Untitled

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 6, 8 November 1883, Page 2

The Melbourne Leader speaks in strong condemnatory terms of journals known as “ Society Papers, "and we consider no language too strong for the condemnation of such papers which pander to the depraved tastes of those who enjoy the sting of the tongue of scandal when levelled against others, but are the first to wince when turned upon themselves. It should be the duty of every right minded person to spurn such trash from their doors. “ Society papers are an excrescence upon journalism. They are devoted to the tittle tattle and scandals of private life, and occasionally indulge in spiteful and scurrillous attacks upon individuals whose obscurity should be their protection from insult. People are averse to law, as a rule, and as the publishers of such sheets are supposed to be “not worth their salt,” malicious paragraphs are, as a rule, allowed to pass unnoticed. Recently the Melbourne Bulletin attacked a young man, named Elsasser, holding a subordinate position on a suburban newspaper. In the issue of 4th May he was alluded to as a foreigner who could write five languages and not speak sense in any of them. This stupid inuendo might have only raised a smile, but the following week the joke was not only repeated but the said foreigner was charged with victimising his creditors and obtaining money under false pretences. We don't know how Artemus Ward would classify thia style of humor, but Elsasser naturally felt aggrieved, and instituted legal proceedings against Mr M’KINLBY and the other proprietors to recover £lOOO damages for libel. The defence to the action was worthy of the cause which provoked it. Mr Pubvks indulged in his cross-examination, and levelled insinuations wholesale against the plaintiff with a view to damage both his evidence and his reputation in the minds of the jury, and having done this called for no witnesses to substantiate his allegations. Under such circumstances it was only natural that His Honor Mr Justice HiginbotHAM, who tried the case, should have commented severely upon the animus exhibited by counsel, and the disingenuousness displayed by the defendants who had promised te apologise for the libel, but had not done so. The jury gave a verdict for the plaintiff with £*2so damages. The decision was a righteous one, and will have no doubt a very salutary effect in restraining the purveyors of a class of literature that properly speaking should lie dealt with under Lord Campbell’s act instead of under the law of libel. The respectable press of the colony has nothing in common with such publications, which really serve to degrade and disgrace colonial journalism.”

The usuat monthly meeting of the Gisborne School Committee was .held last night, The circuit quarterly tea meeting of the Wesleyan Churon will be heid thia evening.

The rifle contest between Civilians and J Battery, is postponed from Friday the 9th, until Saturday the 17th inst,

On Friday morning at 7 o’clock a parade of the J Battery will be held in the spaoious new drill shed, ftt the rea* of the Government Buildinjj.

Saturday next will, no doubt, awake many melancholy reminiscences in the breasts of a number of old settlers in the Bay as being the fifteenth anniversary of the Poverty Bay Massacre, which occurred on November the 10th, 1868.

Weseebv the Gasette dated November Ist that His Excellency the Governor has been pleased to accept the resignation of the Hon. Surgeon Henry Pollen, of the J Battery Artillery.—“ Date of resignation October Ist 1883.

To-morrow night the Sable Orphans will perform at Makaraka, We most assuredly anticipate a«ood attendance, as they are now bo well-known td ne highly amusing and attractive, and the inhabitants of Makaraka may look forward to a great treat.

The following notice appears in the Gazette dated November Ist. His Excellency the Governor has been pleased to make the undermentioned promotionJ Battery of Artillery, Sub-Lieutenant Henry Christopher Lynch Boylan, to be Lieutenant, date of commission, January Ist, 1883.

The ordinary meeting of the Cook County Council will be held this evening, at seven o'clock, when the following business will be brought forward: Report on quality of stone Patutahi quarry, application to remove Tologa pound, petition to divert vote for metalling Ormond road, receive tenders for dog collars, consider Mr Scott’s objection to Council taking land for drain. The Finance Committee are to meet at four o’clock.

In accordance with the promise given by Ada Mantua, he has forwarded us the list of winners in his consultation. The first prize in the New Zealand Cup went to a gentleman at Oam&ru, the second to Balclutha, and the third to Tapanui. The drawing for the Melbourne Cup resulted in the first prize going to Alexandra South, the second to Waipawa, and the third to Elbow. We have also received the names of the lucky winners, but not for publication.

The J Battery will parade in their new drill shed on Friday, It is a spacious wooden structure 58 by 40 feet, and has an elevation of 26 feet to the ridge, and 13 feet to eaves. The construction has been under the direction of Sergeant Ledger, and has been performed in a thoroughly competent and satisfactory manner, The shed is nearly three times the size of the old one, and will afford every facility to perform those evolutions which are so necessary to the efficiency of the corps,

Mr Weaver, the boring manager of the South Pacific Company, arrived in town on Monday night, and reports that the total depth reached at noon yesterday was 275 feet. The 6in. pipes now being put down inside of the Bin are going home well, and the drilling is also going on satisfactorily. Mr Weaver, however, does not intend to drill much ahead of the pipes, at least for the present, as he thinks there might be some risk by so doing. The strata they have now got into appears to be a mixture of limestone and papa* Mr Weaver, who had to come to town to attend Court business, intended returning to the Springs yesterday and says the rivers, caused by the late heavy rains, are in high flood, and in some places very dangerous to cross, he having had one or two narrow escapes.

It has leaked out that the great Native Land Company, which came Wore Parliament last session with a great Bill, was not a little mortified at the disastrous fate of its measure. The Board of Management (inner) had put the Bill in charge of Mr De Lautour, in the hope that no members of the Liberal party would dream of opposing him, They felt themselves, therefore, pretty sure of being able to deal with whatever opposition they might have met with from the Ministerial side of the House. They very nearly succeeded, for though many of the Liberals were ready to oppose the Bill in conjunction with Ministerialist enemies, the opposition was by no moans strong. But the articles in some of the Liberal journal*, notably the “ Lyttleton Times,” put so much life into that opposition that the friends of the Bill elected to abandon it entirely. Thus the manceuvre of putting up a noted Liberal failed as it deserved to fail. It only proved to the public that Liberal journalism in New Zealand is devoted to principles, not men.— “Canterbury Times.”—We think our contemporary has somewhat overlooked the fact that the late “ Standard. ” and “ Fads ” had a little to do with bringing about the desirable result attained. The true facts of the case are that the two latter journals were really the primary cause in bringing about the defeat of the Bill.