The Wairarapa Daily. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1879.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 298, 24 October 1879, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1879.

A good deal of nonsense has been talked and written lately on the dissolution question. A dissolution for the Grey Ministry was all very well, but a dissolution for the Hall Ministry—oh, heavens! could anything be more iniquitous 1 « Think- of the inconvenience to the public business," say the Opposition; but if dissolutions were granted only when the public business would not be affected, it is quite certain that the one given to the Grey Ministry ought to have been withheld. " Think of the ruinous expense to the members," cries one organ, solicitous for the pockets ot the Opposition members, but unmindful that a dissolution would be equally costly to the Government supporters, Sir Hercules Robinson has taught the Colony a lesson which ought to be borne in mind, viz,, that dissolutions are granted—not because they are convenient, not because they are inexpensive— but because there are constitutional grounds for giving them. We do not suppose that Sir Hercules Robinson gave Sir George Grey a dissolution with any good will.' He simply gave it because Sir George had a constitutional claim to it, and the Governor in doing so acted on principle, and probably against his inclination. The claim of Sir George Grey was that the House of Representatives had been elected under a hostile (the Atkinson) Ministry, and that his Government had not a fail chance under such circumstances, This claim was admitted by his Excellency, and the dissolution granted. It must be obvious that the Hall Ministry has a precisely similar claim, and that if it asks for a dissolution it would be inconsistent on the part of the Govornor to refuse the request, fox the sake ,of the country and the dispatch of necessary business, we are not axious to see another dissolution; but we feel certain that the result of one would terminate existing political difficulties by sending the Hall Ministry back to the House with a good working majority. Another dissolution would be a strong remedy, but it would be an cflectual one. The Hall Ministry maybe placed in this position, that it must either give way to the Opposition and possibly permit a succession of weak and useless cabinets to follow it, or it must by an appeal to the country return to the House with additional strength. Should no other alternative be open to the Hall Ministry than the two we have indicated, the latter one would, in our opinion, serve the Colony better than the former.

We stop the press to state that the Government majority is now assured, The division will perhaps take place to-day. Four Auckland men have left the Opposition.

The San Francisco mail is expected ir. the Wairarapa to-day.

Tenders are invited for the office contract of the Petone workshop.

F. H. Wood & Co. hold a sale of general merchandise at their rooms, Greytown, to-morrow.

Tenders are invited by Messrs James Russell & Son, architects, for erecting a dwelling on the Makora road,

Tins time the E.M, Court business at Masterton was completed in one clay. It usually takes two. We were glad to notice a diminution in the number of debt cases which usually crowd the sheet, The Waihenga Jockey Club have fixed the value of three events in their programme at twenty guineas each, viz., the Waihenga Stakes, the Sapling Stakes, and the Hurdle Race.

The German-Scandinavian ball in the Town Hall last evening was well attended and very successful. Excellent music was provided by the string-band, and dancing was kept up with spirit, Indood o«r German-Scandinavian friends are much better dancers than ourselves, and their balls lack the formal ungainliness which occasionallycharacteriscsthopurelyßritish assembly.

_ Grey's own organ, the New Zealander, is drawing comparisons between Charles Stuart and Sir Hercules Robinson. We prophecied the other day that this party would attempt to blow up Government House a la Guy Faux, but we did not anticipate that it would bring his Excellency to the scaffold, What will the illimitable donkeys propose next ?

The scarcity of good land in Canterbury available for settlement is one reason why attention must be turned more and more every year to the North. In reply to Mr Johnston's question recently about land on deferred payments in Canterbury district, the Minister of Lands said that the total area is 7293 acres, tho proclamation setting this aside was dated 30th October, 1878. He was sorry to state that only two allotments were taken up, having an area of 320 acres. This was owing to the rather poor nature of the land. The free selection system prevailed all along in the province of Canterbury, and the greater part or almost tho whole of the good land has been taken up, The land now in the hands of Government was of inferior quality, but he hoped these lands and others would be occupied,

Wohave to acknowledge the receipt of the first number of a handsome little publication called " The Colonial Printers' Register," printed at Dunedin. It is well edited.

