The Patea Mail. Established 1875. MONDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1883. NEWS OF THE DAY.

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1129, 24 December 1883, Page 2

The Patea Mail. Established 1875. MONDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1883. NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Patea Band will piny nt Now Plymouth on Boxing day. We hear that Mr O’Dea, of Patea, is the successful tenderer for the erection of the new convent nt New Plymouth.

The fourth officer of the Rotomahana was fined £2 and costs, at Wellington, on Friday, for assaulting a seaman.

The Bank of New South Wales has granted a bonus of ten per cent to the whole of their officers throughout the colonies.

The Captain of the steamer Tasman, which was lately wrecked has been diatrated by tlie Company, and the male dismissed from the service.

The Freezing Company's shares belonging to the estate of W. Handley, found a purchaser on Saturday. The other shares offered by Mr Co worn did not sell. At Auckland, on Saturday, a deserter from H.M.S. Lark, while endeavouring to escape arrest by the police, jumped an embankment and broke his arm and leg, Solne discussion concerning the whereabouts of a mare having arisen at the meeting’ of Mi' F. O’S. McCarthy's creditors, w» have been requested to state upon the authority of the police that the animal in question died at the Manawapou. The election of members for the Wairoa Highway Board lias resulted in the return of Messrs W Symes, J Nicholson, G S Bridge, J lon, D Williamson and A Howie. These gentlemen should forma good local body being mostly all old Road Board members.

Tho Wellington-Manawatu Railway Company have accepted the tender of John Taylor, Auckland, for the construction of 5 miles'of railway. Tho amountjwas £27,959 Is 01. The work will be commenced in about a fortnight hence, and has to be completed within eighteen months.

Mr W. G. Bassett, the contractor for the Tongahoe section, has arrived in Hawera, and is making arrangements to commence work at once, with a view to getting a fair start immediately the holidays are over. It is understood workmen will at once be placed at every point where there is difficult work to bo done.

As showing the remarkable changes which a few years may effect in a township, from a residential point of view, we (Star) note that out of 70 adults who resided in and around Norman by in 1877 only seven now remain ; and of 130 who resided in Hawcra in the same year there are now onl} 7 56 remaining, or not onehalf. Of course, these numbers are now exceeded, but by other individuals.

A determined attempt was made by some of the London papers recently to mar the success of the New Zealand Mortgage Company, a new and very extensive financial venture, promoted, we imagine, by the Bunk of New Zealand. But it was a sorry failure. The applications for shares arc in excess of the amount to be covered, and the Company may therefore he expected to bo in active operation very shortly. The effect of this will be to introduce a large amount of additional capital into the colony, and to relieve the banks and make things easier for everybody, at least for a time.

The Waverley Harmonic Society gave their concert on Friday last. The programme was an excellent one, and the various songs and pieces were exceedingly well rendered, showing that considerable pains had been taken in practising. The glees and choruses also were well gone through. Ihe night being dark and the weather threatening there was rather a poor “ house.” After the concert a dance was hold in the Hall and kept up till 2 n.m. everybody seeming thoroughly to enjoy themselves. Some slight alterations in the Railway time-table come into force on Boxing.Day, but do not affect the time of departure at Patca. The train from New Plymouth leaves fifteen minutes later, but ten minutes are made up before arrival at Paten. The stopping time is reduced to fifteen minutes, and thus the train starts to present time, 1.45 p.m. The first train from Manutahi leaves at 7.25 a.m., and arrives here five minutes later than at present, but starts again at 8.10. Wo shall publish the corrections next issue. At the Hawera XIM. Court on Saturday, John Burton was charged with sotting fire to his premises, the Hawera Brewery. The case was adjourned on the application of Sergeant-Major Goodall till (he 31st inst, bail to be allowed, prisoner in his own recognisance of £3OO and two sureties of £l5O each. Mrs Burton was also charged with assaulting the police. It appears that she had been at Manaia, and on coming back found her husband charged with arson and the police on his premises. She had then assaulted Sergeant-Major Goodall. A fine of £1 and costs was inflicted.

The Opunake correspondent writes to the Hawera Star on Friday Mr Bead, sen, who has recently removed with his family from Patea to Punehu, met with an accident yesterday afternoon which might have been attended with more serious consequences. Mr Read was proceeding up the Eltharn road in a dray (driven by his son), and readied the edge of the bush in safety. Here the mare seems to have become fidgety, and the foal managed to knock the blinkers off the mare’s head —there being no chinstrap. This caused the mare to bolt, and after running a few chains the dray overturned, and in falling out, Mr Read’s head came in contact with a stump, which stunned him for some time. He received a cut behind the-ear, as well as a nasty knock just below the nape of the neck. It is to bo hoped that nothing more serious will follow, and that he will soon recover from the mishap as he is progressing favourably.

Considerable alarm was occasioned at Weymouth by a mad dog rushing into one of the houses in the principal street of the town, and getting into a bedroom. A dogfancier named Rashleigh was sent for, and he at once boldly entered the room where the dog was shut up. As soon as the animal, which was a retriever, saw the man, he at once made a rush at him, when Rashleigh, who was a man of great strength, seized it and attempted to muzzle it, but was unable to do so. The dog at last got from his grasp and again sprang at him, wh n Rashleigh, who never for one moment lost presence of mind, struck it backwards. Again and again the dog attempted to bite, chasing the man all round the room, but each time the dog jumped at him ho warded it off with a blow. The struggle lasted for some time, a considerable delay being caused in getting a man to slioot the animal, which was at last accomplished, Rashleigh only received a scratch or two from the deg's claws.

The Mail will be published on Thursda} T morning. De Lcssops says tho Panama Canal will be completed in fire } T ears.

It is estimated that 1,000 women are practising medicine in England. Additional reading matter will bo found upon our fourth page this issue. Samuel Crombie Brown, journalist, has been sentenced to four months’ imprisonment for passing valueless cheques.

The British King has arrived at Wellington from London. Mr and Mrs Jolly and family are passengers by her. A Dunedin telegram states that Thomas Bissenl, a fisherman, was killed by failing, while drunk, over a precipice 100 feet high at Mansfordlown. His wife refused to go for beer, and ho left homo for that purpose. The body was fearfully mangled, A meeting of tho commit tee of the Caledonian Society .was held at the Albion Hotel on Saturday night when there were present Messrs Tcnnent, Bright and Gibbons. Some preliminaries in connection with the forthcoming sports were arranged. A ground committee consisting of Messrs Norman, Taplin, Kitching, G V Pearce and the -president we.ro appointed, Messrs Gowland and Kitching were appointed to organise chi'dren’s races, and it was resolved to offer the gates, booth, and fruit stall privileges by auction on the 29th inst, after which the meeting adjourned.