The Patea Mail. Established 1875. FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 1884. NEWS OF THE DAY.

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1134, 4 January 1884, Page 2

The Patea Mail. Established 1875. FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 1884. NEWS OF THE DAY.

Tlio Hon W. Rolleston passed through Patea yesterday. An old pensioner named Patrick Crowley' was drowned in the Taicri on Christinas Day. The only business before the Resident Magistrate’s Court this morning was a judgment summons, North v Tutangi, which was adjourned. From 25,000 to 30,000 acres of land at the back of Pihama and Otakebo are to be offered at the end of February, and a few days after from 10,000 to 15,000 acres near Opunake will be offered for lease. - The Rev J. J. Mather, of Opunake, will preach in the Patea Wesleyan Church on Sunday next, both morning and evening. The reverend gentlemen will also conduct a service at Kakaramea in the afternoon at 3 o’clock. The failure of Messrs Alexander and Henry Brogden is attributed to the rejection of their appeal to the Government of New Zealand for tho liquidation of claims in connection with colonial railway contracts, and to numerous minor failures in the iron trade. Driving machinery by sand is being tried successfully in Virginia City. r lhe ore crushing machinery is placed in a light, sandy field, where but little water can bo procured. A windmill turns a belt containing a number of buckets, and these carry sand up to a large tank, and a stream of sand is let out upon the overshot wheel, causing it to revolve, thus putting the idea of the sand toys of our infancy into practical use. Some of the women here would like to have a law in force similar to one that obtains in one part of the United States of America. At Brooklyn, according to a late paper, two wives sued publicans for selling intoxicating liquors to their husbands, and received respectively £6OO and £4OO. What a haul some colonial wives would make. In Brooklyn a good drinking husband must be almost as good as a gold mine. Fine weather is now setting in again, so that perhaps it would not be out of place to point out to tho members of the Patea Cricket Club that the return match with Hawera comes off on the 19lb January. Practice every evening should be the order of the day, and on Saturday afternoons scratch matches should be arranged. The indefatigable “ Gladstones ” beat their opponents at Manutahi, simply because they practised night and morning prior to the match. In consequence of scab between Wellington and Napier, the road between those places has been closed so far as the conveyance of sheep is concerned. A deputation, consisting of Messrs Levin and Buchanan, M.H.R.’s, waited on the Colonial Secretary, asking that the road should be opened under proper precautions. The sheep inspectors of Masterton were, however, opposed, under even the strictest possible precautions, and Mr Dick therefore refused to agree to the request. An extraordinary accident has occurred in Nottingham. Miss Hickling, a young lady, while walking in Waverley street, had her dress set on fire by matches with which some boys were playing, Her dress - improver greatly facilitated the spread of the flames, which instantly covered her whole back clothing. A spectator wrapped her in his coar, and rolled her on a neighbouring lawn, but Miss Hickling was severely burnt. A moment’s delay would have caused her death. The St. Paul's Gazette (Minnesota) declares that the Crow Indians, computed at 800 families, reckoning 3000 heads, are the richest people in the world. They are the owners of 6,500,000 acres of good land, which at 1 dol an acre gives a value of 6,500,000 dols. They have 11,500 horses, worth 20 dols apeico ; that is 230,000 dols. They receive an annual allowance of 800,000 dols from the United States Government. Reckoning up all these items, we have a total of 7,530,000 dels, or 3510 dols a head. The Riverine Grazier (New South Wales) states that the Chinese gardeners at Hay have bard times of it at present, combating with the grasshoppers. All day long the men can be seen frightening the “ hoppers” away by moans of Jong sticks with cloth attached to the ends, and as they go along clouds arise before them, only to settle again the moment they have passed. The plague is becoming •alarming. Already, the grass having been eaten up around Hay, the grasshoppers have begun on tho pretty gardens in the town.

