The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, FEBEUARY 22, 1887. ALL FOOLS DAY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2532, 23 February 1887, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, FEBEUARY 22, 1887. ALL FOOLS DAY.

The iSt Petersburg papers .contain offers for-tenders foi'- tbo-delivery 1 of onormotis quantities of war material. Among thorn are 500,000 soldiers' cloaks, gunpowder arid'bullets,,and 2,000,000 pairs of boots—all 1 to be delivered- • at the latest by April 1, The particular date at which these : supplies for a half . olf are to be delivered is somewhat suggestive. It is probably the earliest day 'on which Russia, will be. rdady. far fighting. lit a continent 1 like Europe it is impossible for vast armies to take the field m the winter season, as frost; snow and ice -would • prove more fatal ilian powder or shot. Russia may be xfiiily ((Germany always is ready), and 'Efefljace may be, but we cannot expect,either one or the other to move their forces for "a Campaign till the spring sets in, and all fool's day is past. The weather has probably restrained ■the great nations of Europe from flying at «?cli other's throats during the past mwtj; or two, when war scares'have been .ovulated day after day, but in another monjth a more genial season will have setift pd thon if therms to be a conflict irl : Europe the game will begin. Germany will: not be able this time to crush • Ranee a? speedily and completely an'she did j

in the Franco-Prusaian war; but though a comparatively poor country, the military strength of the German Empire is superior to that of, its foe, and, when the contest comes, the are against France, even though she secures the alliance, of Russia. Evidently a great war has to be fought, and'however deplorable it toay,-be to. find millions.,of .professing Christians'-"ready' to 'murder each other," and duly calling upon the Almighty ,to crown, their efforts at, wholesale human butchery with ,success) it is perhaps as-well that " all •fool's'.''day'.' should'be selected 1 as a probable •starting. titoe;.'f6i what we trust will .prove to be the. last great war of the nineteenth century. ■

' We have received a letter from Mr B, K. Smith's solicitor informing us (1) that we bad no right to publish Mr J-. R, George's report to the Council on the Masterton gas works, (2) threatening us with a libel action for our comments on the same; We have only to say that the public interests demanded that the report' should be published,' and wo shall not be deterred by threats of legal penalties,from,printing any information that the public have a right to bo made acquainted with, or from fairly commenting- on the same, ■ Mr Smith's solicitor asks us for an ample

apology, for publishing Mr George's report and. for commenting, upon it,. We regret we cannot comply with this request, : .

We publish tbe report of Mr Smith's refereo, "Mr Hooker," in another column, The difficulty we find in dealing with it is our complete ignorance of who Mr Hooker is and what ia his professional status. As far as the Borough Council is concerned it is an offensive and insulting production, and might almos from the tone of it, have been penned by Mr K. K, Smith himself.

The tonder of Messrs Williams and Barker has been accepted for the erection' of the branch Bank of New South Wales, Masterton.

Mr A. J. Rawson advertises for sale 1,400 acres of fine hush land in the Upper Wangaehu Valley, in lota to suit purchasers.

The Fisk Jubilee Singers gave an excellent programme to a full house in the Theatre Royal.last evening. Their receptian was, if anything, /more enthusiastic than on the former occasions, when they sang in this town, almost overy item on the programme was encored, the gem of the evoning being Miss Lawrence's song "Beware."

At the Woodville R.M. Court last week before Mr Von Sturmer R.M., Daniel Daley was charged with illegally evading the toll at the Ngawapurua toll gate on February 3rd. The prosecutor Mr J. Wyeth proved the case, and defendant was fined 6s and 7s costs, with witnesses expenses 28s and Solicitors fee £l.

Messrs Lowes and lorns sell at their iooma to morrow the rights and privileges in connection with the Tinui race meeting next week. They compriso the gates and horao yards, publican's booth, refreshment booth, cards, fruit stall, and games, after which they sell a quantity of splendid fluke potatoes.

Recent wool sales show a rise of some thing like twopence in the pound, while wheat has risen two or three shillings. At> tho Cliriatmaß horßO show at York very high prices havo been realised for agricultural, hoftes, bo business with, farmers cannot be altogether bad. At thiß Batne horse sale good carriage horses fetched from 200 to 400 guineas each, and horse breeding has an rble advocate in tho person of Mr Walter Gilby, . During tho heat of a Gas debate in the Borough Council last evening, the gas suddenly went out, leaving the debaters in darkness. His Worship the Mayor called for a candle, the reporters and Councillors struck lucifors as a temporary relief to tho gloom, and when the jets were again in full swiig. it was found that the Gas Works Manager, who was in attendance, had turned the handlo of the Institute metre tho wrong way, and thus caused tho temporary suspension of business.

Twenty-one trucks of shoep and cattle were sent away from the Masterton railway station this morning for Wellington.

Acceptances and general entries' for the Tinui Race meeting'oloße on Friday evenin? next £sth inst at tho Olub Hotel Masterton. Wo remind our roaders of tho lecture this evening in St. Matthew's Church, by the Rev. R, Comin, on the "Melanesian Mission." -

The gasworks' manager finds it necessary to-watch the dam and fluming for filling the gasometer tank with water, as some of the inhabitants adjacent to the creek in that neighbourhood have threatened to destroy it, owing to illness beins; caused throuyh the damming of the creek.

