The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 1885.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 1947, 24 March 1885, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 1885.

Whenever a case is heard in the local Resident Magistrate's Court under the Sheep Act, abundant proof is brought forward that the law requires to be amended, During the progress of the case of Meredith v Drummond yesterday, it transpired that inspectors do not, as was formerly the case, give certificates at every inspection they make, the existing certificate holding good until proof is brought that the sheep are infected. The plaintiff in the case, no doubt, was puzzled by the circumstances in which he found himself. ■ He had bought various lots of sheep, and obtained copies of the clean certificates held by their original owners. These sheep he mixed up on his run. When he wished to sell a portion of them the question naturally arose in his mind "Which certificate shall I use?" The inspector apparently could not help him, yet the officer in charge of the adjoining district threatened him with legal proceedings if he drove sheep across the boundary. The only practical solution, so far as it went, was given by Mr Wardeli, who advised him to use all the certificates. Nothing was, however, said regarding the possibility of a prosecution for using them for driving purposes. Under the Act in existence previous to 1879, clean sheep put upon a legally infected run at once became scabby, and the provision certainly appears to us to have been a very wise one. The existing Act seems as Mr Wardeli, remarked, to contain no provisions of that nature, and the matter is therefore left entirely to the vigilance and discretion of the Inspector, who may deal with them under Clause 23, It must, however, be admitted, that such extensive powers are liable to abuse. While the Act has served a good purpose in the eradication of scab, it has certainly not provided plain and simple means for working under it.

A service of song entitled " Eva" will bo given at Greytown this evening by the united choirs of the Greytown and Carterton VVesleyan churches, A farewell tea-meofcing will be given at Cartertpn on Thursday, when addresses will be de» livered by 'the Keys, Oliver, laitfc, Young, and Ward.

Owing to the extremely wet and boisterous weather which prevailed last night, Messrs Foley and Berkley deemed it advisable to postpone their concert, which is now fixed to come off to-morrow evening.

At a meeting of the direofcors of the Thoatrc Compauy held last night it was resolved to accept the offer made by Messrs Foley and Berkely to lease the : Theatre for a year at a rental of £4 per \veek. ■lt is probable that -under their •.management the .popularity '• of this place of entertainment will'.-be considerably' increased. ■'■•

With regard to the approaching total eclipse of the sun an exchange understands that parties of scientific observers, from both the Melbourne and Sydney Observatories, intend to visit Wellington in September next to witness it. The best position to view it will be from near Masterton, and there the instruments will be fixed. Several well-known scientific gentlemen from other parts of the colony also intend to come here to see the sight, and it is very likely that the chiefs of tho Melbourne and Sydney Observatories, Professor Ellery and Mr Russell, will be amongst the observers. The eclipse takes place on the Bth of Soptember. The Phoenix lodge, 1.0. G.T., met at the Temperance Hall last night, the attendance being very large. Three new members were initiated, andone proposed. It was resolved that a special summoned meeting of the Lodge be called for Thursday next at 7 o'clock, to consider and arrange for the reception of Mr Capper, the temperance lecturer, and for the opening entertainment at the Temperance Hall. It was resolved to appoint a custodian from amongst temperance members, at a remuneration of 3s per week, with an additional shilling for each night the hall was engaged for extra meetings. Tour members gave notice of their intention to take the second degree, and the meeting adjourned.

The uauul lurtnightly meeting of the Masterton Borough Council will be held this evening. Tho summoned meeting of the Stonehenge lodge of Druids will bo held tonight at the Empire Hotel. A fisherman named "Scotty" and a Maori known as '■' Toby" where drowned while fishing on the Waiiganui bar yesterday morning. .-.■' ••

,• 'Messrs James Thompson and W. Sellar entered into the necessary bonds yesterday^'for the appearance' of Mr T, E. Price at tho next sittings of the Supreme Court.

