The Patea Mail. Established 1875. WEDNESDAY. MAY 9. 1883. NEWS OF THE DAY.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 1032, 9 May 1883, Page 2

The Patea Mail. Established 1875. WEDNESDAY. MAY 9. 1883. NEWS OF THE DAY.

Mr Freeman R. Jackson will hold an unusually large sale at Hawera on Fridaj r , for particulars of which we refer settlers to the advertisement.

At the Borough Council on Monday evening, a letter enclosing a resolution from the Harbour Board, asking the cooperation of the Council in agitating for the completion of the railway from Manutahi to Hawera at an early date was read, and it was determined that a public meetto consider the question be called.

The Rev. P. L. Cameron delivered a lecture on Monday evening at the Harmonic Hall. The attendance was not large. Mr S. Bemus, a well known temperance lecturer, is about to give addresses at Waverley and Patea. At Hawera lie was much appreciated, the Star speaking of him as follows“Mr Hcmus delivered an excellent address of about three quarters of an hour’s duration. He has a very happy manner, speaks _ fluently, clearly, and very seldom slips into those extravagances which generally mar total abstinence advocacy.” The business at the-R.M. Court yesterday, was not of an important character. James Hayes.for being drunk at Manutahi on April 30th, was fined 20s, or in default 48 hours imprisonment. A civil case, Barton v. McGrath, claim £8 Is, was heard, and defendant agreeing to pay in a month, judgment was given accordingly. Mr Hamerton appeared for plaintiff, who was engaged at the Supreme Court, New Plymouth. Mahony and Co., v. Chisholm, was struck out as neither party appeared. The Bench was occupied by the Resident Magistrate.

On April 27th we published a description of the Excelsior Barbed Wire works at Oamaru. News travels apace^andtlie concluded that as the local paper had noticed their wire it would be worth while establishing an agency for its sale in the district. The result is that Mr C. F. Barker has been appointed. The wire is a first-class article, and the price £4O per ton. Well, those who have had to buy imported wire will know whether it is cheap.

A long discussion took place in the Borough Council on Monday evening reerected in front of the old Bank of New Zealand in Bedford street. A number of resolutions were proposed, some of which lapsed from want of a seconder. A motion was ultimately passed disapproving of the matter, but still not calling upon the owner of the property to remove the “ sentry box,” as the steps were termed by a councillor.

Most of the witnesses in Black’s case are back from New Plymouth, looking all the better for their trip. With reference to a resolution passed at a recent meeting of the Borough Council, determining to sell the lease of three sections, which had fallen again into the hands of the Council through a breach of the Bankruptcy Act, it was resolved, at Monday night’s meeting of the Council, to obtain a legal opinion in the matter. At a meeting of the Wanganui County Council held yesterday morning it was resolved “That in the opinion of the Council the dual system of Local Government by County Councils and Road Boards in this County is unnecessary and expensive, and must soon lead to both County and Road Board rates being levied ; this Council therefore strongly recommends ratepayers to take action, by petition under the Counties Act, Amendment Act, 1882, for the suspension of the Counties Act, and to hand over Local Government to the Road Boards about to be elected under the Road Boards Act, 1882. Mr Taylor, tinsmith and plumber, has removed to premises situated next to Mr W, Howitt’s. .

Our Waverley correspondent writes : Considerable dissatisfaction is expressed by sportsmen in this district at there being no one appointed to issue licenses for shooting game. Last year the Postmaster was appointed by the Government, but this year it seems to have slipped the memory of the powers that be. The Acclimatisation Society advertise that licenses can be obtained at the Post Office, Waverley, but on application there no information can be obtained. In a district abounding with game this shows great carelessness on somebody’s part, and the Acclimatisation Society will suffer in consequence. The matter should be looked into at once.

The Ohinemulu correspondent of the Auckland Herald reports that the great Matu-a-tonga case was brought to a speedy termination on Saturday night. Mr Frederick Earl examined a number of witnesses who, in cross-examination, all admitted that the accused, Pokika and Keepa, had a claim to the image, but strongly asserted that none had a right-to remove it. No witnesses were called for the defence, but Mr Earl addressed the Court at considerable length, contending that the principal element in the crime of larceny, namely, felonious intent, had not been proved. The Resident Magistrate (Mr Brabant), after careful consideration, decided in favour of the points raised by the defence, holding that no felonious intent had been established, and, therefore, dismissed the case. The police have received legal notice to return the image to the place from whence they took it.

