The Telephone. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1884. Local and General.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 66, 14 February 1884, Page 2

The Telephone. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1884. Local and General.

Crg.vded Out.—An article in type is crowded out from our leader column. Hospital Committee,—The regular monthly meeting of the Hospital Committee was held last night. Mr. A. Graham was voted to the chair. The usual reports were submitted and approved of. An application by the wardsman and matron for a month’s leave of absence was granted, the question of substitutes being left to the Visiting Committee. The accounts for the month, amounting to nearly £5O, were passed for payment. The Treasurer (Mr. E. K. Brown) submitted a report showing the available balance on the General Account to be £l5O. This was independent of the £6OO for which the Committee seek an investment. He reported that several applications had been made, but the matter had not yet been concluded. The Visiting Committee for the month are Messrs. Adair, Booth, and Brown. Tukanganux Bridge.—‘After the termination of the Conference business last night, the members discussed the matter re the means for constructing the bridge across the Turanganui River. The Chairman of the County Council did not deem it of any importance to the County, The Chairman of the Borough asked what it would cost the County to get £l,OOO, and Mr. Chambers said £250 ; but the County Council was so hard up that the Sum was of much importance to them. County Council.—The following is the business to come before the County Council meeting to-night: —To consider Captain Gudgen’s reply re land for road at Kaiteratahi; Mr. Craill’s reply re land for road, Portutahi; request to clear Portutahi drain ; Mr. Hale's position re entire cattle at large, Mr. Craig’s oomplaint, Waimata Road; receive deputation from purchasers of North Gisborne Township lands; decide place and manner of expenditure of £l,OOO granted under Roads and Bridges Acts. The Council meets at 7 o’clock.

Survey or the King Country.—By late telegrams we find that the survey of the King Country is being proceeded with, and that Tawhiao is favorable to the work being carried on; while there is further confirmation of Rewi’s loyalty to Her Majesty. M'Beth is to the fore again, and it is said that he will accompany the Native party to England. We should think that the King party would be able to get on very well without the company of that genius. R. M. Court.—At the Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning, a Native named Apirina was fined twenty shillings for being drunk whilst in charge of a horse in a public place; in default of payment of the fine 48 hours’ imprisonment. Two other cases for furious riding were struck out. This was all the business.

Dangerous Culverts.—There are two very dangerous culverts in Aberdeen Road, near the Hospital, and we think the Borough Council should give them practical attention at an early date. Auckland Public Library and Art Gallery.—lt appears that Messrs. Granger and Delbro, of Melbourne, have carried off the first prize for the Public Library and Art Gallery designs, and Mr. Wales, of Dunedin, the second.

Young Men’s Institute.—lt is exceedingly satisfactory to find that steps are about to be taken to establish a Young Men’s Institute in Gisborne, for which purpose a meeting is to be held in the School-house, at half-past seven this evening. The conveners, Messrs. H. Pollen and W. H. Tucker, merit the hearty thanks of the community for initiating this grand movement, and we are in hopes that there will be a large attendance at the meeting. Patutahi Licensing District.—The nominations for the annual election of members of this district will be received on the 28th inst.—See advt.

Correction.—Mr. Gruner wishes us to explain a statement made in our report of his creditors’ meeting. In lieu of the sen* tence, “ If he got his discharge he might get re-appointed to hie position under Government,” he states that we should have reported, “he might get some appointment under Government” as he had good interest. No doubt Mr. Gruner’s correction is right, When will Parliament Meet ?—All kinds of wild conjectures as to when Parliament will meet are astir; but a telegram states that it has been further prorogued till the 7th April, That anxious time will, no doubt, be looked forward to by the political combatants who are eager for the fray. County Volunteer Corps. — A meeting will be held at the Courthouse, Ormond, at half-past seven this evening, for the purpose of forming a County Volunteer Corps.