The last link of the railway from Foxton to Waitara has been completed, and the line was formally opened yesterday. The proceedings were to have partaken of the naturo of a holiday, but the rain entirely spoilt them. A veiy important announcement appears in Messrs Lowes and lorns advertising column of an extensive stock sale to be held at their Masterton yards on Wednesday April 1 st. Tlie list embraces some 6000 sheep of all sorts, in addition to cattle, horses, and pigs, and should be a great attraction to buyers. Members of the Salvation Army in Wellington give a very emphatic denial to tlie circumstantial account detailed in the local senior evening'paper to tho effect that one of their number had thanked God for the destruction of Woodyear's Circus tent and that he got knocked down by ono of the employes. They say there is not a word of truth in it.

It would appear that the saw-milling industry is a little depressed just now, for a considerable numbor of mill hands are seeking employment. We may mention as an instance that an advertisement for one or two suitable men, which appeared in our columns, was responded to by fifteen or sixteen able-bodied labourers.

A sheep farmer in this district has cause to reflect upon the advisableness of leaving even ordinary work to his employes. During his absence he forwarded instructions to have certain sheep sold by public auction, The sheep were duly taken to the public yards, where they were found to be infected with lice. The owner graphically put his position thus:—"The sheep were not sold, I got a summons for varding infected sheep, and the Inspected has ordered me to dip the whole of my flock, Four-masted schooners are becoming a favorite rig in America now, and bid fair to supersede the three-masted ones, In Melbourne lately, the Haroldine, from New York, one of the former rig, attracted considerable attention, She is a vessel of close on 1300 tons, and carries over 2000 tons of cargo. She is 233 ft in length, her beam is 40ft 9in, and the depth of hold aft is 19ft from tlie main deck. The row of taut and taper masts, unrelieved by a single spar te break their perpendicular monotony, distinguishes her from all other vessels usually seen in colonial waters,

The peculiarly superstitious mind of the Maori apparently becomes discontented as soon as it has become fairly acquainted with any religion that may have been taught it, and anything new and exciting, particularly when it borders on the supernatural, almost invariably carries it away. It required a wholesome threat of muscular Christianity to destroy the influence of Te Whiti, who even now appears to be not without followers, The latest craze appears to have broken out near Auckland, a telegram from whence conveys the following rather startling intelligence:—The Maori prophetess at Kawakawa has fixed the beginning of the millenium on the 28th inst. Crowds daily wait on her, and fully credit her prophecies, At Hokianga a tohunga has arisen who states that Christ's mediation is only for the pakeha, and unless the Maories adopt this plan of salvation, they will perish. Burnt offerings of dogs, cats, and owls have been made, A sacrifice is to take place within a few days on an altar in a building, according to a design adopted in the time of Moses, The victim appointed is a well-featured girl, the daughter of the high priest himself, who is a consenting party, she having expressed her willingness to die for the benefit of her race and people, The police have visited the settlement and confirm the statement made regarding the extent of the hallucination, and steps will be taken to prevent the proposed homicide. A School Committeo election in a southern country district was rendered invalid because some of the votes recorded did not represent adults. One of these voters claimed to come under the definition of ''adult" because he was eighteen years of age, 6ft in his stockings, and turned the scale at 12st Gib. The definition of an adult was supported by a gentleman weo had some authority at the meeeting to elect the said School Committee, and alleged that an adult was a person of mature age, sound of limb, and of full hight. The solicitor to whom the problem was submitted for solution, of course gave an opinion entirely opposed to the claims of the "adult," and the householders of the district in which he is a " blacksmith's improver" are now under the necessity of re-electing seven gentlemen to manage the affairs of the public school.

AMelbourne papor states that a middloaged woman was, after some trouble, arreptod in Melbourne on the 9th instant, on a charge of bigamy. Hor present name is Marion Saw, and under thet name she was presented to the city magistrates, She was married on 3rd December, 1878, to a young man named Henry Church, a carter of Wellington (New Zealand), and then described himself as Miss Marion' Johnston. Tho marriage ceremony was perperformed by Adam Anderson, deputy register at Fitzroy. After living together for some years, the pair separated, .the husband going back to New Zealand, and the wife-.remaining in Melbourne. In 'JurieJ.lßßß, 'Mrs. Church, nothavingheard from her husband for some tiino, was marjried%Heiiry Saw, a young man 25 years -of age, a gunsmith, but she told him that she was single, and that her name was Marion Cobian, and under this appellation, as a spinster and dressmaker, sho became his wife. The second marriage was celebrated by the Rev, James Taylor, Baptist minister, of Richmond.

