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Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 14, Issue 1144, 15 April 1870, Page 5

Six thousand Navvies Wanted. — On the 21st ultimo the Commissioner of Railways, Victoria, received a deputation cob* sisting of the principal contractors fer public works. The deputation wished an extension of the time for carrying out the first 56 milesof the JSf orth Eastern Railway. They urged that, in the. present state of the labour market, it. would be difficult for the successful tenderer to get labourers, and more particularly , stonemasons, in sufficient numbers to enable him to finish the contract in . the time specified. Mr. Longmore believed that 4,000 navvies might be got from Auckland aud 2,000 from Adelaide ; but the deputation thought the estimate too high. .-The time for completing the work has been extended by three months. Woollen Manupactuee.-— We understand that the plant bas been ordered for the proposed woollen mill in this city, and that ifc may be expected to arrive within six months hence, if the arrangements now being made are. successfully carried out. We learn that ifc is intended to import 1 plant that will afford employment to about fifty hands to ' commence with, and capable of producing 160,000 lb. blankets, 150,000 to 200,000 yards tweedy and . 200,000 to 300,000 yards flannel per an. Ifc is the intention of the projectors to run mainly on this class of goods. . It is expected that the mill will be in operation before the end ofthe year. — Southern Cross. The Drama in Auckland. — The locally written piece, *' The Philo-Maori," which is to be produced this evening, is a threeact drama, involving such things as an attack on a pa, a war-dance, by Maoris, &c. ; and (judging from the bills only) plenty of other incidents. " The Pledge," which was so well put on the stage on Wednesday evening, is to be repeated. The American drama of " The Pledge, or the Blessings of Teetotalism," resembles in' one respect the English drama founded on George Cruickshank's six illustrations, and entitled " The Bottle" — for it depends for success as much upon a series of tableaux as upon the action ofthe piece itself. The great point of difference, of course, • is, that in " The Bottle" everything ends dismally, while " The Pledge ' ends hopefully for all the personages except one.—- • Southern Cross, April 8. . Colonel Whitmoee has written to the TLyttelton Times, denying that he was the author of certain articles relative to the Armed Constabulary, which appeared in the Wellington Post. Alum in Beead. — A constant reader writes to the Wellington. Independent that he has had a two-pound loaf analysed by a • chemist, who reported thafc itcontaintdtwo grains of alum. He wants to know what proportion of alum may be safely used. ..-. A Late Passenger. — A passenger yes- c terday morning by the s.s. City of ATel- * bourne, having stayed on the wharf a minute too long bidding adieu to his . friends, found that the steamer was mor- , ing away, and the only hold on the wharf that she had was by her stern line.: .Ho. , evidently thought ifc was neck or nothing * with him, so rushing to the rope he seized it and held on as if to stay the vessel's progress, and at the same moment the . command was given to let go. The. order. , was promptly obeyed, and before the man knew where he was he was hauled oft . t te . wharf and into the water. Themeu-oa the steamer hauled away cheerily at the line, whilst the gallant passenger held on tightly, and he was very soon hauled ph. hoard, ouly suffering from a ducking and the loss, of his hat. To gain this prize-r---the only remaining souvenir of our depart* ing friend — many got on the cross-beams uuder the wharf, towards which the hat was floating ; but just as two were eagerly stretching out their hands to grasp the coveted hat, the Trinity Yacht; (the Provincial Government dingy) was pushed out from under the wharf, and those on board seized the prize, instantly disappear*, ing again with it under, the .wharf, amidst cheers from the assembled spectators, and , deep groans from those who had entered into the hunt. By this time the original • owner of the hat and the s.s. City of Melbourne were speeding gallantly on. their way down the harbour. — Southern Cross, • April 7. . - . . Arrivals on Sunday. — It is a, rather singular circumstance that Sunday seems. . to be the great day for the arrival of vessels in Auckland. Yesterday no less than - x eight foreign vessels put in an appearance, , c besides coasters. At an early, hour the, , Inflexible showed up, and remarkably .well ., she looked working up harbour ; the City,, of Melbourne soon followed, the Kate-; barque, from Sydney, having gone up witbe the Inflexible. . The brig Moa, from McL i bourne, was amongst the same fleet, andy during the afternoon the Alice, barque, from London, and the Waverly, brig, from China, made their numbers. Later in the t evening the Crest of the Wave, schooner, y from Fiji, with cotton, anchored in the harbour, and a barque signalled, at smi->: down had not put in "an appearance.*^ y N. Z. Herald. '""" ' '"- ;■:«?-££