The Standard AND PEOPLE'S ADVOCATE. (PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SATURDAY.) WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1875.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume III, Issue 319, 27 October 1875, Page 2

The Standard AND PEOPLE'S ADVOCATE. (PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SATURDAY.)

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1875.

a We shall sell to no man justice or right: We shall deny to no man justice or right: We shall defer to no man justice or right.”

Last year the General Government voted £4,000 for the erection of public buildings iu Gisborne, and as the money had not been expended within the year, it was fully expected: that the vote would be renewed this year. In looking over the Estimates for 1875—76, we find, however, that no such renewal has been made ; and late reliable information from Wellington puts us iu possession of the cause of this omission. The Government —as they themselves, no doubt, suppose — are “ wise in their own generation,” and fancy that a little retrenchment on the “ cheesepairiug ” principle, is a great saving to the country. They care not how much of the consolidated revenue they squander upon themselves in high salaries, unlimited travelling expenses, Ministerial residences, and unnecessary public offices; but when the urgent requirements of an outlying district come to be considered, it is thought necessary to practise the strictest economy, or rather, the utmost niggardliness. To the niggardly policy of the present Ministry, as regards the expenditure of public money in Poverty Bay, we can bear ample testimony; and no one can accuse us of passing unmerited strictures upon them when we expose their conduct towards us. Is there, we ask, in all seriousness, a single town in New Zealand that yields anything like the revenue that Gisborne dots, and that has been so unjustly dealt with as ours has been ? Every resjdent of the district will at once reply in the negative. Why we should have been thus dealt with is a question which we cannot exactly answer, unless, indeed, it be that our out-spokenness in vin lic. t. n of our own rights has brought down upon us the vengeance of our rulers, as, it would appear, it has. Every species x?f official Laa been, resortedto for the purpose of annoying lIS', but, notwithstanding, we shall, we hope, be always found to be impervious to such despicable manoeuvres. We have already stated that the cause of the withdrawal of the £4,000 vote for local public buildings has been made known to us, and we are bound to divulge it. It has not been communicated to us as a secret, and even if it had, it would have been our duty, in the interests of the public, to give it publicity—it being strictly a public matter. The Cabinet, in preparing the Estimates, thought it unadvisable to propose so large a sum for public buildings here ontheground, W’e are told, that office accommodation for the respective Government departments was obtainable very cheaply ; or, in other words, that it would be less expensive to rent than to build offices. Had the slightest foresight been exercised in this matter, the unpardonable blunder into which the Ministry have thus fallen, with their eyes open, would have been obviated, and theextra expense to which the colony must necessarily be put to in consequence of so defective a stroke of administrative business, would be materially lessened. The Court House buildings, in which all the Government offices —with the exception of the shanty occupied as the Post and Telegraph offices—are held, having been purchased by Mr. Adair, that gentleman is about to resume possession of those buildings, and when he does so the Government will either have to lease other offices—which are not at present available —at exorbitantly high rents, or build offices of their own. Even if the Court House had not been disposed of the office-accommodation it affords is so small as to render it necessary that it should be at once increased. TZ ' apartment appropriated for the transaction of the business in connection with the Customs department is scarcely so large as an ordinary bedroom, while the Resident Magistrate’s room is not much larger. As to the Bench Clerk’s apartment it Is smaller than either of the others, uuid altogether inadequate for its pwfpose. How, then, the Government can be exonerated from blame in this affair, when they knew so well at the time the Estimates were in course of preparation, that Gisborne stood in imperative need of public buildings ? This inconsistency, or rather dishonesty on their part is so apparent as to leave no room for any excuse whatever; but as we know that a large course of political vice has rendered them invulnerable to all remonstances, it is earnestly to be hoped that they will be superseded by better and more trustworthy men after the next election. Retribution awaits them, and they shall not be able to evade it when the appointed time for its visitation—which cannot now be far off—arrives.

