Hawke's Bay Herald WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 1878.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5070, 8 May 1878, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Herald WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 1878.

Lately we have been heaving a good deal about the difficulties Wellington is experiencing in procuring a sufficient supply of water fit for the use of its inhabitants ; a question of the like nature was previously in agitation in Dunedin, while, curiously enough, the subject was occupying, about the same time, public attention in England. In all the large country towns at home measures are being taken for securing an improved and increased supply, and in London so great is the need that it has been found necessary to obtain increased powers from Parliament, in order to draw upon sources of supply which otherwise could not be rendered available. Recently we learn from the English papers to hand, public attention has been directed to the matter by a letter which the Prince of Wales wrote to the Chairman of the Council of the Society of Arts. " The supply of pure water-to thepopulation," writes his Royal Highness, "is at the present time exciting deep interest throughout the country. Our great cities and popular towns, such as Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, and others, are, each for itself, taking steps to obtain an improved and increased supply, while the metropolis is seeking further powers from the Legislature with, the same object in view. The smaller towns and villages are dependent on accidental sources of supply, and in many instances these are wholly inadequate for health and comfort. "While the larger populations are striving, each independently and at enormous cost, to secure for themselves this article of prime necessity, the smaller localities must make the best shift they can, and in many instances are all but without supply at all. Under these circumstances, I would draw the attention of the Council to the subject, and suggest whether, at the present time, great public good would not arise from an open discussion of the question in the Society's rooms, with a view to the consideration of how far the great natural resources of the Kingdom might, by some large and comprehensive scheme of a national character adapted to the varying specialities and wants of districts, be turned to account for the benefit not merely of a few large centres of population, but for the advantage of the general body of the nation at large." The prominent point in the letter of the Prince of Wales is the national character of any scheme that may bo devised. Evidently he sees before him the danger with which smaller communities are threatened of losing their water supply by having it tapped for the service of the large towns. Recognising that to the whole of the people belongs the whole of the water supply, he asks the Council of the .Society of Arts to consider whether a comprehensive scheme which may bo for the advantage of the general body of the nation can be adopted. The subject bears, to a great extent, a different aspect in thickly populated England to what it does in this colony, at all events at present. There a supply of water for :i town cannot bo obtained from any great distance without opening up the question as to the rights of other considerable populations between it and the site of supply. The large towns in New Zealand are not yet brought to that difficulty, but on the other hand we have not the facilities they have at home. Our streams, also, have not yet undergone the pollution, in the interests of manufacturing industries, which the rivers of England have, and, in respect to which The Times says, " The apology for this is that people must live, and life is more important than perfect cleanliness or even flyfishing." One of the schemes that has been suggested is the construction of large reservoirs high up all the rivers in the very heart of England. In reference to the suggestion. The Times says, " There is no reason why an artificial lake should not be as picturesque an object and as good a neighbor as a natural one ; nor^is there any reason why a thousand acres of Avater should not be as profitable as a thousand acres of indifferent land under high cultivation. It is plain we arc on the threshold of a very great question, in which the conflicting elements of land, water, population, enterprise, and the common Aveal will have to lie duly weighed." After all, the question at home, as it is in the colony, is one of works. With sufficient expenditure to .set up efficient works, there need be little difficulty about an abundant water supply. "England," says the Standard, "has water enough and to spare ; the difficulty is to appropriate the supply in an effectual manner and in such a way as to deal fairly by all parties."

At the meeting held yesterday of committees appointed, respectively, by the Hawke's Bay County Council and the JMapier Municipal Council, respecting hospital maintenance, it was resolved that all patients from the country admitted into the hospital should be paid for at the rate of two shillings a day per head. The question of the county contributing to the building fund of the new hospital was discussed, but no conclusion was arrived at, it being agreed to postpone the matter until something further was ascertained as to what the Government intend to do about it. At the meeting of electors for the Clive riding, held last Friday evening, Mr Button is reported to have said that " actually there was not one list of names legally prepared according to the Act by which the officer entrusted with the conduct of the election could be guided so as to comply witli the conditions of the Act." If this is really the fact, Mr Sutton is likely to be " hoist with his own petard," for it is reported that Mr Orr is about to test the validity of the election on the very ground for the suggestion of which he is indebted to Mr Sutton's statement —the illegality of the electoral roll for the Clive riding. A correspondent writes complaining of the annoyance caused at the Theatre Royal last evening by persons in the lower part of the house cracking nuts. Several complaints have also reached us from other quarters of the nuisance caused by this practice. We think it would be

well if tho management would prohibit the sale of nuts inside the theatre.

An inquest was held yesterday morning, at the Royal Hotol, Hyderabad-road, before Dr Hitchings, coroner, and a jury, on the body of Patrick Floyd, the lad who was killed by a fall of earth at the Town Hall reserve. The evidence showed that the occurrence was purely accidental and that no one was to blame in the matter. A verdict of " Accidental death " was accordingly returned.

Yesterday, at the Resident Magistrate's Court, William Bartlett was tiued 20s or 48 hours' imprisonment, with hard labor, for drunkenness. Henry Francis was fined 5s for the same offence. — J. C. Speedy v. Dygan, claim £6 3s 3d for goods supplied. Judgment went by default for amount claimed, and costs £1 14s.— Speedy v. Anderson, claim £2 Is 2d for goods supplied. Judgment went by default, with costs 14s. A number of other cases were called on, but there being no appearance of either plaintiff or defendant, they were struck out.

