The Wairarapa Daily. THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 1885. NATIVE LANDS RATING.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 1966, 16 April 1885, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 1885. NATIVE LANDS RATING.

Among tho various subjects which cropped 1 up at tho last meeting of the Wairarapa East County Council was that of Native land rating, The circumstances, as they wore described, are, to Bay the least, peculiar, and form one morp illustration of 1 the arbitrariness of Governnieju; filers ' in high places. Under the Crown _and Native Lands Rating Act, it is provided that the Governor in Council may from time to time proclaim districts in the co- . lony to be Native rating districts, and may from time to time alter or revoke such proclamations; also, that the Colonial Treasurer, for the time being, by his official tfjle, shall be treated as the owner ' of all lands by virtue of the Act for the purposes .of thp Eajnig Act, 1882, the several provisions of which, .an/J ajso of the Property Assessment Act, J8?.9, necessary to the operations of the Bating Act, shall apply accordingly. The Act proceeds to describe that tho Property Tax Commissioner, when preparing the valuation ro'ls, shall be sole judge whether any Crown or Native lands aro ratable property by virtue of that Act, and that the demand for payment of rates I shall be madG to the Colonial Treasurer, It would appear fr,om this that the land is to be valued for rati.ng p,u.rpo£es jyst as if it were ordinary property, and in of an excessive valuation being made, the Colonial Treasurer has just the same privileges for appeal that any other ratepayer would have. The Acts mentioned do not, however, contain anything which empowers the Property Tax Commision to make an increase or reduction in tho rate without an appeal to th e tribunal which has been established to try such cases; neither would any legislator even think of wresting such enormous and arbitrary powers in tho hands of one officer, yet, judging by what has taken place, the Property Tax Commissioner appears to be of opinion that such powers are vested in him, because he has on his own responsibility, and contrary to the sworn opinion of the valuers in his-department, reduced the 1 valuation on- Native lands in Hawke's ; Bay, the Wairarapa, and other districts, , by about thirty ppr cont, To the Hawke's ■ Bay County Council belongs the credit of j having been the first to draw attention to | the fact, and to take steps to test the legality of the Commissioner's action. ' The Wairarapa East County Council, being largely interested, obtained an ( opinion from its solicitors, and that being e favorable, at once resolved to join the ' Hawke's Bay Council in setting the v machinery of the law; in motion. Tho <: matter is not yet suljudice, and it might * therefore be more fully commented upon; 8 but as there ia every probability! of ita a

being thoroughly tested, we shall at present say nothing; more, except this, that if the Property Tax Commissioner is in legal possession of the arbitrary powers he has exorcised, hs is the most independent officer, in the whole of tho Civil Service, and that tho sooner they are cancelled by a special Act of Parliament the better.

Mr F. H. Wood has for sale a numbor of sections near Carterton. The land .is of good quality, and very reasonable terms are offered.

The steamer Doric, which left Wellington for. London on the 22nd March arrived at Rio de Janeiro on the 13th inst.

Mr A. Hirschberg has purchased Mr Isaac Pike's property of 350 acres, and stock at Te Whiti. The price has not transpired.

The following cablegram was received by tho Government yesterday from Sir Dillon-Bell, the Agent-General:—"Quite uncertain whether peace preserved. Gladstone's statement last night not reassuring. Naval preparations active."

Mr D. Cameron has in another column an advertisement referring to his American Coach Factory at Greytown, giving a long list of prices for all classes of • vehicles which should be interesting to the public. Mr Cameron has just • completed a double seated conveyance with sprinps and brakes, especially suited to station travelling, the price of which is within the reach of all, Considerable additions have been made to the catalogue of stock to be offered at Mr F, H, Wood's next sale at Ray's yards, on Thursday, April 23rd.

A misprint, which materially alters the yajue of tho arguments used; crept into our Alfredton correspondent's last letter. Inplaceof'" thirty settlers occupying 4,000 acres" it should have read "40,000 acres." Messrs Ballingor Bros,, of Wellington, the well-known plumbers, etc,, announce in another column that they have a krge quantity of iron, corrugated iron, spout' ing, ridging, etc., for sale. We recommend our readers to peruse their advertisement, Travellers and others iyjll find an announcement elsewhere from Mr James Smith, proprietor .of the Empire Hotel, The hotel.WiljMJnsexcellent accomodation, with convenient stabling attached. Mr Liverton, of Pakovva), is the poßse.ssor.ofafiee.ee, .taken from a wild sheep, possessing a depth of staple .of no less than 25 inches.' When the dogs eaught the animal tlioy wer.e unablo to kill it, every part of it, exsppfc the tip .of its nose, being buried in wool.