| No doubt many readers' of the Daily paper have read the piece about the two ships, and not only road, but made up their mind which ship they are Efoing by; also which they are in at the present time. I have been working as a deck hand for some time on the Gospel Ship, so I write now from experience, and I have to confess that since I shipped on Board the Gospel Ship aa a deck hand, I have had some grand times, far before the rotten Bhip I left. Although I had some pleasures on the ship I left, I was never safe, not knowing a moment but that the ship would go down, when I should have been lost for ever.' The ship I am now on will never sink, for 1 have a Divine Captain, and I can trust Him, no matter how rough it is, for in the past amid the raging; of the storm He has Piloted me safely through, and I have come off more than Conqueror. 1 mean to haveJe bus for my Captain all the way, for I am certain that I shall arrive safe into the Harbor, which is Heaven. All who wish to be on the Gospel Ship can do so by coming to the Salvation Army Barracks, where they can all get a free ticket. Come along! Many Sailors wanted—Apply at once,;

The Gladstone telephono station is reopened to the public, a new oillcer having been appointed. Mr Alexander McKenzie, of Featherston, offers a reward for the recovery of a horse that has been lost.

It is stated that large reductions aro to be made in the Audit Department, and that eight officers are already under notice.

.. It is said .that rabbits have increased considerably in some portions of the district during tho summer, although men have been steadily employed to keep them down.

Messrs Lowes and lorns will hold an important Bale' of sheep at McLeod's yards, Martinborough, on the Bth April, Between two and three thousand sheep have already been catalogued! ' Mr Telford passed through Masterton yesterday with 4500 merinoes, which he was taking to their destination in the Lower Valley, where some of the stations' aro being re-stocked with sheep, A special meeting of the Wairarapa East County Council was to have been held this afternoon, but up to the time we went to press no quorum of councillors had put in an appearance. The meetinghas been called to discuss the ■financial.position of the County,

•It appears thatthe committee recently appointed to canvass the town in connection with the purchase of a steam fire engine, has failed to do anything practical in the matter, The subject is likely to be brought up at tlie meeting of the Borough Council this evening. His Excellency the Governor, who has been in Australia for some time, in connection with the defence works, returned to Auckland per steamer Manapouri this morning. Tlie Government steamer Hinemoa is awaiting him at Manakau to convey him to Wellington.

An unoccupied house at the north end of Carterton belonging to Mr Joseph Ingley, was burnt down this morning between twelve and one o'clock. The house was insured in the Equitable Insurance Co. for £SO. The lire brigade was quickly on the spot and prevented other buildings in the neighborhood from getting on fire. In the Supreme Court at Wellington the case of Littlejohn & Son v Mulligan was heard before His Honor Mr Justice Richmond without a jury, The parties to the suit are watchmakers, and plaintiffs at one time purchased a business, till then carried on by the defendant, at Wellington, The action was brought to restrain defendant from selling watches bearing the name of plaintiffs, and to recover the sum of £250 for damages alleged to have been sustained by the sales already made. Evidence was brought to show that defendant had sold watches bearing the name "Wilson Littlejohn and Son, Wellington New Zealand," on the face, and that these watches were inferior to any kept in stock by plaintiffs. His Honor reserved judgment.

If the creditors in the estate of P. Cookery have no hope of receiving a substantial dividend, they at least have the pleasure and privilege of attending a number of meetings the proceedings of which partake very decidedly of the farcical. The sang froid of the debtor alone is worth witnessing, and creditors may perhaps find it a convenient way to reduce the amount of their claims by entering a discount on account of his performances. It is true that the debtor shows assets which are apparently larger than the amount set down to unsecured creditors, but as they consist of book debts, a buggy valued at £lO, and a goat, their actual value is not likely to bo much. Of the three items, the goat, which has been the subject for jests among its numerous owners, is likely to realize an amount much nearer to the estimated value that either of the other.