THE RAILWAY TARIFF.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7179, 3 June 1885, Page 2

THE RAILWAY TARIFF.

In hia recent speech at Hawera Major Atkinson remarked that the Minister for Railways admitted that there were five hundred errors in the railway tariff. This wao a reference to a remark made by Mr Richardson to a deputation on railway matters which waited on him in Wellington about a fortnight ago. One after another of the deputation pointed out absurdities in the tariff until Mr Richardson, who i 3 not the most patient of men, exclaimed, " I could myself put my finger on five hundred mistakes !" What a pitiful oonfession for a Minister to make ! Mr Richardson has not long worn the chains of office, but ever since he has took up his portfolio he has been tinkering away at the tariff, and two completely new tariffs have been issued. Yet, a week or so after the issue of the second, we find Mr Richardson confessing that he could point out five hundred mistakes. The obvious retort to such a statement is a query as to why those five hundred mistakes are allowed to exist, to the exasperation of the public, obstruction to trade, and injury to the railway revenue. If Mr Richardson knows them to be mistakes, why does he not amend themP He, and he alone, has the power to do so. Is it that the stone-wall of officialdom is so strong that he feara to attempt to overthrow it, and prefers to submit weakly to "five hundred mistakes?" If that is the case it ig time that Mr Richardson retired in favor of someone who can not only see, but correct, mistakes of that kind. Mr Richardson, from the manner of his remark, appears . to have been rather proud of hia capacity for detecting blunders in the tariff. With all due deference to one so high in authority we humbly suggest that it would be a more fit subject for pride if he made an attempt to rectify these blunders.

On the fourth page will be found articles entitled " A Victorian Breach of Promise Case," and "A Patrician. Barman." Volunteer non-commissioned officers are requested to attend a meeting to be held at the Caledonian Hotel this evening for the purpose of considering the formation of a voluntper club. A man named Hyland, from Meaneo, was yesterday reoeived into the Napier hospital suffering from frost-bitten feet.. It is supposed that he laid out during j Monday night, which was bitterly cold. I He was in a bad way when admitted, and perfectly powerless. A few Napier importers have good reason for feeling the reverse of pleased. Goods consigned to them were on board the Ohau, which entered the port on Sunday week last, remained till Tuesday, and then steamed off without having finished discharging. It is expected that- the goods will turn up " gome day." The committee of the Poultry and Oanary Association met at the Empire Hotel last evening, Mr O. B. Winter in the chair. The arrangements for the next show were considered, and it was decided to adopt a programme similar to that of last year. The show will be held on the first Wednesday and Thursday in August. Our Woodville correspondent writes as follows under yesterday's date:— "The local option poll for the Woodville Town Board licensing district was held yesterday. Very little interest was taken in the question, and only 53 votes were recorded, 25 in favor of '

additional publicans' lioanses being granted, and 28 against. The majorities against granting the other forms of licenses were larger." Quite a number of those persons who believe in riding or driving on the footpath, instead of condescending to use the roads provided by the ratepayers for wheeled traffic, will make their appearance at the Resident Magistrate's Court shortly. The road overseer yesterday decided to get a list of the persons who transgress the bye-laws in this fashion, and up till 2 o'clock in the afternoon nine persons were " persuaded" to give their names and addresses. . Summonses will be issued in each case. The third and last presentation in Napier of "The Silver King" drew another large and appreciative audience to the Theatre Royal last evening. The performance went witli great smoothness throughout, and the management are to be congratulated upon the excellence of the arrangements. To-night " The Librarian " will be put upon the boards, and playgoers may count upon witnessing one of the most successful comedies of modern times. A special

