The Patea Mail. Established 1875. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 1883. NEWS OF THE DAY.

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1067, 1 August 1883, Page 2

The Patea Mail. Established 1875. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 1883. NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Debating Society will hold an ordinary meeting to-morrow.evening, for the'purpose of considering rules drawn up by the committee. • Members, of the Patea Garrick Club are summoned to meet at the Al.bion Hotel to-morrow at 7.30 p.m. '■> MrF.R. Jackson’s sale will be held atHaWera on Friday, at one o’clock. The annual,(meeting; of the W.averley-.; Waitotara Racing Club, was held last night at Waitotara. A report appears in this issue. ' ...”. .. No meeting of the County‘Council took place this morning. The next sitting will be in 'Septomber. : ' Mf'H. E. P. Adams Has been appointed agent for.well-known Norwich Union' Insurance Company. Matakau was scratched for the New'. Zealand Cup at 11 a.m. on Monday, We .have been shown a good-sized photograph of the-late chess tournament with living figures in Dunedin. The two armies .are ~ arrayed on the monster chess board in order of battle, the sixteen young ladies in ! the front ranks on each side being armed‘with shields, and spears with beauty... Behind the, pawns stand the-kings arid rqueens,'bishops,'knights, and- castles—the castles, and the queens of course being' ladies,'who, as well as all the rest, are dressed in character,; In the centre of the board are shown three pretty and striking groups representing the Red and the White Queens respectively, sirt’fonnded by a few of the ladies 1 of their Court ; the third group depicting the scene: in the game when the Queen having heeri deposed, in the exigencies of war, and one of the pawns having reached the eighth equare, she was elevated to the regal dignity ; she is shown surrounded by her attendants, and seated in a chair of state, whilst two of the Bishop's administer the oaths of office; (This was before the passing of the Bill for the Abolition of Oaths in New Zealand ; probably an affirmation will be all that is necessary henceforward). In the margin of the picture are enlarged photos of the kings, queens, and many fascinating ladies who took part in the game, and also of the bishops, knights, castles, train-bearers and heralds. The only persons in plain attire are the two gentlemen who really played and directed the g'ame, and the Rev Lloyd Keating who promoted it. At the top of the picture is a view of the Garrison Hall where the entertainment was held, and at the foot is shown the city of Dunedin.

In the Divorce Court at Christchurch on Monday, the case Holt v Holt, A. H. Cheo and Duke was hea.id. "The petitioner applied for a divorce on. the ground of ■respondent’s adultry with the two corespondents. After hearing evidence, which fully proved the charges of adultery, His Honor granted a rule nisi , with costs against the co respondent, A, H. Chee. In reply to the address recently sent to the Hon. Mr Bryce by the ex-members of the Kai Iwi troop, a reply was received, on Monday, thanking the senders for their mark of sympathy, and trusting that the day would,come when the history of New Zealand would be truly written. The .writer further added that Husden’s object seemed to be to prove that his countrymen, when they became N.Z. colonists, changed their nature and principles, and became all that is wicked and base. When a truthful history of Now Zealand was written, it would bo seen that the natives of this country had been treated with a degree of justice and humanity never before displayed by the dominant race in the history of colonisation, A correspondent of ttio Sydney Morning Herald writes that according to recent revelations it would appear as if more than one young girl had been decoyed from Sydney to proceed to Noumea under false pretences. One instance is given of the daughter of the widow of a professional man having accepted an engagement as companion to a retired lady, her chief duties to. consist of entertaining the company with her musical talent, and on reaching Noumea finding that the house of the retired lady was a public-house of the lowest repute. A kind-hearted captain gave her a return passage to Sydney upon the discovery of the (rap, but the correspondent asks how many have not the good fortune to be so rescued. A shocking accident occurred at a file grinding works at Whidiet, near Coatbridge, One of the workmen, named William Hutton, 45 yeais of age was engagod grinding files at a massive grindstone which was driven by steam. The stone suddenly Hew in pieces, a portion striking Hatton with groat violence, lifting him of'his seat, and hurling him through (lie roof of the workshop. He. was found lying quite dead in the yard, his face and body being horribly disfigured.

Speaking in the House yesterday upon the Property Tax Bill, introduced by Major Atkinson, Mr Dargaville reviewed the general financial policy of the Government, and accused Ministers of regulating that policy to meet the requirements and interests of the Bank of New Zealand, instead of those of the people of the colony. He said that Major Atkinson was not the Treasurer of the colony—he was only the accountant and willing tool o£ a financial ring, 'of which the present Premier had, since tho consolidation of loans in 1867, been one of tho chiefs, and governed the country. It was a scandal to find within the last few days tho Premier’s name as n director of a now* loan company, established by the ring. Tho present law gave most unfair advantages to such companies. Ho strongly advocated a land tax, as fairer and in every way preferable to a property tax. Tho Government, ho knew, would carry the Bill, but it was because they were supported by class legislation, public wrongs, financial terrorism, and political corruption. A company parade of tho Volunteers was hold last night, and was well attended. Five now members were elected on parado, and were afterwards sworn in, yesterday being the last day upon which that could he done for six months; Tho competition for Captain Taplin’s cup will take ..place as follows: Third Class, August 9th ; Second Class, August 10th; First Class, August 11. The adjourned third class firing for the Company’s trophy, takes place to-morrow morning. Messrs Hearn and Kennedy are preparing 300 acres for wheat this season. The new Bank of Australasia at Waverle}' is almost completed, and will he ready for occupation in a few days. The building, which is of neat design, adjoins the present banking premises, and is a decided improvement to that part of the township. The entrance is through a massive door opening into a little porch, on the right hand side of which is a glass swing door leading ( into the public office. The latter is nicely fitted with handsome counters, fireplace, &c., and the walls are covered with a light green pannelled paper, the effect of w, lnch is very pleasing. The Manager’s room is similarly papered, and when furnished will be a comfortable apartment. The contractor for the building was Mr Storey and the painting and paperhanging has been done by Mr Catanach. Both contractors .have . evidently carried out their work in a conscientious manner; The private residence is to be erected on the site of the old bank.

A Dunedin telegram says : Mr falter Miller, of Roxburgh station, some, time ago sent 145' sheep to the local refrigerat-. ing works.” •He got 4s 3d each for the skins,an advance at the rate of 2Jd per pound on . the carcases, and, if the Home market remains as at present, when his-sheep-arrived, will get 2d per pound more. This '.will bring the net return per sheep up to'29s, ‘after paying all expenses.- In local : yards the price they would have brought would have been only 13s or 14s. The Hon E Hart, a member of the Legislative Council; appears to have been studying the question of “ earth tremors and earthquakes,” and has given the result ;of his inquiries in .a paper read before the Wellington Philosophical Society. He contended that the earth’s surface is in a constant state of vibration ; that matter,’ consequently, is constantly seeking a level ; that the level so sought is on no (wo consecutive days alike ; and, incidentally, that- the denudation-of a considerable amount of superimposed weight must thefore tend to (he . elevation of the denuded surface by the pressure of the surrounding elevations. Mr Pish, M.H.R. for South Dunedin, has a profound faith in the stability of New Zealand Banks. In a discussion the other night, in the House, on the Bills of Exchange Bill in Committee, the hon. member mentioned that there never .had been a Bank in the colony which had failed, and that it was not likely there would be one.

Even the London Times occasionally falls into an error, as witness the following paragraph from a recent issue A telegram has been received in Durham announcing the death by accident of Professor Walker, who recently accepted a professorship in Adelaide University, New Zealand.”