The Wairarapa Daily. FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 1881

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 720, 18 March 1881, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 1881

One doubtful advantage which a man obtains when ho is made a Cabinet Minister is to liavo Lis character, both private and public, analysed throngh--1 out the colony in the public Press, The new Postmaster-General, the Hon, Walter Johnston, has just passed through this ordeal, and, with the. exception of the papers published in his own electoral district, ho Lm corao out ( of it unscathed, Pie is recognised as a prophet everywhere excepting in his own country, and there he is in such disfavor that though it has obtained the honor of being represented by a Minister of the Crown it will probably reject this distinction at the next election, and put a humbler man in his place. This is, however as it should be, and without any disrespect to Mr Johnston or his claim to sit among the prophets of New Zealand, a city resident cannot make a good representative of a country district, and it is the Manawatu County that is to blame for having entrusted its interests to an alien. The new Minister, notwithstanding the foes in his own household, ought to be a happy man. His capacity has been admitted, his high personal and social qualities have been praised, and the'only bad thing said of him has been that he is lazy, and \yc are not at all sure that an indolent Cabinet Minister may not be useful. There are certainly several of his colleagues who are open to the charge of being too industrious and incessantly interfering in matters of detail which would he better left to their subordinates, If Mr Johnston restrains them by his example, and is stimulated a little by their activity his accession to office will be an advantage to the Oabiuet as a whole. The- Premier, in selecting Mr Johnston, had not much choice, and may be congratulated on having . picked out asafe, trustworthy colleague. It is evident by the general acceptance with which the appointment has met'with throughout thjj colony, that Mr Johnston will strengthen the Ministry, It has been suggested that Mr Johnston's religious views will impair his success as a Minister, .but if he is as sagacious | as men say he is there is no fear of J him compromising either'himself or | his colleagues in this direction.. ■ 1

. The.Mastertoiv Voiuii'teers'parade' at the ■Town Hall this ;. ■£ ■ ■-.tU :$ • The Te Ore' Ore; raeoting ia'pxpected to break up iirthe course of nextweek',^' The Mastortnri Highway Board invites tenders for 60 chains of metalling and repairs .on .the.Masterto.nTOpaki road.,—~We call attention to an article on the Public Trust Ofllco in another column. Mr W..G. Board, solicitor, is the local representative of the office. Until 1824 it was a punishable offence for auyono to shear a. sheep within five miles of the British sea-coast, the law also forbidding-tho exportation of wool,''. Messrs' Harvey, Murray & Co, are now engaged in tanning at'their new works on the Waipoua, having completed their now. shed and all Iho appliances necessary for this now local industry. '■'"'•.-'■'' Two handsome shops aro, wo understand, about to- bo erected on the corner aero opposite tho Masterton Post Office This will bo a great improvement ;to-.tho centre of the town. . Wo understand that Messrs McDuff & Co., coach builders, of Wellington, havo offered to bring a cricket team to Masterton on Goad Friday to play the wheelwrights and blacksmiths of this town. We believe that the offer will be accopted,

We are informed that tho sheepowners in South Canterbury aro giving up the Lincoln and taking to the Leicester. Breeders find it more profitable fo fatten off at two tooth, than to breed for a little extra weight of wool. A greal portion of the Canterbury plains is not suited to the Lincoln, The Sew Zealand Times says:—" Wo notice that the Wairarapa papers are advocating an alteration in tho time that the afternoon train leaves Wellington." This statement is incorrect, Tho Wairarapa has, recently had a valuable concession made to it in the matter of local trains on Satui'diiy, and though we do not say that further facilities cannot bo accorded in the interosts of tho railway and the public, it is not a wise policy to bo continually worrying the Department, The Northern Fire Insurance Company, for which Messrs Gardener it. Sons are agents for Cartorton, havo given a handsome donation of 5 guineas to the Carterton Volunteer Fire Brigade, for their late services at tho burning of the Hotel stables. Although not suflbrors by this lire, tho Northern has heavy, risks close by, and which, without doubt, the brigade saved. This is an example we trust to see followed by other Insurance offices, as by supporting Fire Brigades they promote their own interests.

