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Poverty Bay Standard, Volume III, Issue 329, 1 December 1875, Page 2

Pbetty Jane. —Intelligence reached us late last evening that the Pretty Jane is at Tologa Bay, MetallingGladstoneßoad.—Tenders are invited for breaking and spreading the metal recently carted from the beach to the lower end of the Gladstone Road. See advertisement. Road Board.—-A meeting of this Board took place on Monday last for the purpose of hearing and determining objections to the supplementary Assessment 8011. No valid objections having been lodged, the assessment, was wholly confirmed.

Now is the time to subscribe to Saturday Night. Two sewing machines to be given to Subscribers, valued at Seven and Six Guineas, for solving a riddle, or writing the best essay on the most enjoyable way of spending Christmas in the Colonies. ' Agents every where. —[advt.J Monster Sun Fish. — A sun fish weighing 13 cwt. in his own scales, has been lately caught on the East Coast, North of Auckland, and exhibited in that city for several days. This is the largest fish of the kind ever seen in New Zealand.

Sheepshearing. — Owing to the weather being showery and somewhat unsettled within the past fortnight, shearing has been considerably [retarded, and will not consequently be over so soon as was expected. At several of the larger stations in the district the work has scarcely been half finished as yet. Poverty Bay Grass.—The crop of grass this season surpasses, in luxuriance, that of any previous year, and hay will consequently be unusually plentiful. At Waerenga-a-hika and Matawhero the crop is remarkably heavy, and hay making is about to commence in these two localities —it being considered desirable not to allow the grass further time for growth. Progress on the East Coast.—Mr. Daniel Ryland of Tokomaru, is about to open a general store at Waiapu, where goods of every description are to be sold at the lowest possible prices. Mr. Ryland is also making arrangements for opening an accommodation house at Tokomaru, in addition to the business of general storekeeper which he carries on there.

Te Hau. —Constable Mills returned to Gisborne on Monday afternoon, without capturing the scoundrel Te Hau, for whom a most diligent search was made at Tologa Bay, where he is known to be at present. It is, however, expected that he will soon fall into the hands of justice, as some smart natives are on the look out for him. Celtic Chaib Endowment Fund.— On reference to our advertising columns it will be seen that parties who have subscribed to this fund, are respectfully requested to pay their contributions to the general treasurer, Mr. Blair, Gisborne, or to the local treasurer, Mr. Buchanan, Ormond, by the 31st instant—it being intended to remit the amount collected in the district, to Professor Blackie, about the beiginning of the year.

Holy Trinity Church. — N meeting of the parishioners of this church will be held in the vestry room, to-morrow, (Thursday) evening, for the purpose of electing a churchwarden and vestrymen for the ensuing year. All bona fide members of the church are eligible to take part in the election. Divine Service will be held in Holy Trinity Church this (Wednesday) evening at half past 7 o’clock. Gisborne School Buildings. —On Saturday last Captain Porter received a telegram from Sir Donald McLean, staling that the Government would contribute the sum of £2OO towards the erection of a school-house and teacher’s residence, at Gisborne, in consideration of native children being admissible into the school, as in other parts of the colony. With this liberal grant, and the proceeds of the sale of the present school buildings to Mr. Dick, the Board of Education will not have to contribute more than £l3O or I £l4O towards the erection of the new buildings. Captain Porter has telegraphed to the Board to accept one of the tenders sent in for these buildings, some time ago, by builders in Gisborne, so that ] the work may he proceeded with at once. We trust the Board of Education will act promptly in this matter, and that no further delay will take place in regard to the erection of these buildings, which are imperatively needed. Moneys Voted for Public Purposes. —ln the Appropriation Act for 1875-76, the following sums, amongst others, are set down as having been voted for public purposes : — Land Purchase Officer, Poverty Bay, £550; Land Purchase Officer, East Coast, £l5O ; Clerk, Poverty Bay, £lBO ; -Land Purchases, Hawke’s Bay, £10,000; Native Schools, £10,000; Native Land Courts, £1,175 ; Public Domains and Buildings, £27,491; Armed Constabulary Department. £91,000; Grants to Municipalities and Roads, £60,000 ; local public w;orks in out districts, £20,000; Officers for Public Departments, Gisborne, £2,500; Contingent Defence and Liabilities, £40,500; Roads, (North Island) £18,000; Salaries and contingencies, Native department, £22,206; Resident Magistrate’s Courts, £22,184; Postal Department, £147,468; Telegraphic Department, £75,511.

