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Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 578, 25 September 1880, Page 2

The Major of Greytown (Dr Smith) and Councillor Biiillie waited on the Minister for Public Works at Wellington yesterday to ask that a small engine might be placed on the Greytown branch railway, instead of working it by horse power, as proposed. The Minister promised to consider the request.

The adjourned general meeting of the Masterton-Opaki Jockey Club takes place in the Club Hotel this evening, A general meeting of the Opaki and Upper Plain Cricket Club is convened for this evening at the Club Hotel, to receive report and balance-sheet.

Gentlemen desirous of joining the Masterton Borough Cricket Club are requested to send iu their names as soon as possible to the Secretary, Mr O. A Briggs, At the sitting of theR.M. Court at Greytown on Tuesday last, Mr W, Taylor's license was renewed for the Lake Ferry Hotel, on condition that he made an addition of another room to the hotel, M. Caselberg and Co., invite tenders up to the Bth October for the erection of a store at Greytown. The firm also invites tenders up to same date for digging a cellar at Greytown. We remind our readers that a ball in honor of opening the Hurunuiorangi Bridge takes place in the schoolroom, Gladstone, on Monday evening, Mr A. Young, of Carterton, is the caterer, and at the low rate tickets are offered no doubt the affair will be a success.

The Committee of the Greytown Horticultural Society meet to-day at 2 p.m., to make arrangements for the ensuing season,

Considerable excitement was caused in Grahamstown on Thursday by the arrival of a messenger in town announcing the discovery by a prospecting party of rich gold workings in the Te Aroha district. The exact locality is yet to be disclosed, but the report is regarded as credible,

Mr J.G, Mackay, baker, Kuripuni, has had the premises occupied by him painted <k, and it is now a handsome little shop. Mr Mackay in another column announces that he is prepared to make weddin«, and other cakes, to orderr-^-Wie McLachlan, at the sitting of the R.M. Court on Tuesday last, afforded considerable amusement, A witness for the defence was objected to by the plaintiff, alleging that he " did not think it was right for a man who had filed his schedule four or five times to be a witness." The witness indignantly said he "did not come there to be insulted.'' His Worship said the witness-should not "take it as an insult, for if a man could not be a witness because he had:filed' his schedule, there would be few witnesses' m the Colony." The plaintiff, in giving evidence, also created amusement. He said " that a more disgraceful case had never been heard in a Court of Justice." His Worship remarked that " if so, it was a wonder he had brought it into one." The plaintiff also said that "he had worked for Mr Bidwill and other gentlemen in the district whom he would not name in the same day with the defendant." The case occupied the Court a considerable time owing to the vagaries of the plaintiff,

Many friends and well-wishers in this district of the Kev Johnstone Walker, M.A., late Presbyterian minister of the Lower Valley, will be pleased to learn that he is now comfortably settled in S Atter !e!win S New Zealand, Mr Walker travelled for some months in South Africa. During his stay in Natal he preached at D'Urban, receiving a unanimous call from the large and flourishing congregation .of that city, offering him a stipend of £6OO a year, with the prospect of increasing it, and a 6ne manse. This munificent offer Mr Walker declined, having previously decided to settle iu his native land, to which he returned iu April last. After having suplied vacancies for two months he received two calls, accepting that of the large and intelligent congregation of Langton, near Dunse, Berwickshire, Whilst wishing him all the success he deserves, it is much to be regretted that the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand should have lost the services of this ■■ talented young preacher, who, judging from his scholarly attainments and well-merited popularity promises to be one of Scotland's worthiest ministers,

Tlio Trustees of the Maslortoft Rabbit District inoet (it 11 o'clock this morning,

We are informed that Mr W. Hcrcrick has uiado an offer to. tho ..Government to ; do all the goods, and passenger traOic ■betwuen 'Wnodsido and Groytown for the sum of £l6 per wook, dolivering goods or passengers in any part of Greytown without any further charge than that made by tile railway; "If "the' Greytown'work •. is worth anything to' the railway Mr Hercock has made a" liberal'i offer, He offers to find security to the extent of: a thousand ito carry it but 'for three yearsT' Tenders are invited by the Oastlepoint Highway Board up to 16th October, for lease of Teniii toll-gate for ensuing twelve months. The Board also invites tenders, to close on .same date, for formation and metalling on Tenui-Oasflepoint: liue •of road, '

At the New Zealand Clothing Factory, branch establishment at Lam Eton Quay, attractive inducements are the order of the day for all who desire or intend to invest in spring clothing. The advantages of new goods, new designs, new fashions, are all combined at the lowest, possible shadow of profit for cash. We yesterday received a telegram from Messrs Brook & Co., Eattray-street, Dunedin, the brokers for sale of shares in the Caledonian Mining Company of Wairarapa, to the effect they had "received advices that day by 'Frisco mail, that the machinery for Brandon's claim, Wairarapa, would be shipped with all possible speed."

