The Wairarapa Daily. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1883. THE COUNTY RATE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1565, 21 December 1883, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1883. THE COUNTY RATE.

There was a lather warm discussion, at tile mooting of the North Wairarapa County Settlers'- Association on Wednesday evening 011 Mr Meredith's motion condemning the payment of the special rates out of the general county l'lito. Mr McGregor displayed considerable' • warmth in his reply to the mover, but the cftttso ot his wrath was tolerably obvious,. -He evidently felt that his opponent was hitting the county which he represented under the belt, and ho resented what he considered to be an unfair blow, The; facts of the case are very simple, iln May last Mr Meredith made his first appearauca at the council table, at its ordinary monthly meeting, .CMlfilt occasion a conference was, arranged | between the county and ,the road board I on.the general,question of rating, and the sontimerits. of Both . bodies were fully expressed." that meeting Mr McGregor the county'proposed to take, .viz.j- to levy a half-penny rato- over the whole, °„f '! ie p oun iy, arid charge against It- all liabilities, including, special,i.-ratps, There would he estimated tlien be a surplus of some i4OO .or .'after, the latter were defrayed, which 1 could be returned to those parts of the district which were not, benefited by special/works, • (Jrs Chamberlain and McCardle opposed this arrangement in toto, but Cr Meredith accepted it, provided that adequate compensation was secured to those districts which were not benefited by special rates. Such districts, lie contended, should lcceive back a fair proportion of the county rate, so that they could make lines which would givo thein access to the county roads.. I„ the following month, at the June meeting, it was .lesolved that: 2,be"-given. i.of"?a general and-special rale being strnck,' At this meeting there was an all-round discussion on the rating question, in which Cr Meredith took a leading part. July tho general arrange-" ment which had been under negotiation during the previous months was completed by it being resolved on the motion of Mr Merdith that a Bum of i'loo'be paid to the Masterton Eoad Board out of the Comity rate. Now ■the Settlers' Association had a perfect right to discuss every detail of the arrangement. The inconsistency which' irritated Mr McGregor was evidently the fact that Mr Meredith was a party "to. the arrangement, which, after months of deliberation, had been accepted as one which would promote the interests of all parts of the district. If this arrangement were, attacked it was evident that Mr Meredith ought to have been the first to dofond it. To'bo consistent lie should have appeared/ before tho Association 'as the defendant and not as tlie informant. Apparently as long as anything was'-;to be got.b.nt of tKe itmhgdrhent for either of ithri'tio districts -in 'jwhich lie wa? Especially intorested'he iuppoi'ted it but yrhen he obtained all he could gel he fouul out tbat'if' AVafi" an" iniquitious one 1 , ■ Ml' Meredith plainly gays that tho rate as struck was unjust. 'He did not say TO in May, June, or July, Then ho was

fighting to.got as large a slice of. it as possible for his Road Board, His position now is something like that of a culprit who turns Queen's evidence in order to implicate his colleague and save himself, is floating happily on the tide of public favor. He is anxious. to suspend the county, and wiling to burst' his own Road Board, anything to please his fellow settlers. There is, however, a Nemesis which surely follows inconsiatonciea in the conduct of public men, We like to see public men loyal to the interests with which they are associated, If a man is a County Councillor we prefer to see him working -for County interests, if a .Road Board Warden, we like to see ,him going straight to maintain the prestige of his Board,- When we saw Mr Meredith sitting at. the Council table and plotting against its existence we excused him in a measure, because we thought that lie was fighting for the Board, of which he is Chairman. Now wo.regret to tind that he is as indifferent to.the.oxistence of his own Board as 110 is to that of tho County, and is quite willing for it to be cut up into [.dices,

!We have a great respect for Mr B. Si Hawkins, the President of the Settlers' Association, but when he has half-a-dozen farmers at his back, he rides the high horse with a swagger, Which is almost amusing. At the late meeting he generously explained that the Association did .not propose to utterly crush the County, only to give it a word of warning. The fact is that the Association is not as yet a power in the land,lt is only by a painful effort , that it can get a meeting together, and then simply because a section of its members desire to use it for a party purpose. If it assumes a tone of superiority -of .-.this character, its self-inflation /'Will last -but for a very I brief period.

'Mr 'W. P.' Fellingbam, of (he Central Boot' and Shoo 'Warehouse, announces undoubted bargains for the holidays, and special lines foe ovorybody in boots and shoos.

