The Patea Mail. Established 1875. MONDAY, MAY 14, 1883. NEWS OF THE DAY.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 1034, 14 May 1883, Page 2

The Patea Mail. Established 1875. MONDAY, MAY 14, 1883. NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Borough Council meet to-morrow evening, when the annual accounts will be laid before them. A meeting of the Patca School Committee was held on Saturday evening, when there were present, Messrs W. Aitchison (voted to the chair), D. Smith, E. F. Miller, W.;Howitt, J, Kenworthy, and T. Eyton. The visiting committee reported as to repairs required to fire places, the necessity for gravelling portions of the school yard, and that the closets were scarcely fit for use. The Inspector of Nuisances report was also read, and it was resolved to take steps to abate the nuisance and request the Board to erect new offices to meet the present attendance at school. No other candidate presenting, Mr H. Coventry was recommended as successor to the second master (Mr T. A. Flood) who takes up his new appointment at Karere after the 26ih instant. Several matters as to the conduct and discipline in the school were referred to the Head master to report upon. Messrs Barton and Aitchison were appointed visiting committee for the month of May. As the capitation grant is insufficient, to pay the ordinary working expenses, and the'school has been without fires during a portion of the late cold weather, parents are to be again asked to contribute one shilling per head towards these purposes. A special meeting, to consider a circular received from Canterbury as to amending the Education Act, and for other business is to be held towards the end of the week. Some question having arisen as to the position of members of Road Boards, the Government have been advised that in cases where no fresh election of members has taken place the old members retain their, positions until such time as their successors (if any) are appointed. In connection with the elections which have already taken place it may be mentioned that these are perfectly legal. Mr McKerrow, Surveyor-General, is just now on a tour of inspection of the lands on this coast, and is looking to the surveys of Government land and native reserves. Mr Hemus lectured on Friday evening, in St. James’ Hall, to a large and appreciative audience, considering the rather “ watery ” evening. Amongst the gentlemen on the platform we noticed Mr E. Barton (Chairman), Revs. Messrs Luxford and Thomson. The proceedings having opened with prayer, the Chairman, in a neat speech, introduced the lecturer to the assemblage. Though the subject of temperance has been much expatiated on, yet Mr Hemus has the happy knack of keeping his listeners amused, and has not that sameness about him which characterizes many teetotal speakers. In the course of his remarks, he said that our prisoners were the healthiest people in the colony, simply because they were compelled to live natural lives. He also set forth the evil effects of snuff in a sarcastic manner. Our space will not permit us to give a detailed account of the lecture ; but that it was entertaining, there is not the least doubt. At the conclusion Mr Hemus exhorted his hearers to come and join the “blue ribbon army,” when nearly 40 persons stepped forward and were “ decorated ” by an officiatinglady and gentleman. Sankey’s hymns were sung, and, altogether, a very enjoyable evening was spent. At the solicitation of a few friends of temperance, Mr Hemus has consented to deliver another lecture on Tuesday evening. At a public meeting held at Hawera on Friday evening last, a resolution, approving the opening of a subscription list to aid in sending Mr Courtney home to promote immigration to the Hawera district, was passed. The following letter from Te Wetere appears in the Waitara Press “Mokau, May 5, 1883—To the publisher of the newspaper at Waitara. Insert this my word in your newspaper, that all the world may see it. My word to you is finished. O friends! the people of the province from Mokau to Patea. This is rny word. It will be a very good thing if the train (railway) passes through our divisions. If you agree with this will you support those in authority in our province, at Mokau, Urenui, Waitara, New Plymouth, Manutahi, Inglewood, Stratford, Normanby, Hawera, and through to Patea. This is all.