About 6 a.m. yesterday, the high bridge at North Greytown, between the platform and rivor bed, caught fire; no doubt from sparks from the bush close by, which was buriiiuglasteveningininnumerablo places. Atßa.m,,anaUempt was made to save part of tho structure by cutting away tho burning part, but the high wind blowing tho flames directly on the bridge soon rendered it impossible to continue the somewhat apathetic endeavors, Blasting powder was then resorted to, but the fire had attained too great a hold, more especially as tho span nearest tho township hud fallen in, thus giving the devouring element an extra advantage. There is one consolation, viz., that the loss of tho bridge will materially improve tho roadway in that neighborhood, We have received a letter from our eccentric friend, Mr J. Gokler, of Waipawa, which concludes as follows : " For I am born as among a brood of chicks among which appeared a young duck, an egg of that nature having been placed secretly by the Lord because lie promised to send the long-promised duck, audit was hatched; and because it differed in nature to the rest, and crossed water to others of its nature, and went to placesunknown to others, where they could not go, and because its voice went quack! quack I alone, whilo its fellows went chick I chick! they all' suspected it was mad, But neither its mother nor its brethren could stop it from quacking, nor change its nature. It died, and when it was revealed that it was the promised duck, many wondered what it had done to merit tho title; but the Lord said everyone lias a right to the title of their nature, It crossed the water, andfollowed the course of its own nature, and I have another feathered bird. Watch for the coming of a-gander."

[ . One of those periodical re-unions of the I Dixon family with which all who are versed in the social history of the Pro- ■ vince of Wellington must be familiar, took place yesterday, at Masterton. By tho midday train a score of scions of this 1 family arrived for the purpose of playing a friendly game of cricket with their Mastoi'tou cousins, A very good match ; was played in Mr Drunimonds paddock, and the result was a triumph for tho vititors. The following were the scores : Masterton team: Ist innings 08 runs, 2nd innings 42, Mr R. G. Williams making 1 the largest score with 10. The Wellington team in their first innings made 79 runs, and in the second 83 with the loss of only one wicket, Mr Frank-Dixon made 88 runs in his first innings and 19 in his second, carrying out his hat, The bowliug was fair on both sides, hut the fielding of the Wellington team was much better than that of Masterton, Messrs Ed. Dixon and Salmon were umpires, Mr Page scorer. In the evening tho visitors were entertained with a collation at tho Club Hotel, Mr Blkin's large dining room was unusu-

ally well filled on this occasion, between thirty and forty of tho family being gathered together, in addition to a few outsiders who were favored with invitations, As usual in this hotel the catering and the' waiting were perfect, and reflected great credit upon the proprietor of the house, Mr Charles Dixon, -of Masterton, occupied the chair, and Mr Edward Dixon, of Wellington, the vice : chair. The usual loyal toasts wore given from the chair, after which the toast of " The Borough Council" was proposed by Mr E. G. Williams, who claimed that though settlers in Masterton were wont to differ on public questions they personally esteemed each other, and were harmonious in their private relations, The name of Councillor George Dixon was coupled with the toast, which was drunk with musical honors. The next toast, " Our Wellington Friends," given 'from the chair, was drank with great enthusiasm. Mr Edward Dixon, in responding, stated that there was not one of the family at Wellington who was not proud of their Masterton relatives, and claimed that harmony, union,'and goodwill were the characteristics of the family. The vicechairman then presented, amid loud applause, a ball to'Mr Frank Dixon, who. had specially distinguished himself in the match, The next toast, was drunk in silence, hut was prefaced by a few appropriate words from Mr Edward Dixon, It was—" The Memory of the Departed Members of the Family." The health of the Masterton branch of the family was then proposed, and responded to by Mr !"William Dixon. Mr Godber, of Wellington, sustained with credit the toast of "The Ladies." -Mr Waters, proposed " The Umpires and Scorers," coupled :with the .name of Mr Salmon, who responded,' "The Press" came next, and, then a bumper was 'drunk to the health of Host Blkins,' and duly'acknowledged. The gathering was ainost animated and enjoy, able one," there being .plenty"of good speakers and ; good singers. among the familyj and an unlimited, supply of good humor and enthusiasm.; ■ ; ;, - :

