NEWS OF THE DAY.

Bush Advocate, Volume I, Issue 8, 24 May 1888, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Mr Wcstlake is calling for tenders for work at his mill. Messrs Eichter, Nannestead, and Co. invite tenders for mill work. A budget of mail news from late Hom e papers will be found in another column. The Bank of New Zealand contemplate opening a branch at Pahiatna. The erstwhile mooted- and much needed alterations to the Danevirke Telegraph and Post Office are now being carried out. The improvements will altogether change the inner arrangement of the offices and be a great conveniemce both to the public and the officials. The present office of the stationmaster will be converted into an inner lobby for the use of the public having business both with post and telegraph officer as well as with the stationmaster. To effect this change the present double chimney will be taken away to give room to a lengthy opening in the wall provided • with sliding panels. Access to this- lobby will be had from the present open hall through self-closing folding doors. The large room now used as a post and telegraph office will in addition serve as the stationmaster' s office and be heated by a single chimney to be erected at the rear wall in place of the double chimney removed. The present post office lobby will be converted into a parcel room, access to which will be had both from the platform by the public and from the large compartment by the officials. The most important alteration, however, is the erection of a padded telephone office at the rear of the post office. It will be constructed so that no sound of vo ce will penetrate its walls. This will be a great boon, as it will put a stop to the publicity hitherto -given to all kinds of messages sent through the telephone, a publicity which has been extremely annoying to say the least of it. - We wish to draw the settlers' attention to our leader to-day. It deals with matters of paramount importance to the settlements, whose lot we have undertaken to pilot towards prosperity. The scheme propounded and advocated by us is not only achievable, but eminently practical. Some people may possibly fancy that they can point to a flaw in our armour by saying, the Maori* are not Ukdy to accept debenture* instead of cash. We cannot see it. It is only an imaginary flaw, for why should not our dusky brother accept them ? The debentures given by the State are as good as cash. If the recipients wish to convert them into cash, or place them as security for value received or to be received, there is nothing to prevent them. The debentures, which we take to be promissory notes endorsed by State security, and falling due at a certain future date (say 15 years), are just as good as any other legal tender, and take the place of the currency. If our proposed scheme becomes law, by being embodied in the Native Land Act now soon to occupy the attention of the House, we predict that the debentures, thus to be issued, will soon be freely circulating iu our commercial woild. In any case the Native holding such debentures will be able to negotiate them at any time, or should he not feel inclined to realise he can wait till they fall due. We strongly recommend the measures we advocate to the consideration of our member, and the true Liberal party in the House. We wish also to point out the great necessity of having a clause inserted preventing the native holders of debentures from parting with their right to draw the quarterly payments of interest accruing from such debentures,

A special meeting of the Danevirke Town Board will be held this evening at 7 o'clock. . To-day Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen completed the 69th year of Her eventful life. Nominations for the Danevirke Licensing Committee are due to-morrow at noon. Mr Bierre is the returning officer. Patrick Madden, a. Napier "butcher, has been arrested in Wellington on a charge oi embezzling money belonging to Mr John Higgins. A meeting will be held this evening a* Mr Butler's office, to consider the advisableaess of forming a lodge of the M.U., 1.0.0.F. in Danevirke. A full supply of school books and commercial stationery has been received a* the Advocate office. Further additions, will be made to the stock immediately. : .We have been asked to draw attention to the bad state of the approach to the station from Baddeley's Hotel. Some repairs are much needed now the we* weather has commenced. The Star says that the signs of the times indicate that the " boom " in rea 1 property now running in Melbourne is flowing towards New Zealand. During, the last few weeks considerable inquiry.! has been made for suburban land around Duiiedin fitted for subdivision. The General Committee of the Norsewood Relief Fund met at the Napier Borough Council Chambers yesterday afternoon, the. representatives of this district being Mr G. Wright, Danevirke,' and Mr F. Forward, Makotuku. A statement of the work done was read by the Secretary, from which it appeared that including the grant of £300 from the Government the fund . had reached about £1400. ■ Of this sum some £500 had been expended upon relief, teither in money, building material, or in other ways. No complaints had been made to the Committee. It was resolved to go through'; the list of sufferers again and proceed with relief work as circumstances dictated.