Manawatu Gorge Railway.—We learn from the Pasl that “a deputation, consisting of Mr. Linton, of Palmerston North, and Mr. Macarthur, of Feilding, representing the Manawatu County Council, waited on the Premier and the Minister for Public Works on January 24 to urge the necessity of placing a suitable sum on the Public Works Estimates of next session for the railway through the Manawatu Gorge, extending from Woodville to the Foxton-Taranaki line. This short length of railway is not only the connecting link between the east and west coasts of the North Island, but also between the east and north of the island as well, there being no practicable eastern route from Napier to Auckland. It will also form part of the shortest line between Wellington and Napier, The Manawatu Gorge is, in fact, the ' Suez Canal ’ of the North Island, being the only practicable route between the east and the west, the sole point at which the mountain backbone of the island, the great Tararua-Ruahine Range can be passed for traffic. The deputation earnestly pressed upon the attention of the Government the desirableness of pushing on this most important work as speedily as possible. Ministers received the proposal very favorably. The Minister for Public Works expressed his strong conviction of the importance of the work, and fully recognised the necessity of the Gorge line as an essential link in the trunk railway system of the North Island. Mr. Mitchelson intimated his opinion that the railway ought to be constructed without delay, and promised that a vote for this purpose should be placed on the Public Works Estimates for next session, and that the Engineer-in-Chief should be immediately instructed to put in hand the needful surveys, &c., forthwith. The Premier concurred. The deputation expressed their satisfaction with the Ministerial assurances, and withdrew.” Cant.—The Bruce Herald is responsible for the following:—“ At the election of the Mosgiel School Committee, some conversation took place as to why the Sabbath School and Public School had not joined together on the occasion of the annual picnic. A Mr. Ross remarked that the Sabbath School teachers had stood aloof because the picnics on previous years had not been religious enough! What on earth do these people want ? Would they cast the shadow of their wretched cant (it is not real religion) over even the sunny hours of child-life ? Religion was never designed to make our pleasures less, and if Jesus Christ himself were upon earth, he would not be above attending a children’s picnic, and joining in their innocent games, and it is certain he would not inflict upon them one of those dry speeches which axe so distasteful to children, and are responsible for much of the infidelitv which abounds in her midst.”

Cost of Educational System.—ln an article upon Captain Mackenzie’s speech, the Timaru Herald says :—“ With the strictures on the cost of our educational system we cordially agree, and in this department also it is plain that public opinion is ripening for a great and sweeping change. The amount of money spent at present on education, between £500,000 and £600,000, is simply preposterous, and the outlay cannot be long endured; while our plan of teaching, which is to train children without the restraining ‘ influence of religion and morality’ is simply • to make clever rogues.” Mission Vessel.—From the Otago Daily Times of the 4th instant we learn that “ the Dayspring, mission vessel, takes her departure from Port Chalmers to-morrow, sailing direct for Sydney, where she will receive supplies, <fcc., for the several missionaries preparatory to proceeding to the islands on April 1. At Dunedin wharf she was visited by close on 14,000 persons—children and adults. She was taken down to Port Chalmers on Friday last, being towed by the Iron Age, and thrown open to the public at the Port, and was visited by upwards of 600 children, besides adults. The captain and officers were all attention to the many visitors, and kindly explained to the successive crowds that passed through her cabins the various curios that were exhibited. The captain has given expression to his great satisfaction at the orderly conduct of his many visitors, young and old. Not one of the many curios—some of them very brittle—has been injured, and not an article has been taken away, though both could easily have happened and been unobserved at the time. The Natives, of whom there were five—one a female—were objects of great attraction. They will return to their homes laden with gifts, and will have much to tell of the kindness of the white people and their children, and of the wonders they have seen in town and country. They have shown themselves to be possessed of much intelligence and observation. Their advancement and deportment, the result of missionary labor and Christian instruction, whereby they have been transformed from savage cannibals into peaceable, gentle Christians, may well be an encouragement to increased missionary work among the heathen. We have no doubt that the visit of the Dayspring with her interesting passengers will increase the interest of the Presbyterians throughout the Provincial District of Otago in the special missions they have undertaken in the South Pacific. We may add that mission-boxes must be on board the vessel to-day.” Fit Successor to the Apostles.—Speaking of recent correspondence in the Dunedin Press, of which Bishop Nevill has been the subject, the South Canterbury Times says : “ Dr. Nevill is a fit successor to the Apostles, for he receives no pay for his services, or next to none—indeed, we believe he has given more to his diocese than he has ever received. Yet, like all gratuitious services, what he does is not valued at all; and, to crown the whole, he is subjected to ruthless persecution in the newspapers. We entertain a greatly diminished respect for our journalistic brethren in Dunedin, who have permitted their paper to become the media of attack upon the Bishop. We cannot but regret that matters have come to this pass—the more so as considerable personal acquaintance with the Bishop has enabled us to form the highest opinion of his purity of life, his unwavering faith, and his earnest desire to do good. A more active Bishop there never was.”