Untitled

Waipawa Mail, Volume I, Issue 7, 5 October 1878, Page 2

5 Watpukurau Cricket Club. —A mooting' of the Waipukurau Cricket Club will ' bo bold in the Town TT: 1 11 there on Tuesi ' day evening, at half-past seven. The Beer Tax. —The Government have [ sustained a defeat on the beer tax. On the ’ motion for the second reading on Thursday night, the bill was thrown out by 30 to *2B. This must have been a surprise to • Ministers, as they felt certain of carrying > the measure. The money which has been paid by the brewers as the duty on beer will have to be refunded. The Govern- . ment have withdrawn the duty on the Joint ! Slock Companies Income Bill ; and it is generally thought they will appeal to the country. New Store at Katkora. —Mr Nicholson, of Kaikora, is about to erect a now store near the railway station, which, when completed, will be a very handsome structure. Other buildings are contemplated by residents of the place. Resignation. —ln the Government Gazette, published on Thursday last, it is notified that His Excellency the Governor , has accepted the resignation of It. Bec- ' tham, Esq., R.M., of his appointment as R.M. for the district of Napier and Wuipukurau. Dinner and Bale at Hampden. —Mr Tngram, of the Sawyers* Arms Hotel, . Hampden, intends entertaining his old friends and acquaintances by a dinner and ball on Tuesday evening next. As Mr j Ingram is well and favorably known in I the district, there will probably be a large , number of guests present. | Free Church, Waipawa.—Mr S. Poole will preach on Sunday next (to-morrow), in the Free Church, Waipawa, at seven

Publican’s Licenses.— ln the House of Representatives last night, Air. O’Rorke 1 gave notice that he would introduce a 1 Bill for equalising publican’s fees through- 1 out the colony. 1 •Ministerial Statement. —We learn by 1 telegram that on the first order of the 1 day being called on in the House yesterday evening, Sir George Grey announced that it was the intention of the Government to withdraw their taxation proposals. He had enquired and satisfied himself that there was a feeling amongst Government supporters hostile to the Bills, and consesequently Alinisters did not think it would he practicable to pass them in such form ;as to render them useful measures. The i Colonial Treasurer would inform the | House how the financial embarrassment : was to be surmounted. The statement of j the Premier led to a long recriminatory di.scuss'on, the majority of the speakers being Opposition members. Mr. Bryce, a supporter of the Ministry, expressed astonishment at the course adopted by the Government, saying he could not have believed it possible after their assurance that the Atinistry would stand or fall by 1 their policy as a whole. Several Government supporters congratulated the Ministry on abandoning those Bills, as they must have supported them if pressed, though they did not approve of them. Mr. Kelly said if he had known the Government were going to abandon their other proposals he would not have voted for the third reading of the Land Tax Bill. The telegram informs us that members became clamorous and disorderly, and were talking against time when the House adjourned till Alonday next. Unregistered Dogs.— By a resolution of the County Council at its meeting, Air Henry Nicliolls was instructed to take proceedings against the owner of unregistered dogs unless the law is complied with immediately. The Registrar informs us that lie intends to act promptly on the resolution of the Couneil. Cheap Fares. —lt is announced that return tickets will be issued at single fares on Thursday next, to enable people to visit the Agricultural Society’s Show. Extra trains will be put on between Hastings and Napier, but this faxbr has not been extended to places on this side of Hastings, although it may be anticipated that there will be a large number of visitors to the Show from this district. The Requirements of Kaikora. —The want of a telegraph office at Kaikora is seriously felt by the inhabitants, and great inconvenience often occurs, owing to persons who have messages to despatch having to go to Waipawa. Kaikora is sufficiently large enough to have such an institution, and if a post and telegraph office combined were erected, a great boon would be granted to the inhabitants of that thriving township. Waipawa Reading-room and Library.— It is intended to open the reading-room 1 this evening, and the library early next

Auction Sale. —Air J. J. Tye will sell at the Repository, to-dav, at 2 o’clock, a number of horses, harness, and a quantity of miscellaneous goods, particulars of which will be found in our advertising columns.

