THE Bay of Plenty Times AND THAMES VALLEY WARDEN.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XXII, Issue 3074, 31 January 1894, Page 2

THE Bay of Plenty Times AND THAMES VALLEY WARDEN.

The Spirit of the Times shall ieaih me speed. — Big Jell, Ad ir.

Wednesday, January 31, 1894.

Those who have visited Te Puke to take part in religious services, concerts, entertainments 6f various other descriptions, public meetings, etc., have generally been struck with the singularly inadequate provision which exists for holding such functions but with which the residents seem to have been fairly content from the commencement of the settlement. The configuration of the ground and the laying out of the roads point unmistakeably to the site which any building or buildings for the purposes mentioned above should occupy and, despite the championship of No 2 roaders, tb,e hall some 3£ good miles up their road debars it from being of full utility to the public at large. Now a movement is on foot for another hall to be built in the township, but it would appear that the new hall will come into existence trammelled by provisions that will limit its sphere of usefulness to a considerable extent. If the idea of the new hall be worked out to its logical and natural conclusion TePukef will find itself in a few years blessed* or saddled, according as tho public there may regard it, with a number of baildmgs, expensive to erect and costing a few pounds annually to maintain, to be used not oftener than once a week, possibly but once a month, for an hour or two. If the denominational element be once allowed to creep into a business of this nature, it is apt to become the thin end of the wedge wMoh will split up the coirfy munity and put an end to unanimity and tolerance. In a large settlement or populous township public buildings for separate purposes may be require^ where their use would be so frequent that a common occupancy would become impossible, but such cannot yet be claimed to be the position at Te Puke. The building now proposed is to take the form of a mission hall for the use of the Church of England, Presbyterian and Wesleyan bodies only. Its sphere of utility is thus at once circumscribed and it cannot be made to answer more than the wants of a section of the community and these only to a limited extent. ' There is therefore still need for another building available for all general and respectable uses, the absence of which will continue to be a source of inconvenience to the settlers, while its erection is made the more difficult by that of the mission hall now contemplated. Would it not be better, for the present, to put up a building 6n a businesslike footing, to be let for all public purposes, . with, if desired, small annexes for special purposes such as custody of denominational property, etc., aud thus have one good building suited to the needs of the community as a whole. If this be not done, Te Puke will probably find itself 'ere long with four or five small conventicles, not one of which can be used for its general needs or can accommodate more than a small section of the public even if the restrictions imposed by the owners be removed.

Briefs held over. No room. The report of the Police Court appears on the back page of this issue. The pedigree bull recently taken to Motiti by Mr Lawford, has been killed by falling over a cliff. From a private letter received here we learn that Col. Burton intends coming to Tauranga to stay for a few weeks. The season for shooting godwit or curlew opens to-morrow. The birds arej plentiful about here, but poaching has been resorted to by some, especially] natives, who have no hesitation oi shooting the birds close to the town. A bay horse has been impounded froms Te Puke, and will be sold to-morrow^ week, unless previously released. Messrs Spoonei* of Te Puke, have a replace advertisement in this issue, to which we direct the attention of our readers. This firm has been kept busy for a long time, and the thorough honesty of their work, combined with reasonable prices, ensures them a continuation of good trade. On Thursday evening last a concert was held in the No 2 Road hall, Te Puke, to raise funds to pay off a debt of some £15 still due on the building. A number of friends from Tauranga lent valuable assistance to the local amateurs, and a lengthy programme was gone through. The hall was well filled and a sum of £o was realised towards the object in view. Johnson's barbed wire is quoted at 19s 6d at Te Puke by Mr B. A. Galbraith, for cash. The following will be the Band programme for the Garden Fete to-morrow afternoon •:— Polka, Bboracum; March, The Aimour-bearer ; Mazurka, Elfin Glade; March, Hear the Call; Waltz, Mia Cara; Schottische, Sunbeams; March, 'My Sweetheart when a boy; Glee, Push the red. wine about ; March, St. Mabon's Day ; Galop, Shooting Star. At Messrs McNicol and Co's saje last week the following prices were paid for stock :— Steers, £2 11s to £7 12s 6d; cows, £3 3s to £5 19s ; ewes, 9s ; lambs, 6s 9d. The repairs to the teacher's No 2 School house have been rapidly pushed on during the past week by the contractor, Mr Stallibrass, Mr Paget who resided in Tauranga some years ago has now returned here on a short visit. His time so far has been fully employed hand-shaking, j The Christian Endeavour Society held an open air meeting on the Strand on Monday evening. A large number of j>eople were present*