His Worship gave judgment in the R.M. Court yesterday morning in the case Riggir v. Burgess, heard on Friday last. It wa3 a claim of £100 damages for removing a quantity of goods from Riggir 's house at Maraekakaho, which defendant did at the request of plaintiff's wife. The judgment was to the effect that as the wife was the principal offender, and as it was clear she could not be held guilty either of trespass or conversion of the goods of her husband, his JWorship could not sec how the defendant, who aided and assisted her, could be held responsible. Judgment would therefore be for defendant, with costs £5 13s. Mr Cornford gave notice of appeal, and asked that execution might be stayed till the appeal was decided, which Mr Beetham agreed to.

The Sydney Morning Herald, [referring to the labors' of the late Bishop Selwyn in New Zealand, says : — " In the prosecution of his work he had to traverse the forests, swim the rivers, and navigate the seas round the island in his little vessel ; and he won a great fame and set a good example by his daring journeys and his unresting labors. Civilisation followed faster than he anticipated, and his late years in the colony were full of pain by witnessing the collision between the race to which he belonged, and the race for which he so devotedly labored."

The following cable despatches, taken from the Sydney papers per Hero, correct and enlarge some of the items already published: — "London, April 21. — Mr Bandmann, a well-known tragedian, has been committed for trial for striking Mrs Rousby, a favorite actress, who some years ago made a great hit by her impersonation of Joan of Arc, and also in ' 'Twixt Axe and Crown.' Bombay, April 19.— The Governor of this Presidency has chartered forty-five transports for the conveyance of the troops ordered to Malta."

A correspondent writes that speculation in land in Wellington is very rife. Any one who owns property is diligently cutting it up into small sections, and the district round Wellington has many imaginary townships — Wallaceviile, Bartonville, Vogelton, Kilbirnie, Kensington, and others. Speculation in land is looked on as the high road to fortune. At every sale land fetches fabulous prices. Land in certain streets fetches over £100 a foot. In Wanganui, too, everyone is talking of the fortunes to be made in land. People talk of little else, and are ever talking of how A made £5 an acre profit, or how B made £2500 out of his last transaction.— Grey lliver Argus.

The Southland Times of a late date says : — " We have seen a letter from Gisborne, received by a gentleman here, giving a very gratifying account of the progress of that township and the surrounding district. " The town," says the writer, "is the most wonderful example of prosperity and improvement I have ever seen. Two years ago a mud village, it is now a fair-sized town, and growing every week. Houses are going up on every hand, and everybody making money. As far as I can learn, the population of Gisborne proper is from 1500 to 2000, but the surrounding country is thickly settled." It cannot fee long before the name of this flourishing country will have become a satire of the past. But it is well known that Captain Cook, when he gave it its designation, had in his eye, not the capabilities of the country, but the style of hospitality which the natives there accorded him. An opposite method of reception gained for tho Bay of Plenty a title which its resources have failed to justify, and if names are to be descriptive, the sooner the two districts make an exchange the better."

The Timaru Herald of April 27th says : — " The high prices realised on Thursday at the sale of town and farm properties on the Albury Estate, show how rapidly land in South Canterbury has risen in value within the last few years, and how eagerly opportunities for obtaining good farms are availed of by small capitalists and others. The Albury Estate contains, without doubt, some of the best agricultural laud in Canterbury, and consequently in New Zealand ; and the fact of its passing into the hands of farmers means that that in a very few j'ears it will be all placed under cultivation. And when to the Albury property we add that lately owned by Messrs Kimbell and Buchanan, which has also recently been bought up by a number of small agriculturalists, it will very easily be understood what an immense additional quantity of grain will be produced in this district during the next season or two. Hitherto all this valuable land has been literally lying waste, and we think, therefore, that the owners have acted very wisely in cutting it up into small blocks and selling it, for it suite their purpose far better to realise on it than to keep their money locked up. The next extensive property sale in South Canterbury will be that of the Messrs Parker's magnificent Sherwood Estate, in tho Waimate County, which comprises thousands of acres of splendid agricultural land, still in its virgin state ; and this will be one of the last opportunities men of small capital will have of obtaining freehold holdings of their own. It is a mistake for them to stick at a pound or two if they really desire to obtain good farms ; for in less than another decade those which are now fetching £10 an acre will not be parted with at twice, or possibly three times that amount. It is no use farmers procrastinating and deluding themselves with the idea that other and better chances will be afforded to them hereafter ; for such will not be the case. Those large landholders who are not selling at the present time, have little or no intention of doing so for years to come, when their land will have reached such a high value, that none but rich or comparatively rich men will be able to buy it. Our advice to small capitalists is : Buy at once ; do not miss a single chance if you wish to secure property which you may call your own, and leave as an heritage to your children, and children's children. Failing to do this, you must expect that you and your descendants will never rise above the position of tenants ; while around you you will see families who have reached affluent circumstances, by taking advantage of those golden opportunities which you let slip. We should say the writer of this paragraph had been got at by the auctioneer."

Tenders are invited for supplying about GO undress uniforms for the Napier Engineer A r olunteers. The tenders are to be sent in by Friday next. Particulars may be obtained from Mr L. M. Grace, at the Wananga office.

The Rev. J. Parkin will conduct the following services on Sabbath next — Waipawa 11 a.m., Kaikora 3 p.m., Waipawa 7 p.m.. On Monday, May 13, Onnondville 7 p.m. ; Tuesday, 14th, Norsewood 7 p.m. ; Wednesday, 15th, Kopua, 7 p.m.