THE LOCAL OPTION POLL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 1988, 12 May 1885, Page 2

THE LOCAL OPTION POLL.

In.concluding his letter on the local option question which appeared in our yesterday's issue, Mr EAsthope aaks lis what we intend to do, and says that we cannet remain neutral. We do not see why we should be compelled t'u express an opinion, or to advise ratepayers to do either one thing or the other. Most ratepayers have, in all probability, thought the matter out for themselves, and will vote as their conscience dictates. There are, however, one or two points in the letter which, for the sake of the reputation of the inhabitants of the district, should not be allowed to pass unchallenged. Mr Easthope takes it for granted that if a certain proportion of the population indulge in strong drink, that proportion would increase in the same ratio as the number of publieliouses. Thr, we think, is unjust, and Mr Easthope himself will perhaps admit that his zeal has carried him beyond the mark.. We do not believe that an additional licensed house would cause more people to drink. Those who want intoxicants simply go to the nearest house and get what they want, whether it is fifty or live hundred yaids away. T|iu reduction of intern peraiwe is not so much, a.question of the number of licensed houses, as of ((living licensed houses at all. We coukl name a town in. the colony, which, when it had a lobulation of 3,200, had no less than sixteen l)ote(s. Its population has now grown to §,OOP, aucj the number of hotels has grown wit!) jt fo. eighteen. Yet we ljave (jot heard tjiat there is inore drunkenness there thuii elsewhere, There js i)Q more poverty, there thai) elsewhere; }n(]eejj, tjje place is one of the most flourishing in. New /dwlanfl. Yet, in i)[r Easthope's words, theso ||v& thousand people carry eighteen hotels on tlwir banks. Mr Easthope is scarcely more coi'rsot when he says that every penny spent in liquor is thrown away. Perhaps it js, so far as the man who spends it is concerned, but the money remains in circulation all the saine, and if an Imtelkeeper makes profits, lit* iiwgts them, as a rule, in the place where he resides. Nothing can be gained by creating ill feeling between different Sections of the community. Everybody, including even the majority of hotolkeepei's, admits that tho'tumper. ance societies have done, and are .doing, a great deal of good; but they should never allow it to bo said that they have distorted facts. Indeed, we know that the great majority have no d.eji;;e to treat the subject, as anything but « social pe, which should not create bitter party feeluig. The voters to-morrow will, no iloubt, gomjij ('ucnrij their votes, each as he thinks best, without exhibiting any of thu iiiiplaajyj;l feeling that has been allowed to coins to the ijurfacs in several parts of the colony,

The annual meeting of the Mastorton Borough Council will be held this evening. 4 ii.'f mber of Sir Julius Vogcl's constituents intend to have hjs likeness painted f(JFj)re^!!{,atj.oii'jbyi')jj^. The Gr«yfe>wn Yol.uii.teer.? frrcg i% second matoh for the Honorary s Cup on Saturday, Captain Webster bejnjj the top scorer with forty-eight points, It would bo a great boon to the public if tho Borough Council would employ a man for about an hour a day during wet weather in scraping off tho mud on the jroj.pgs at the post office corner. During the last three or four rainy days it has been ajinost jinnn|siblß to get from one side of the street tq |lig other without getting both wet and. dj4y.. %Q would be very trifling, and tlje jiijbjic would appreciate the thoughtfulness of the Council.

The Pall Mall Gazette asks " What chance is there of augmenting the Styeygtli of our fleet in time of war, when it takes three months to prepare specifications for six sj)ip?, iijl of tjje same type ?" Modern wars are .sh.qi't ani} sharp. The i'rpco-Austrian war of J. 851) 'lasted "i}2 days, the Dano-Oerinaii <)f 18(|1 lastetj !)3 days, tho Aiistwi-Prnssiap war of 18l>6 and the Austi'O'Hftlip l)f til? saip year SO days, while the Fronco-Gennany pr of 1870 lasted 89 days. Settlers on the West Coast are beginning to feel uneasy at tho conduct of the natives at Parihaka, The Warea cornspondantofthe Herald writes:—"Every Maori one meets still adheres to tho story that the land is to be given back .in June, About 5000 Maoris are stated to be coming to Parihaka to assist at the re-entry, Those whq have been longest in the district say they liaya not seen the natives so sullou for many years, au4 fear the results of next month,"