Mr Valentine's interest in the lease of the Railway Hotel,. Lower Hutt, was disposed of on Wednesday last, by Mr J. H. Wallace, in Mr A. A. Burnett's land office, for the sum of £1475, to Mr P. Laing. A meeting of Mr T, H, Murray's creditors was convened lately, by notice in the New Zealander, There was no attendance at the time appointed, as none of the parties interested saw, or were likely to see the advertisement,

Sergeant McArdle, of Masterton, has, we are sorry to say, been called upon to resign by the police department, The district loses an efficient officer. We understand that Sergeant McArdle's financial embarrassment was not due to personal extravagance, but to becoming security for a friend.

TheEev. J. T, Hinton, Baptist Minister of Wellington, preached in the Town Hall, Greytown, on Wednesday evening last, to a highly appreciative audience. Mr Hinton may fairly be regarded as the most gifted preacher that has ever visited the Walrarapa. The sermon, from beginlng to end, was listened to with death-like stillness, and the audience were evidently deeply impressed. We believe Mr Hinton preaches in Masterton on Sunday next, in the morning in the Wesleyan, and in the evening in the Presbyterian Churches. We would recommend all who can make it convenient, to attend, as the people of the Wairarapa rarely have the opportunity of listening to a preacher of Mr Hinton's ability.

Mr Sutton asked the Government on Wednesday last—WJiether a sum of £4O or thereabouts lias been charged against the Government for cab hire m Wellington; if so, by whom was it expended, and out of what vote was it paid I The Hon Mr Hall replied that he was not in a position to give full details, but would do so as far as he could. He found that the money paid to Ministers for cab hire from Ist July, 1878, to 30th September. 1879, wm as follows:—Sir G. Grey, 10s; Col.' Wlutmore, £2; Mr Sheehan, £219 lis Gd. Total, £222 7s (id. Since then further vouchers had been sent in from the 4th October to the Ist November, for £B4 Is sd, for the Hon. Mr Sheehan. But that sum had not been paid, buthadboen detained on account of there being some dispute about £2O. There had also ken vouchers sent in for the sums of £l4, £5 and £ll respectively, all for cab hire for Mr Sheehan. He would give fuller particulars on the following day. One of the new things talked about at the late meeting of the American Dairymen's Association was the preparing of butter for market in the following way winch we condense from the American Dairyman :—Stop churning as soon as it is apparent the butter is about to separate. Reduce the temperature to about 54 or 55 degrees by pouring cold water in the churn. Agitate slowly until separation takes place, and the butter pellets are formed. Draw off the butter-milk, and pour in cold water till the butter floats. Stir a little, and draw off the water. Pour in more water and repeat until the water is clear, the last time washing with saturated brine. Have a nice oak firken previously soaked, scalded, and the pores of the wood filled with hot brine, and afterwards cooled, ready for the butter. Fill with butter, pouring on top enouoh saturated brine to cover. Set it in a cool sweet place. Bore a hole in the cover and put itim, tighten the hoops, fill the firken full of brine and plug tight. Let it stand in a cool place. Keep full of brine. This butter will keep good and sweet any length of time. When any of it is wanted for use, open the firken and take out what is wanted, work it a little, and it is ready tor the table. It can bo salted to taste, or what salt has been taken from the brine can be washed out. Any one can try this with butter intended for family use. The average age of cats is 15 years ■ of squirrels and hares 7or 8 years; of rabbits, 7; a bear rarely exceeds 20 years: a dog lives 20 years, a wolf 20, a fox 14 or 16; lions are long-lived, the' one known by tho name of Pompey living to the a«e of 10. Elephants have been known, °it is asserted, to live to the great age of 400 years. When Alexander the Great had conquered Porus, King of India, he took a great elephant which had fouMit valiantly for the king, and named him Ajax, dedicated him to the sun, and let him go with this inscription: " Alexander, the son of Jupiter, dedicated Ajax to he son _ This elephant was found with his inscription on 370 years after. Pigs have been known to live to the age of 20 and the rhinoceros to 20; a horse has been known to live to the age of 62, but averages 25 or 30; camels live to the a«e of 100 j stags are very long-lived ; sheep seldom exceed the age of ten; cows live about fifteen. Cuvier considers it probable that whales sometimes live about 1000 years. The dolphin and porpoise attain the age of 30; an eagle died at Vienna at the age of 104; ravens frequently reach the age of 100; swans have been known to live 300 years. Mr Mallerton has the skeleton of a swan that attained the age of 200 years. Pelicans are long-lived. A tortoise has been known to live to the age of 107 years.