. The Post palls the payment of a quarter of a million of Property Tax by New Zealand in a fortnight a tremendous fact, Is it not rather a tremendous imposition ? Nominations for the vacant seat in the Masterton Borough Council will be received np till noon on the 28th inst. The Mastorton Institute Committee held its statutory " no quorum" meeting last'evening." Mr F. H, Wood, Greytown, has just opened a large stoek- of Fancy Goods, including some being rare Japanese wore two hundred fifty years ofd, which will bo offered on Saturday without reserve, In another column Mr P. J. Preston, of the Adelaide.Wine Vaults, Wellington, informs his Wairarapa frionds thai ho has made sp'eoial importations of his oelebrated wines for the festive season, and that the usual Christmas hampers are to be had at hja depot. At a meeting of the committee of the Masterton Swimming Club held on Wed« nesday evening last, the secretary was instructed, to write lo the Cemetery Trustees requesting permission to erect a bathing shed on the river banks for the use of the club.,. [He was also requested to mako arrangements for the carting of the timber from the mills, A match will be played at Masterton on Boxing Day between tlio Masterton Cricket Club and the Ashley Cricket Club (Wellington)' commencing at 10 a.m, Tho following.will .represent the Ashley ClabTucker,,Knotting, Smith, Curtis, Rose, 0, Pownallj (Captain), Blaoklock, Upliara, Easton. F. Pownall, and"Gillon. Emergenciesßurnett, and Lowater. Umpire!'''Vf,: Tooiuath. Scorer; E, Gillon. ~-. - , : .

Tho half ' yearly moating of Oonrt Lojal Enterprise A.O.F. was hold laat evenin?, there being a^gop;4. v Mtohdance of members. Two new members wero initiated. The olection of ~ofljoera for the ensuing six inonthsj resulted in tlie following brethren being., elected .-Bros. E. McEwen, O.R.W. Peacock, 8.0. R.; W. Parkea, S.W.-;,v J. Tobin, J.W.j S. Wickersoh, J. Yates, J. 8.; auditors, W. If, Easthopo and 8. Wickerson, -The inyeatituro of officers takes place next Court-night

A man named William Henry McOarthy, a bushraan from Masterton, foil off tho Wellington wharf; 'yesterday afternoon. Ho was in the wator some timo before bein# rescued, but was none the worse for the immersion.

; Messrs Lowes & lows held a sale oi prize pigeons andj poultry yesterday at their Mastertbn sale rooms, There was a good attendance and the pigeons wore quitted at from 7s 6d to 66a per pair. The highest prico obtained for purebred poultry was 30a pel- pen, Poultry for the table was in good demand for the Christmas',festive season. Fowls brought 4s to 2s 9d per pair, ducks 5s 9d to 5s 3d, geese 5s 3d each, tiirkeys 3s 9d. A distinguished traveller, Mr James Ashbury,: formerly M.P, for Brighton, visited Masterton yesterday, Mr Ashbury was the fortunate Englishman who a dozen years ago beat James Gordon Bennett in the celebrated trans-Atlantic yacht race. Mr Ashb.ury has just made a tour of the Australasian colonies and Rives a decided preference .to .-New Zealand—so ; much/so, jhat he js anxious to invest money in the purchase of an estate in this colony, . ,;j : . Messrs Lowes & lorns hold a large sale of cutlery, ironmongery and general items at their, rooms to-morrow. A largejquantily, of j>oods are on inspeotioii to : -day; ■

Matters are getting a little lively on the Opaki railway contract.' • The wages of the employees are, in arreir, and they have mpde a futile effort to pay themselves by seizing • :the horses of their employers. The agent of the Government. howevw, stepped in and informed them that under the oonditious of .of oontraot all tho plant and horses were already appropriated by the State. Last night Mr Peperell arranged to meet the navvies in Masterton. The men wero there and the maator was not. The IUBn, at a late,hour, passed throueh the town yelling '• We'll hang Peperell on a sour apple tree I" and other suggestive molodios,

Amongst the numerous presentation almßDacs issued by trades'nen in thie distnot.that lefi at out office'by Messrs Oaselberg & Co, must bo placed preeminent, both for qUality of work and choice of subject, The picture represents ab unfortunate cow "in chancery," One irate' farmer has a. firm grip of her tail; in'other delerrriined-looking soil of hap^s.desperately to her horns, while,< aeatecl" on""a ponderous law book .with | seraphto pmile illaminateng : his c 'Wl° a .i u . r 63,, is. a lawyer, vigorously 4mlmng|tjl}ff animal in dispute, •Ws i-Buiv? that if every one -would use Hop Bitters freely there would be iouohlesn siokness and misery in the world, and people are fast baginning to find this out, whole families keeping nell at a trifling gwt by its use, We advise all to try it. Read

