Hastings.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5235, 25 August 1891, Page 3

Hastings.

[OWN COEEKSPONDENT.J

The local Justices have not been called upon to exercise their jurisdiction to any extent for some time past. Last week one defendant was charged with being drunk while in charge of a horse, and was fined 20s and costs. Yesterday a party who had bailed himself out on Sunday by depositing £1, had the good sense to turn up and receive back 13s change, the balance being forfeited to the colony, Mr Beilby, J.P., presided on both occasions.

The potato farina process is progressing, and it is expected that a large quantity of the product will be perfected by Wednesnenday. I believe it is intended to demonstrate the new industry by inviting a large number of ladies and gentlemen to assure themselves of the excellence of the article by tasting in the form of blano manges and other delicacies in one of our local halls.

It is the opinion of many persons here that the above industry can be worked in conjunction with the dairy and bacon factories. Very little difference in cost will be necessary as to the buildings. The dairy industry results, amongst other things, in skim milk, which in its turn is an important factor in the production of bacon. This also requires the cultivation of potatoes, any excess of which can be utilised as farina, tapioca, &c. I believe that a committee meeting of the Farmers' Association was to be held last night to report progress. I see that the neat little building formerly used by the Union Bank of Australia is again in occupation, Mr Herbert Spackman having engaged it to receive his violin pupils in. The violin is so rapidly increasing in popular favor that I am not surprised to hear that Mr Spackman has already secured a large clientle in Hastings, especially after the proof he has given of his skill at the concerts here.

The Shop Hours Bill, if passed, /would have been a cruel enactment for the very class it professed to serve—the workers The workers are not included entirely in the category of those who receive weekly wages. There are raaay nominally masters who would be glad to be in that position, and who are compelled to keep open their shop after six. Suoh a law would be severely felt in small townships like Hastings, and I believe few will regret its being defeated. It may be news to some that a spring (if that is the best term) of natural gas exists a few miles from Hastings. I have heard of it from many people, and from one of our beet knotvn public officials I have had a peueoa»l experience of it. A mode of testing is as follows :—Take a nail key, knock a hole in the bottom large enough to take a tube of any sort, and put the tube through the hole—the neck of a bottle will doplace the keg in the stream of swampy water, which is very shallow, and apply a lighted match to the top of the tube; a flame will result. My informant said that it lasted all the time he was there, and for all he knew, may be burning now. The locality is Raukawa, about fourteen miles from Hastings, and equidistant between Te Aute and Maraekakaho. It may be perhaps as well to add that this has been known a long time, and has had no connection with the recent earthquake. Mr H. Collins informs me that he has on his list of orders thirty-nine chimneys to repair, and expects more. The example of our worthy Mayor in presenting books to the Athenteum has been followed by Mr H. M. Brathwaite, who has forwarded to the committee a very acceptable parcel. It is to be hoped that his laudable example will be followed by others.

The question of the subscription to the Atheneeum was decided last night in favor of reducing the annual subscription to ten shillings. It may be remembered that the annual meeting promised to do this if the subscribers were increased to one hundred. This has been guaranteed, and the reduction will date from July last.