Lucky Alen.— Mr Swanson, in liis usual forcible style, the other night in the House of Representatives, in talking about lucky men, said there were some men who, if they fell down at all, always fell on their feet, and if you threw one of these really lucky men into the water, he would come up with a fish in each hand.

Cutting up Large Holdings.— The remarkable success which attended the sale of the Hon. Robert Campbell’s Whitstone estate on Wednesday by Mr A. 11. Alande, ‘says the Oamaru Evening Alail of the 20tli inst., is likely, we understand, to lead to the cutting up and sale of other large estates in the district. The very high value which good agricultural land possess" s now, and the eager manner in which land of that class is sought after, are likely to prove far more effectual in breaking up the' large estates than any “ bursting up” policy could possibly be. Large land owners are discovering that by cutting up their immense tracts of country and disposing of them in lots of sufficient area to meet the requirements of persons anxious to acquire farms and homesteads, they can reap greater advantages than they could expect to do by retaining possession of them, and trusting to the ever lluotuating state of the wool market for their profits.

Rale of Station Properties.— Messrs Bethune and Hunter sold the following valuable properties by auction in Wellington on Tuesday last : —Blairlogio station, situate at AVlmrcama, comprising about 10,000 acres of freehold land, fenced, with dwelling-house, wool-shed, and other buildings, and about 12,000 sheep. Air John Morrison was the purchaser of this lot at ,£27,000. Pahaua station, situate on the East Coast, and comprising about 19,000 acres of freehold land, fenced, with dwelling-house, wool-shed, and other improvements; about 17,000 sheep, 100 head of cattle, horses, &c. Of this, Messrs John and Duncan Cameron were the purchasers at £30,500.

A Large Sheep. —A correspondent in the Australasian asks to he informed of the weight of the heaviest l sheep on record in the colonies. He mentions one killed at Geelong a few years ago, said to have weighed 5001bs.

The Alaori Vote.—The New Zealander, writing of the opposition in Parliament to the double franchise sought to be conferred on members of the native race by the present Government and its supporters says :— ■“ The plain honest truth of the matter is, that Alaoris have by many of the supporters of the late Continuous Ministry in this island, been regarded as ljttle better than dogs, and they now fear extending to the native race any political influence, lest it may impinge on the retention of their seats at the ensuingelections.”

A Sad End. —The Carterton correspondent of the New Zealander, under date 26tli September, telegraphs that the township was thrown into excitement by the report that S. J. Stedman, practising as barrister and solicitor, had been found dead in a creek, near Parker’s line, a quarter of a mile from the main road. The report proved to be true. As he had not been seen since Tuesday afternoon, a search party was organised, which followed the direction in which lie was last seen going, and found him under water, excepting the left shoulder. It is supposed that his mind had become weak from the effects of drink. He was formerly of Grey town and Napier.

Land in Wellington. —An acre of land in Tasman street, Wellington, which was bought a few years ago for £52, realised at auction last week £4476.

The Beard and Longevity. —That the wearing of the beard lias some tendency to prolong life is a fact, says the Court Journal. Longevity decreased rapidly in all nations when, for fashion’s sake, the razor was brought into use. Statistics show that among people who have never worn whiskers, no matter how simple may have been their other habits of life, old age is a rare thing, and that since it again became fashionable to wear moustaches and whiskers, longevity is on the

Curious Case of Letter .Stealing.— One of those cases of loss of letters from causes not within the control of the postoffice, which furnished material for the anecdotes with which the statistical report annually published by the PostmasterGeneral is occasionally enlivened, has just occurred at Greenock. A bookseller in that town has been for some time losing letters to a very serious extent, whilst all the efforts made by himself and tire postoffice failed to clear up the mystery. A short time since, however, in the course of some repairs, a plank in the floor of the shop was raised, and a small colony of rats discovered, whose habitation was found to be principally constructed of fragments of the missing correspondence, including several cheques for large amounts. The letters, it appears, were delivered at certain hours through an aperture in the street door, and there being no letter-box, fell on the floor, whence they were carried off by the cunning little animals. The interval of time during which the latter would be undisturbed must have been very short, and the systematic manner in which their depredations were committed is strongly suggestive of the possession of higher faculties than mere instinct.—Financial Review.