The Resident Magistrate's Courthouse at Masterton, we are pleased to state, presented a very different appearance than it usually does, during the Bitting on Thursday last, It had undergone a scrubbing out, and the musty smell usually pervading the atmosphere was absent, which must have been a considerable reliet to both the R.M., counsel, and its usual frequenters, The New Zealand Gazette, of the 14th iast., contains the names of the Assessors appointed under tho Property Assessment Act, for the various districts of the colony, The following are the appointments for the. Wairarapa District :—Alexander McHutchon, Oastlepoint; William Skeet and Walter Bock, Greytown ; Alexander Svend Dreyer, Frederick Jagerhorn, Job Vile, John Coleman Fergussoiij and James Brown, Masterton; and William Stuart Forbes, of Carterton, A telegram from Dunedin dated Sept. 23 says i-To-day Miss Daly V. Dairy mple, on behalf ot Mr Dalrymple, of Port Chalmers, waited on the Hon Mr Dick to ask his interposition with the Premier to give, at his earliest convenience, his promised consideration of the desirability of having placed on the syllabus of education the conducting of a penny bank in every public bcliool, as a practical means of cultivating habits of thrift among the young people of the Colony. The Hon Mr Dick promised to bring the matter before the Cabinet,

A. meeting of members of St, Luke's Church, Greytown, was held on Thursday evening for the purpose of electing a representative for the district to fill the vacant seat in the Synod. Mr W. C. Ouff occupied 'the chair, and read the advertisement convening the meeting, and the authority from the Bishop for doing so. He also explained the desirability ;Of. electing a resident of the district. Mr Bock proposed, Mr York seconded— ThatDrH. I. Sprott-.be elected to represent the Greytown district. Dr Spratt having expressed his willingness to act was declared duly elected, and a vote of thanks to the Chair terminated the meeting. The ordinary fortnightly meeting of the Waste Lands Board was held at Wellington on Thursday morning. Present—Mr J. G, Holdsworth, Commissioner (chairman), Messrs Mason, Bunny, Johnston, and Pearce, Mr H. Bunny applied for permission to occupy suburban section 122, Featherston, The consideration of the matter was postponed. The Chairman drew attention to the provisions of clause 6 of the West Coast Settlement Act, which withdraws land north of the Waitotara river from the jurisdiction of the Board. Progress reports on the survey of the country between the Waingawa and Mangatainoke rivers, and between the Hutt and Waikanae, together with topographical maps, were laid on the table. The schedule of lands sold since last meeting, being 95 acres; and paid for by £6O in scrip, was read and adopted. The Hon J. Martin (says the N.Z. Times) has received per San Francisco mail a very pleasing communication from his son Albert, who is now a medical student at Guy's Hospital, London. The young gentlemen writes that he has won .the first prize in the-first year, such prize boing of the value of £SO, in addition to the usual certificate. Three prizes are given annually of the respective values of £SO, £25, and £lolos, and the subjects in which the competitors have to read up are physiology, zoology, chemistry, and materia-medica, with other optional subjects. The examination is, a stiff one, and young Mr Martin has won all the more renown in his success from the fact that there were fifteen competitors all working their very best, and that the second, who pushed hm hard, was an Oxford man. We feel quito sure that every man will hail with pleasure this intimation of the success of a young Wellingtonjan,. and who receiytd his preliminary education at the Wellington College.