\ A swamp farm of 1000 acres, partly drained and ready for grass, is advertised for sale, It adjoins the Piliautea Station :in the Lower Valley. We call attention to Messrs King and Hill's advertisement in another column. •for"engineer"in'g7~~Burveying~,' <Ec';7"ii~the. lowest in. the icoloiiy. . The..Greytown Council estlmates'.'its income for the year 1881-82, at £G24:iGs'; The balance available for road works's j)uf down at £447165, ■■ ■ • Mr F.. H, \Vpod has kindly offered to supply "the children, in the Greytown School with the hew Post Office Savings Bank cards,- and the first contribution affixed to each one of them, It has been arranged to hold a series of lectures at the Institute, Greytown during .the winter months. Thelecturers will bo Messrs Coleman Phillips, 0. Pharazyn, H. Clapcott, 0. Howard, and J. Patorson. ■'''-., . •■-.-"' .•'■■:

Messrs J. lorns & Co. have added to their list for Saturday next the household furniture of Mr Sliaw, who is leaving Masterton, The ball last evening, held under the auspices, of the Masterton Rifle Volunteers, for the benefit ,of tho Band fund, was, we are happy to chronicle, a complete success. There wore a largo number present, and a most sociable and enjoyable fevening was experienced by ( all. Among those present were Captain Ruck, and Lieutenant Wyllie, M.R.V., Captain Macara, G,R.V., Sergeant Henry, D.1., two members of the Wellington Na'vals, a Ohristchurch Artilleryman, and members of the local corps. The various uniforms intermingled in the dances with the pretty drcsse?-of the ladies,, formed a very pleasing picture, which was enjoyed by a good pumber of visitors in the gallery, . The. music was provided by ; the Volunteer Band, and was of an excellent character, The catering was entrusted to Mr J. Clayson, which is a sufficient guarantee as to its excellence, Dancing was kept up' till daylight tliis morning, whon the most pleasant and successful ball held in Masterton for some time past came to an end. Wo congratulate the Committee and secretary on the success they have acheived, In the House of Commons on Monday last, a disorderly scone again occurred. Mr O'Donnell, member for Dungarvan,. was most unruly and defied the chair in violent language, He was then, by tho Speaker's order, suspended for the remainder of the sitting. The totalisators, three in number, at the Dunedin meeting, did a roaring business, nearly £SOOO being speculated in them .during the three days,- Half the. commission goes to the Club, which thus benefits by about £760, and by the-terms of agreement with the proprietors, the machines are now the Club's property, The amount laid out on sanitary works every year' throughout England and Wales looks large when it is summarised. The expenditure of the urban sanitary authorities for the last financial year was £18,663,757, making the total expenditure for the last five years about £77,000,000. The "Nelson Colonist" regrets to say that the "long-continued drought Ins Beriously affected, the prospect of this year's hop crop being a remarkably good one, for during the last week the red spider made its appearance, and as the rate of multiplication of this insect is something " prodigious" in tho short space named, the damage has been great, and one grower alone estimates his loss from this source at £SOO at least,

Tho seltloi'3 at Waipu, in the Auckland district, have passed the following resolution :—"That any collector of the said dog-tax visiting Waipu be considered socially on a level of degradation with tho common informer, and be treated as"a : voluntary outcast from all possible association with any respectable member'of society," - If we had tho collecting of the tax not a cur amongst them should yelp, without paying for it, We hear from reliable authority thai it is the intention of Messrs Schroder, Hooper & Co. to make their first grand display of Autumn and Winter Millinery, Drapery, and Clothing at the Hall of Commerce, on Saturday, March 19th, consisting of 71 packages and bales, As the bulk of their magnificient stock has been imported direct from the manufacturers, the public can rely upon obtaining all the latest fashions and designs of the season at extremely loiv prices, We would advise all purchasers and lovers of fashion to make an early call at the Hall of Commerce and inspect their stock,— [Advtl. ..