NAPIER LETTER.

Press, Volume XLVI, Issue 7342, 21 June 1889, Page 2

NAPIER LETTER.

[lEOlt OU* CbBSSS?OHDSHT.] { " The Property Tax Department haw < succeeded In increasing the valuation w s' the Hawke's Bay County by nearh £300,000 above the value fixed by thas* sessors, and the method that has beea employed to arrive at this result has gjtoa rise to much adverse criticism and cer- ' tainly reflects little credit upon thedejartment. According to a correspoadecfc at one of oar journals; who is well -oil the subject, the desired end waareecke-S *, in the following manner:—The department * first appointed some anonymous pttnat, .' names were not to be divulged, and thej > were to state in the dark, I - owners were made to fight egaissfc tow i tions made by unknown pessocs, wit U .could not be examined to show ohow tte& | valuations had been arrived at, ' k . The Biveralea estate, formerly tfajm t perty of Mr T. Tanner, Mli, wag I . offered for sale last Monday, end; *» div f posed of at £86,000 to Messrs Rlctaifeea, Beatson, and Brown. The area ot Uμ estate is 2910 acres, and the morigtgH . total £28,000, which will go to tbe.,W* chasers. This sum is due from ths deferred payment on that part of tbs «&■ • property that was cut up and soli a teff years hack. The price paid, almost £2flss acre, cannot be considered excessive, lor ' '" the, estate comprises eomo oi tho basS t land on .the Hastings plains, and is : within a convenient distance from \, the town. There is a hop garden of ,' thirty acres, and an extensive home< r stead, consisting of manager's residence, [ men's houses, woolabed ana stables, so ft > may be inferred that Uie public ass ceooifi- ; ing aware that land 2a not really WGJthfe j fancy prices that were paid for It) 3 few i years back, and that what it will jw&teb ', ■ with a liberal outlay of capital and late : ia the true value at wjiich it ehoula w . - estimated. It id said that the eetat© NJ. ■ been bought for speculative purposes, ea <" thai the buyers intend cutting it upjsis f, small farms, and Itis to be hoped it xffim ■ . sold for that purpose, but as Mr Tatutif f offered the land m lots to eulfc ptirduws:? for several years, and failed to seesß - ■ buyers, it looks as though the demand l& - small farms, is not nr brisk as va® i imagine. , , . An instance has jtist ocearrsfi «;l gentleman severing his connection was j.commercial pursuits to join the p Mr Saunders, of the flrra of Sauaass, | Gilberd and Co., has entered the mlnisiJ! v< of the Free Methodist body, end dwral h■. prove an acquisition to their ranks, for ji ~ has had a long experience as & log ; preacher. Before the arrival oiarfefliip minister of that body, he conducted diWi ] service, and since the departure of W Rev. Mr Edwards, he has filled fcfc&psfwformerly occupied by that geatlegMa with such satisfaction to the cosg^P , , tion, that they now invite him to feecssa? their pastor. '"'•«. ■. It is astonishing to find bow inssj .;, parents neglect to ta%e advantage of fw s Education Act by providing their oWHffi ; witn snob education as vnU fit tfestaw ) take part In the struggle for ojdsfcoae* ■ and all the right thinking *»r&«* of the community will eemp the action of the School Committee, have resolved to enforce the computed clauses of the Ait If parents fail teW predate the advantages which ]bav?wca i. o»ced within their reach and alto%<«K» L children to play about the etreelsM should be tangbl as&lutasy lenaotv fe? ;. ; * rule the progeny of the working flass® -- have to leav» echool aarly to ovdst tQ 3 ; livelihood, and to-, start ifaeffi e|» l their career without the rudiments e*fJE r - cation is both cruel and unjust, espsf * l ? ' when the State provides a liberal eaM® , tion for aIL As the present |l»s expressed itself pretty strongly If «£ '; vouro! taking proceedicgs? witM>ttfe4*W : - aegltoent parents had better beW|PS, ?* « .thoinvblous excuses offered by the past will not avail and -tlM^fweJW t. taught the useful lesson that thongs may suffer a little t temporal - "Hr ' veaience, the welfare ot their enfifiuSß' , * of jiaramount importanco. , • Signor Carminf Morley, the -Brajr-Si^ 1 ™ ; operatic singer, has taken up his &&T ] with us and intends tbaif r fession of teaching music Sigaoy3s<?w; ; has proved himself a most capable te&p** i of singing, and I have no doubt \ appreciated by our local musicians, for fc- j: Iβ a man of great and varied eagwrieaw'All lovers of bravery will be pleeasd » l , hear that the Royal Humana Society* ' Australasia has awarded a bronze o»«e» f to young Braithwaite for < was drowned. , ~ ~«.. ? A confirmation service was held at w i Cathedral last Sunday afternoon, ima s fifty-one candidates were preeeated. j was a very large coDgregation | spite the unpleasant weather, in H* f evening the Rev. J. 8. Hill, of AxaiSm | delivered a stirring address oa a»* ■. Brotherhood of Man." *>,*■ Although the passenger tragic ofl ~ Napier raUway, for the niontWy P«»g c ending 27th April, shows a 1 when compared with the t^® 3 ? I period of the previous year, tjJSJf * show alarge increase in thegpods MS I which ia a satisfactory sto th&t Wg j is improving, and thatthe long f is surely, if slowly, passißg away. | •' ■■■■■••'■ '• —— m—■■—w''i ,,l "i!*J- ' j The Chancellor of the « GoschQn) eaje th&t the drink > increased with the VsS°}*& i(a h »•*.■■ | ahnwn «. falßng off of £038.tW. - . t