train will run. from Hastings to Napier, returning 15 minutes after the conclusion of tho performance. The Napier Football Club will meet the Union Club on Saturday next on the Recreation Ground. Tho team to represent Napier will ba chosen from the following : — J. W. H. Wood, LeQuesne, Gr. Newton, Edwards, J. Cato, Walker, Gibbons, Sheath, Holl, P. Kennedy, Harrap, Collins, Large, Stanton, Davis, C. D. Kennedy, Kelly, A. Kennedy Anderson, J. Sim, R. Sim, F. Parker, Lyndon, and Hunter. Practices are held on tho Recreation Ground every morning, and the club will play tomorrow afternoon. Players are requested to practice assiduously. The following deeds have been submitted for investigation to the Trust Commissioner at Napier: — Conveyance from Samuel Locke (as trustee in the estate of Karauria Tamawhakakitea te Rangi), George Prior Donnelly, Airene Donnelly, and Iraia, to William Douglas, of the Mangateretere block west, 1253 acres ; conveyance from Teopire Kau Kau to Hector Ross Duff and Alexander Ross Duff, of the Kahuitara block, No. 2, 2448 acres. A certificate in respect to the first mentioned deed will be issued unless objections are lodged within the next five days, and in respect to the second nine days after being notified in the Wairoa Guardian. A collision ocourred on the Petaneroad about 5 o'clock last evening between some Maori horsemen and a cart containing two Europeans returning from Petane to Napier. The Maoris appeared to be racing, and one of them rode his horse against the cart with such force that it was nearly overturned, and the harness was so much damaged that it took nearly an hour, and a lot of careful attention, to repair the injuries sufficiently for the completion of the journey to Napier. The Maori who caused the accident was thrown from his horse, but was seated in the saddle again by his two friends, and rode off as if in great pain. It is considered by those who were in the cart that the native who was thrown broke his leg in the collision. A meeting of the members of Court Captain Cook, A.0.F., was held in the Foresters' Hall, Dickens-street, last evening. There was a very large attendance, nearly 80 members being present. Dr Matthews, who recently resigned his position as Court surgeon, in consequence of his intention to leave the district, was presented with a handsomely illuminated address, signed by the officers of the Court, as a token of esteem for his services. W.C.R. Bro. Crease made the presentation in a neat speech, and Dr Matthews suitably responded. Offers from medical gentlemen willing to undertake the duties were considered, and Dr de Lisle, who resigned the position of Court surgeon some two years' since, after acting in that capacity for six years, was appointed to the office. A totalisator case was heard at tbe Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday before Mr G. A. Preece, R.M. The plaintiff, a man named Southworth, alleged that he purchased a totalisator ticket on the Petane racecourse. The dividend on the ticket was £2 14s, but plaintiff did not claim the money till the day after the race meeting, when Messrs Stock and Cohen, the owners of the totalisator, refused to pay. Mr Lee, who appeared for the plaintiff, argued that it was not necessary that the ticket should be presented within a given time, and that if plaintiff did not get his money domeone not entitled to it would reap an advantage. For the defence Mr Lascelles urged that the money was not recoverable, the claim being for what was really a gambling transaction ; but that if an action would lie at all the defendants were not the persons who should be sued. The working of the totalisator was provided for by legislation, the Act providing that every totalisator should be worked under the supervision of racing club stewards, and by competent persons appointed by such clubs. The plaintiff should have suod the Petane Racing Club, when reasons for the non-payment of the money would have been shown. Plaintiff was nonsuited, with £1 Is costs. At the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday before Mr G. A. Preece, R.M., John M'Gahey, an inmate of the Old Men's Refuge, was oharged with violently assaulting another inmate of the institution named Hastil. Accused, who had been out during Monday, returned to the refuge in a state of intoxication, and after " making a breeze " began beating Hastil, who has only one leg. Accused was fined £1 and costs, with seven days' hard labor as an alternative. He went to gaol. — The following civil cases were also disposed of: — M'Vay v. Hiraka te Rango, claim £59 7s 7d, Mr Cornford for plaintiff, Mr Lee for defendant; judgment for £43 8s 3d, costs £2, solicitor's fee £2 2s, interpreter's fee 10s. Dean v. Henare Tomoana, claim £16 1^ " Mr Lascelles for plaintiff, Mr WilL for defendant; judgment for amount, costs £I', solicitor's fee £1 Is. Selby v. Miller, claim £34 2s 4d ; Mr Lascelles for plaintiff, Mr Lee for defendant; judgment for amount, to be paid at the rate of £3 per month, costs £1 10s,. solicitor's fee £2 2s. Watts v. Lycett and Cross, judgment debt of £11 2s 9d; Lycett was ordered to pay the amount forthwith, with £1 Is 6d conduct money tendered by plaintiff to defray defendant's travelling expenses in coming to the Court, or to go to prison for ten days. Our Waipawa correspondent writes as follows under yesterday's date : — " The school committee at their meeting last evening decided to do what is con- ' sidered a wrong thing. There is a ' cottage on part of the sohool reserve, I which if done up need never want for a tenant, and the rent would form an addi- ' tion to the committee's revenue. It was decided, however, to call for tenders for the purchase of the building, the buyer to remove the cottage within 14 days from date of purchase. Now, as owners of vacant sections are not very plentiful i here, and as only such owners can, bid f with any reasonable view to future i profit, it follows that bidding for the cottage is not likely to be brisk. Some of our "discontented" residents have since displayed great anxiety as bo the probable future location of the Bottage, and the few vacant sections available as sites have become objects, j jf interest.— -At the Patangatalioensing I«■ meeting yesterday Mr M'Lellanj who IK

will be remembered in connection with t a case under the Licensing Act recently, i applied for a bottle license and a wholesale license. The first application was t ruled to be informal, and the second was 1 not granted. The two hostelries, Mr i Pettit's at Kaikora and Mr Ashton's at 1 Patangata, were re-licensed as a matter i of course. The action of the committee in refusing a license to Mr M'Lellan has £ been much critised. j . The Queen nas just received a present ] from Scotland which might almost be understood to bo a reflection upon our ' military operations ia the Soudan and ' our prospective ditto in Afghanistan. \ It is a handsome little plough, complete, i manufactured entirely out of old swords, ; dirks, and spears- a very literal way of • turning the spear into the ploughshare.— European Mail, April 10. ' Eighty-three Chinese coolies were recently engaged at Samarang, Java, by a Dutch planter for Deli, and were taken by a British steamer to Singapore. Whilst on the voyage to Singapore they were branded on the arm by the planter with the letters " V.D." A day or two after most of them had swollen arms, and felt much pain, and on arrival at Singapore the matter was reported to the Dutch Consul, who referred the complainants to. the marine authorities, as the incident took place on the high seas and on board an English steamer. The captain of the steamer denied all knowledge of the matter, the branding having been done very quietly and by means of caustic.