The Wairarapa Daily SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1891

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 3923, 26 September 1891, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1891

The proprietor of this journal has been iving m an atmosphere of threatened ibel actions for 30me considerable ime. Were he to enumerate the letions which legal lnminari«s have leld over his head, but which never b«en initiated, ns well as those which he has successfully defended, he would have to record a irery long list 1 And yet the publication ot a libel is, and always has been, far from his thoughts, and foreign to liis wishes ! Occasional errors wiH, no loubfc, appear in any country journal, »nd for such of these as he may be responsible, he is always willing to make a candid acknowledgment and *n honest reparation, but wilful misrepresentation has never been resorted to by him in the thirteen long years daring which be has published the Wairarapa Daily. The case which he defended in the District Conri yesterday illustrates the character of the actions which are wont to be brought against bim. Although the proceed ings collapsed at an initial stage, enough transpired to show the public on what, material legal ingenuity now a-days will base a prosecution. We are disposed to regard the repeated attacks made upon this journal rathet in the light of the penalties which a man has to pay for conducting a respectable newspaper, We art Well aware that we have mjde enemies, that when, for example, we have been asked to hold a candle t( the devil we have refused to hold that candle, that when we have been invited to touch pitch, wetare declined the contact. Had we held thecandh or touched the pitch, we might pos sibly have enjoyed some immunity from libel actions, but we should hav( ceased to conduct a respectable journal and we should no longer have beer worthy of the confidence and support of the community. It is not very loni ago that a tempting ofter wai made to us,, which we wen assured would put thousands o pounds into onr own pocket but this was to be done at the price o our integrity and at the peril of thi public, We have held aloof iron schemers and schemes, " paddling oui own canoe," and endeavouring to dc our duty to the community in which we have so long laboured. We accept the penalties contingent on this line oi conduct and are prepared to continue defending libel actions as long as it is within onr power to do so. We claim

no license as a journalist,., but; we demand reasonable freed*™ \in the interests of "tfce— / large, and we sincerely trust the never come whec we shall be deterred by menace or persecution from an honourable discharge of our duty. It I has never been our wont to appeal ton our friends for any special mark of' sympathy in the troubles which we have undergone, but still we ai» Jproudand .grateful to aeknowk^H of good will^^|^^^H to us :^^^^^^^^^k

tlwt in the troubles and vexations to 1 which we have been subjected the majority of the public in this district has been at our hack, that they recognize that tho Waibabapa Daily is their paper and published in their interests, that its independence is a guarantee of their independence, and its integrity a shield lor their integrity. It is because we hire this faith that we can still venture to meet our enemies, even at the gates of the Law Courts and are not afraid of the mischief which is continually hatched against us.

A slight shock of earthquake was felt in Masterton at two o'clock this morning. The costs of the defence iu the case Murdoch v. Payton, for which judgment was given yesterday against the plaintiff, amounted to Ll3 4s 7d. The annual meeting ot shareholders of the Masterton Permanent Investment and Building Society will be held on Monday evening next.

Two residents of Masterton were fined five shillings each in the R. M. Court yesterday for having the carcaßes of dead horses on their property, contrary to Borough by-laws. Mr Mariden, fourth officer of the Onion Company's steamer Wairarapa, fell over-board when the vessel was off Cape Haoul, on the voyage from Melbourne, and was drowned. Influenza shows ne signs of abatement in Melbourne. There is scarcely a family which has not been visited by it, and business is seriously interfered with. The annual display of spring and summer goods, made by Messrs L. J. Hooper & Co.,last evening, was witnessed by a large number of the public. The various novelties so peculiar to the season were shown to the very best advantage. The question of the amalgamation of the Bam Fairs of the Masterton and V* airarapa and East Coast Pastoral and Agricultural Societies is to be considered at a meeting to be held at Carterton to-day.

The Catholic Times, which has been ao ably conducted of lite uuder the editorship of Mr Evison, is to be enlarged to meet the public requirements. W?irn*reqnßlijrf # ' the jumps at the Hunt Club meet aT^j!? au ' tea will not be larger than memWfiJS have been used to, and are all artificial. The Governor has been pleased to appoint Messrs- J. Bannister, W. Blinkhome, G- S. W. Dairymple, W. Everett, and J. Wrigley to be the Licensing Committee for the district of Masterton. Twenty-three years ago Victor Bloden deserted his wife at Sale (Vie), and all attempts to serve him with a warrant proved fruitless. The other day the husband was discovered, and is now in gaol repenting his conduct. The increase in the number of cattle other than dairy cattle in Victoria in the last censuß period of 10 years is 430,318. The increase in the number of sheep for the same period is 2,375,858. News fr»m New Hebrides states that head-hunting is daily carried on at Taunt Island, one of the group, and most revolting atrocities are perpetrated on each other by the tribes at war. So far the whites have not been interfered with, thouah their position is an unenviable one, as bullets are conatantly flying about.

