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Thames Star, Volume XVI, Issue 5081, 30 April 1885, Page 2

A deputation of those interested in the Ofcunui district will wait upon the County Council a* its next meeting ro the state of tha roads in that locality. It is unfortunate that now the district has been provod to bo payable,*aud there is plenty of water to fcoep the battery going, that the roada should be allowed to remain in'tho etate they are, as very littlo rain would ma!<o them altogether impagoable. Wa trust the Council will take the matter in hand' at once, and encourage work in this prbmiuing district.

Capt. E. T. WiIDMAN has received instructions from theDefeuce department to select/ten men of his company to undergo instruction in the matter of torpedo and sub-marine warfare. The capability of Thames Navala has always been apparent, and we suppose that tho most competent of Onpt. Wildman'd company will be selected and sent to Auckland, to.bo made mufait in such, things aa are required to be known by the Brigade. Should their doteotiou bo necessary, wo hare no doubt that they will give a good account of themselves.

A TELEGRAM was posted at tho Corner today to the effect that a call of threopenco per share, payablo on the 18th May, has been made in tho Caledonian Low Level Co.; and a later telegram this afternoon states that a call of 1^ per share baa been made in the Dart G.M. Co., payable on the 13th May.

CcmsiDKiiAßLE inconvenience is being ex* perionced in local" sportd " having to send to Auckland for licenses to enable them to indulge in even a day's shooting during the pheasant saason. A local officer should be •Pouted to issue »uob permits.

'Ihb Native Landa Court, it is expeotad, will open on Tuesday next ia tha usual building in Shortland. Judge Brookfield ia expected to arrive hare on Moaday night or Tuesday morning.

A meeting of the Thames Cricket Club was held last evening, and the report of it has been given to us by. tho Secretary. Mr O'Sullivau presided. The meeting revised the average lists in connection with competition for the bats presented by Mr L. Enronfried, and resolved, as far «c wo can see somewbat unwarrantably, that Mr V. Coney Bhould riot be awarded the bat gained by'him during the season. Ir. seems that some technical objections were raised, but aa far as merit alone ia concerned, it appears that the bat should eertaihly go as awarded by the •Committee. It is not to the advantage of our various clubs that these small disturbances should ocsur, and we fear that; such actions will not tend to advance cricket or other exercises in th» v distriot. MessrsQ-ellion and Harrison at once resigned so members of the committee, nnd Messrs O'Sullivau and 3tyak wore elected in their places. Mr Pcarce was appointed auditor, and Messrs O'Sullivan and Buohan a presentation committee.

The Thames Rifle Rangers paraded in the Short land Kail last evening, when there' was a very .good attendance of the members. After an hour's drill, the captain of the late Native Company, Honi Nahe, presented the company wiih a silver mounted belt as a memento.of the friendship existing between his company and the Bangers; he hoped the Government would consent to tho re'enrolment of o company of Native Volunteers. The annual meeting of the company waa then held, and at its conclusion, Captain Douglas handed in his resignation, which stated to the effect that during the last year or more he felt that his business and other duties did not allow him to bestow the time he considered neceasary, to the. duties of his office; he thanked them for the hearty support and confidence reposed in him, which had constrained him to stick to the corps diiring the most trying times the district had experienced, and bo was satisfied that he was resigning' his charge into good handa whsn Lieut. Lucas should take command of the corps. It was proposed, and unanimously carried, that Gapt. Douglas should be asked to re-coneider his decision to resign, but he regretted that he could not take any other step than he did. It' w»3 then unanimously decided that three moaths' leave of absence from duty be granted to Capt. Douglas, but he replied that although he could not express bis appreciation of the honor done him, he must adhere to his decision. Lieut. Lucas was thereupon elected Captain, and Volunteer Mayo selected to fill the position of first lieutenant in his place. Volunteer dribble was elected Secretary. After parade the members of the company, at the request of their newJj-elected Captain, spout asocial evening.

Coates, iho contractor for the first section of tho Main Trunk Kailway, it; was expected, would Bign tho contract bonds yesterday, and work was tobe commenced at onco.

Captain Tayioe and 18 armed Constabulary who have been employed road making at Kawhia, arrived in Auckland yesterday to proceed to the North Head for big-gun drill.

A roOAi option poll web taken at Greymouth yesterday. The issue* of additional licjnseß—publican's, wine, accomodation, and bottle—was carried by large majorities, the smallest being in favor of more bottle licenses. Such a result was not expected.

Teh following is an extract from a letter received from an old resident and will be read with interest:—" What about tho Tauranga election? I think Sheehan is sure to go in, although he didn't treat us well last time, still whilst Sheehan might do us come good the other one is worse than useless. We must push on tbe railway to To Aroha, and go in for extensive harbor improvements. The Thames is thn natural outlet for the greater part of the Waikato Pateteri and in fact the greater part of the interior of the country. Why should the Thames not have a harbour as well as Taranaki, O&siaru, and Timaru. I believe if we had si good representative who would work up a harbour loan sufficient to make .the harbour what it ought to ba, the Thames would become a great rival for Auckland, indeed there is room for both, land in Auckland is becoming bo high that people cannot afford to buy and settle in Auckland, whereas, if. the harbour of the Thames were oapable of receiving large vessels from England direct, people would just as readiiy settle at the Thames as in Auckland, but until there is a harbour there is no inducement.