The Masterton Road Board meet to- , morrow. Mr F. H, Wood holds an unreserved Christmas sale at Greytown to-morrowi - We have received from Mr G.Beetham, M.H.R., an interesting letter descriptive of his travels throughjha .States,".which we shall publish in oirr iiaue of Monday next. Mr T. Drummond advertises for a lost brown mare, branded like Y in a heart Mra Morris advertises poultry for sale, dreaaed for the table or otherwise, in any quantity, at her shop in Queen-street. A special meeting of the Slonehenge Lodgo of Druids took place last night in their Lodge Boom, Empire' Hotel, to receive an official visit from Bro, W. H. Bishop, P.D.P. Taking into oonsideration'that it was 3 o'clock yesterday when the Brotherhood got notice to attend there was a very large attendance. Bro. W. Blinkhorne, A,D„ presided, Bro. Bishop delivered an able address upon matters deeply affecting the welfare of the Order, and-conoluded by impressing upon the members the necessity of dinging together, in order to keep the-lodge at a pitch of and the paramount importance of bringing in young and good members, He also mentioned that he had on Monday evening last opened a new lodge at Palmerßton North, initiated thirty seven brethren, and installed the officers, A cordial vote of thanks was accorded to Bro Bishop for his'visit and all his many good services in tho past to tho Lodge,

Full information cf the various train arrangements for Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year's Day are published in another column. The Rev Father Halbwachs announces services at Greytown and Feathorstou on Sunday next at 11a.m. On Christmas Day at Masterton there will be the usual midnight mass, morning service at 10 a,m , and evening Bervice at 7 p.m. At each of theso services a semon will be pre;iched by the vory Rev Th. Le Menant dea Clieauais, S.M. At Carterton a service is announced for 2 p.a. It is some seven and a half years Bince the Rev Father Halbwachs arrived in the Waira« rapa and f-mnd here neither Presbytery nor congregation, He leaves early next month poorer than-when he came, having expended his means in the erection of the numerous churches which are now to be found in the lownsnip. No doubt the Catholic community will, by their offerings at this season of the year, indicate the'ir gratitude for the services whioh the Eev Father has rendered them,

The beat assortment of clocks yet seoii in this district is now on view at Mr A. Bish's jeweller, Queen-street. There are among them several varieties of tho alarm clock, some extremely pretty timepieces under the name of the "Mikado Striker," and ''Lodge Clocks,"a novel clock called the " Calender," which has an extra hand pointing to the date of the month each day and a great variety of timekeepers of all kinds. The above being a direct importation are being Bold at wonderfully lnw prices and anyone desiring a good well finished article at small cost are requested to lako advantage of the present opportunity. See the windows I—Advt. After soveral years' experience in supplying watches for the colonial market, Littlejohn and Son, of Lambton Quay, Wellington, have observed the need for a thoroughly sound English Lever Watch at a lower price than that usually paid for suoli watches. It is only bj the judicious division of labor and by tho manufacture of large quantities on a uniform plan, that wo are enabled to moet this want We have now tho ploasuro of introducing our Six Guinea Hunting Silver Lever. This watch, being simple in design, durable, highly finished, andaocurate, fulfils all tho requirements of a pooket timekeeper,, A written guarantee for two years will be given with each watch. Sent by post,' securely packed, on receipt of Post Office order or cheque. —(Advt)

Wins' " Rough on ConNa."-Aak for Wells' "Rough on Corns." Quick re lief, complete, permanent cure, Corns, warts, bunions.' Moses, Moss dCo Sydney, General Aeeats.

Christmab at Te Aro Home,-To signalise the festive season of this present year, of grace, we purpose a departure from tho' usual distribution of Christmas gifts, and shall instead give a liberal bonus in hard cash on all parcels bought between the 15th and 3 lot December, *.nd paid for at time of purchase, at;Te Aro House BoNusKS.-We shall grant a cash bonus on all paid parcels from the amouut of 6s to £2O. From 5s to 18s we shall allow a bonus of Is m the £. Tim subsequent paragraph will, flhow tho 'fall bomisos payable on each parcel at Te Ar.i. _ "'IIE Bom-On a £2O parcel, bonaß 40 shillings j £lB parcel, bonus 36 shillings; £lfi [j'l-el, bonus 33 shillings: £.14 parcel, bonus 24 shillings; £ll parcel, bonus 20 shillings; £Bparcel,honns 16s; £6-parcel, bonus 125.; £5 parcel, bonus 10s; £4 parcel, bonus 8 shillings; £4 parcel, bonus 6 shillings; £2 parcel, bonus 4 shillings; £1 Parcel, bonus 2 shillings; 17s 6d parcel, bonus lid, 15s parcel, bonus 9d: 12s fid parcol, bonus 8J; iOs parcel, bonne Gd; 7s lid parcel, bonus Id; 5s parcel, bonus 3d. All these bonuses payable between 15th aud 31at December, at Te Aro House, Cubastreot, Wellington.