The state of the sheopyards at tlio railway station is simply disgraceful. The surface has by degrees been worn down, and to complete the mess, quantities of mud have apparently been carted away, ivifeuj anything being put in to replace it, The is that a regular lake is formed in rainy wfe and'that the surface is again broken up and j;o----comes a maas of soft mud'and slusli, in which drovers have to truck their sheep, During the recent rains this has become so bad that dogs have refused to work In ij, :: The sheep arrive in Wellington covered with dirt, much to the annoyance of butchers;,who liafcurajly object to handlo dirty slv'ep. Jt woulijf be tj difficult matter, no doubt', to' metal the yards at this time, of yoar, and while they are in such: a state; but u'nless something, is dona to improve'then), the settlers aria the Railway Department will both be losers, because it will soon be impossiblp to work sheep in it.

The Loyal Maaterton Lodge. 1.0.0. F., M.U. meet to-night at the Empire Hotel. A calf was killed by the engine on the railway line, near Booth's mill, Carterton, on Saturday afternoon.

■ We have been compelled to hold oyer till to-morrow an interesting account of the annual meeting of ratepayers in the Oastlepoint Road District. The Evening Post states that an officer of tho Salvation Army in Wellington is about to be married to another officer of the same rank, but of 'the opposite sex. Tho installation of officers of St; Mark's Lodge, E.G., Carterton, takes place tomorrow evening. •. The Faust Family will appear for a short season at the Theatre Royal; opening on the 18th hist. '" '"■

Mr J. Ransome, chimney sweep, has a. business announcement elsewhere. He' draws particular attention to the fact that chimneys cleaned by him have never caught fire. It is not improbable that the Pahiatua Road Board election will be upset. It appears that-one ratepayer struck out six of the seven names on the voting paper, and the Returning Officer thereupon oredited the "remaining one with four votes, which was the number of candidates that were to be returned.

Mr McCardle informs us that the statement which appeared in the Examiner to the effect that a telephone wire was to be erected between Woodville and Pahiatua is incorrect. Sir Julius- Vogel has, however, promised Mr McCardle that the question of connecting Mauriceville with Mastertonby telephone should receive the earliest consideration,

Mr Leonard W, Nicholson informs the public through our advertising'columns that he has erected and fitted up a shop in Queen-street, wherein he has opened business as tinsmith, plumber, &e. He is also prepared to make jet ornaments to any design, With the construction of gas works in view Mr Nicholson ■: should have a busy time before him, ■

Messrs Lowes and'lonia report a most successful sale of Mrs Grattan's stock and tumiture at Carterton, yesterday. The attendance was good, the bidding spirited, and every line sold under the hammer, The dairy cows sold from £6 to £810s; yearlings, 28s 6d ; woaners, 14s; Poultry also sold at good rates, Hack horses fetched from £6 to £olos. The contents of the house, being furniture of a very useful description, excited keen competition.

It will be seen on reference to a, telegram in another column that Mr E Wakefield M.H.R., has joined Mr W. F. Roydhouse as a partner in the proprietary of the Evening Press. It follows as a matter of course that he will occupy tho editorial chair, and as he is one of the few writers of colonial reputation, our contemporary is to be congratulated upon the partial change. The Press should now take a leading position among the newspapers of the cqlony, and enter upon q, most prosperous career.