Mr C, J, Stone, an old and wealthy settler at Auckland, died.of lieart disease yesterday, He had been •!" years in the colony, was a Director of the Bank of New Zealand, and largely interested in the timber and mining industries. His softs are Stone Bros., the well known shipowners. The case of jifcej, Goldsmith v. Anderson, was finished yesterday in the Wellington Supreme Court",' j&e plaintiff being awarded Is damages, each par£y to pay his own costs. The case was a horsey one, the plaintiff, who is Secretary to £,hp Island Bay Park Co., having been slan4e>',ed in connection with a race in which he raw £ horse. The first shooting for .Captain Donald's trophy came off at the Manaja butte on Saturday last, the winner -being the ojd veteran, Corpl, Anketell, from scratch, with forty-two points, Vol. A. Hoar £oming second (ten points) with forty-one. Tho ehpflting was below'the average, owing to some .of the icraok shots being away; also, no .dpujj.t, to »;an£ of practice.

As illustrating the senaibleness ans peculiar ideas of common juries, says the Telegraph, the reopmme.nijatipn pf the pne in the case pf George Bammjll, who was cjjn'y.ictod yesterday, is a case in p.oJMv They found the prisppor guilty, but recoinm.ende.d liirrj. to mcroy op, the ground that ttye person whose name wi)j{ ,to the .cheque might possibly, as wan Buggestod fpr tfye defence, have given the cheque £,9 tljo prisoner. Supposing this theory to be correct, their verdict would of course ainount to one of not guilty, as tho prisoner could not have committed the crime at all, as tiro person whose name was in t|ie cheque }}s.& /iwn it himself.

Now that the arfifioial patching pf chickens is gradually goinjng fntp luje, Watt's Hydro-Incubator, which is adyer': tised in another column, is deserving pf attention. The machine is the invention of Mr Watt, of Sawyer Bay, near Port Chalmers, who claims for it that it is tho cheapest, simplest, and most economical machine manufactured, and also that chickens of all descriptions hatched by It aro healthier, stronger, easier raised, and mature much quicker than those raised in the ordinary way, while they are also free from vermin. The machines have no boiler connection or cluckwork, and have ,tliu average ninety-three percent.

Messrs Lowes & loms had a very large attendance at their fortnightly stock sale at the Masterton yards yesterday. Aboijt 10,000 sheep were yarded, of which 8000 wero sold. The following aro the prices obtained;— Lincoln ewes, 10s; heavy fat wethers, 12s; good store wethers, 8s Gd to 9s Id ; good breeding ewes, 7s fid to 9s; ordinary crossbred ewes, 4s lOd to 7s fid ; culled ewes, 2s 3d to 4s Id: merino ewes, 2a 3d to 4s Gd ; lambs in the wool, 4s to sa7d: shorn lambs, 3s 3d to 4s Od; rams, 5s tp fi?a. Cattle- £4l7s for light beef, uptowns tyr good fat steers; store cows, 42s ,6d to fsa; Jjeifps, 32s fid to 40s;'yearlinps, 30s, 1: "'' "

Bees occasionally select strange places for their nests. The biblical story of a sw.arm takipg possession of the"'carcase of a dead lion has been equalled jh Rangitikei, whore the dried remains of a coy served the purpose of a hiye. In |ljio East Coast district two swarms hays found comfortable quartern in the chjnir ney of a settler, where they have accumulated a large quantity of honey. Being easily got at, the members of the household help themselves whenever they feel inclined. It would probably be difficult to get bees of a more accommodating nature.

Mr Richard Evernden, who is an old resident of Masterton, and well-known aB a .contractor and bridge builder, notifies jnanptlier cpjumn that ho has purchased the Qpaki'jjaw rM plant, stock-in-trade, and goQdoyilloflhefi&F.milling business. His knowledge of tho requirements of his customers should bo a guarantee to them that he will execute any orders entrusted to him, faithfolly. Ho is prepared to cut and deliver timber, to any part of. the district at the lowest trade rates.

The fifth annual ball of the Masterton Volunteer'Pire Brigade took place at the Theatre Royal last night, The Theatre had been tastifully decorated for the occasion with nikaus, ferns and other evergreens, and presented a very gay appearance, Music was supplied by the Masterton String Band. The attendance was very good, there being about fifty copples preßont, the only drawback being that there was a large preponderance of the fair sex, Dancing was kept up with spirit till the small hours of the night, all appearing to enjoy themselves thoroughly,

The Gas Committee of the Borough Council meets at 7.30 p.m. to-morrow.- .

