NEW OF THE DAY.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 1036, 18 May 1883, Page 2

NEW OF THE DAY.

One of Mr Bavraclough’n employes met with an unfortunate mishap the other day. While engaged cutting some meat, the knife accidentally slipped, and entered his (Mr Adamson’s) arm, and slightly incapacitated him from work. He is now, we hear, nearly convalescent. A meeting of the Waverlcy Recreation Ground Committee was held on Monday, 14th inst: present—Messrs Wilson, Thurston, and Mason (Chairman). The following accounts were passed for payment A Taylor, 13s ; P'atea Mail, 9s 6d ; B and J Minn, £5 19s Id. Resolved—- <* That tenders be called for fencing about 35 chains (posts and wire);” also, “ That tenders bo called for filling up the hollow on the Racecourse.” The prospectus of the Wanganui Dairy Factory Company, with a capital of £3OOO, has been issued. The provisional directors have resolved to send Mr J. Wilson, of Christchurch, to inspect the Wellington factory, and gather such information as may he of use to the Wanganui company. A Wanganui paper records an instance of unnaturalness on the part of parents. A couple who were employed about an hotel, have sold their two children to the Maoris at Mataara. No doubt the youngsters are a great deal belter off than when in charge of their worthless parents, hut it seems a downward step in the scale of civilisation to hear of such transactions as the above.

The ordinary meeting of the Wavcrley School Committee was held on Wednesday, May 16. Present—Messrs Mason, Thurston, McDonald, McLean, Dickie and Bridge (Chairman.') The action of the Chairman in ordering 10 loads more gravel was approved. The following accounts were passed for payment;—Muir, £3 17s9d; McLean, 18s; Brown, £2 Is; J W Hughes, £3 Bs. The Chairman was instructed to write to Mr Cleary, asking him for names of those who have promised subscriptions to the library, and what was the price agreed between him and Brown for erecting the paling fence in the school ground. Kesolved invited by next meeting for keeping the school and closets clean for 12 months.” It was decided to ask the Board to paint the inside of the schoolroom at the same time as the outside is done. It was resolved that the 25th May bo observed as a holiday instead of the 24th; The Chairman was instructed to get the fence started on the inside, and formed on the outside ; to arrange for coal when required ; to procure 12 towels and 12 dusters and 2 ink bottles. A resolution was passed, requesting the master to call in all the library books, and the meeting then adjourned. The danger of locking drunken men together during night time in a lock-up cell, has just been sadly demonstrated at Horae. At. North Shields policy station, on a recent night, Thomas Loalhead and Patrick Rourke, both mad drunk, were put together. During the night, Leatlmad hacked Rourke to death with a knife, inflicting wounds on his neck, scalp, face, and hands. About the same time and under precisely similar circumstances, George Miller kicked to death Robeit Frew in a cell in the Southern District Police office at Glasgow. Frew was one mass of kicks on his head, chest, and sides. The responsibility of these murders rests with the police officers who fastened men, temporarily mad together in the same cell. The usual weekly session of the Star of Patea Lodge, 236, IQ G T, on Wednesday evening, was a most enjoyable one. A number of visitors were present, as it had been understood that Bro Bennett, the G W VT, would be in attendance to confer, as GL representative, the GL degree. He was accompanied by Bro Allsworth, D D, and, on being introduced by the PWOT, at once took the chair. After the usual business of the Lodge had been" disposed of, Bro Bennett, GWVT, in a most forcible speech on the subject of temperance, congratulated Patea on ihe strides being made in the cause, and strongly advocated the re-orga-nisation of the Juvenile Temple, as a means of in future increasing the growth of the great cause, and expressed great satisfaction in being able to take back with him an excellent report as to the standing and healthy condition in which be found the Star of Patea Lodge. Bro Allsworth, DD, then addressed the meeting, regretting. his inability to ' come oftqner than he did. He considered it a good sign of the prosperity of the Lodge to see so many old faces present, and congratulated the ,Star of Patea on its being so well officered. In speaking of the meetings lately held under the institution, the “ Blue Ribbon Army,” he would place it before the members of 5 the Lodge that this institution must not be given precedence of any other, but that Good Templars, Rechabiles, Sons of Temperance, and all other bodies holding temperance principles should unite to strengthen the ranks of the army. After a short time had been given to harmony, songs being contributed by the 6 WV T, Bros Donthwaite and Lundberg, a most, pleasant session was closed. , At the special meeting held afterward, the G L Degree was conferred upon Bros D Smith, L D ; P Qninn, WOT; H Bayliss, PWOT; 0 Bavliss, PWOT; Sisters Maria Smith, PVT; Erskine, PVT; Dontbwaite, V T. Mr McDavitt has finished his contract of the cutting at the Heads. Mr Wilkie is working bard to get the embankment across the swamp finished, the stuff required for filling in being obtained from Sangster’s old cutting. A grand ball takes place at Hawera to-night. Nearly four hundred invitations have been issued, including many residents of New Plymouth and Patea. The annual meeting of the Patea Cricket Club will be held to-raoirow evening' at the Albion Hotel. . The privileges in "connection with the forthcoming Volunteer Sports will be sold by Mr Cowern at 2 o’clock to-morrow. Tawhiao and a hundred mounted followers have left Alexandra on a visit to Tauranga. The number of emigrants who left Irish ports last year was 89,566, being an increase of 10,847. The emigrants were.distributed as follows: —16,057 from Leinster, 28,848 from Munster, 26,081 from Ulster and 18,150 from Connaught. There is a large increase from the province of Munster. The number of emigrants has been steadily increasing since 1876, except in 1881. Seventy-four per cent of the emigrants went to America. A curious result of the wet season in England is reported in a Dorset contemporary. It appears that the other day the atenlion of Mr Martin Small, a well-known farmer in the parish of Shapwick, was called by his shepherd to one of his sheep, all along the back of which grass was springing up. It is conjectured that the animal, having been supplied with hay, had laid down on some of it, and the seeds, mixing with the wool, germinated through the sheep haying been exposed to rain for a very long period. We take the following from the Timaru Herald :—“ In the Flowery Land, creditors have a very summary method of squaring accounts with debtors. New Year’s Day is the date fixed by law for a .settlement of all debts, and a person who fails to come up to time gets no mercy. Recently, in Foo Chow, one who did not pay up was set upon by his indignant creditors and drowned. The Foo Chow Herald states the officials rarely interfere in these cases, and according to Chinese ethics there is no reason why they should. In his native country a Chinaman who cannot meet his New Year settlements is expected to commit suicide, and by failure to follow this custom he forfeits the respects of his fellows, and becomes an outlaw. How would such a custom as this answer in New Zealand ? We are afraid that if it were legalised and the present bankruptcy laws repealed, there would be a good deal of all round Kilkenny cat play going on on the end of the Timaru Breakwater on New Year’s Day.” On Monday last a man named Con Cook was admitted into the Hospital suffering from a fracture of the leg above the ancle, sustained by a quantity of earth falling on him while working in the Kakaramea gravel pit. It was telegraphed from Auckland a few clays ago that-a somewhat sensational divorce case was on the toil's, in which the wronged husband intended claiming £SOO damages from the co-respondent, who was staled to be a leading medical man. An Auckland paper has been informed by the petitioner that his wounded feelings have been healed, his honour satisfied, and the case settled by a cash payment of £250, exclusive of the legal costs, which the co-respondent has also undertaken to mcet.^

