The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. MONDAY, AUGUST 7, 1882.

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4243, 7 August 1882, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. MONDAY, AUGUST 7, 1882.

The Parawai Highway Board bears a striking resemblance to a dead body occasionally galvanised into motion, but not life. The annual meeting comes round, and there is an acrimonious debate between the adherents of the Borough and County respectively, and there the matter ends. Common sense people are heartily sick of this state of-things, and say, "A plague on both your houses." They almost^wish the energetic Town Clerk and the sturdy County Chairman had taken their departure to a serener world, or for the matter of that, they would not break their hearts over their going to that ap» parently more congenial realm of wrangling and discontent to which, according to Cardinal Wolsey, 'ambition is the high road.' This state of things has existed now for five or six years. The result is that the P&rawai Highway Board has a tidy debt of £500, is collecting no rate, and it is asserted, with /every reason of probability, that there is no legal rate which could be collected. In the meantime the roads are in a disgracefuTcondition, as is patent to everyone who chooses to take a walk to. the booms. How long is this game of Borough against County to last ? It is nice amusement for the scheming managers of those bodies, and heaven only knows how much longer it will continue if the inhabitants of that suburb persist in allowing themselves to constitute pawns for the players. We are indifferent as to whether Parawai be merged into the County or. the Borough. Still it is natural to regard Parawai as an adjunct and .portion of the township. As for its welfare under the Borough there need be no apprehension, for so many business people have their residences there that they would take care it had its duo share of expenditure. But the issue, rests with the people of tho district themselves, and they alone are to blame for the existing anomalous position. They have been content to jump as puppets at the will of the wire puller.. Mr Gillespie made an excellent suggestion at the last meeting, namely, that someone should go round with two petitions, one. for merging into the Borough, and the other for amalgamating with the County, and ask each ratepayer or resident to sign one of them. This proposal was too much like good sense to suit the majority of those present. We would

tabe..the liberty of making a further suggestion to Mr Gillespie and those who think with him. It is, that they form themselves into a committee and do the thing themsehres. A dozen persons dividing the district into sections between them could obtain seven-eighth's of the signatures iv less than a day. Any person unable to attend to the duty personally might undertake to find a substitute. Of course it would be a matter of honor to deal impartially, and abstain from endeavoring to influence the residents whom they asked to sign. This seems a reasonable mode of putting an end to this scandalous situation.

The s.s. Vivid leaves for Te Aroha at 11 o'clock to morrow morning.,

There was a very fair attendance last night at the Oddfellows Hall ta hear Mr E. H. Taylor on " Spiritualism ; its glad tidings and politics." The lecturer commenced by reading a few verses, froia one of the Epistles, in which Christians are commanded to try the spirits whether they be of God. He then reviewed some of the teachings of Spirit* ualism, and quoted passages from the " Educator," in which spirits had said through Tarious mediums that no reliance could be placed on the Bible—that Jesus Christ had rever risen froai the dead—that there is no such thing »s cm, and everything thai is, is light—that there was no eternal and; omnipotent God, but that man himself was an embodiment of God—that man was his own judge, and also his own saviour. After dealing with, these statements one by one, the lecturer referred to the po'itics of Spiritualism. It was claimed that the theo. crutic democracy of Spiritualism was to supersede all our present governments, and jet at the same time spirits taught that every man and every woman was a free agent, and could do just exactly as he or she wished. The usual Bible Class will he held on Thursday evening in the Hall at 8 p.m.

The 10th ar.niversary of the G.V. Fire Brigade was celebrated on Saturday last by hoisting the brigade flag over the engine house. The usual dinner has been postponed till the completion of the new shed now in course of erection in Albert street. A hint from the Treasurer compels the members to celebrate the double event at the same time —the dinner and taking possession of the new shed. \

The little steamer Marion, intended for the Waihou trade, arrived from Auckland yesterday. On the way down the pieton rod became loose, but temporary repairs were effected, and she came on under easy steam. Messrs Price Bros, will overhaul her machinery, tben she will proceed to Te Aroha, where she is intended to ran on the Waihou river in conjunction with the Ruby. The Marion was previously employed oa the Wade trade.

Two members of the Society of Friends, Mesara .Neave and Sharp, preached at the Baptist Chapel yesterday evening and subsequently held a service in the Academy of Music, which was crowded. They said they had nothing novel to say, they had come to preach the old, old Goßpel. Their addresses were very simple, earnest, and thoroughly evangelical.

The half-yearly meeting of the District Council of-tibe Independent Order of Rechabites, New Zealand District, will be held in the Templar Hall to-morrow afternoon at two o'clock. A supper will be given in the Hauraki Hall, Albert street, in the evening.

The Coromandel Mail learnß that Dr Hovell has been bitten by a katipo very severely ; inflamation set in, but the patient is doing well.

A XABG-b land slip has taken place on the Tapu road near Mr Carran's house, the surface being about six chains in extent. Mr Carran has removed his family. The whole road is in a veiy bad condition.

Mb Dooian, a second class deteotiv, arrived on Saturday to fill the vacancy caused by the retirement of Detective Farrell. He has been eight years in Waikato, and was previously in Tauranga.