A Wrinkle for Publicans. —There is a landlord who plays many practical jokes (says a contemporary) on his neighbours, lie once told us a practical plan for giving notice to quit. In winter a number of the neighbouring shepherds assemble at liis house to drink and talk, and while away the long nights. Sometimes they get quarrelsome. When a fray is brewing our hero puts a quantity of cayenne in a bit of brown paper, makes the tongs red hot, lifts the paper with them and holds it at the bottom of the door. The result seems almost magical. An inveterate

sneezing commences, which is instar taneously succeeded by a rush to tl door, and a dissolution of the company.

Hard Feed. —A Southern contemporary is responsible for the following :—ln the stomach of a cow killed at Waikonaiti last week were found a number of broken and unbroken nails from an inch to two inches in length, a screw, a piece of glass, a piece of road metal an inch in length, and a half an inch broad, and, singular to relate, a farthing of the year 18G0. All the articles are in a high state of polish.

The Railways. —The total number of passengers conveyed on the Middle Island railways during the year was 1,159,147, of whom 4208 took out season tickets ; 5041 horses, 2445 head of cattle, 95,282 sheep, 13,071 pigs, 137,888 tons coal, 75,382 tons of other minerals, 02,102 ,000 ft. of timber, 167,983 tons of grain, 26,550 tons of wool, and 211,378 tons of general merchandise were also transported by rail. The total number of miles travelled by trains was 1,421,767, whilst no fewer than 457,977 miles were covered in shunting trains and by ballast trains.

The Electric’ Light.— A new and ex tremely inexpensive form of electric light adopted for use in dwelling houses, has been invented for use by M. Reynier. I

consists of a needle of carbon, which is pressed against the edge of a slowly-re-volving disc of the same material, through which an electric current of a four-cell Bunson battery passes. The light is brilliant and continuous, and can be turned high or low, or extinguished at will, like gas. The consumption of material is about, a penny per hour.

New Zealand Coal and its Uses.— On the late excursion trip from Chiistchurch to Dunedin and back (says .the Press) native coal was used in the engines. The result of this'was that at intervals of about fifty yards all down the plains the grass was set on fire. The constant bursting out of these fires excited a good deal of comment from the passengers, and we believe that for many miles on the plains the course of the train was marked by an almost continual line of flame and smoke. On the return journey it was noticed that patches of country, sometimes extending over scores of acres, had been completely burnt. Now, this happened in winter time, when the grass was short and not very dry.

An Excellent Plan.— A movement is being made in Mictoria to enable farmers to borrow money and give the necessary security without going to the legal expense of preparing a bill of sale. The Leader says : —At the present time farmers and selectors who may wish to raise money upon their growing crops can only do so by giving a bill of sale, and an alteration of the statute will doubtless be hailed with satisfaction by many of their number. Air Dow, M.L.A., introduced a bill on 21st August in the Assembly for the amendment of that portion of the Instruments and Securities Act which relates to liens, and which will authorise their being granted upon growing crops.” In New Zealand a bill of sale executed for ever so small a sum has to be drafted in triplicate, at a cost of about £6.

Corn in Egypt.- —About 2 o’clock this morning (says the Wellington Chronicle of Saturday last) Air Murray got into a scriptural mood, which is saying a good deal for the lion, member for Bruce. lie said the Land Tax Bill embodied a policy of confiscation. Land owners would not pay the tax, and the result would be that under the selling clauses of the Rating Act, the land would revert to the Government, who would be able to sell it at a profit. This he likened to the policy of Joseph in Egypt. “It would he like that swart speculation of Joseph’s,” said ‘Air Murray, “ when he bagged all the corn in Egypt, then he got all the money, then all the land, and lastly got control of the people.” Mr Wakefield piously protested against desecrating scripture by irreverently quoting it on the floor of the House.