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Poverty Bay Standard, Volume IX, Issue 954, 22 June 1881, Page 2

An error crept into our local on Saturday last, re the application for gas shares, wherein it was stated that one application was for 500—it should have been 100. We are glad, ffiowever, to find that there are more applications for a like number, and they are going off with animation.

Lawyers to the front. Another of the grand army is on the wing. Another lawyer is on the Gisborne muster roll. Possibly the newly-arrived will notify bis whereabouts! in due course ; but we learn it is His intention to practice in Gisborne. We begin to think that Mr Cuff’s valedictory is likened unto the blue-bottle’s funeral.

Amy Sherwin goes to Europe this summer, and will probably sing in London. The engine, etc., for the boring operations at the Southern Cross Petroleum Company’s works at Rotokautuku, were shipped by the Rosina to Awanui on Monday last. Herbert Cooke has accepted an engagement at Gisborne, and was to leave for that peculiarly sleepy township on Thursday. He is a good skater and an excellent footballist, and naturally enough will be greatly missed from his accustomed haunts. —Auckland Observer. We see by the late shipping lists that the s.s. Kiwi took from this port on her last trip, 200 bags of wheat grown in Poverty Bay. As it is probable this wheat will, some day, come back in the shape of flour, it is the most painful fact we can record. After the recent Adelaide Cup, Mr. Branch, the owner of Progress, offered to back his colt against Mata for from £5OO to £lOOO, weight for age, for a mile and a-half. The offer was not acccepted. “ Augur ” seems to think that Mata’s chance would have been the better of the two. The result of the tendering for the erection of a two-storey dwelling at Read’s township was : —O. Skeet, £643 (accepted) ; J. Somrnervell, £645 ; J. Olding, £695 ; <J. Harris, £707 ; C. D. Berry, £729. The ten- k ders for painting were : —R. Oulton, £52 (accepted) ; J. Nash, £63. A petition is going round for signature praying the Borough Council to immediately metal the lower portion of Gladstone Road. Certainly it is in a most disgraceful mess of mud and slush, and with a loan of £lO,OOO, borrowed for the purpose of putting the streets in order, reflects no very great credit on the foresight of Councillors. We are informed that Mr. A. McDonald has promised to give half of the honorarium, which a benevolent public will give him for the present sessional holiday, to the Gisborne Hospital. The “honorable gentleman ” could not place even the whole of so large an amount of “ unearned increment ” to a better purpose. The business of the R. M. Court yesterday was unimportant, only two cases being set down for hearing, one being T. Warner v. R. White, claim, £l3 Is 9d for services rendered ; and W. Adair v. J. Ashdown, claim, £5 0s 3d for balance of an account. Judgment in both cases passed for plaintiffs, with costs. Mr. H. N. Abbott, the promoter of one of the £lO,OOO consultations on the forthcoming Melbourne Cup, has intimated to us that the money is lodged in the National Bank of New Zealand at Auckland. It is just as well to take the public into one’s confidence in such huge undertakings as these, although Mr. Abbott’s integrity is sufficient guarantee that he is not going “ North about,” some of these fine days. Mr. E. K. Brown is not a supporter of ours but we do him the credit to say that he is vastly improving the corner of Childers aJfal Custom House-streets, where his house of business is located. During the last few weeks he lias made large additions and alterations to his premises ; and has set the Borough Council a good example in the shape of street lighting by the presence of a large kerosene burner at his front door. From some cause the 25 head of cattle arranged to be shipped to Auckland, by Messrs. Thelwall and Co., in the s.s. Tairoa, were not put on board. Only three head were shipped, it being considered unsafe to ship the remainder owing to the want of preparation for their safety. Consequences : first, the Union Company may proceed against the shippers for loss of freight; and second, Messrs. Thelwall and Co. may seek to recover damages for loss of opportunity.