The Post and Telegraph Office here will be closed on the 24th inst. (Queen’s Birthday.) Mr D. Hurley, of Woodville, intendsto start a hop garden. We welcome the industry, and wish Mr Hurley success in his enterprise, Messrs Bremer Brothers, the energetic lessees of the Patea Boiling Down Works have commenced a fellmongery in connection with the establishment. The bar is in capital order just now, the late south-east gales having straightened the channel. For the last three days the sea has been so smooth that there would have been no difficulty in crossing in a skiff. The Treasurer of the Patea Harmonic Society wishes us to state again- that he is ready to receive the members subscription either at his office or at the practice this evening. The Volunteers are giving about £4O in prizes in order to give The public some amusement for the Queen’s Birthday. Thoy of course, expect to get re-couped to a vers’ large extent by the proceeds of the sale of the booths which takes place tomorrow at Mr Cowern’s auction mart, and by the “shillings” taken at the gate. We would ask tho public to give thorn Their ;hearty support, so that Captain Taplin in initiating this movement with his Volunteers may bo induced to repeat the same from year to year. Competitor’s prizes-will bo paid down so soon as tbe3 r are won . The Chronicle learns that tho proposed Limited Liability Company for the amalgamation of the business undertakings of Mr Freeman R. Jackson and Messrs Stevens and Gorton has at tho last moment fallen through, and that, for the present at an3 T rate, no such company will be floated. The Post office at Stratford has been opened as a Government Life Insurance office. Some time ago a well-known native of Bombay offeiod (0 give a new clock and chimes to the Universit}* of Boinba3’, and deposited a largo sum of money with the authorities to carry out his generous intention. The gift has been manufactured in London, and is about to bo shipped to Bombay. Doubtless it is such a timepiece as India never saw. The dials, of oval glass, are thirteen feet in diameter ; it is fitted with an apparatus enabling it to telegraph its time daily to the observatory, and correct all The other clocks in the city, and connected with it is a chime of sixteen bells which can play, automasixteen tunes and. 150 cliang*es. . Writing on the enterprise of life insurance agents, “ .ZEgles ” in the Australasian, says 1 “ In one of the colonies I observe from a newspaper that a white greyhound has had painted on his side, in pink- letters, ‘Assure 3 T our life ;, do not delay.’ As an obvious consequence, a gentlemen, making a zig-zag from his club, came suddenly upon the variegated dog, and, coming to the conclusion that he had ‘ got; ’em again,’ precipitately gave himself into the custod3’ of the nearest policeman.” The matter of the railway construction between Hawera and Patea is not to be allowed to rest, A public meeting was held at the former place last night, and a resolution passed mging the commencement of the line at the Hawera end, so that when the Manawapou contract was finished there should be no further delay. We are glad to notice that his Worship the Mayor, has called a public meeting for Tuesday, to urge the completion of the line.