Messrs Lowes and Ignis hold tlfeir fortnightly "■ §tqck Sjaje- fq-mprrow. Amongst the cattle tq he will be found sonje 25 liead'qf superjor 3 ana 4 year old fat bullocks, a line of forward steers, al.jjo 2 year pld steers, and fifty head qf'inixed. Ii) qljeop, spine gqqi} lines of ewes, ii) hunb tp Lincoln an 4 Romney rains, deserve atteijtiqn. The wethers, and L&mbs in the wool ought to meet with increased competition. Tlje catalogue is a fairly full op, and all classes of buyers ought to bo able to suit their requirements. The lines of stock close with pigs, horses, &c. A very superior lot of farm implements will also l)g g.qkj jn the estate of the late Mr E. Meretjitlj, A split has occurred amongst the Srec.masons, the primary cause being a dispute between the Grand Orient of France and the Grand Lodge of England as to whether the recognition of a Supreme Being should be recognised by. Masons, The Grand Orient of Frango has now decided to üblish the whole correspondence, and J> appeal to all Freemasons throughout ™ the wholo world to decide between the two conflicting parties. It .is believed that there will be a great meeting in London shortly, at which deputations will attend to discuss .the ;p,#m of vital importance which flirea'terifj tp shajce, the organisation of the Masonic body to tile 'very centre, Meanwhile, M, Audieux, late Prefect of Police has been expelled from the Lyons Lodge for divulging the secrets of the Order

TiiQl'S was a Vol 'y fair lioiiso at the to witness the weekly entertainment provided by Messrs Foley & Berkley, The performance was one of the best they have givou, although they suffered a material drawback in the absence, through illness, of Mr Berkley. ."Trifles Light as Air," which formed Jfcho. first part of the programme, was spleiidiffly put p, and Mr Foley and Miss Bcaiffoii w% im /,ho respective parts of Mr and Mrs Hquitqif, jyw frequently, and "Pst deservedly, applauded for the jealous scenes which" 'they enacjejl between them, Miss Beaufort always dresses very nicely and appi'opifetejy, and thus contributes not a little towards the suceess of the pieces in which she appears. At the conclusion of the first part they received a flattering call before the curtain, In "Milky White" there \yajf a_ more extensive personnel, Mr Foley, fit wax®, appeared as "Milky," a deaf old follow, who is veryfqnfj qf lawsuits, and liia daughter Annie' (Miss Beaufort), and wants to have an operation performed on him by a-cow doctor (Mr T. Wrigley). Mrs Saddrip was represented by Mr Cecil Riverton, and a cheeky boy by Master Albert. Mr Foley had a part that suited him exactly, and he inaije tiie qejj; of ft f Tjio .deafness of the old inanieads to the lijqsj; a n)ijPg mjunderstandings, wlu'ch kept tlfe liqusq i'i) continued and most hearty laupjiter, frequently drowned, the dialogue. Mr Armstrong's cowboy was, we fchinkj the most ajpsjng piece of npjjng we jiavp seen on tlio looa] stage, pfl ])is ihg when Annio refuses to marry hi"), after he has already told "Old Milky" that they love each other, almost con< vulsed tho audience, Mr Wrigley's part was one which wasanet-ofl'tothecomioolo. ment, and as such was most successful, Miss Beaufort enacted the part of a milkman's "(laughter with the same ease and correctness as that of the lady who ljgaps her carriage, again dressed in a manner that was thoroughly suited to the eharaotoi', while it pleased, the aqdjence. Mr Cecil Riverton Is always good when he plays a female character, and he left nothing undone to make his part a suecess. The cheeky boy acted as if he had been used to giving cheek all his life, and added to the drollness of some of the scenes. The audience left thoroughly iM e 4 wHh every part of the evening's

Heilbron's German Worm Cakes and Fitzgerald's Koroiniko. Extract are Patented.—AnvT. You Can Be Happy if you will stop all your doctoring yourself and families with expensive doctors or cure-allß that do only Ijarni. and use.Nature's simple remedies fpr all your ailnjents; yqu will be well and happy and ..save great expense. % greatest remedy for this, the great, wise,' an 4 yoii, is 4fnerican Op's Hop Bitters, • !% .