Bank Holiday.—Friday next the 29th instant, being the day on which the Poverty Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Association Exhibition is to be held, the banks will be closed on tliat day. Amicultural Show.—Mr. Samuel Stevenson, with his usual enterprise, notifies that he will have three expresstraps running between Gisborne and Makaraka on the day of the show. New Store neab Tokomarv. —We have been given to understand that a request is about to be made to our enterprising townsman, Mr. W. Adair, to establish a branch store on the East Coast, near Tokomaru, where, it would appear, there is a good opening for such. The Native Land Court. — The petitions to Sir Donald McLean, and Judge Rogan, praying that the next Native Land Court be not held at Makaraka, buo at Gisborne,, is being numerously signed, and will be presented shortly. They lie for signature at the office of Mr. Ferris. Mb. Barker. —We hear that Mr. Barker of the firm of Messrs. Barker and McDonald, intends to take up his temporary abode in Poverty Bay, and that a oemmodious dwelling house is about to be erected for him. Such an acquisition to our wealthy settlers cannot but prove beneficial to us. Holy Trinity Parsonage.—The erection of. this parsonage <is being most rapidly proceeded with, by the contractors —Messrs. Forbes and Skeet. Last week the work made very marked progress, and what was expected would not be completed for a fortnight hence, at least, has already been done. The whole contract will, we believe, be completed by the end of December. Evening School. —Mrßqlton, present Master of the Matawhero School, and late of King’s College, Dublin, notifies that he will be prepared te open an evening school in the school house, nt Gisborne, on next Tuesday evening, Mr. Bolton has conducted the Matawhero school, during the short time he has been there, with great efficiency, having 38 pupils now on the roll; he is, we learn, a gentleman of superior attainments, and we have no doubt that he will find in Gisborne a profitable field for the exercise of bis talents. •j'' Limb. —It gives us great pleasure to notice improvements in local industrial pursuits in our midst. Amongst those that have recently been effected is that of lime burning. Mr. Clements’ kiln in Gisborne has undergone extensive alterations lately which so materially facilitates the process of burning as to be able to save a large per ceutage of stone—which, before, used to be wasted or imperfectly burned. The amount of draught necessary to this branch of trade is a great desideratum, and Mr Clements says he has increased that in his kiln by 300 per cent, a fact which will enable him to turn out an article greatly superior to anything before obtainable.

Sensational Libs.—An individual in this district, whose personality has, we believe, been already well guessed, if not positively ascertained, has, during the past six weeks, somewhat extensively used the telegraph for transmission to the-Wellingtoiiand other SoutherMapers, lying taewsages of 'ffiB”hiogt' sensational character —thus taking advantage of the secrecy of the telegraph to propagate the most unfounded fabrications, worthy only of a Maunchausen. Some of these telegrams are interspersed with wit of a certain description, but the deliberate and barefaced falsehoods with which they teem totally neutralise any'other merit which they may possess. Steps have, we understand, been taken to discover the name of this infamous telegraphic correspondent, and if he turns out to be the party suspected, he will not likely occupy the position he now holds much longer; and we shall not certainly regret to hear of his being punished for his misdeeds. These telegrams, with scarcely any exception, appear to us to contain such ample internal evidence of their unauthenticity that we are not a little surprised how any respectable journal could allow itself to be so imposed upon as to insert them. The publication of such messages cannot possibly answer any purpose other than that of gratifying the morbidly immoral propensities of the sender of them; for we fancy that the readers of the papers in which they appear are not gullible enough to accept them as reliable items of intelligence, frdm the manifest improbability of jW occurfences they notify having ever taken p1n0e.... Amongst the latest of these lying telegrams, that has come under our notice is the following, which appears in the Wellington Tribune of the 14th inst.: —“ Gisborne, October 14. —At the dinner given by the Celtic Club at Ormond, about 500 .people were present; fifteen waggons left Gisborne for the scene, and on the way one upset breaking the legs of two of the passengers who were brought to town immediately and placed under the care of Dr. Goold. The prize fight between Paul Pion, a thorough Hau Hau, and a Chinaman occurred through the Celestial proposing the health of the Chinese people. The Chinaman was frightfully punished. A war dance took place afterwards at which about 50 natives took part.”