Untitled

Wairarapa Daily Times, 27 October 1879, Page 2

The crossing from the Opposition benches to the Government side of the House of the four Auckland members is not a transaction which reflects any great credit on our political institutions. Logrolling is a relic of Provincialism which we shall not get nd of lor some time to come, All parties in the House resort to it, and the present instance is in no way exceptional unless it may be said to be wanting in the ' sub roaa" flavor which is usually a feature in our political jobbery, Both sides of the House log-roll in a tolerably open and unscrupulous manner, and the secession of the Auckland members means that the Hon. John Hall has out-logrolled Mr Macandrew. Mr Macandrew will no doubt try on his side to out-logroll Mr Hall, and so the game will go on in the future as it has in the past. We shall not see the last of log-rolling till Provincial districts are forgotten. We trust the re-distribution of seats will be effected without regard to Provmcial boundaries. If this be done a blow will be struck at logrolling. If ve . preventatives be appointed to Counties and Boroughs in proportion to their extent and population, there will be some chance of an improved state of things If each County returned one or more County members we might expect to see Wairarapa West represented by two members and Wairarapa East by one, which would be an incidental advantage for which we should be grateful.

At a meeting of the creditors of Mr Dalrymplo held on Thursday last, Mr Sollar was appointed Trustee.

All claims against tho estate of Mr J. A. Petherickaro requested to be sent in by Nov. Ist.

Messrs lorns and Pergusson announce the sale of a lot of new and second-hand furniture in the Town Hall, on Monday next,

At a meeting of creditors in the estate of J, G, Rockel to consider an application for the discharge of the bankrupt, it was decided to adjourn the consideration of the same for a month.

Mr L, Smith, district surveyor, has been authorised to take and lay down roads in the Awhea district, and Mr E. R. Foster in Pahaua and Awhea districts.'

We have to acknowledge the receipt of a handsome boquet of flowers from Mr Stone, which indicates that the season is favorable for horticultural enterprise.

There was a good attendance at the Greytown Subscription Ball on Friday last, and the dancing was kept up till the small hours, to the music of Messrs Lundojvist and Lewins.

It is reported thai salaries are being reduced in a leading drapery establishment at Wellington. A reduction of this character was recently effected in Masterton m one of the principal stores, A Miss Fidler, a professor in the art of cooking, has arrived at Wellington. If the_ Wellington domestics resemble the Wairarapa ones, they may be one and all classed as fullers.

MaryPugsley, a respectable woman who once resided in the Wairarapa, has been sentenced to a month's imprisonment at Wellington for habitual drunkenness.

The Masterton-Opaki Jockey Club meeting, held at the Club Hotel on Saturday evening last, was well attended and a good deal of business of a routine character dispatched.

A squad of the Greytown Rifle Volunteors, under the charge of Sub-lieutenant Cameron proceeded to the butts on Saturday for practice; the light was not particularly good for sighting, the following being being the scores at 300. 400, and 500 yards :-Cameroii, 3(3; Smith, 36; Perkins, 35; Barrett, 29; Humphries, 40 ; Allen, 31; Ryan, 3(i; Wenham, 32. In colonial produce, salt butter in kegs has declined in value, although there °ia little coming fonvard, Fresh butter in pickle has been sold at 9d. Cheese: there are full stocks of Canterbury make atVd to 8d pcrlb, Fowls' wheat is wanted there being none in stock. Potatoes have advanced to ti and £8 per ton, according to quantity, New potatoes are selling at £l4 to £l(3 per ton. Mr J. C. B. Colder, of Masterton. has placed at our disposal a copy of a work just published by him called " The Book of Remembrance,' a contribution to the history of those who are wont to dream dreams and see'visions. Mr Colder believes himself to possess prophetic power, and fixes his millenium for the year 1881. Tho work and the writer of it are a curious psychological study, and prove that there are more things in this little world of Masterton than have yet been dreamt of in our philosophy.

Begging in these times is a not very expeditious way of raising money. Yesterday a truculent, bibulous specimen of the unemployed, one of Sir George Grey's pet lambs, stopped us in the street to get the price of a nip from us, The effort 3 to get money out of the press, we need hardly say, was a failure. The pet lamb •stopped the next passer by, who, smiling sweetly upon him, said blandly, «I have nothing less than a pound on me. If you can give me nineteen and sixpence change I shall be happy to gire you the sixpence you require."

The smartest feat yet performed by pigeon express in New-Zealand was the collecting of returns from thirteen polling places in the Franklyn district, Auckland* during the recent elections. The poll closed at 4 o'clock, and, although the district covered 50 square miles, the returns were all in the Auckland Evening Star office before 5.30. °

The Scientific American contains some careful studies of Dr Weir Mitchell, on the relation of neuralgic pains to storms and the earth's magnetism. Ho finds the best yields of pain to be in January, February and March ; the poorest in July, August and September.