A late cable message says : —The division on the Affirmation in Lieu of Oaths Bill was wildly applauded by the Opposition, many members standing on their seats and hurrahing. The Government appear to have been in the hands of the Irish party in the House, who not only voted against them, but jeered openly at them. It was not intended that the Bill should be in any way a Ministerial question, and the defeat of the Government upon it is not, therefore, regarded as a quo stion of confidence. The majority against it resulted from the knowledge that, even if the Bill passed in the Lower House, the Lords would reject it. The question will now be deferred till after tho next general election. Baron De Lcsseps asserts that it would be impossible to form a second canal across the Isthmus of Suez.

A vessel named the Groffier has been burned at Vancouver’s Island, and fifty Chinese lost their lives in her.

A motion brought forward by Cr Adams on Monday night, at the Borough Council meeting, that a, sum of £35 be expended in tree planting in Bedford-street, was lost on a. division, by the casting vote of the Mayor. The Freemasons Hall in London has been burned down, and all the valuable insignia and paintings destroyed. We learn from Christchurch that the first European flax scutching machine was sent to Southbridge on Monday to be erected at the works of the Canterbury Linseed Oil and Fibre Company. At the South Australian Jockey Club Meeting the St, Leger was won by Guesswork.

The Premier has returned to Wellington. A man named Robert Danahar, arrested at Auckland on a charge of deserting his wife, resident at Hawcra, has been remanded for eight days, bail being refused. It is stated that of late years the public feeling of the United States has been greatly modified in the direction t of the policy of free trade, and also that an increased desire has been expressed for an extension of commercial intercourse with the Australasian colonies in general, and particularly with New Zealand, The Rangitihei Advocate has the follow" ing.:—“Mr Maccabe, during his performance at Fielding, alluded to a report in a Wanganui paper which stated that his voice was hppelcssly gone. He said the youthful reporter came in just as he was acting the part of a London street musician who is supposed to have a cold and lost some of his upper notes, and he (the reporter) evidently could not discriminate between acting and reality.”

If Captain Hnme pushes his alterations in our prison regulations much further wc fear our gaols will have to go short of occupants. His latest regulation is the unkindesl cut of all, and if the prayers of the wicked should chance to be answered, there are had times in store for the gallant Captain. Here is the regulation to which wc refer :—“No smoking shall be allowed to prisoners received after the date of this proclamation, and no tobacco introduced for that purpose, except 0n.,, the written recommendation of the surgeon This is enough to make some of our regular gaol birds turn over a new leaf, and try bow they can get along with honesty and tobacco. It has now been determined that if Mr Bradlaugh again attempts in any way to enter the House of Commons, he shall be expelled the precincts. It is probable that he will resign his seat. They are going to sell Frozen Meat in Christchurch, after it has been frozen for three months. This is to give the people an idea of what the shipments are like when they teach Home. Some time ago it was reported that Gear’s Meat Co, in Wellington had received information as to improvements in connection with the freezing of The following. mtnraoii letter in the Amtralas'um, probably .has “ Another proposal which will have an important bearing upon the future success of the frozen meat trade has also been broached. Means have been .devised, so it is said, for economising the quantity of coal used" in working the refrigerating machines during a long voyage. If it is true that a saving of three-fourths of the quantity of coal now consumed can be made the discovery will be a valuable one.”

It is, probably, not generally known that Wellington possesses a claimant to the Irish Vis county ofOUlon. The present bearer of” That"honourable title, and his heir, are certainly among those who are at present ignorant of the f?ct. This second Orton claims to be a New Zealander by birth, and tells a somewhat disgusting history of his birth and supposed claims, which he generally pours into the ears of anyone who is willing to listen to him. He claims to have been on the most intimate terms with all the leading actors and actresses of the day, and recognises quite a number of them among those with whom he has come in contact since his arrival in this city. The N.Z. Times thinks that a little delicate attention on the part of those who usually take a matter-of-fact interest in persons who brood over supposed wrongs, and whose memory allows them to trip in such a very singular fashion would probably establish him in an estate upon which he Ims an undoubted claim.