NEWS OF THE DAY.

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1096, 8 October 1883, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Rev Lloyd Keating has left Dunedin for Auckland, where he has accepted a cure. AtHarwood Island, Clarence River, New South Wales, there is manufactured at the sugar mill there about 3000 gallons of rum per week, excise duty upon which amounts to from £I6OO to £IBOO, The District Court sits on Wednesday next, when a civil case, Tonkin v Kendall, in which the claim is set down at £165, will be heard. The applications for discharge of A. H. McMaster, Absolom Jones John Armstrong, Rupert Jacomb, Hugh Muldrock, Andrew Young, and Edward Cullinan, will also bo considered. The amounts appropriated by the Paten East Road Board for their roads, together with sums to the credit of several of the roads remaining from last year, are as follow : —Wilson road, £4O ; Ilukatero road, £47 ; Nicholson road, £4 10s ; Little Taranaki, £7 5s ; Putabi, £ls Ba. The amount the Board have at their disposal is LISO, of which L4B has been reserved fpr contingencies, Mr Walter Joseph Newton, a gentleman who by way of revenge for getting the “ sack ” by (ho West Harbour Borough Council, of which body he was clerk, destroyed the books, has, at the invitation of the Dunedin judge, retired into private life for three months.

The lonic will take 5000 carcases of roaen million from Wellington, and the I'riutnph about 4000.

Mr F J. Jones, of Wanganui, announces a great sale of bools. Mr Jones was the successful tenderer for the wholesale stock of Mr Hunt, of Wellington, and is disposing of the boots at “ million prices.” We remind settlors that Messrs Nolan, Tonks, and Co. hold an important sale of cattle; the property of Mr W. S. Young, on Wednesday. The sale will fake place at 10 o’clock in the High street yards, Hawera.

The Patea West Road Board have, decided to spend the sum of £l4O upon the roads under their control and have apportioned the amounts as follow : Upper and Lower Ball roads, £l7 ; Hursthouse road, £5 ; JoII road, £10; Garsed road, £8 ; Hukatore road, £lO ; Upper Kakarainca road, £10; Upper Taumaha road, £10; Lower do, £23; Tongahoe road, £3 10s ; Hamilton’s road, £3 10s ; Ginger’s road, £5 ; Manutahi road, £ls ; Sandbridge road, £3 10s ; Spencer road, £3 10s; Wilson road, £lO ; Hurley road, £3. The- following gentlemen were appointed at the last meeting •of the Board to arrange tho business in connection therewith ; For Hurstlu-uso, Wilson, Hnkaterc, Garsed, Lower Joll and Upper Kukaramca roads, Messrs Hunter and Pearce; for Upper Joll, Hurley, Lower Ball, Manutahi, Sand- | bridge, and Spencer roads, Messrs Burke, Parsons and Wilson ; for Upper and Lower Taumaha, Ginger’s, Tongahoe, and t Hamilton’s roads, Messrs Campbell and

Morgan. Mr I. Hyams, the telegraphist here, has, wo regret to state, been so ill that Ilia removal to Wellington has become necessary., His place has been temporarily supplied by Mr H. Halliday from Wellington.

There is quite. a party from Hawera going Home in the next Orient steamer that leaves Sydney. The Star says that Mr Chaney, Mr Furlong, and Mr Eastwood have decided on going, and probably Mr Iredalo will also be one of the party.

It is said that a Canterbury man is about to start a brewery at Manaia. Mr John Ballance, who has been making a short tour up the Coast, passed through Patea on his way home on Saturday, Mr T. G. Russell, one of the proprietors of the Weekly A doer User, “a'cbin m ercia I journal published in Christchurch, also passed through on the return journey. He has been up as far as New Plymouth, making arrangements for the introduction of the Advertiser upon this Coast. Eight bales of wool, the first of (he season received by rail, came down from Mr Paliner, Haweri, on Saturday. They were shipped by the Wavcrley for Wellington.

Coast is fungus, upon the sale of which some one must make a big profit. The price paid to the gatherer is about fourpence per lb, It is exported to China, where the natives of the Flowery Land regard it as a special delicacy, and, we are informed, readily purchase it at from five to six shillings per lb. It would be interesting to know the returns of the Wellington merchants, who are the principal

shippers. Auckland has now been fixed upon as the scene of the next gathering of the New Zealand Rifle Association. The shooting will commence on Thursday, Feb. 28 next. The prize money will be

between £SOO and £6OO. A verdict of wilful murder was returned against Gus Schnell, the lunatic, who killed a fellow patient at Auckland on Thursday. The St Kilda stranded on Wanganui

bar on Thursday evening, and remained there until next morning. An inquiry was held on Friday by Mr Lundon, The evidence was afterwards transmitted to the Marine Department, Wellington, with Mr London's findings, which were that there was not sufficient water on the bar for the St. Kilda, arntthat the Pilot should not have let her in ; but that he mistook her for the Oreti, which draws eight feet six only, and to this fact the accident must bo attributed. Mr Lundon added that there was no damage done to the ship. ,

A somewhat irregular commercial transaction has recently taken place in Masterton (says the Daily) a settler in humble life having sold the wife of his bosom for the sum of five pounds to a festive widower. Some little hitch has, however, arisen oveir the transfer, and the argus eye of the police is being directed to the whole affair.

A contractor living at New Plymouth, named Boswell, recently became bankrupt (says a contemporary), and in describing his losses to the first meeting of his creditors he told n curious loss of of £3OO. He stated that he was in Wellington and had taken his passage to New Plymouth, and sent his luggage on board, but missed his passage by a few minutes. In his portmanteau, which ho sent on board the steamer, he had £3OO in notes, hidden in a pair of socks, and those ho had put in a pair of boots. Having missed the stoamcr ho telegraphed to Picton and to Nelson, to the purser, instructing him to deliver the luggage to a Mr Newman nt Now Plymouth, and ho telegraphed to a Mr Bennett, at New Plymouth, to look out for it. When ho got homo, of course some time after the steamer had called, ho found the portmanteau had boon delivered. On lifting it up ho thought something was wrong, and he found it had been opened, and the money was nil gone. Ho did not communicate with the police because bo could not prove anything, and ho was “ afraid if ho kicked up a row about it he would bring all bis creditors on him with a rush,” but bo spoke to other persons about it. He produced some of the telegrams be bad sent about bis luggage, and the creditors appeared satisfied of the truth of his story.

Wo learn that there is every probability of Messrs Stanley ami Darbysbirc’s Juvenile Opera Company visiting this district. The company has been very well spoken of by the press in the largo towns.

A gentleman who has just returned from Wellington informs us that he saw some of tho Manutahi bullocks at the Guar Works. They did not look any tho better for their journey, in fact dur informant said that some of them appeared to bo considerably knocked about. The 1 great electric circus will show here on Wednesday evening. It drew immense audiences at Now Plymouth.

Tenders are invited in this issue for the Tongahoe contract of the Patua-Hawera section of railway. The date of closing is November 13. Thu entertainment in aid of the funds of the Waverley Harmonic Society will not take placs on Friday next as originally intended owing to the arrival of the circus. It will, however, be held oil Tuesday, 16th hist. An attractive programme is shown and it is to be hoped a full bouse will greet the first appearance of the Society.

A notice appears elsewhere warning defaulting ratepayers iii the Wairoa Highway District that proceedings will be taken after 15th., Ratepayers will no doubt take the hint.

A vacancy has again occurred in the Waverley Town Board, owing to Mr Rasmussen leaving the district. Nominations will bo received by the Returning Officer up to 15th inst.