A Wan in connection with the suit which liieut. Purnell, of Wanganui, has decided to bring against the New Zealand Rifle Association in respect to the action of' that body in diequalfying him at the Island Bay meeting last month, was served on Tuesday. The claim amounts to £127, made up as fellows:—£2o os damages for not being allowed to fire in the Annual match; £50 as damages for being disqualified for the Rifle Championship; and £27 value of prizes won by plaintiff, but retained by the Association.

The Island Bay Jockey Club, Wellington, which intended holding one day's meeting, a week later than the Wellington Racing Club Meeting, have withdrawn the programme owing to certain legal differences respecting the letting of the course.

The brig-inline BY 3. Lucas was floated off the Soufh Spit,, Wanganui, yestsrday morning, and towed up the river.

A :C3ABG-E at the Auckland Police Court against Owen Mahon, School Drill Instructor, for striking Joseph Bsdaile with a stick, was disTOiesed without costs, the Bench considering the charge a trivial one.

Welling-ton telesriras ' Btate that the Defence Minister is indisposed, and was unable to attend at his office ytstorday, and that the Governmenthave not received any news from Home respecting Kuesianiaffairs.

A meeting- of Irishmen in OhristchuroH was convened for last night by Mr B. Holmes, M.H.8., and steps were taken to form an Irish Brigade. „.-.■"

The WesMftnd County Council has guaranteed £ICO and the Boas Borough Coun* cil £25 towards the preliminary expenses con« nectod with the West Coast Bailway; £280 additional haa olso baen guaranteed by private persons. . Tha Nelson delegate has cabled that, there is every reason to believe that the scheme will be entertained in the London market after the present crisis io passed.

PCBUU meetings were held yesterday, when it wat decided to form a Volunteer corps at Kaiapoi and Sefton, Canterbury.

A good story at the expense of a new chum comes from a country district (says a contemporary). He went to work in the hay Cold, for the first time in his life, and asked many questions which betrayed an unusually limited stock of information. On the second day he got somo litfclo stinging insects on bis perßpiring face, and ho asked what they were. " Good heavens !' exolaimed his then mentor, "have you gob 'em?" New 1 Chum asked for on explanation. "Why," was the reply, " have you never heard of grass widows ?" On the answer being given in the negative, the information was gravely vouchsafed that 11 grass widows wore widows whose husbands had died from being bitten by grass insects." In visible alarm New Chum threw down his fork and ran from the field. He is now. seeking pone leu detogeroai kind of work.

A MO3T enlhusiast.io meotiag was held in Dunedin last evening for tho purpose of forming a corps to assist in the dofenca. Before the close of the moeting 189 names of those desirous of becoming members wore handed in. ■.. :■.■ ..,.■. ; ,;\ ..■■■■ ■ ■■ r

PuoraSßOß BiAOK is meeting with every success and encouragement at Kumar a. His lectures are well attended, and ho has the largest tost class that he has had since be first began lecturing in Outgo, there being no fewer than 40 students, while a club has been formed for carrying on the work. There in something practical and buaineßs-liko in this, and it may be regarded aa a most healthy indication that thb miners are in earnest. It is quite evident that tho Professor has " atruek ilo " this time and awakened a scientific enthusiasm amongst the eluicors of Kumara and neighborhood. It is to ho hoped tliafc the nsw feeling will be nursed into a vigorous life. li; is very Balisfactory to note th^t Professor Black's looturos have not fallen on barren ground on the Coast, as it will be seen that a meeting is culled for tho purpose of forming a school of mines.— Exchange.

One man who does riot share the opinion that England is practically placed out is Mr Trevelyan, late uhief Secretary for Ireland. At a speech at Liverpool ho remarked: —" It is iickuowledged that the industrial production of England is colossal as compared with anything of tho.paefc, arid immense as compared with anything elsewhere at present. Her fleets are, I suppose, two tliircs of tho fleet of world, ond when we como to the larger steam shipping, which is the 'mercantile fleet of the future, we mainUiu' a still greater proportion. Her laws und custo i s are pervading the globe: her language is the language of the world, quite as much as, or even more than, in the old , days, French was the language of Europe.

A soanswirvr peculiar tratfo is now beiog carried on in New Plymouth,, viz., the colleution and exportation of Maori curios in the shape of mats, meres, etc. These are sent to Canterbury, where they are retailed at a good figure to tourists, who, it is well known, gene* rally like to take avray more substantial mementos of the places they visit than mere ' recollections. ' It, is gratifying to know that i the numbers of these visitors are so considerable that they cuatse a steady demand foe ourios. It betokens, however, that the natives have an eye to busiuoss, and seeing that money is to be made out of their work, they are starting quite a manufactory of tkeas articles at the various settlements. :