The Wairarapa Daily. MONDAY, MARCH 22, 1880.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 420, 22 March 1880, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. MONDAY, MARCH 22, 1880.

We are glad to learn from the Kangitikei Advocate that Mr Halcombe, of Feilding is about to pay a visit to England, and intends taking with him about 50,000 feet of ornamental timber, for the purpose of introducing it to the home market, For this object he will take with him a selection of honeysuckle, black maire, and totara knots, which, we have little doubt, will be eagerly bought up by those connected with the-ornamental timber trade of Great Britain. In taking this step to open up a new field for industry in this colony, Mr Halcombe deserves the thanks of all those interested in its welfare, and we have a strong conviction, that he will take with him the best wishes for his success. The undertaking is one entailing considerable expense on its promoter, who intends getting the timber out and polished on its arrival in England, so as to give manufacturers a good idea of the uses to which it may put. The honeysuckle timber will be taken in logs, the black maire being squared previous to its shipment, and timber, on arrival in the Home Country, will be brought under thenoticeof the manufacturers by means of a circular addressed to all those interested in the trade. We believe that Mr Halcombe, in making this experiment, has laid his hand upon a new source of wealth to this colony, and our recent knowledge of the requirements of the home market leads us to expect that he will meet with an unqualified success, That such may be the case, all admirers of enterprise will earnestly desire, and we feel much pleasure in adding our best wishes to those which Mr Halcombe will undoubtedly carry with him on his departure for the Old Country. Mr Halcombe was formerly a leading Wellington provincial politician, and probably no public man has been better abused than he has. We hardly think ourselves that his political career was a successful one, but he is something better than a politician. He is a good settler who has the interests of the Colony at heart, and who has already, perhaps, done more than any other man in the Wellington district to settle population on land, and to promote local interests. If there were fewer politicians and more bo m fide workers like Mr Halcombe, the colony -would get on better.

We call attention to an interesting letter from Mr R, Carrick, which appears in another column on the Forty-Mile Bush Settlement Blocks. No doubt the Small Farm Committee will consider the suggestions which has thrown out! We are not quite sure that Mr Carrick is accurate in the remarks which he makes respecting district land offices, and we fear that it would not be practicable to establish one at Masterton under the Waste Lands Act of 1876. We hope, however, that the Small Farm Committee will hold a meet-

ing at an early date to consider the points raised by Mr Carrick, .who has always taken a warm interest in the settlement of these lands. , ■ .■: _ The Masterton Oddfellows hold a meeting to-morrow evoning. Tenders are invited by the Castle Point Highway Bo&rdi for metalling portions'of the Castle Point toad. Notice is given of the.intention of the' Masterton .Highway Board to levy a rate of Is in £ for the current year.. A telegram of a late date"front London states that diamonds to the amount of £50,000 have been stolen from the Cape ot Good Hope mail bags, " Euterpe's" -communication is orowded out of our] present issue, also "An Answer to Settler," They will appear in our next. ' The Masterton Borough Council hold a special meeting for Friday, April 2nd to make a general rate of Is in the £ on rateable property within the Borough, and a Library rate of Id in the £ on the same. The rate book is now open for inspection at the Chambers. • MrC. A, Vallance, at the request of ratepayers in the Masterton Highway District, convenes a meeting in the Town Hall for the 27th inst in order to consider the advisability of bringing the Rabbit Act into force within the Highway District. A special meeting of the Masterton Horticultural Society, is fixed for Wednesday evening in the Council Chambers, to consider tho revison of the present rules of the Society. In the District Court held at Wellington on Friday last, in the case Bank of New Zealand v It, R, Meredith Claim £lOl 13s 7d, judgment was entered for plaintiff by consent, Mr Stafford appeared for plaintiff and Mr Bell for defendant. The meeting at Parihaka broke up on Saturday morning. The gist of the whole matter is this, that Te Whiti will do some great thing to prevent the completion of the road, and lie says decidedly that he will not leave it for another month. Coincident with this no blood is to be shed, and Te Whiti says that the sin committed by Cain when he killed his brother Abel, thereby bringing the flood of blood on the earth, shall not be repeated. Thus we have a profession of peace, and the interference of Te Whiti with the progress of public works through his land. -The two things are not compatible.—Exchange, It has generally been supposed that the want of employment was directly felt by the male portion of the working classes only, but the number of applications which were received.on Tuesday, says the N. Z, Times, by a-gentleman who advertised for a barmaid and housemaid, put the matter in quite a different light, Nearly 50 females of almost all ages were ■anxious to obtain one or other of the situations, many of them saying they did not cave which place they got. The want among men has doubtless caused an increase in the number of women who are anxious to get something to do.

About .fifty tons of rough timber were brought down by the steamer Manawatu, and landed on the wharf, on Friday, says the Times; being the first instalment of a quantity which Mr A. F. Halcoijibe intends to take with him to Europe, It is Mr Haleombe's intention to bring it under notice at Homo, and to ascertain whether there is a possibility of creating a demand for it, The timbers chosen are totara (the knotty parts of which have been selected) rewarewa, and black and white maice, These, if properly worked, should create a favorable impression, as they possess many excellent qualities. Mairo is in many respects equal to walnut, the wide difference in the color of its heart and sap being a special quality. We are informed that an experimental shipment of this timber which was made in 1849 or 'SO, created a very favourable impression, but that the market was Bpoilt by sending many useless pieces in the lots which were subsequently forwarded, A telegram from Dunedin on Friday | last says The inquest on the bodies of the Dewar family was resumed to-day. Several witnesses were examined, and the inquest was then adjourned until Tuesday. Dr Niven gave evidence as to appearance of the bodies. From other evidence it appeared that the prisoner Butler, who had been under police surveillance since his discharge from gaol on the 16th of last month, was seen by Detective Bain on the Saturday previous to the murder.' On a former occasion he said to Bain, after asking for work, "I want to do well for myself this time, and would like to get work, because if I break loose again I will be one of the most desperate tigers ever let loose in a community," Bain 4,0t him some work at Ravensbourne. He had previously asked to be introduced to some of the newspaper editors, as he was desirous of writing some articles for them. It was also found that Butler'left Dunedin on Sunday morning soon after the murder, and changed clothes and cut off his moustache before he reached Blueskin, i nine miles away.