— Wetere Teßebenga. It is estimated in round numbers that Otago (with Southland') and Canterbury have this year eight million bushels of wheat for export. In many gardens, says a Nelson paper, strawberries and some other spring fruits, which will no doubt be nipped by frosts before they ripen, are now to be found , but we learn that Mr Tyree, of Hope, has not only been recently picking his third crop of strawberries during the season, but has also gathered within the past week some gallons of raspberries. In several gardens fruit trees which were blossoming some months ago have fruit now upon them. Addressing his constituents the other night Mr Pearson, the member for Ashley-, is reported to have said : He might speak a little plainly-, but he was of opinion that Canterbury people were apt to take too much credit for what Providence had done for them. They- had a well-grassed country, where roads and railways were easily made, and the result was that the resources were very easily developed. He was personally acquainted with the North Island, and considered that a line of railway from Wellington to Auckland, through the King Country, would be of immense advantage to the Cojony-. Now that the Native difficulty was disappearing, that country would carry a very large population, indeed larger than any other part of the Colony-, and with the line in existence, it would soon be carrying as large a population as Canterbury. The Christchurch Telegraph gives an instance of what it calls “co-operative locomotion.” Half a cheese, it says, rolled out of an auction mart the other day on to the Queen-street pavement. It so" teemed with life “that it began to make tracks for the gutter in sections.” 1

Tickets for the Foresters Ball on the Queen’s Birthday, may be obtained from Messrs Buckley, Donnelly or from Members of the Committee. The Volunteer sports promise to be very successful, as a large number of entries has been received. The privileges will be sold by Mr Cowern, on Saturday nest. The Drainage Map of the Borough is now open for inspection at the Council office. Mr J. Chadwick will sell to-morrow, furniture, &c., at the Railway Store, Waverley. Messrs Wilkie and Co. have met with another misfortune on their railway contract. The bank across the swamp at the rear of the Boiling-down works has again subsided to an extent of eight or nine feet, and atremendous lot of filling up will be required to bring it up level. Even then there is no saying if it will not sink again so that the unfortunate contractors may yet experience further difficulties and loss. Alongside the bank the ground has been forced up to a height of about ten feet. Judging from the present aspect of affairs we doubt if this portion of the line can be completed under three months. The depth on the Kawhia bar at low water is reported to be 20 feet. Business at the township is beginning to make a start. Messrs Langley Brothers, late of Manaia, have erected a store on the main street, and Mr W. O’Brien has opened a boarding house. Mr Patterson has started fishcuring, and so far has been very successful. The New Plymouth Borough Council have instructed the waterworks contractors to repair the damage to the reservoir. The question of liability has not yet been settled. The Hawera Mercantile Union has commenced work in earnest. At a meeting on Thursday night, resolutions were passed asking that provision should be made for handling heavy goods at the railway Station, and also drawing the attention of the general manager to the unsatisfactory manner in which the railway from the northward is worked with regard to the receiving and delivery of goods. Copies of both resolutions will be forwarded to Major Atkinson. The Wellington Chamber of Commerce have appointed, a committee to collect information as to the best track for the railway line to be continued from Te Awamutu southwards towards Wellington. The cargo of frozen meat by the Dunedin averaged per lb. When the floods subsided in South Canterbury the banka of the Opihi and Temuka rivers were found to bo strewn with the carcases of hares, cows, horses and sheep. Some dissatisfaction was expressed at the tenders for the leases not being opened in public last time. It is probable that an alteration will be made with those now advertised, as, in response to a question upon the subject, the Minister of Lands has expressed his opinion as follows :—“I have no doubt that tenders under the ‘ Land Act, 1882,’ should be opened publicly.” Mr Helmuth Schwartzo, a member of the well-known firm of wool brokers of that name, is dead. An Auckland Farmers Co-operative Association is being floated with a capital of £IOO,OOO. One object, besides erecting flour mills, is making advances to farmers at the beginning of the season. The University of London has decided to confer medical degrees upon female graduates. A shipment of ostriches is expected at Auckland by the steamer Westmeath, as the nucleus of an ostrich farm to be commenced at the Bombay settlement near Drury. A quantity of frozen flounders, schnapper and gurnet is to be shipped from Auckland by the Mataura for the London market. Since it started running, the Christchurch express has done a tremendous lot of execution among the sheep on the Plains. At Chertsey, on Friday, the train ran into a mob of 500 and killed about forty. A shocking fatal accident was reported from Melbourne on Friday. Two men were ascending the shaft of the Garden Gully Mine at Sandhurst, when the bucket jerked, and both men were thrown out and fell to the bottom of the shaft, a distance of 170 feet. Both bodies were terribly mutilated. The Taranaki Herald's Wailara correspondent writes —“ A meeting was hekl in Auckland last Saturday week, at which most of the leading gentlemen connected with the trade were present. An opinion was expressed