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Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XX, Issue 3905, 23 April 1877, Page 2

In accordance with the resolution passed at the meeting, held recently at Meanee, to consider the question of the damages caused by the late floods, the deputation then appointed — consisting of Messrs H. S. Tiflen, J. N. Wilson, Brandon, Bennett, Grant and Sladen— waited on the Minister of Public Works, on Saturday, and laid before him the request of tlie meeting, that the services of John Carruthers, Esq. , or some other Government engineer should be obtained, who should be instructed to prepare a plan for the protection of tlie districts affected by the floods. Mr Ormond replied that Mr Carrutlier's services were not at present available for such a purpose. Mr Knorpp, the superintending engineer of railways, would be instructed to prepare a plan as suggested. We understand that Mr Rochfort is engaged in the meantime in such preliminary work as is necessary in order to facilitate and expedite Mr Knorpp's labors. As a false impression may get abroad in reference to the state of the harbor bar, owing to the s.s. Sir Donald having got fast on the Rangatira reef, on her return trip from tlie Wanaka on Friday last, it is worth while to mention that the s.s. Jane Douglas, which draAVS about tAvice as much Avater as the Sir Donald, came in without any difficulty whatever, at extreme low water, on Saturday morning, and that the s.s. Rangatira, drawing between 8 and 9 feet, came in also on Saturday, about two hours before high water, and went out again yesterday without meeting with airy obstacle. A whale, measuring lGft in length, was captured yesterday at Onepoto by a man named Thomas Boyd. It had got among tlie shallows and Boyd drove it in Avitli sticks and killed it. Tareha laid claim to it and as it was reported that the Maoris were making some disturbance about the ownership of the whale, Inspector Scully Avent there. He found that tliere was only a dispute and ho very soon settled that Boyd was the first who saw the whale and wlio killed it, and that the Maoris had no claim whatever to it. Boyd, we understand, has sold the Avhale to Mr Alfred Stuart for £2 10s. An accident happened on Friday last to two men at Pourerere. From what we can learn it appears the men were engaged in putting up tlie bell in the English Church iioav being erected on Mr Nairn's property at Pourerere, when, by some means, they were thrown to the ground, one of tli em, we are informed, being seriously hurt. The afternoon train on Friday was about 55 minutes late in arriving in Napier. The cause of the delay, we hear, was owing to one of the porters at WaipaAva having made some mistake in adjusting the points, by which two trucks were throAA'n off the line, and Avere partly sent doAvn the bank at the narrow portion of tlie line below the Waipawa station. With the exception of tlie delay before alluded to, no other inconvenience Avas occasioned by the accident. The Davenport, Fay and Davies' entertainment at the OddfelloAvs' Hall, WaipaAva, on Friday evening attracted a crowded house. The gentlemen appointed to act as supervisors during the ropetying performance and the dark seance were Mr J. M. Wood and Mr Lawrence. Tlie entertainment, at least as regards tlie brothers' portion of it, and Mr Davies' ventriloquism, was very successful, the only draAvback being that tliere Avere no musical selections of any sort to enliven tlie proceedings, the company being unable to obtain tlie use of a piano. We should imagine that if the Oddfellows were to purchase an instrument for the use of their commodious hall, it would be a paying speculation. We observe that the notification from the County Council, asking for the returns of road board rates, purports to cite the 32nd clause of the Counties Act, but interpolates certain words which are not in that clause. The Avords interpolated are " through the chairman of the Comity Council." Whether tliey appeared in the circular from Wellington instructing tlie County Chairman to ask for the returns in question, or not, we are not aware. If they did, that, of course, takes the onus off the shoulders of the local officials. In any case an impropriety has been committed. A meeting of the shareholders in the Napier Swimming Bath and Skating Punk Company will be held next Wednesday evening in the rooms of Messrs Margoliouth and Banner. Tlie tAvo County Councils in the Wairarapa district, as Aye mentioned some time ago, have "hung up" the Act, and the result is, that the County funds, instead of being handed over to any local body, are expended by the Government on tlie maintenance |of the main roads. No expense is saved to the county by this arrangement, as the GoA'ernment, of course, employ a staff quito separate from their own to carry <mt tlie work. We should think that tho Wairarapa people Avould do, at least, as Avell to expend their oavh money. We hear that tliere will now be very little dolay in pushing on the railway lino as far as Kopua. We remind those interested that tlie annual meeting of ratepayers in the Clive highway district will be held at 2 p.m. today, at Mr Caulton's West Clive Hotel. A deputation consisting of His Worship the Mayor, Messrs M. Iv. Miller, J. A. ►Smith, Anderson, and Newton interviewed the Hon. Mr Ormond on Saturday in connection with tho present position of the Hospital Board's grants and endowments. The present hospital, we understand, will, for the future, be under tlie management of the new board, which comprises all the members of the old board, and some other gentlemen besides. The provincial vote of £1000 will at once be expended on the erection of the new hospital. Competitive designs for the building will shortly be called for. The WaipaAva County Council require the services of a competent engineer to inspect and report upon the roads in the county. Applications are to be sent to the chairman of the Council on or before the 7th of May. The Wananrju says that documents to a voluminous extent havo been forwarded to Karaitiana Takamoana, jN1.11.1v., by tho Council of the Royal Colonial Institute of London, in reference to the proposed Imperial Museum for the Colonies and India. Prince Frederick William of Prussia, eldest son of the Crown Prince of Germany, has passed at Cassoll the examination qualifying him for matriculation at a university.

We hear that Mr Sieveking has purchased from Mr W. F. Hargrave the good-Avill of the lease of the Waihora block, consisting of about 1800 acres. Mr Sieveking imported a cargo of 750 sheep by tlio Pretty Jane to placo on his iicav property. — Poverty Bay Herald. We observe fromthe Wanganui Herald that Mete Kingi did not return from his visit to Napier empty handed. His host (Renata KaAvepo) Avith a generosity that cannot be too much extolled, presented and obtained for Mete 3000 sheep, whicli he Avas instructed to distribute at the different clearings on the Wanganui river. In a case in the Supreme Court, Wellington, in which the depositions forwarded by a country R.M. contained no description of the occupations of witnesses, Mr Justice Richmond remarked that it was exceedingly improper for magistrates to fail in this particular, and he (the Judge) should not tolerate such neglect. One of the most curious reasons we ever heard given, says an exchange, for refusing to take an oath Avas that advanced at Timaru the other day by a person avlio liad been summoned to give evidence before the local Assessment Court. This ratepayer refused to be Sworn because it was Lent. The Manchester papers lately recorded the death in his 86th year, of Mr William »Shore, the composer of the music to " Willie breAveda peck o' maut." Forty years ago he Avas one of the most popular local musicians in Manchester. The Poverty Bay Herald says :— "The handsome premises iioav in course of erection, in the Gladstone-road, opposite the Masonic Hall, are on the eve of completion, As most of our readers are aAvare, they aro being built to the order of Mr Stubbs, who finds that the premises he is now occupying are too confined."