The Hon. W H, Reynolds and Mr George McLean are said to have purchased the N. Z. Times.

As far back as GOO B.C. there existed a paper called the Acta Publica, which contained much the same sort of news as the papers of to-day-births, deaths, lives of distinguished persons, reports of games [mis, sacrifices, and love stories for ladies.

_ At a religions conference recently held m London, it was stated that the wages paid to women engaged in producing tenpenny Bibles were not enough to°keep body and soul together, and' that three recent strikes in the bookbinding trade had arisen out of Bible work.

regret to record the sudden death «»f Mr R. Greithead, late proprietor of the Hurunmorangi Hotel. It appears that the deceased had been out on the coast collecting outstanding accounts, and was returning inland on Friday, with some Maories, when he stumbled and foil, and on investigation he was found to be quite dead. The natives at once went off to Messrs Smith Bros' station at Wainuioru, (near which deceased breathed his last) and gave information of his death.

The Times reports continued dulnesa in every department of the import trade, the past week having exhibited no signs of improvement. There has been little or no change in quotations, nor have we heard of any lines changing hands, all transactions being essentially of .1 retail character. Owing to the continued excess of importations over our current wants, stocks in importer's hands have increased to an extent that precludes the hope of better rates for some time to come.

The Times reports that the Parliamentary Committee appointed to enquire inter the validity of Sir George Grey's election for Ghristchurch came to a decision on Friday last. Although the official report will not be made known before Tuesday, it is understood that Sir George Grey has been declared ineligible to hold the seat by a majority of one, and that Mr Richardson, as next on the poll, will be declared duly elected. It is stated that Mr Allwright asked for two hours' consideration before coming to a decision on the matter, but eventually he decided against Sir George Grey holding the seat, and thus turned the scale in favor cf the petitioner. It is rumored in well-informed circles that Mr W, T. L. Travers, who appeared before the Committee on behalf of Mr Richardson, made a very eloquent appeal in favor of the petitioner.

Lodge, KG., is convened for Wednesday evening next. The Rev Mr Hinton, a leading Baptist, preached eloquent sermons at Masterton yesterday, in the morning at the Wesleyan Uiurch and in the evening at the Presbyterian Church. He had crowded congregations on both occasions, ° A meeting of the members of the Wairarapa Jockey Club washeld at theßising torn Hotel, Greytown, on Saturday last, when the report of the stewards on the state of the course, as published in our columns a few days ago, was laid before them, Before considering the report a deputation consisting of Messrs Vennell, Gundy, Cave, and Wilkinson, representing a number of the Featherston and Lower Valley settlers, waited on the meeting with a request that they would postpono coming to a decision on the matter for a fortnight. Mr Wilkinson, on behalf of the deputation, stated that knowing it was owing to the want of the necessary funds that neither the Trustees of the racecourse or the Jockey Club could repair the damage done to the course by the late floods so as to enable the usual race meeting to be held on it in February next, certain gentlemen in the valley were prepared to find those funds. On leavin« Featherston that morning they were anthonsed to make a definite proposal to the club to reclaim the part of the course washed away and protect it from further encroachments by the river. This they were of opinion could bo done for about £IOO, and they were prepared to find that amount, However, en their way to Greytown they had personally inspected the place, and had come to the conclusion that it would take nearly three times the amount mentioned to execute the necessary repairs. They therefore would ask the club to defer the consideration of the matter for a fortnight to have a specification of the work drawn up and an estimate prepared, and at the end of that time they would be in a position to state to the club if they could carry them out or not. They suggested that tho trustees should get a bill passed empowering them to borrow money on the security of the property, to enable them to refund the cost of carrying out the contemplated works. Mr Wardell informed the deputation that his attention haviw been callod as one of the trustees to the state of the course, he had conferred with his brother trustees on the matter, the result being that Mr Bunny had introduced a Bill into the House, which had been read a first time, to enable the trustees to borrow money on the property to be expended in protective works. Hie trustees had taken the opinion of a professional gentleman from Wellington who stated that about £3OO would be" required for the purpose. Mr Skeet said that he had viewed the place himself and had calculated the cost of the necessary works at £320. The deputation having withdrawn, after a short discussion the following resolutions were passed :-That in the event of the cou-'se being put in proper order, the ordinary two day's race meeting will be held on the Tauherenikau course," and " That the consideration of the Stewards' report on the course be adjourned for a fortnight." The meeting then proceeded to discuss the proposed alteration in the rules, nearly all the stewards suggestions being assented to. The following addition was made to the rules-" That no two-year- old shall run i" any handicap in which horses of other ages are engaged, nor shall any two-year-old race be for a longer distance than six furlongs." The scale of weights for age in use by the Victorian Racing Club, and the Australasian, Christchurch, andDunedin Jockey Clubs was adopted, and the Secretary was instructed to get the new nnes printed. The meeting then adjourned for a fortnight, when the question of the race course will be finally settled,