Two new teachers have been appointed to the Harington Street School, Mr David McNaughton and a lady from Pakarangi, to take the places of Miss Wilson and Mr Trayes. The two native prisoners who are to take their trial at the next sitting of the Supreme Court were on Saturday taken to Auckland by the Clansman in charge of Sergeant Kiely. A special feature at the Catholic Church last Sunday was the beautiful solo singing of Miss Lorrigan of Auckland. Considerable regret was expressed at the absence of a band at , the racecourse on Monday last. We presume the Jockey Club * knows its own know ' best. By- all accounts there will be a large attendance at the Garden Fete in the Domain to-morrow. Programmes of the sports to be held have been issued, and the races should afford a good day's sport. Settling in connection with the recent race meeting took place at the Tauranga Hotel this afternoon. Mr Chappell proceeded to Opotiki this morning, where he has been appointed pupil teacher at the Public School. In referring to the discovery of a sodawater spring near Eotorua ' tJhristchurch Truth' regrets the fact that a brandy spring cannot be found near the spot. ' Early Bird's ' tips on the races came out correct with two exceptions, and even in these the horses placed second won. The cutter Eleanor has been chartered by a party of tourists and left yesterday for a week's cruise around the islands in (the Bay of Plenty. • This morning Mr and Mrs Prole and family arrived by the Waiotahi. They have just come out from the Old Country and intend taking up land at Te Puke. Between £500 and £600 passed through the totalisator at the race meeting on Monday. f" Caterpillars have made their appearance at Otumoetai, and have dose a good deal o£ damage, but as the crops-s^re pretty well advanced it will apt be as^bad as if they had appeared earlier in the season. A 20 acre paddock of maize fell a victim to the same pest at Te Puke. —-"A Native Lands Court will open here on Tuesday next, February 6th, when the Motiti rehearing will be taken, also some Te Puna cases. Many natives will probably be unable to attend owing to the short notice given. A -meeting of members of the Polo Club is called for 7 p.m. at the Masonic Hotel to-morrow. Elsewhere a notificrtion appears that Mr A. J. Storey has purchased the goodwill of the auctioneering and commission business of the late John McNicol and intends to oarry on the same under the name of McNicol and Co. All accounts due to the old firm are to be paid to Mr Storey at Hamilton. McNicol and Co. advertise a sale of fat, store and dairy cattle, etc., at Ohaupo on February 6th and at Waitoa on February 9th. Notice is given by advertisement tha^ Mr C. E. Paget will offer for sale on Saturday next, at the Theatre Eoyal, a large quantity of bankrupt stock, com- | prising drapery, clothing and fancy goods. A New Plymouth man is advertising for a partner with capital to develop a salt mine— the only one known of in the colony. The latest political rumor: — "That Sir Robt. Stout will bring ia a Bill giving M.H.B.S. the power of Magistrates, .thus saving a large amount of expenditure.for Stipendiary Magistrates." Canon Danks, Rector ot Richmond Yorkshire, has been offered the vacant Bishopric of Wellington, New Zealand. 'Before coming to a final decision he requires more details concerning the neation. s / The London police are endeavoring to trace some Sieves who, during jthe long I vacation, succeeded in .carrying 5 , off the leaden beer pipes ano\ other fittings 1 belonging to the refreshment department tat the Royal Courts of JusHce. . As the jbars are not used during the~vacation, {the robbery was only recently discovered. ! [/<B3uminiiim is steadily forcing its way into the ,- service of the industrial arts. An officers' field canteen has been designed for use in the German Army, the whole of the cooking utensils, plates, cups, etc., being made of aluminium. The weight of the entire outfit for six persons is little more than 91fo ,x"Mr W. Kelly, M.H.R., is iv Wellington negotiating for the sale of his property to English syndicate. It has been suggested that the Government having control of theSanatoiium might advance the cause of State Socialism by utilising these lands for the benefit of the general public. Whether the suggestion has any practical significance I cannot say. — Exchange. Cherries imported from Victoria are being sold in Hawke's Bay at Is 6d per pound.