A meeting of the Library Committee, will be held at the usual hour this evening.' The Eon. A. de B. Brandon, M.L.0., was a passenger from Wellington by the mid-day train to-day. Mrs Fellingham has just received a large consignment of'ladies' boots and shoes-German, French, and English — of the latest fashions.

Three sections of ■ land in the Bentley estate were sold at Lowes and lorns' sale to-day the purchaser being Mr Brandon at £SO.

The annual meeting in connection with the Town Lands Trusttakes place to-night, when the report and balance sheet will be presented,

At the usual weekly parade of the Carterton Rifle Volunteers about a dozen recruits presented themselves for enrolment to avoid being forced into tho militia.

The Minister of Public Works is now en-route from Napier to Masterton. He is expected to arrive in time'to take the early train to Wellington to-morrow. Elizabeth Campbell,' a domestic servant in Wellington, yesterday recovered'£lo damages from her employers, .Thomas Dunley and wife, for having stated that she. had committed a theft. The amount claimed was £IOO.

Tne new Temperance Hall in Masterton will be formally opened to-night, when a concert will be given at which the memborsof the Carterton Blue Ribbon choir and other amatureß will assist. A number of temperance addresses are also promised.

Mr F. H. Wood has purchased a site on town acre 13, Queen-Bt., Masterton, for the erection of his auction rooms, and Mr T. James, tho contractor for the building, is busily engaged with a staff of men putting'in the pilos to-day. The front of Mr J, D. Cox's premises in Wallace-st., Featherston, is lighted with gas, and the illumination gives quite a cheerful contrast to the dark streets adjoining.

The first sod of the main trunk line of railway was turned at Te Awamutu yesterday. : Wahanui cut the sod and the Premier wheeled the barrow. Speeches were made by Wahanui, Taonui, Rewi, and other well known chiefs, and also by the Premier.

Messrs M. .Caselberg & ,Gp, haye completed their powder magazine on land adjoining the gravel reserve near the Eagjc Brewery, and are consequently enabled to keep in stock a much larger quantity of powder, bpth' fpr blasting and sporting purposes', than formerly. The building, which has beeii put up on the most approved principles for such a purpose, even up to a ljghtnjng conductor, wpuljl hold a sufficio!)); quantity of explosives to supply the district for years to come, By its erection, Messrs Caselberg if Co, Ijaye done the town good Beryj.ee, not only by being )n a position to hpid a much larger quantity of powder in stock, but also by onsuring the greater safety of property.

During the sitting of the Supreme Court at Wellington yesterday his Honor Judge Richmond intimated, in answer to an application by Mr Jellicoo, that under certain which were set. forth, the amount of a slajm could not be assessed by a jury, MrJellicoe, afisprdinp to the Times, was proceeding to argiio the matter, when his Honor said, "Mr Jellicoe, you are surely talking non--86713.0." MrJellicoe; " But your Honor will fcrgiye nip—." His Honor: "Mr Jellicoe, I cannot ajhjw you to argue matters which are no't".arguaJi!.o, lam sorry to say so, but if you' continue fa> argue matters which you know-nothing about I shall have to say that' you know nothing about Court practice." Mr Jellicoe; "But your Honor will forgive ine—." His H.onpr; "No, 1 will not forgive you.: Yoii"are asking ma to. forgive you every'five minutes, ton must go somewhere' else for'forgiveness, Leannpt forgive the time of the country being taken jip ; Jpu have already wasted forty inmute'g,'an,d Jjaye not pained youroaso." "'•*'■''•

j A narrow escape from what niight havo 3 proved, a fatal accident, occurred on one 3 of the up country roads, pne .wet find , stormy night recently, 4 gentlenpn, 3 driving his family in a buggy towards home, on turning a sharp bend in the , road, leading to a gully, across which only a narrow bridge, without handrails ! wajj placed, perceived, within a short dis- [ tance, another vehicle approaching at a 1 rapid pace fjpn) t)|e pppoai,te direction, ' No room tj 'pass, a cofiisjpu iseoroed fn : ' evitable. But the drivers pf fclje fcwp ! conveyances were equal to the occasion and with admirable presenos pf mind, : applied their brakes, bringing the, horses I to a standstill within a few feet, and the ' occupants were able to congratulate each 1 other on having had fitted, powerful 1 brakes, and good lamps to their carriages, j by Muir and Dixon of the Masterton [ Coacli Factory, who are now building all 1 kinds of vehicles at fabulously low prices.

—Advt.