than about stopping in Wellington. Another case of queer contracting is reported from Opimaki. A carpenter named Gardiner contracted to build a house for Mr Crowther. It got partly finished, and the contract time being up, Mr Crowther and family occupied those rooms which were habitable. Then the contractor disappeared, leaving liis workmen unpaid for several weeks. He had told them to slick to the house, as Mr Crowther owed him a balance of £l5O. They watched for opportunity, and took possession, barring out Mr Crowther and family. This state of siege lasted some days. It now appears that the contractor had been fully paid for the work done, and more. H- 1 had skedaddled leaving several tradesmen’s bills unpaid. The workmen have now given up possession. It is suggested that contractors should be compelled to take out licenses, and give a guarantee that they do know something about the jobs they profess to do. Licensing would not meet the difficulty which is continually caused by incompetent fersons taking contracts. Money deposit and sureties would meet the case better. Some proposals of startling novelty have been made to the House in couise of a debate over the question as to bow deficient revenue from railways should be made np in non-paying districts. One novel proposal was to tax all incomes from property in an increasing ratio, thus : £5 tax on £IOO a year revenue, £IOO tax on £IOOO revenue, £750 on £SOOO revenue, and so on increasing the amount of tax as the income got bigger. That was simply a proposal for bursting rip large properties ; but it would fail to reach those who hold large areas as a speculation, doing nothing to improve them at present. The Gift Exhibition drew a good attendance at the old Town Hall last evening, and the numerous striking views seemed to be an attractive form of entertainment. The gifts distributed among the andience were numerous, nearly everybody getting something to carry away. The exhibition will be open again this and to-morrow evenings; and a special feature is an afternoon exhibition on Saturday, for children and country visitors; when prizes will also be given. The exhibition will open at Waverley on Monday. At the fourth adjourned meeting of Patea District Land and Building Society held on Wednesday evening, the inspector reported he had been unable to complete his inspection of the accounts, the work being more than lie expected. The two auditors who had been appointed wanted definite instruction as to what would be expected of them. It appeared that the usual. duty of auditors in such cases is to certify to the inspector’s report by signing it. If the society required a separate and complete investigation of accounts by the auditors, a precise instruction should be given. The meeting resolved that the auditors be requested to make a thorough audit of the accounts, and report at the next moetfng ; and that they be allowed a fee of three guineas each for the work. The meeting was adjourned to a date not fixed.

Another case of scab infection lias occurred on the property of Messrs Newland, near Waverley. So far as we can learn the facts, a scabby sheep which had escaped from a neighboring run was found among Messrs Newland’s flock on Wednesday. Inspector Scaife had no doubt as to the stray sheep being scabby, and he declared the whole flock to be infected, in terms of the Act. The Inspector first found scab on Wednesday or Thursday in one flock, and then traced a stray sheep as having escaped to an adjoining property, thereby infecting another flock. He has now proclaimed as infected flocks the sheep on Mr Oscar Symes’s run, and those on Messrs Newland’s run. This appears to be a hardship in the case of Messrs Newland, who had about 1400 sheep on the farm, and quite clean before this infection reached their land. The course taken by Messrs Newland in a previous similar case gained them both admiration and sympathy. This second loss is deplorable. These outbreaks show the necessity of every sheep-owner giving prompt information to the Inspector when scab is found or infection is suspected. The cricket pitch has been enlarged by laying down new turf at one end, thereby lengthening the smooth pitch by 57 feet, making the length now 147 feet by 50. Mr Beere, engineer, has superintended the work, and made a good job. The Football Club intend shortly to plough up and level their ground and put it in first-rate condition for next season.