The following is taken from the latest Lloyd's Weekly amona tho list of missing friends' Thomas Reed, carpenter, of Broadway, Doptford, left the West India Docks for New' Zealand, about twelve yearß ago, on board fhe emigrant ship Edwin Fox, and when last heard of ,was [in the Wairarapa." : ' 'The' Autumn Show of the Masterton Horticultural and Industrial Society is being held to-day iii the- Drill Hall, and considering the long spell of .exceaaive dry weather, there is a creditable' display in the seyeral classes. I* o ' plants take the lead among the exhibits, and in fruit there are some Bolendid collections. Vegetables are somewhatbelowtheiayeragff,bu£thisi3 made up by aomo local industries, foremost among them being a magnificent aparian display by Mr, T. Dixon.. Eor the convenience of visitors to. the bliow this evening, Mrs E. Taylor has a very tempting fruit and. refreshment stall in the show-room. • : - ' , . . Who wouldn't be Sir' William Fitzher* bert ? Trip Home on full salary and all expenses paid. Besides his salary or honorariam. or whatever it may be called,which ,he draws as speaker of the Legist latW Council, he has a tidy little annual pension. The salary of L6OO per annum lio"'draws for doing little elae than looking pleisant in tlio Speakers chair, He is an old man, somewhere about SO. Probably his age mado'his selection fts a repEosen-: tativo to the Imporial Conference have all the more weight with the Government He was going Home, anyhow, find the: 'honor of representing the Colony at the' Conference should have satisfied himwith# full-year's pay, his pension and. his expenses Resides. • But this seepis to; bo quite the $ Government wjio, s when on the rampagfl, pre protesting i loudly in favor of economy ajia retrens- - Times.''

We Have inspected the stock of Men's, Boys', and Yputh's New Zealand and Colonial Tweed Clothing at the Wairarapa Clothing Factory, and fpr quality and prices wo jiave jiQt ; seen anything in the Colony to equal them, and wo strongly advise anyone retiring Clothing to call at The Factory, next Mason's, Chomist, and see for thoraxes,—Advt,

The reporter of the Hastings Star, lias struck a new ]ine. Ho writes; "Then coffin of the lata. .David Joll was a moat beautiful piece of workmanship, and was made by our townsman, Mr S. Tong. The plate was oE pure silver,.about a foot square, and instead of the ordinary, painting it was most artistically ongraved by Mr Shandley, also of our town. Tho handles and mountings were also of pure silver," , .

Mr W. F. Hewlett, in a letter to. the Hon. John Ballance, published in the Pahiatua Star'pays:—'" I will also tell you a little secret'. ,I, i and -a ■Considerable number ~of '.political Btudfent^. ; as dis? tinguished'frOm the unthiiiking crowd who clamor for party,,,jvish r .j(oa.. every in your scheme," although we regard it as .visionary'and badly planned. Our idea is, that every school of thought (or of folly) should have ample tope.' We see a dog-fight, and applaud both dogs. _ We subscribe to both Roman CatholiQ chapels and English churches. I We want to investigate your scheme, remedy its detects, and give it a real good chance. And then away with it to limbo, along with Major Atkinson's "scheme of compulsory assurance; and Mr Maxwell's Railway-. Parcels Delivery, and all the other addled eggß that the Minister for the time being cackle over as if it were hatchable. And.what, you ask, will be our attitude if your scheme turns out l well 1 ' We shall admit frankly that you deserve the highest credit for seeing that what is economically absurd is'practieally feasible. We know, none better, that i the n'iblost victories are somotimos won by a daring disregard' 'of:current boliefa, and rules. Wcare anxious you should have a fair field; and when you have won your victory, but not before, our applauso will be without a particle of jealousy.

About that ±135 to be given away.— To tho Editor—Sir, Will you. allow me through your'columns to let the people of the Wairarapa know that I am.goihg to sell all my stock, consisting' of men's, youth's, and boys' clothing, shirts, 'hats, hosiery, &c., at a great reduction in prices up till the end of the year; and also to remind them that everyone who buys goods to tho value of 2s 6d gets a ticket in my £35 competition, Think of that! By spending 2s,Cd with me, you may win money enough to carry you for a trip round Now Zealand.—John Thorburn, Clothier, &c„ Willis Bt„Wellington. A Wonderful Eta,-Many aro tho iuBtafacoß cited of the astonishing fecundity of the various Bpeciea of (lomeaticatad fowl; but thc|cclebratca¥ellingtonHKKN (wliljli, strange to say, is of tho masculino gender) lms a soul above the mere production of eggs. The manner' ia which' lio turns out Venetian Blinds, ctcr, ia tho wonder and admiration of everybody from theGovernor'downwards. Tho namo of .this wonderful bird is R, IV.' Henn, and his well known-fowl-houso is thePoncko Steam Window Blind Factory, Molcsworth-atrect. Wellington. —Advt. ;