Poverty Bay Standard. Published Every Evening. GISBORNE: TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1883.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1248, 16 January 1883, Page 2

Poverty Bay Standard. Published Every Evening. GISBORNE: TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1883.

A “Celestial Invasion,” so much dreaded a year or two back, seems now to have been totally averted. In the year 1882 only 23 Chinese arrived in the colony, while 168 left New Zealand, 92 for for China, and 76 for Australian colonies. The arrivals included two women and two children. The departures were all adult males. From these figures it would seem that all danger of the “ yellow agony” becoming formidable in New Zealand has now been effectually removed.

A practical lesson on the power of steam was given a Native when returning from the Wairoa races on board the Maori. The boat was crowded with passengers, and our dusky friend, in default of a better place to sit down on, selected the steam whistle. The Maori's whistle is of the fog-horn species, and has an open pine that afforded space to sit on. A “ joiner, perceiving the situation, turned on the whistle, and blew that nigger up. “A question” (says the Napier “Telegraph ”) that has occasioned much heartburning, some few blows, and a good deal of bad language, has at last been set at rest. This momentous question was none other than the relative speeds of the fast and favorite packet steamers Manaia and Maori. On leaving Wairoa yesterday morning the paddle boat crossed the bar and waited for her rival. Captain Anderson was not long in coining alongside, and a fair start was effected, Both engineers did their best to consume coal, and, the water being smooth, an excellent opportunity was afforded for testing the" speed of the boats. The Manaia gradually drew ahead of the Maori, and arrived at the breastwork about half-an-hour in advance of the other.” We trust that these two steamers will not try again to emulate the Mississipi River boats which sometimes “bust up. ’

A country settler informed us to-day that bethought Gisborne was a miserable (lull hole, and not a patch upon Ormond. It wns rather amusing we imagined to compare the two, and laughed. A few minutes later whilst standing opposite a large birds eye map of New Zealand, our eyes naturally turned towards that portion of the East Coast of the North Island wrongly described as Poverty Bay. There was only one town there “ Ormond,” Gisborne is entirely ignored by the geographers. Well it appears to us that if this map is reliable, and it would be a piece of presumption on our part to pretend to know’ more of the place we live in, than the great Johnson’s of London, who prepare, and issue these maps, so the best thing to be done is to shift up to Ormond. Gisborne people, who have ridden to Ormond often remark when asked where they’ve been, “ Oh ! just up the country, as far as Ormond," but if they look at the map, and think a bit, the answer will be “Oh ! just up to town.” Really such mans as these, although highly coloured, and varnished, are absolutely worse than useless, they are misleading to strangers. Mr J. R. Davies has requested us to give a distinct denial to a statement made by Mr H. C. Boylan at Mr Berry’s meeting of creditors yesterday. Mr Boylan said that Mr Davies was in receipt from four to five pounds a week from his estate, which is in bankruptcy. This Mr Davies desires us to state is altogether wrong, as he asserts he has never received a penny from the trustee. The complimentary dinner to be given to Mr Wm. Clarke takes place at the Masonic Hotel to-morrow evening, at 8.30 o’clock. His Worship the Mayor will preside, as a token of the esteem in which Mr Clarke has been held as a member of the Borongh Council, and of his business integrity. We need scarcely remind those of our readers who desire to be present, that they should at once secure tickets.

It is announced in our advertising columns of this evening’s issue, that the Juvenile Opera Company will open at Parnell and Boylan’s new hall, on Saturday, the 20th of January next, in “Les Cloches de Corneville. ” All the papers which we have seen, in which reference is made to this talented company of youngsters, give them a very high character, and we can only express a hope that this company will have no cause to regret their visit to Gisborne. On Tuesday they will play “Pinafore,” and on Wednesday and Thursday the magnificent pantomime of Jack the Giant Killer, or the Knights of the Round Table. We hope Mr Sam Stevenson, who is the lessee, will do well out of his venture.

Captain Murdoch, of the ill-fated Austral, went Home by the last San Francisco boat, in order to be present at the inquiry to be held by the Board of Trade in London.

On Wednesday last, a publican of Lyttelton was fined £5 for supplying a man with liquor, against whom a prohibition order has been issued, despite the fact that the man said he had sneaked in on the quiet in the absence of the landlord, in the hopes of getting a drink. The landlord had repeatedly refused to supply him, but in this instance the barman was a stranger who had only been in the place a few weeks, and did not know the man by sight. The defeudant pleaded hard that it was impossible for him to guard against such contingencies, and that the man to whom the liquor was supplied ought to be punished. The R.M. said it was a hard case, but the law made no provision. It was the first of the kind that had come before the Bench, but the defendant wonld be fined in the amount named and costs.