Mr. T. W. Q.uaife, of the Belmont Candle Works at Rakaia, has written to Mr. Clarke, the Manager of the Southern Cross Petroleum Company, to say that he shall be glad to have a cask of the crude material to use in the manufacture of his candles. A barrel will forwarded by the next steamer. A quantity will also be forwarded to Mr. also a candle manufacturer at 1 shall look forward to the results interest. An editorial sample of the might also come to hand. We thought to have been able to re]HH|| something about the “ grand Bazaar,” has been advertised for some time as to Wfl held on the 28th and 29th of this month, but, fl after trying to glean information from several I persons, we are still unable to do so. Think- I ing to be on the right track, we sent a special fl note to the Rev. Mr. Williams, a week ago ; I but we not only did not obtain any informa- B tion, but the rev. gentleman had not the I courtesy to reply in any shape. We learn ■ that there is some probability of the Bazaar B being postponed, but that is not certain.

We do not think we shall be doing our respected Sergeant Bullen an injustice in re-| porting what is really a good joke, and one that may occur to any one—even the Prime] Minister himself. On Monday week last the worthy Sergeant was a passenger from Napier] by the s.s. Rotomahana, whioti arrived in the roadstead at midnight, and left for Auckland before 3 a.m. Imagining that thq steamer would not leave again before daylight] at least, he reclined in the arms of Morpheus] and concluded that he was safe and comfort-1 able for the night. But, shades of the Del partment of the Minister of Justice ! when he awoke lie was off the East Cape on his wafl to Auckland. Possibly the steward shouki have seen him safe off the premises. Possible he ought to have kept a kind of detective cyl on the skipper, and have ascertained all aboi« the arrival and departure of the steamer ; bfl certainly he will have to pay the cost of till luxury out of his own pocket, and give agooil account of being found “on Auckland streets, with the chance of beinl “ run in,” as a man who could not give ai account of himself. It is a good joke againsl the Sergeant that he was caught napping, bill still, we trust no more harm will come of it. I

A little bird of passage, and recently from the seat of the Directorate, has sung a note into our ear to the effect that the whole of the unallotted shares (9,200) in the South Pacific Petroleum Company have not been taken up, as announced to Mr. Berry by wire from Sydney. If this is true, what little game is up now ? We observe in our advertising columns that Mr H. Luke has started a coal and firewood yard in addition to his carting business. As Mr Luke in this latter line is well known and respected, he should in the former be accorded that patronage he solicits. In addition to a very large quantity of wood which he has on hand, he is now receiving from the ketch RSiance 60 tons of Bay of Island coal.

A meeting of shareholders in the South Pacific Petroleum Company is called by the Committee, at the Masonic Hotel. The business is announced to be of importance, which, we learn, is to consider the advisability of accrediting Mr. W. Clarke to make such representations to the Sydney Directors as will place things on a proper footing. Mr. Clarke leaves for Melbourne on Friday, hence the necessity for no delay. Mr F. E. Murray, having secured the transfer of the license for the Settlers’ Hotel, made his preliminary announcement. the many advantages he claims for his hotel, is the very important one that it has a bath room fitted with plunge and shower baths. This in itself is a great recommendation, and one from which the lessee should reap a substantial benefit. Mr Murray is so well known that it is needless to mention more than that he has our best wishes for his prosperity.

We learn with some wonder that the Captains of some (our informant says most) vessels do not like taking in “ loading ” such as the boiler for the Southern Cross Petroleum Company, which has been shut out of the Union Company's steamer on two or three occasions. Now, we tread this ground with cautious steps. We do not wish to say a word of the correctness of which we cannot vouch. Neither is it our purpose to write anything calculated to give annoyance ; but, if it be true that masters of vessels arrogate to themselves the responsibility of deciding what shall, and what shall not be sent as cargo, then the sooner their owners know of it the better. Of course we do not allude to explosive material, contraband goods, or any thing calculated to bring trouble, or to endanger the safety of the ships under their command. But where, as in the case to which we refer, public enterprise, and the well-being of a large native industry is at stake—where an engine is sent on without the boiler, owing to some caprice of the Captain, is coming it rather strong. We are in a position to state that, owing to the boiler required for the Southern Cross Pt^r oleum Company, having been shut out for two or three times in succession, great inconvenience, delay, and loss of time and money have been occasioned ; and it is just possible that the Directors will institute their rights of satisfaction for the losses incurred.