Local and General.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume VI, Issue 549, 19 December 1877, Page 3

Local and General.

— -* Plans and specifications for the erection of a Police Station at Ohinemutu, are in course of preparation. Mr F. W. Brookfield has removed' into more central and commodious offices in Wharf Street, opposite the Bank of New Zealand.. Herbert W. Brabant, Esq-., Commissioner, was engaged all yesterday in the Lands Court, at which a very large number of natives were present. ' . The large, crops of wheat and maize sow _»/ the natives on the Coast between Opotikin Tekahe, and Raukokone, are looking splendid^ and promise a rich harvest. . _ Mr Charles Rolfe's tender for the demoli-,. ti.n of the Durham Redoubt,, has been accepted; the amount being £3.. The. work is to be completed on or before Wednesday 2nd proximo. Captain Tunks on Monday received a telegram from the Native Minister informing him that Sir George Grey has been obliged to postpone his -visit to Tauranga, and would probably come here about the end of this month,, on his way South from Aucldand. On Monday, at the R.M. Court, a nativenamed Meremere. Tupai, was brought up> before E. M: Edgcumbe, Esq., J ! .P., charged Avith being drunk on the. Strand, on Saturday evening. Sergeant Kidd having stated that the prisoner was not riotous, and had been locked up since nine o'clock on Saturday night, Ms Worship discharged the prisoner with a caution. Mr Andrew Peters oifers for sale that charming villa residence, situated at thecomer of Harington and Dm-ham Streets,, and commanding a panoramic view of the Tauranga Harbor, and the sun-ounding scenery. The house stands in its oavu grounds, and.is in every respect a.most desir-. able- property, and one Avhich from, its central and coimnanding position will yearly increase iv value. The native whalers at Te Kaha lately caught three hump-back whales, and the oil, about five tons, was brought to Tauranga for shipment to Auckland, by the s. 8. Staffa. Three first ' class six and seven oared whale boats are used on the expeditions, and are manned solely by natives. The boats are now in readiness for sperm whaling- in January, whales as we are informed, being now very numerous in the Bay of Plenty.. An acquatic excursion, under the auspecies of the Tauranga Lodge of Good Templars, is announced to take place on Boxing 1 Day. The steamer Staffa has eeen> chartered for the excursion, and the locality to be vi-ited is the picturesque Tuapiro River, Katikati. The trip -will certainly be a most enjoyable one, and doubtless a large number of Templars and their 'friends Avill take advantage of this rare opportunity of' inspecting- some- of the prettiepkgeenery in the Katikati neighbourhood, r^ ThjjßVhakatano Cattle Company advertise in ahofeher column that they intend seiling cattle, consisting of steers, highly-bred heifers, , and cows, at current market rates„inlots to suit purchasers.. The company- hav_ gone to considerable outlay in the purchase of pedigree bulls, and we are quite sure that nowhere in the Provincial District of Auckland will cattle of a more suitable character for farmers and graziers of the Bay of Plenty District be met with. Wo believe the cattle are mustered ih large paddocks adjoining the home station, and that every convenience for brandingj &c, Avill be afforded customers.. A sailing match took place on Monday last between the Formosa and the Silver of the Sea: the Silver of the Sea Avas sailed by Captains Marks and Cook, and the Formosa by Messrs Alfred' Faulkner and R. GalloAvay.. The course was from the Toavu Wharf round the fairway buoy, back round the coal hulk,, round fairway buoy agein, and back to the ToAvn Wharf., Tho boats had' a dead beat doAvn to the fairway buoy, which the Formosa availed herself of on the second time round, the wind shifting to the westward, Avhich proved favorably to the Silver of the Sea, which gained considerably on the Formosa, but too late to overhaul her, and the Formosa came in first by three minutes. The race was watched with much interest, and a good deal of money changed hands.. The Otago Daily Tunes of the sth, thus re-, f ers to the scarcity, of. water in the city: — •'Various hotels in jfche city have had their bath-rooms locTced (luring the last two or three days, to prevent lodgers using water for their, custonary morning baj)tisms.. Yesterday, however, there was but little need of lock and key for that purpose, as there being no water to use^ none could be waited.. One hotelkeeper, evidently in grim irony, placed a placard, over the door of- his bath-room — ' Gentlemen are requested not to use the bath !' ' Councillor Ksh, at the City- Council yester-. day af tej>iioon, remarked that he had met. a gentleman at 12 o'clock who had not been able up to that hour to wash his. face. It is needless to say the gentleman was by no. . means' singular, in. his experience.!"

