NEWS OF THE DAY.

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1112, 14 November 1883, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The channel and bar are in splendid condition just now. Mr T. Eyton takes a trip to Wellington, leaving by to-morrow’s train for Wanganui. Wliile in (he Empire City Mr Eyton will visit the meat-freezing establishments and solicit information which i« likely to be useful to him ns secretary of the West Coast Company. The first aimiial'meeling of shareholders of the New Zealand Frozen Meat and Storage Company has been held at Auckland. The report stated that nothing had yet been done in the way of commencing refrigerating operations, beyond ordering machinery. Messrs James Williamson, Biickland, Murdoch, Fisher, and Howard wore re-elected directors. The next mail via San Francisco will be despatched from Patea on Friday at 5 p.m. Correspondence can thus be answered in unusually quick time this month. A letter was received by last mail from Mr W, Dcrritt. That gentleman is already getting tired of England and longing to return to his home in the “ sunny South.” Mr Derritt says mutton is a shilling a pound, and the foot-and-mouth disease is spreading fast. A bad outlook indeed for English farmers. But the colonies will bo the gainer. A cable from Brisbane on Monday says: —A destructive cyclone passed over the town of Toowoomba to-day. The gasworks were totally destroyed by the violence of the wind, the manager being killed. Other damage to a considerable extent was done to the buildings and property along the path of the storm. Mr George Hutchison has decided to contest the Mayoralty of Wanganui with Mr Carson.

Sir Thomas Mcllwraith, Premier of Queensland, has tendered the resignation of himself arid colleagues. A new Ministry has been formed by Sir W Griffiths. The Government party was very weak in the new Parliament, hence the resignation.

Auckland is getting its name up for fires. Another big one took place on Monday night in Messrs A and T Nathan’s warehouse. Damage, several thousand pounds.

Martini-Henri won the Mares Produce Stakes on the fourth day’s racing at Flemington. We learn from Wellington that the testing of the Queen of Beauty mine at Makara took place on Monday" with very unsatisfactory results. Only a few specks of gold'were obtained from twenty-one dishes of stuff.

Owing to complaints respecting the treatment of patients, Dr Hammond, the superintendent of the Wellington Hospital, has resigned. A man named George McLockey was killed at Naseby on’ Monday by falling from his dray. An entertainment in aid of the Patea School funds will be given in the Harmonic Hall'on Wednesday, December 5, The programme will be issued in due course, and apart from the object of the entertainment, will be sufficiently attractive to draw a good house. The Salvationist, Knowles, who confessed to having murdered the actor Bates and was arrested by the police, was brought up at the Melbourne Police Court on Monday, and remanded for a week. Through the breaking of an axle of one of the carriages composing a train on the way to Flemington on Monday, three passengers wore severely injured and others less seriously. Accidents have been rather frequent on the Victorian lines lately. In the tennis match Patea v Hawcra j which took place at the latter place on Friday, 107 games were played, Hawera winning by 15 games. Scores were made as follows Laishley and Farrington 0. beat Waitt and Norman, 10-6 ; Harden and Redgrave beat Baddeley *>nd Gillies, 10-2 ; Farrington H. and Tonks beat Koch and Smart, 10-2; Farrington C, and Laishley beat Redgrave and Harden, 10-4 : Smart and Koch beat Baddeley and Gillies, 10-7 ; Farrington H. and Tonks beat Redgrave and Harden, 10-4; Norman and Waitt beat Gillies and Baddeley, 10-0 ; Farrington C. and Laishley beat Koch and Smart, 10-2.

The newly elected officers of the Masonic Lodge at Hawera are: —Bros Caplen, R W.M.; Pinches, D.M.; Innes, S.W.; Dnffill, J.W.; Bailey, Sec ; Pitcher, Treas ; Crocker, S.D. ; Mculi, J.D.; Davies, 1.G.; and Burton, Tyler. Stewards : Bros Lewis and BurbuSh,

A fatal accident occurred yesterday morning at the Dunedin railwaj’ yard. A man named John Skifflington was helping to shunt waggons, when ho slipped and fell on the rails, and the wheel of a loaded waggon went over his head, killing him instantaneously. He was a married man, about 40 years of age. The lonic takes 5000 frozen sheep from Wellington. Mr Mitchelson is to be banquelted in Auckland.

