Hawke's Bay Herald. TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1868.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 12, Issue 911, 21 January 1868, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Herald. TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1868.

The provinces of the Northern Island are all, more or less, hard up. Aucklaud is virtually bankrupt. Taranaki has to work in the most economical manuer upon an income of less thau £5000 per annum. Wellingtou, hitherto so prosperous, is unable to meet the demands upon the treasury chest. Hawke's Bay, with the assistance of its £60,000 loan, seems to be the best off of the lot, but its land revenue is almost nil, and it, no more than the others, can carry on any great while without local taxation to supplement a very scanty revenue from other sources. Oue cause of the embarrassment felt by the provinces is the system of deductions from the provincial share of the revenue, made by the General Government under the " Public Revenues Act 1867." The provinces nominally get half the revenue, but, uuder schedule E to the Act, such half is encroached upon to meet so many provinoial services (socalled) that it becomes ' small by degrees and beautifully less.' We append, as shewiug what becomes of the revenue, the schedule in question :— Schedule E. TJie Treasurer shall deduct from monies, payable to provinces — salaries, Bfc.,for — 1. Department of Paymaster, of the Treasury. 2. Stamp Department, except the expenses of the office of Secretary and Deputy Commissioner. 3. Registrars of Marriages; and Registrars of ]3irths, Deaths and Marriages, except the expenses of the office of the Registrar General. 4. Registrars of Joint Stock Companies. ' 5. Electoral. 6. (Supreme Court, except the salaries of the Judges and of Judges' clerks, and the travelling expenses of the Judges and their clerks, and the expenses of the Court of Appeal. 7. District Cotivts, and all other Courts of Justice of inferior jurisdiction, excepting such expenses of Resident Magistrates' Courts as are borne npon the Native Estimates. 8. Sheriffs. 9. Coroners. 10. Postal Services, except the expenses of the General Post* Office, and the cost of the carriage of Foreign and Interprovincial Mails. 11. Customs, except the expenses of the offices of Inspector and Secretary. 12. Militia and Volunteers, so far as relates to the local staff establishment and capitation allowances. 13. All services which may be borne on the Annual Estimates under the head of Provincial Charges or which may otherwise become chargeable by law against Provincial Revenue.

Corinthian.— Under this signature we have received a letter complaining of certain work having been given to an Auckland man. Had the Government done this, our correspondent might be justified in complaining ; but private persons have surely a right to get work done where-ifis by whom they please. To impugn this right would be simply ridiculous. y~f Taupo Road. — It is understood that, among other matters which engaged 'the attention of His Honor during his late visit to Wellington, was the opening of the road between Napier and Taupo ; and that the General Government has made a promise of assistance towards carrying out this work of colonial importance. The Return Rifle Match between town and country will come off at Havelock this day. The firing will begin at 11 a.m., at the range of last year. As on the former occasion, the losing party will stand a " spread." The townsmen won last year, but, one or two of their best men being unfit, the odds are rather against them this. The Artesian Well at John Hammond's is 102 feet in depth, not 120, as stated in our last. This well is about a quarter of a mile from the range dividing Puketapu from Meanee. Hammond is about taking the water by a branch pipe into his dairy, so as to keep milk and butter quite cool. The efficacy of so doing may be Judged of by Mr. McMurray's plan of having a running jet over his liquors in use, the effect of which is to make them as cool as if iced. The Sheep-shearing competition takes place this day at Waipukurau. Considering the necessity of improvement in this direction, it is almost a pity that longer notice has not been given. We believe that, at tbe close of the show, such sheep-far-mers as may be present will be invited by \ Mr. Russell to express an opinion as to the best mode of attempting to introduce a uniform atid improved mode of shearing. Great complaints have lately been made of the way the wool is cut in two. St. Joseph's Providence. — This is the designation of a large building afc present in course of erection near the residence of Father Forrest. It is intended as a board-ing-school for half caste girls — the necessity for which was some time since bi'ougbt before the Provincial Council by Father Reignier, who has interested himself very much in getting an institution of this kind established. We hear that the convent ladies and others are busy preparing for a bazaar, the proceeds of which are to go towards the cost of the new building. Colonial Brtcks.-— We hold that good colonists should use every effort to support pi'ovincial industries ; nay, more, that they should look forward to the time when the use of imported commodities afc all will be the exception rather than the rule. On Saturday last, while visiting Hammond's artesian well, we saw a kijn of very superior bricks, in the making of which he has been engaged for some time. He is at present supplying a large order for the Boiling-down establishment, and we hope that he will receive many more. The time must come when there will be no money to spare for the purpose of importing building materials of any kind from other places. Acclimatization. — We,learn that it is contemplated to take advnntage of the visit of Mr. Morrison, the New Zealand Government agent, who is shortly expected in this province, to make some arrangements of the importation of insectivorous birds, it being expected he will be able to suggest some means by which they can be forwarded with a chance of arriving in safety. The promised subscriptions will then be called in, and, should the public funds be at all in a flourishing condition, an application be made for a grant-in-aid. The subject does not seem to have been overlooked, although a delay has occurred in taking decided action. An Awkward Capsize. — On Tuesday last, as a dray loaded with hay approached Tareha's Bridge from the Meanee side, with a man and boy gracefully reclining on the top, the horse swerved, went over the edge of the road, and precipitated dray, hay, driver, and passenger, into the deep muddy creek adjoining. It was rather an unpleasant surprise for the man and boy, but they managed to scramble out, someway or other, with a good coating of slime. The horse and carfc were also extricated, and the greater part of the load saved, chiefly through the exertions of Mr. McMurray, who witnessed the accident, and immediately went to the rescue. The practice is common but by no means safe, for the driver of a team with a load of hay to lazily 101 lon the top, instead of being in a position where he can have his horses well in hand. Tenders for part of the commissariat annual contracts must be given in this day. Slaughter - House. — Tenders are invited for the erection of a slaughter-house near Tareha's Bridge. Tenders to be in by the 28 th January. Land Sale at Wairoa. -—Mr. Edward Lyndon will sell by auction, afc Te Wairoa, on Friday, 24th inst., land, houses, cattle, sheep, horses, &c. An auction sale in the township of Clyde will be somewhat of a novelty to the residents there.