Two horses were killed by lightning at Incliclutlia on Tuesday. Mr J Moysmore has been appointed Collector of dog-tax for the Patca County for the current year. Mr Foreman has resigned his seat in the County Council, and it is more than probable that Mr Sullivan will do the same. The County Council have appointed Mr EC Horner their Returning Officer, the fees to be : Nominations, 10s; poll, one guinea. It is said that 100,000 children in New York city support themselves, Many of (hem probably have to support their parents also. For the first two days of the Dunedin Caledonian gathering over £9OO gate money was taken, notwithstanding the wretched weather. The County Council’s finances showing a better condition now than they did a few months ago, Councillors have decided to recoup themselves in future for expenses. It is not probable that there will be any meeting of the County Council next month, the intention being to adjourn it from week to week till tho meeting day in March comes round. It is stated that the Hon E. Richardson will again contest the Selwyn seat, vacant by the death of Mr E. J. Lee. Other expected candidates are Messrs E, Wakefield and J. McLauchlin. A meeting of creditors in the estate of Mr W. Handley, to receive the trustee’s report, was to have been held at the Courthouse yesterday afternoon, but a quorum not being forthcoming, it consequently lapsed. Two monolith blocks, each between two hundred and three hundred tons weight, are being laid for the end of the wall of the Oamaru breakwater. One is finished, and on the other being laid, the contract for the Oamaru breakwater will bo completed. The Fijians in their petition to the Government for annexation to New Zealand complain of their political disabilities, their heavy taxation, and the irresponsible character of their Government ; and they also point out that not less than £1,700,000 of Australasian capital is already invested in Fiji. The Taranaki Herald mentions that an accident occurred on' Saturda}' last, at the rifle range. Several of the Volunteers were practising at the target, and McManus, in his turn, discharged his rifle, when it exploded, blowing off the sight and about four inches of the barrel. Fortunately he sustained no injury, but he had a very narrow escape. A terrible accident occurred on December 12 at the Dubbo (N.S.W.*) railway station. The dust was so thick and the wind so high that Dennis Fitzpatrick, employed in the railway yard, could not see an approaching goods train, the engine of which knocked him down and passed over him. His legs were cut off, his head smashed, and death must have been instantaneous. At the Dunedin Caledonian games on Wednesday the principal event was the border wrestling, in which Hudson, Tyson and Robertson, the Maori, were among the principal competitors. Hudson won the champion belt with a good deal of case, throwing Robertson, who took second prize. Tyson, who was thrown by Robertson, took third. Donald Dinnio won throwing the 221b ball and tossing the caber. The programme of the Egmont Autumn Meeting on St Patrick’s Day, March 17, appears in another column. The added money amounts to upwards of £4OO, divided amongst nine events, the principal of which are the Hurdle Handicap, of 50 sovs ; Flying, 30 sovs ; Egmont Handicap, two miles, 130 sovs ; Maiden Plate, 40 ; District Handicap, 50 ; Nursery Stakes, for two-year-olds, 30 sovs ; and Consolation, 30 sovs. Entries for the handicaps close on February 21. An English School Board, that of Wiveliscombe, has been idiotic enough to expel a number of school children for the offence of wearing the “blue ribbon.” The Education Department at once sent a peremptory intimation that if children were still refused on these grounds, the annual grants would be withdrawn, and the members of the School Board would be liable for the expenditure. At this decision tho three members who insisted upon the ribbons being discarded resigned their places on the School Board. In connection with the establishment of tho direct steam service (says the Otago Times) it may be interesting to recall that so far back as 1860, when the tola! population of Otago was only 9000 souls, the then Superintendent, Mr Macandrew, made a proposal for the establishment of a 42-days direct steam service via Panama at tho sole expense of this province. To provide the funds it was proposed to divide one of the sheep runs into “ hundreds ” and sell the land for settlement. Travellers by train from Wanganui on Wednesday night had an unpleasant experience. When passing through a tunnel near Kai Iwi it was discovered that one of the carriages was on fire, friction no doubt being the cause. On arriving at the next station the fire was extinguished and the carriage detached from the train. The passengers turned out had meanwhile been standing on an exposed platform in a drenching rain., Room for some of them was found in the already crowded, carriages, but some had to take to open trucks, and as the rain continued their condition may be imagined.— Star. The Customs revenue collected last month in the colony (with the exception of Tauranga) amounts to £102,789 12s lOd. The sum collected for the corresponding month last year was £113,290 7s 2d. The receipts for the quarter just ended are below the average required to make up the estimated amount for the year. It is expected that the falling off will be pulled up next quarter, which is usually the best quarter of the year. The amount collected at Tauranga averages about £3OO per month. The beer duty for December last amounted to £6478 5s 7d. In December last year it was £7070 9s Id. Larrikinisrn was rather prevalent at Waverley on New Year’s Eve. A party of individuals who had evidently been seeing the old year out with tho assistance of numerous “ refreshers,” were determined that the peaceful residents of the town should not forget New Year’s morn, and indulged in a number of larrikin (ricks, which no one in their right senses would think of, some of them of a most blackguardly description. Tire local guardian of the' peace, Constable Lister, however, was equal to the occasion, and was an eye witness to several of their pranks, and rather astonished the poor culprits the next da} 7, with a hint that an appearance at the R.M. Court would eventuate at no distant date. It seems surprising that the spirit of mischief must come out so strong on Now Year’s morn above all others, when all should bo merriment and good fellowship. •

The Tongariro shipped 1198 kegs of butter from Canterbury for the London market. : An inquiry was held at .(be Bluff on Tuesday before the Collector of Customs, concerning the disappearance of a passenger from the steamer Tarawera during the passage from Hobart to the Bluff. The evidence went to show that the man in question, John Henry Dalhneyer, had been in charge' of a doctor and servant, being of unsound mind, and that he was missed on the 30th December. Strict search was made, but lie could not be found, and it was concluded that he had fallen, or thrown himself, overboard. The December number of the Australian Insurance and Banking Record, has an article on Australian Banking averages in which it is pointed out that during the year ending the 30th September last the increase in the advances.to New Zealand wore less than to any other Austra* lasian colony, except Western Australia, the increase in advances to Tasmanaia being nearly three times as great. The figures showing the increase wera as follows : New Zealand, £189,099 ; Western Australia, £150,327 ; Tasmanaia, £532,255. This seems to indicate that in this colony the * local bankers are keeping a tight ham! on the-reins, and a firm foot on the brake.’ An eminent oculist says “Itis in cumbent upon every person, be they parent, master, or mistress, engaged in the teaching and bringing up.of children, to listen to such complaints as ‘ I can’t see, I My eyes ache,* and the like, and invariably to believe the child’s statements in regard to its sight ; and it is their duty, if such complaints are made, to take the earliest opportunity and employ the best means to discover why these conditions exist. lam led to speak strongly on this point, having too freely met;with children whoso eonudainls have he'en ignored, and put off year after year, whilst they themselves have been persistently goaded through their daily lessons by a cruel process of bullying and injustice. Had many such ‘ cases been properly treated early, much of the preventable evil results of educational pressure would have been avoided.”