Native Representation of the East Coast.—We learn from a private communication from the East Coast that the chief Henarc Potae of Tokomaru, intend to contest the representation of Eastern Maori with Karaitiana of Napier, and Maihi of Opotiki. It is believed that he stands a good chance of being elected, especially as an expression in his favor, as a Parliamentary representative, was given at several runangas held on the Coast within ■ the past year. Karaitiana seems to be unpopular with the majority of the Native electors, who are desirous of a change. Waiapu and Opotiki Mail.—Some eight or ten months ago, a fortnightly mail between Waiapu and Opotiki was sanctioned by the Government; but, strange to say, it has not been yet established ; and the settlers in that part of the East Coast are—not without good reason — bitterly complaining of this unaccountable delay. Here is a vast tract of country—upwards of a hundred miles in length —without any postal accommodation whatever; and as many of the settlers are traders and large runholders, the inconvenience to which they are thus subjected is very great. Some of the residents have to ride from seventy to eignty miles, either to post or receive correspondence, and owing to this great length of distance, several months sometimes elapse between one visit and another to the nearest Post Office. The Post-master-General has, we believe, been written to on the subject, urging the immediate establishment of this much needed mail, and it is to be hoped he will, at once, issue instructions to that effect. Fire at the Shamrock Hotel.—On Sunday morning last, about 1 o’clock, the Shamrock Hotel narrowly escaped being destroyed by fire, through its outside lamp—in which kerosene is burnt —having accidentally exploded, thereby causing the post to which the lamp was fastened to take fire. Fortunately, Constable Joyce, who was going his rounds at the time, happened to notice bright flames emanating from the lamp, and promptly hastened to the spot, for the purpose of arousing the inmates of the hotel, which he did. The blaze was also noticed by some of the neighbours, who, without a moment’s loss of time, proceeded to the Shamrock, and, with Constable Joyce, succeeded in extinguishing the flames by destroying the lamp, Had not the accident been observed at the time it was, the building, would in all probability, have been destroyed. The landlord, (Mr. Butt) intends, we believe, to apply to the Road Board, for permission to fix the lamp at a less dangerous place than where it has hitherto stood. Ancient Order of Foresters.—A meeting of members of the Ancient Order of Foresters, resident in Gisborne, was held at Mr. Trimmer’s Excelsior Bakery, on Saturday evening last, for the purpose of making arrangements for the establishment of a Lodge, or Court of Foresters, in this town. There was a fair attendance, and all present seemed desirous of farthering the object for which the meeting had been convened. It was found that there were a sufficient number of members in the district to form a Lodge, and arrangements to that effect were made. The meeting was adjourned till Saturday evening next, at the Royal Hotel (Mr. Hood’s) at 8 o’clock, when it is expected there will be a good attendance, and that final arrangements will be made for the formation of the Court. It will be necessary, we learn, to send to Auckland for a dispensation for the Court, which will, of course, be readily granted. As there is no Past Officer of the Ancient Order of Foresters in Poverty Bay, it will require an officer holding that degree in N apier, to come to Gisborne to inaugurate the Court. The Foresters are a strong body in all the colonies of Australasia, and we shall be glad to hear of a flourishing branch Court being established in Gisborne, where there are already a few enthusiastic old members, who are determined to do all they can to aid the cause; and we certainly wish them success. Rev. J. S. Smalley and Gisborne.— In another column will be found a telegram which we received yesterday morning from Mr. Smalley, Wesleyan Minister, Napier, and in which he states that the report of his strictures on Gisborne, as published in the New Zealand Mail, and quoted in last Saturday’s Standard, does him an injustice; and that he will, therefore, send us a “ letter of correction.” In the face of what the Rev. Mi - . Carr —who heard Mr. Smalley’s speech at Wellington—states in his letter, in our issue of to-day, we fear that it wlil be difficult to persuade people that the report in question is anything but incorrect. We shall, however, be curious to see what Mr. Smalley has to say in extenuation of his attack upon this tawn. Eradication of Scab, East Coast.— With reference to the advertisement which appears in another column, calling for tenders for the purchasing and boiling down of scabby sheep on the East Coast, we learn that there is to be only one boiling down establishment for the whole district —Awanui being the place fixed for it. The contract will involve an outlay of £7ooo. Tologa Bay Races.—These races take place on the 24th instant —the day immediately preceding Christmas Day. An excellent race course has been marked off in the township,and it isbeing prepared for the event. A subscription list has been set on foot, and from the liberal contributions that have been already promised, the race fund is expected to amount to a considerable sum, and good prizes will, doubtless, be given. The best horses in the district are to be entered for the contest, and the meet is looked forward to with great interest. As the Rosina has now comirenced to run regularly between Gisborne and the East Coast, calling at Tologa Bay, a good opportunity will thus be given of attending the races ; and we [have no doubt, many of our townspeople will be induced to do so, especially as Tologa Bay is a desirable place to visit.

The Estate of the Late Mb. Jeffreys.—Parties having claims against this estate are requested to forward the same to Mr. Barrie, Ormond, on or before the 31st instant.

The Escape of Te Hau.—On Friday last Constable Dudley was brought before the Resident Magistrate (Dr. Nesbitt) charged with having allowed the prisoner Te Hau to escape from the Gisborne lockup on the 9th October last, the prisoner being lawfully in his custody. Captain Gudgeon stated that the charge was brought under the 20th clause of4i>e Armed Constabulary Act, in accordance with the instructions of the Commissioner of Police. The Resident Magistrate said that the clause in question specifically stated that the chargeof allowingaprisoner to escape could not be substantiated unless it was shewn that the constable in charge of the prisoner took a bribe to allow him to escape, which Constable Dudley did not. The case was consequently dismissed. The real cause of the escape of Te Hau, was, of course, the insecurity of the lock up, and we are surprised that the Commissioner of Police, should have preferred a charge against Dudley, for an offence for which the Government alone is responsible.