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Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 154, 8 May 1879, Page 2

The Rev. W, Booth, of Oarterton, lias started for a visit to the Lalto district, Tenders are invited by County Council West for the formation of one mile and sixty chains of the Ekatahuna to Alfredton road.

New telegraph poles are now being erected between Greytown and Mastorton, We also notice that porcelain insulators now supersede the earthenware ones hitherto in use.

" Charbonnet's concerts have been a failure," (writes Critic in the Town and Country Journal)" although Mnclemoiscllc went to the theatre witli tlie Marquis and all that sort of thing, which toadying, however, the people of this Colony don't believe in/

A somewhat singular case, and one which satisfactorily meets a growing nuisance, was heard at Bimmyong on March Bth, when an agent for ail American firm o£ booksellers sued a resident of the town named for £3los, being the price of a family Bible supplied to defendant's wife. The defence set up was that the article not being a necessary, either for household use or consumption, the husband was not liablo for the debt, ho being in no way connected with the purchase of the article sued for, The Bench took this view of the case, which was therefore dismissed,

The St. Amaud Times (Victoria) is responsible for the following anecdote which conveys its own moral. It states that after Professor Baldwin, the exposer of spiritualists, and his troop left St. Arnaud, a housemaid in the hotel they had stayed at found a purse belonging to them which contained in notes and silver the sum of £3OO, It was promptly forwarded to the owner, Next post brought the reward of honesty—a post-office order for 2s Gd!

Judging from the following advertisement in the Tuapeka Times .the heathen Chinee is just as alive to the advantages of high wages as their pale-faced brethren. Notice to Europeans employing Chinese.—Notice is hereby given that any European who may require the services of the Chinese shall be expected to pay the usual rate of wages; and if any Chinese are not wortli the full rate, the employer is requested to discharge him or pay him the full rate.—Thomas Chin Sing, agent. This is rather smart considered in all its bearings. Truth speaks of Lord Chelmsford as follows lam sorry to be obliged to differ for once with the Queen, but I confess I do not share in that " entire confidence 1 which is entertained by her Majesty for the abilities of Lord Chelmsford. I am not a military man, but common sense tells mo that when a General invades' a country in three columns, when one is cut UP, one is cut off, and the third is in retreat, there is something not quite right in the scheme of invasion. The man, no doubt, did his best, according to his gifts, but those gifts do not seem to be precisely those which go to make an able Commander-in-Chief." Intense excitement lias been caused in America by the production there of the " Passion Play." The secular press and pulpit denounced it in advance as blasphemous, The Frisco correspondent of a Wellington paper says" Those who attended, however, came away better men and women. There was no applause. 1 A reverential awe pervaded the assembly," as a paragraphist might say, and the sublime mystery of humanity was portrayed with a correct conception of the parts. Jesus Christ was portrayed ty J. O'Neil, who, from being a kind of lpose liver, has become a reformed character, Judas Iscariotwas personated by Tom Hedley, not unknown to the Wellington and Victorian Press. It is now stopped, but' should it be put on the boards again, I think I will overcome my repugnance and go there. I was'frightened at first. I recollect driving past the morning of the initial performance, and my wife, a sort of scared like, looked at the building and said, " Well, I see the Grand Opera House is standing, I thought an earthquake would have buried it!" There it was exactly,"

: It is stated that the Prince of Wales will visit the Sydney Exhibition. , Jonas Bach, tobacconist, Wellington, lias filed. There ought to be " returns " in this estate,

A general meeting of creditors in the estate of Thomas M'Carthy is convened at the Court house, Masterton, for May 15th, It will be seen from our telegrams that Messrs Blyth give in their liabilities at £11,142 and their assets £4,000, Our Volunteor army and navy in New Zealand numbers-Cavalry, 551; Artillery, 629; Engineers, 123; Rifles, 3334; Naval, 434; Cadets, 1982. The deed of assignment from Mr R, J, Duncan for the benefit of his creditors lias been declared completely executed in the Bankruptcy Court.

Among the cases set down for the Court of Appeal is one Joseph and another v, Creditors' Trustee in Wyllie & Girdlestone's estate.

The Post lias an eulogistic article on the "Port of Wellington," Even our contemporary must admit that there is a good deal of logwood in it! A Wellington firm of undertakers advertises funerals from 50s. A man who cannot find the money to " file" may perhaps raise enough to bury himself respee-

A New York lady was asked to join one of the divisions of the Daughters of Temperance, She replied: " This is unnecessary, as it is my iiitcntiion to join one of the Sons in the course of a few weeks."