George Henry Shepperson, the man who was lately indicted bofore the Magistrate at Auckland, for having three wives, went on Thursday night to Onehunga, where his third wife lives, He demanded admittance and was refused, and his wife in terror fled out of the back door just as he burst open the front one. She raised an alarm, the police soon arrived at the scene, and found the doors of the house fastened up, and no reply- being givento their demand for entry they burst open the door, and to their horror found Shepperson lying on the floor with his throat cut, A doctor was at once called in, and upon examination ascertained that the wound was comparatively superficial.' He sewed it up, and Shepperson was sent to the Hospital. He says he is weary of life and does not want, to live. A diary which he kept ia in the hands of the police, and in it he states that his first-two.'wives were spiritual, and the third veiled in the flesh but faulty,

An ingenious instrument, termed a " Spark tube," for indicating the presence of inflammable gases in minos, was exhibited and explained at the meeting of the Manchester Geological Society, recently by Dr Angus Smith. The design of the instrument is taken from an old compression syringe used for igniting tinder, and the intruraent consists of a small brass tube 'with glass let in at the bottom, which is closed up, and a piston and rod fitting closely in the tube. The air to be tested is taken , into the tube either from the top, or by meani of a stop cock at the bottomland the piston than rapidly pressed down with the hand, the compression of the air thus affected, with the aid of spongy platinum, oausing the gases, to explode .inside the tube the explosionbeing visiblethrough' theglass let in at the bottom. /' Dr Smith stated that the'presence of gas 'down to 2£ per 1 cent, could be detected by this instrument, and as the explosion; within the tube was perfectly harmless,'' he thought the ; instrument might" afford a useful means.of ex-. :slbrinjgMeousminM^^

The' London Times of a recent date says:—" The time has come to prepare for the next census.'. Noxt year it must be taken, and it is not too noon to make ready the machinery necessary for the work. Tho undertaking is no light one, It involves the employment of an army of some 35,000 collectors or ' enumerators,' aud 2000 registrars. It requires not merely the services of the registrar-gene* r ral^B''4epnrtm'eiit/ : "but' aUb' ; of' -a"libßt' : ofp.verseerfl, constables, and relieving officers. The mere operation of taking the .census will occupy.; only a d«y or two..-; It isptoposed next year to follow the course takqn »i u_ 1871;;.. that is to leave the. papers with householders on the night of Saturday; April 2nd, and itiucqllect them, on Moiday, ApriUth', When'," however, the enumerators' 'hive copied the schedules and handed in their returns',, the work has but begun-. The task'of digesting and classifying .the materialsTemaius.ah'd it is arduous, The Registrar-General will publish a preliminary report by June of 1883. But the entire work may not be completed 'until more than two years have elapsed, In fact, the time spent in preparing the Scotch and Irish reports ot 1871 was much longer, the former not having been published until May of 1874, and the. latter | having appeared in' September.'.of 1875. Some notion of the vastiiess of the work is to be derived from the cost, which was about ■ £IOO,OOO in 1864, and which has srowu by about £20,000 on each occasion.

In response to the United States Sonate resolution of March Bth, the Secretary of the treasury has just furnished to that body an elaborate statement showing the expenses of the Government "nil account of tho war of the rebellion from July Ist, 1861, to June 30ih, 1809, inclusive." -The statement exhibits the gross expenditures, tho ordinary expenditures, and the expenditures growing out of the war in all, the various branches of the service,--'either directly or indirectly affected by the war, The grand totals are as follows:—Gross expenditures, G,796,792,50[l dols,; ordinary expenditure's/,.':609,549,124 .dols.; expenditures growing out of; the war, 6,187,243,385 do'lsf'. she principal items i of the war the following : Interest on the public debt, 1,764,256,198 dols.; pay of two and three year's volunteers, 1,040,102,702 dols,; subsistence of the army, 381,417,548 dols. ; clothing of the army, 345,543,880 dols,; army transportation, 336,793,885 dols.; purchase of horses, 126,672,423 dols, . A German military paper prints a very instructive statement of the actual steugth of the German army.. On April Ist, 1881, when the organisation of the several corps lately ordered to be formed will havo been completed, the. German field army will oomprise 771,739 officers and men of all ranks and arms of the service; the reserve troops will number 341,480 of all ranks, the. Landwehr forces 293,020, and the garrison troops 125,834. Altogether, therefore, in the event of a general mobilisation, Germany would have over a million and a half of soldiers at once available. This number, however, large as it is, does not represent the, total extent of the resources of the Empire, because the men of the Ersatz reservo are not included in it. At the present time this Ersatz reserve | consists of 340,000 men, of whom 190,000 belong to the first and 150,000 to the Becond class; and all of these would be available on the outbreak of war either for the formation of additional field battalions or for the augmentation of the Landwehr battalions.