The Telephone. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE POVERTY BAY STANDARD. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING? GISBORNE, MONDAY, AUGUST.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 212, 18 August 1884, Page 2

The Telephone. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE POVERTY BAY STANDARD. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING? GISBORNE, MONDAY, AUGUST.

The efforts made by the committee of the local library and reading room have been many, and the thanks of the community are due to those gentlemen for the uniring energy they display in carrying on the work. No sooner is a suggestion made than the Committee set themselves to the task of discovering whether the adoption will be for the benefit of members of the institution, or the reading public, when if the majority think it worthy steps are immediately taken to put it into practice. There are in Gisborne a number of young men who reside too far from their offices to make it convenient for them to go home to dinner, and having no better place to go to, they have made overtures to have the reading room opened at noon instead of two o’clock as at present. The Committee have embodied their own ideas in a resolution to the effect that if fifteen of these

young people (not at present subscribers) will show the genuineness of their overtures by becoming members, and hand in their names to the librarian, steps will be taken to meet their desires and have the room open at noon daily. With the present membership the Com-

mittee are not in a sufficiently flourishing financial condition to enable them to pay their librarian a sufficient salary to enable him to devote the whole of his time to the service of the institution, but if they can obtain a few new subscribers to make it worth their while, they will meet the request in the way stated. The advantages of membership more than counterbalance the small fee charged. The Committee have also resolved to send for worth of new books by the next outgoing English mail, and the greater

part of these will be selected with a special view of satisfying the cravings of ladies and others who look upon light literature as the facile princeps of a library. An effort to wipe out the small debt owing is being made by getting up a series of entertainments, the initiation of which will probably take place this night week. These entertainments should be largely patronised, as apart from their object of assistting the progress of a worthy institution every effort is being made to add to their popularity. From a glance at the names of the various ladies and gentlemen who have promised their services, we are led to believe that some very pleasant evenings are in store for the music loving portion of the community,

Among the last batch of papers forwarded by the Government Printer is one relating to Te Kooti, from which it appears that on 25th July, 1883, Te Kooti telegraphs to Mr. Bryce, asking “when he is going to give him a previously promised piece of land to live upon at Orakau.” Mr. Bryce wires back “ that he will try to get him the land. Te Kooti wires back his thanks, and calls Bryce “ the Lord of Lords, and the Saviour of those who are in extremity.” A lot of correspondence follows. G. T. Wilkinson, a Government Agent, writes that Te Kooti would be willing to take a section of land near Kihikihi township, in the Waikato, and adds that he (Te Kooti) wants a springcart besides. Mr. Bryce replies that Te Kooti cannot have the section in question, because it is too near the township, and that he does not see what he wants with a spring-cart. Then there ensues a long negotiation on the part of the Native Department to purchase a block of land from Mr. Andrew Kay, of Orakau, in the Waikato. There are nearly forty letters and telegrams about this piece of land, and yet the purchase hangs fire. At last, Mr. Wilkinson, the Government Agent, telegraphs to the Native Office : “ Have been to Orakau and seen Mr. Kay. He says that, as the re-survey shows the block to contain nearly 280 acres instead of 261 acres, he is willing to sell the whole lot for X'600.” In answer to this, Mr. Lewis, the Native Under-secretary, replies : “ The land offered by Mr. Kay can be purchased at the price named, /600, provided that the title is found to be good. You can instruct Mr. Williamson, Crown Solicitor, to examine the title. The conveyance will be to Her Majesty, and the money will be imprested to you from Civil List vote to make the payment. When title satisfactory and complete, Te Kooti can be informed that the land is assigned to him and his people to live on.” Mr. Wilkinson, it then appears, carried out his instructions, and Te Kooti, we presume, is now in peaceful possession of a comfortable farm.