We arc g-lad to learn that the Te Buna Highway Board have undertaken the work of reforming and making a good carriage road of the Katikati Road through their distri.it. It is undertaken partly with the idea tliat it is a commencement of a like road through to the Thames. The Thames County Council have intimated an intention of doing their part. It is very desirable that should Sir George Grey call here, as expected, a deputation wait upon him, and bring- under his notice how great would he the advantage both to Tauranga and to the Thames of such a.; road; and ask him to give the project what aid ha might be able to. Mr David Bill, a long established livery stable keeper in Tauranga, announces elsewhere that a four-horse coach will leave Cook's Hotel every Monday and Thursday mornings at eight o'clock, carrying passengers and. parcels to the Lake and Taupo Districts, at rates which may fairly be considered "million prices." Mr Bill's long coaching experience in the Australian Colonies, and his intimate acquaintance with the Lake District, and sufficient guarantee that his conveyances will bo all that could be desired. Mr Bill also notifies that ladies and gentleman's saddle horses may be attained at his stall at five shillings per diem. Tlie cricket match on Saturday afternoon, between two elevens of the Tauranga Cricket Club, who were born or hail from -'Auckland" and "All-comers," resulted in a victory for Auckland in one innings and seven runs to spare: — All-comers, Ist innings — Kidd, b. Bonner, 1 ; Hoyte, o. b. Bonner, 2 ; Sisley, b. Bonner, 3 ; Goldsmith, o. Snodgrass, b. Edge- ; cumbe, 1 ; Griffiths, b. Edgecumbe, 3 ; Sheath, c..b_ Edgecumbe 3; Roy,b. Bonner, 0; Hay, b. Bonner, _>; .Home, not out, I',1 ', extras, 8 ; total, 24. 2nd innings — Home, run out, 1 ; Sheath, c. Brookfield, b. Bonner, 1 ; Hay, b. Bonner, 4 : Griffiths, c. Brookfield, b. Edgecumbe, 3 ; Goldsmith, run out, 1 ; Sisley, b. Edgecumbe, 5; Wright b. Edgecumbe, 4; Hoyte, not out, 6- ; Kidd, c. b. Bonner, 0 ; Roy, run out, 1 ; extras 6 ; total 31. Auckland, Ist innings — Clare, b. Goldsmith, 0 ; Brookfield, c. Hoyte, b. Griffiths, 2 ; Stubbing, b. Griffiths, 5; Edgecumbe, b. Griffiths, 7; Taylor, b. Goldsmith, 5 ; McKinney, c. b. Goldsmith, 3 ; Brennan, c. Hay, b. Goldsmith, 7 ; Warbrick, c, b. Griffiths, 12 ; Bonner, b. Griffiths, 0 ; Quintal, not out, 4; Snodgras?, c; Home, b. Griffiths, 0; extras, 17; total, 62 The Wellington Post, after showing that tba Wellington members and press have been persistently hostile to the present Ministry, proceeds: — We firmly believe that if a plebiscite were taken to-morrow to ascertain the views of the people of Wellington on the present position of affairs, and the question were put; "Do you desire thnt the Governmenfc should remain in oflL-e during the recess so as to have an opportunity afforded them of thnfcuriog their polioy?" an overwhelming majority would' answer it in tlie affiirtnative. The feeling of the majority, o/the p.-oole here so far as we can a°certain, is,, that the policy sketched out by Sir George i rey on the question of the land revenue, land administration, native afFuirß, settlement, representation, and taxation, is a hroad and liberal one, and that if lie loyally endeavours to o.rry it out, 1 c will deserve the support of tlie country. With resppct to the present G-overnm-<nr., we desire that it should receive a fair trial. Should it. not possess a- working UQHJirily when Parliament again meets, then a dis-c luf.i\»n coa'd _•• granted, and an apje_l made to the const ituen'-iea..