that the time' had arrived when steps should be taken to form a company, with a view to establishing premises at Waitara, where stock should be “chilled” only, and then sent on board suitable steamers and offered to the butchers in Auckland, All the surplus stock would be frozen and sent to England. It was ultimately decided that Mr Bautris should visit Waitara, Hawera, and_ surrounding districts to obtain support in furthering the plan, and to appoint provisional directors . The Thames Advertiser tells a story of canine sagacity of a not uncommon kind, but which seems to contain an element of difference from other instances of the kind, the dog ?pparently not belonging to whom it rendered assistance. A man named Ross was working alone in the bush at Wakawau, and was accidentally jammed and seriously hurt by a log robing on him. His cries attracted a dog, who, the story goes, on seeing the man’s predicament ran away for help, and by howling sec ;eded in inducing a man to follow him to the scene of the accident. But for the sagacity of the dog Ross might have lain a long time under the log. The Hobart Mercury of May 3rd contains an article referring to Captain Logan, of the Manipouri, having on his last passage from New Zealand caused a passenger who died to be buried at sea, within four hours’ steaming of Hobart. The passenger was John McKay, a compositor, who embarked at Lyttelton, and who died after a fit of delirium tremens. It is stated that Captain Logan buried the man at sea because the body being on board was offensive to the passengers, and because it would save the deceased a pauper’s funeral and would prevent the vessel being detained in port until an inquest upon the body had been held. Being satisfied in his own mind that death had been caused by the effect of delirium tremens, and believing thatHhe deceased was a waif and stray, without anyone to call him friend or acquaintance, he acted as he did, A consigment of cheese recently sent by the Ashburton Cheese Factory to Sydney as an experiment was viewed with favour, and from a report presented at a meeting of directors, held on Friday, it appears that it will fetch from 8d to 9d a pound in the New South Wales market. For cheeses of 601b weight the latter price can easily be obtained while those of less size are worth more. It was also stated at the meeting that, in anticipation of sending a consignment to_ England by the British Queen, the packing of ten tons of cheese is to be commenced forthwith, and lire directors have every hope of obtaining the bonus offered by the Governraent.

It is expected that the coming session will be a pretty busy’ one. A number of Government measures are already in the printers’ hands, so that the members are not likely to want subjects for discussion. It is claimed that among tha mountains of Western Otago is to be seen the highest waterfall in the world, that of the Arthur River, about thirty ruiles from the head of Milford Sound, called by'the name -of Southern’s Fall, from its first explorer, Mr Southern. It is said to be no less than 5,700 ft high, and takes the whole waters of the Arthur River with it, making one almost perpendicular leap of 3,ODOfb downwards at starting. _ It is only 20ft broad at the first point of its descent, and looks at a distance like a bright;- 'broad thread of water. The source is apparently in some large glacier among mountains over 9,000 ft high. Even in dry weather it takes down five times as much water as the Bowen Falls in the same district do at any time, The Morning Herald says :—“ There is at present ir> Dunedin a considerable amount of commercial depression ; the wheels of business are not running smoothly, nor are people generally pleased with their prospects. Numerous houses are vacant of tenants, and between Wise’s Corner and the Octagon there are half-a-dozen shops standing empty. Once busy Staflord-street is now almost a wilderness. Two or three years ago, the most anxious trader desirous to effect a lodgment in the city eould not have obtained a corner for his goods neither for love nor money.” Tawhiao has been on a visit to Kawhia and has caused a good deal of fun in the township. He, like Te Whiti, has learnt to prefer European to Maori cookery, and dines daily at the boarding-house. His attire, even at the pah, is a marvel of extravagance : a white belltopper with green veil, a red coat with brass buttons and white silk sash, and his Hands are always encased in black kid gloves; the whole completes an extraordinary attire, which may well be regarded as typical of the veneered savage. Governor Kennedy, in taking official leave of the Queenslanders, said : “ From 1827 to 1883 I have never been a day idle. I now go Home, and I will retire my own master. I retire a contented man. I will go with clean hands and not very full pockets ” In compliment to Miss Kennedy the ladies of Brisbane mustered in great force at the valedictory banquet, at which the Mayor of Brisbane (Mr Groom, M.L.A.) declared that Sir Arthur had been the soundest and most constitutional Governor Queensland had ever had.