In the District Court yesterday afternoon, before His Honour District Judge Robinson, Walter J. Hodges was called upon by Mr Pownail, acting fcr Bntler Bros., judgment creditors, to show cause why a warrant for commitment should not be usued against him. Mr Pownail stated that a judgment summons had been issued against Hodges, and an order made for payment. Before the date 011 which the order expired, however, the debtor filed his schedule. A case in which a bankrupt had been committed by Mr Justice Denniston under similar circumstances, was cited by Mr Pownail. On the application of Mr Beard, who appeared for Hodges, the case was adjourned till to-day. The windows of the establishment of Meßsrs C Smith and Co., elaborate with spring and summer novelties, and brilliantly illuminated, presented a most attractive appearance last evening. The display was a credit to the firm, and was witnessed by a large number of admiring spectators. The best speech of the session, as well as the pithiest, fell from the lips of Mr W. C. Buchanan and consisted of rhreewords "Oh (Vrctc'tei Man." It was considered too personal for each and every member of the Ministerial party so the member for Wairarapa drew back his dart. But the sting remains 1 Mr R. T. Holmes, of the educational repository, has just received by last mail the latest periodicals and an assortment of the newest books. We are also asked to mention that Mr Holmes is now sole | Masterton agent for the Evening Press. Mr F. H. Wood sold at his Greytown Rooms yesterday, on account of the Public Trustee, in the estate of Mr J. D. Oakley (deceased), that piece of land (now occupied by Mr A. McKenzie, of Featherston), containing 8 acres, together with dwelling house and other improvements. Mr A. Anderson of Wood Side was the purchaser at £740. Mr Anderson also bought the section adjoining, containing 3 acres 24 perches, not improved, for £3l. The schedule of business done daring the present session of Parliament shows that 145 Public Bills have originated in the House, of which 64 have been passed and have received Royal assent; while thirteen Bills wore initiated in the

Council and eight of them have become

I law. There were also six Private Bills all of which, save one, have received the Ruyil assent. The number of petitions presented was 726, arid as many as 475 questions were put to Ministers, while S<JB reports were presented by Select Committees. The House of Representatives sat on 67 days and for 559 hours, of which 110 were after midnight. I

" James Burrows," the author of a £25,000 consultation, was nipped in the bod the other day, being scruifed by the detectives on the steps of the Sydney G. P. O. just as he was collecting the day's crop of hard cash. Me was a man with a bogus name and bogus address, having blandly used the street number of a decent George-st jeweller to give an air of respectability t j the show, and he called himself " Secretary to the National Club," which was probably correct, seeing that he was the whole club as well.

A Canterbury man who has visited Taranaki writes of the horses there:—" I ilways understood the horses of the Sic rth Island were better than those in he South, but 1 really feel aorry for the people here when I see the samples of lorse flesh which they are compelled to bestraddle, and upon my word I feel sorrier still for the horses. If ninetenths of the horses here could only jrow long ears one would not be able to distinguish them from donkeys! There were, perhaps, half-a-dozen respectable looking horses out of seventy offered for sale. Miserable half-starved weeds were the order of the day. It is astonishing, though, how tough they are. It's the commonest thing to sen a man of twelve stone in weight on top of a thing perhaps as many hands in height, and plodding through mud a foot deep, seemingly as comfortably as a lark with a broken wing."

U. i. Hooper and Co. are now showing the most fashionable and largest assortment, of new Bpring goods ever shown in the district. English and French Jlilli--ftSKiJjfHJimed, and Untrimcaed Hats and Jionn&j. flowers, and Feathers, &e. ■faUish and Pretty Jackets. Dorothy Ca£j&, Mantles, Dust Cloaks, Oaraboldi JackJta, &c. are showing a splendid stock of Delaines, Prints, Cambrics, and largest yl^^^^^^^^^Bf^^^n^the

The House of Representatives and Legislative Council both adj mrucd yesterday till Tuesday next, when the prorogation will take place.

The following bankruptcies were declared closed in the Bankruptcy Court this momma:, and the bankrupts ordered to cnnie up for their discharge on Dec. 9th : Todd Bros, Mrs Hodgins, Elliotre and Hare, G. Hay ward, A. Donald and W.J, Hodges

An extraordinary hailstorm occurred at Peak Hill, N.B.W. The hailstones were larger than pigeons' eggs, and smashed windows, damaged roofs, and riddled mineis tents.

Two informations laid by Mr B. J. Snarle, licensee of the Star Hotel, Mastenon, against Constable Cushion, of U3ing obscene language and language calculated to create a breach of the pence, were to have been heard in the E.M. Court this morn - 1115, but were adjourned till Wednesday next. Mr Pownail is appearing for the piosecuf-or and Mr Bunny for tho defendant.

The following is an item from a recent debate in tho New South Wales Parliament : -"I have travelled in countries whore there were a lot of monke} s, and the more you shot at them the more they cluttered," said MrCopeland in reply to several interjections from Mr Raynes. "Tes," replied that aentleman, " and I won't shoot at you any more. 1 ' The Marlborough Express says :—As there are plenty of potatoes going to I waste in this district, it may be as well I for the growers to know that Mr H. Reeves, of Spring Creek, has utilised them, with hay, for fattening beef. A eow killed by Mr Cheeaeman yesterday, fattened iu this way, weighed 9501b5, which all will allow, is not by any means a bad weight. A teaspoonf ul of aconite in half a pint of water or gruel given as a drench, is an unfailing remedy for cows suffering with milk fuver or the "drop," it has also been found useful in cleansing cows after calving. The above receipt has been handed us for publication by Mr J. Barrow, of Te Roti, who has always found it an unfailing remedy. —Hawera Star.

lhe hard lot ot tho prisonors in the Melbourne Gaol mo ed a boy named James M'Gill, fifteen years of age to give a fig of tobacco to one of them. He was I employed driving a dray ot road metal, I and threw the tobacco to one of the ■lprisoncra. He was seen by a warder n 9ttflfflßS^grf«^^ nne ot £lO was a short time ago inflicted oflfflus eluerDrothor" for a similar oftenca. The Bench imposed a penalty of £lO or three months. There was a novel newspaper action at Hamilton (Vic) recently. A case was brought by the Hamilton Spectator against the Tribune, for the alleged piracy of telegraphed reported matter. The evidence showed that the report of th« Kowree show had been purposely altered, and that these alterations, together with the wholo of the details of the awards had been copied from the Tribune. The case is not y6t decided.