The Hospital Committee held a meeting yesterday ; present, Messrs R A Adams (chair), W Cowerh, W Brown, and W Williams. It was decided to alter the name of the committee to “ Board,” and therefore in future the committee will be known as The Patca Hospital Board. The Board resdved to take over the Hospital from December 1, and also to advertise for a surgeon at a salary of £IOO per annum, to commence duty, on January 1 next It was decided to giro the Hospital steward thre# months notice of the termination of his engagement, with a view of making fresh arrangements as to duties, &c. Tenders will be called for Hospital supplies for 12 months from December 1. The Bank of New. Zealand was'appointed bankers to the Board. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded to the Patea Sociables for their handsome donation to the funds of the Hospital (£7). This was all the business. According to the Engineer, it is possible to build marine engines capable of driving a vessel through the water at the rate of 30 or 40 miles an hour. The pro blem yet unsolved is bow to construct vessels that can bear the strain of such powerful engines. Great scarcity of dwelling houses is experienced in Waitara ; at present there is not one unoccupied.

It may bo safely predicted that a largo audience will assemble in the Harmonic Hall this evening to hear the beautiful and romantic opera Les Cloches de Corneville, which will bo rendered by Messrs Stanley and Darbysbire’s troupe. We believe that the company is fully capable of doing justice to Les Cloches, and if so a real treat may be anticipated. The music is charming, and the dramatic situations are strikingly effective. Altogether Les Cloches forms one of the most enjoyable operas we have seen.

Three men named John Wilding, James Tollens and John Cowley wore brought up at the R.M. Court yesterday morning charged with being drunk. It appeared that the men had been found lying drunk on the main road at Manutahi within a very short space of the wheel tracks. The accused did not appear in answer to the charge, and were fined 20s each and costs.

Mr F. R. Jackson’s sale at Waverley on Friday will be unusually important. As will be seen by advertisement, a large and varied number of entries have been made - .

We are glad to notice that a meeting of the Caledonian Society is called for Saturday evening at the Albion Hotel, when the question of sports will be considered. We hope to see a good attendance, otherwise we fear the annual gathering will fall through. Year by year its importnneo has increased, and a large number of people have grown to look forward to New Year’s Day with pleasureable antici. pations. If therefore, the sports were abandoned, a great deal of disappointment would bo felt.

To-morrow at the Hawera yards, Messrs Nolan, Tonks, and Co,, will hold their monthly sale, when a quantity of useful stock will be offered. Some property will also be sold, particulars of which may be seen in another column.

Messrs William Hone, Joseph Swann, and Christian Koestz, of Waverley, have applied for a patent for an invention for pressing wool called “Hone’s Press.”

Edwards has accepted the offer of Mr White of Wellington, and will compete with Scott in that city for LIOO in a 48 hours’ walking match. The Nelson libel case, Sclanders v. Mabin, has been settled by defendant making a complete apology. The Australian overland telegraph lines are interrupted. The Taranaki Cricket Club will arrange a match with Patea for December 12. The Star understands that Mr Holmes, resident engineer, leaves Hawera for Woodville about the end of this week. Mr Whishaw has nominated Daphne for the Waitara Jockey Club Handicap and Publicans’Handicap.

Five Co-operative Co. shares, 25s paid up, were sold at Hawera on Saturday by Messrs Nolan, Tonks, and Co. at 10s each. Between 700 and 800 applications were sent in to fill the office of hangman in succession to Marwood, The coveted position was gained by Bartholomew Binns, a platelayer on the Lancashire and Yorkshire railway.

Says the European Mail The sad effects of the foot-and-mouth disease are being felt all over the country—first in the losses which the farmers sustain, and, next, in consequence of the high price of meat. Indeed, were it not for the imported article, meat would bo at famine prices.