Electoral reform ia said to be one of the measures to be brought down next session by the Government. By that time we shall be crying for bread, and it will be just as well for our sagacious Premier to get ready a stone. The Evening Post of tlio 6th instant says that a fine specimen of kauri gum is now on view at the Evening 1 Pott ' office —(sic.) Surely our contemporary ought to know that the popular prejudice is in favor of one t only m pot. . An advertisement appears in a Wellington paper as follows" Wanted to sell, a walking-stick containing a powerful Telescope, price £2; and a Colt's patent single-barrel derringer pistol and about 50 cartridges." Surely this must be a " Dan Kelly" hard lip! Sportsmen are warned by the Acclimatisation Society against shooting imported birds or animals, No amount of warning will, however, check somo of our Sunday sportsmen if they get within threo feet of a cock robin, and happen to have their guns properly loaded,

The Wellington College Governors have got a mortgage running out, and the mortgagee can seize their College (and turn it into a commercial academy, at which future College Governors may receive a business training), unless tlio Government advance the money to this paupered seminary.

How is it tho Hinemoa will run from one end of the colony to the other for Sir Hercules, and yet would not stir a foot for his predecessor, the Marquis 1 Does it indicate that when next we send an advertisement " Wanted a Governor," in the London Gazette, wo must add to it, " No nobleman need apply." It seems at last as if" the people's William," that astute Liberal, Mr Hutchison, may, in the absence of a suitable candidate, become Mayor of Wellington. If lie is well watched, and not allowed to form little rings for the benefit of himself and friends, he may turn out a moderate success.

It is generally considered about town to be unfortunate that the Prince of Wales is not able to gratify the people of New South Wales by being present during Exhibition time. The loss is the sorer because, as I understand, there is every likelihood that the darling of the British public—the Princess of Wales—will accompany His Royal Highness when lie visits Australia, and will, moreover, bring her two eldest boys,—Sydney Mail. The usual monthly meeting of the Featherston Local Board was held at the Oddfellows Hall, on Monday the sth inst. Present: Messrs Cox (chairman), Keys, Cundy, and Reynolds. An apology was received from Mr Shirley, who was out of the District. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. The Treasurer's statement showed a balance of £9? 14s Cd. Accounts paid-C. Tait, £33 lis; F. F. Bennett, £sl Is Gd; Wallace, £9l2s. Total, £D4 4s Cd. Messrs F. H. Wood & Co, report that there was at the Featherston Sale Yards yesterday a good attendance of buyers. The following were the prices realised : Cows, from L 5 to 11: Fat Cattle, (small) from L7lss to L810s: Fat Sheep, from 7s. to 12s: Lambs, 8s: Pigs, porkers, 20s: Barrows 21s: Horses, hacks, unbroken, L2 10s, to LO: Draught Colt, L 29105. The bidding for horses was very dull, several being bought in. Fat Cattle wore in greatest demand.

The Rev J, Buller's book, "Forty years in New Zealand, contains the following anecdote" In one of Governor Grey's journeys he told somo natives who were around his tent that they should do good to others as well as to themselves, and ought to give a tenth of their annual income for works of charity. The natives listened with great attention, and afterwards went away. But in the middle of the night two of them returned, and woke up the Governor, who inquired what was the matter. They said that they had been holding a council respecting his conversation with them, and they were deputed to ask whether lie himself had been in the habit of giving a tenth of his income for charitable purposes, The Governor was obliged to confess that he had not hitherto done so, but he would begin from that time." It is possible that some of his old Maori acquaintances among whom he now sojourns, may put the question to him once again.

_A Cliristchurch paper says that at different times during the day lately there might be heard a considerable ringing of small bells in tlio vicinity of the City Hotel, and to those who do not understand the meaning of it the effect is slightly puzzling. The explanation is this Some little time since the City Council resolved that, all cabs should contain signal bells in the samo way as the omnibuses in large cities at home.- The intelligent Jehus who, perhaps, do not relish this additional regulation, however useful it may be considered by the Municipal authorities, have taken a, way of showing the effect of the bell-ringing apparatus. Whenever his Worship the Mayor makes his appearance in front of the Auction Mart all the cabs on the stand in that locality set up a tremendous ringing in concert. In fact, the civic head cannot now make his appearance without being saluted by a bell, In another and differently worded sense, perhaps no civic ■head would object to being so saluted, but from a musical point of view it would seem to require variety.