THE Bay of Plenty Times AND Thames Valley Warden.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 3518, 3 March 1897, Page 2

THE Bay of Plenty Times AND Thames Valley Warden.

The spiri of the Times shall ieach me

speed. — King John, Ids IV

Wednesday, March 3, 1897. We notice that at the last examination for teachers certificates Mr McNaughton passed in D and Miss Lockington obtained a partial I). Both Mr McNaughton and Miss Lockington attendedMrJ. Murphy's evening classe3, and the success attained speaks volumes for their coach, • ■ | MrW.H. Herries, M.H.R., arrived in town yesterday and proceeds by the s.s. Waiotahi to-day to ! Opotiki to attend the Show there. The Borough Council has received a circular from the tradesmen of Palmerston North referring to trading operations being carried on in dutiable goods, duty free, by Government officers to the detriment | of private traders. The complaint is probably part and parcel of the agitation recently set on foot with regard to the importation of certain portions of military uniforms such as badges, braids, and other embellishments which a Palmerston firm states ' it is in a position to manufacture in the Colony satisfactorily if the goods supplied by the Government department and its officers are made to pay duty the same as the firm has to pay in importing its materials. The piles for the additional span to the Wairoa bridge have been I awaiting shipment from the town wharf to the bridge during the past week and if no unexpected delay j occurs the work should be completed about the end of the month. The work of getting the Hairini ! bridge turntable into working order is a long one. It is a month to-day since the contractor tor the Town Wharf approach applied to the County Council to have it put in workable order so that the scow could go up the Waimapu for stone but a3 the new wheel required is not yet to hand be is having to arrange for a punt to go up and bring a few loads of stone down to enable him to commence his contract without further loss of time. It is to be hoped the repairs will be well done this time and a small sum spent annually in grease to prevent a recurrence of a similar loss of time and the heavy cost of the present work. Grattan Riggs, the well-known comedian, is at present at Botorua taking a course o* baths for the benefit of his health,) which has been very indifferent of late. On several occasions our attention has been drawn to the fact that a noxious odour pervades the Strand at times, and we have been asked to make the matter public by inserting h notice to that effect in this journal. We really do not see that it will do any good by making the matter public, and think that anyone who has a complaint to make should go to the Inspector of Nuisances. We do not hold that position. The trees growing alongside the footpath in front of the Tauranga Hotel have been topped and numerous branches cut off, making the footpath much moro open and giving a great deal more light to the hotel. The old butcher shop ntsxt to Mr T. C. Allely, saddler, is being taken down. We are informed that a more imposing edificeis to be erected at once. For ihe past month or so the Borough surfaceman and carter have been employed carting earth from the embankment in Haririgfcon Street, first to make the excavation for the Fire Brigade shed and next levelling off the opposite side. All the earth ,has been deposited near the Victoria Wharf, making a start for widening the Strand. Mr Chas. E. Maekie passed through here to-day en route for Opotiki with his apparatus for taking Rontgen rays photographs and also his Cinematograph which exhibits moving pictures life size on a screen and is the latest triumph of the union of mechanics and photography. He returns' here next week and will exhibit in the Theatre Royal the days being announced later on. The construction of a lethal chamber to supersede the present system of destroying stray dogs is being advocated by the Wellington Kennel Club. Fountaine Square, the gift of Mr T. G. Fountaine to the people of ; Woodville, was opened last week. It is I.} acres in extent, and is situated in the centre of the town. Mr Fountaine formerly refused ■£100.) for a part. The occasion was cfflebrated by a procession and fete.

Mr R. Seddon will hold a cattle sale at Te Puke on the 17th iust. at 2 p.m., and at Tauranga on the 124 th. Numerous entries Uave been received to date and further entries are solicited. Mr R. Seddon reports : — A special sale of horses and cattle was held at Te Puke on Monday. Bidding under the hammer was slow, but all the cattle yarded, with the exception of one pen, were sold, considerable business being done profitably. Grown I bullocks made £4 7s 6d to £i 17s 6d ; 2£yr old, £3 ; 18 months to 2yrs, £2 6s to £2 10s; fat cows, £3 1 5s; store cows, £2 10 ; yearling heifers, £1 17s 6d; weaners, 17s; colts, los to £-i ; small hacks, £1 10s to £3 ; hacks, £6 to £12 ; lights draughts, £9 to £14 ; fat sheep, 2 tooth, mixed sexes, !>s ; fat lambs 7s 6d. Amongst the passengers by the s.s. Waiotahi to-day was Mr Crowther, M.H.R., who proceeded to Opotiki to attend the Show. Messrs Lundon and Raymond will sell on Saturday next a consignment of clothing, millinery, pictures, saddlery and potatoes, at 2 p.m. We are informed that a whirlwind occurred at Matapihi on Saturday last. It was first seen to strike a 30ft boat lying bottom upwards on the beach, which it carried in shore and landed light side up near some willow trees. The trees were then stripped of their branches, and the course of the whirlwind took through a field of maize which it levelled for some ten chains, then on to a group of wharcs, two of which it demo*lished, the occupants barely escaping in time. From the whares the ground was clear for some distauce, but some willow trees that had been topped were in its course: and these were twisted off close to the ground. The last meeting of the Licensing Bench as at present constituted was held to-day at noon. A report of the proceedings will appear in next issue. A singular coincidence is recorded by the New Zealand Times about the late Mr Black, who died at Palruerston a few days ago. At the time when he met with the accident which had a fatal termination, he was employed at the establishment of Mr Dowdall, monumental masoD. Almost his last job was at a tombstone with which he took a good deal of pains, 'remarking what a handsome design it was. Strange to say that is the one which has been j selected to be placed over his grave in the Napier cemetery, and a suitable inscription is now being cut on it. It is seldom that & man takes special pleasure in adorning his own gravestone. The following is the latest fish yarn, for which the Wairoa GJ-aardian is responsible : — ' That sea gulls play havoc with trout is well known. An instance of the voracity of these birds was brought to light the other day, when a Waipawa resident noticed a gull flying near the river in possession of n fish. The gull was shot, and. the sportsman was rewarded by securing the trout, which weighed 1 21b.' Iv the Wellington election petition case on Saturday, Judge Connolly said it was a peculiar fact that the majority of alleged errors in marking the rolls occurred in the case of female voters. The Court ultimately decided that the electoral rolls wero not sufficient evidence of impersonation to corroborate the rolls. Some other evidence was taken and the Court adjourned for the day. The recount of votes will lasfc three or ■four days. A large number of papers were found to be ungummed and others were numbered on the outside instead of inside.