Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addietus jurare in verba magistri. SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 1872.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 19, Issue 1310, 27 April 1872, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addietus jurare in verba magistri. SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 1872.

We may now hourly expect to hear of the arrival at Auckland of the p.s. Nebraska witli the European and American mails via California. We observe from a telegram in our morning contemporary that the 9th of May has been appointed a Thanksgiving Day for the recovery of the Prince of Wales. New Zealand is all behind in this matter. We have heard many complaints of persons not having received English newspapers posted to them in Kew Zealand. On this subject the Thames Advertiser gives some information which will doubtless be valuable to many persons in Hawke's Bay, as well as elsewhere. It seems that the New Zealand postal regulations prov ide that all newspapers not printed in this colony cannot be posted except as book parcels, and paid for at the rate of 2d per ounce. We do not complain so much of the interest of, newspapers published in this colony being thus provided for, but we do complain chat the public are not made aware of such provisions by advertisement, instead of allowing people mail after mail to contribute to the postal revenue without reaping any benefit. The semi official statements and contradictions which appear in the organs of the Government are now looked upon with grave distrust, and not unnatur ally. The intentions of the Government sometimes come to light rather prematurely, and appear for the first time in an opposition journal; and if it is not deemed desirable that the fact should be known, the statement is denied without hesitation. More than one instance of this kind has lately occurred, of which we may mention one pf the most recent. A late northern journal stated that Mr M'Leod, M.H.R. for the Bay of Islands, was likely to re. sign his seat, as he was about to receive an appointment under the immigration scheme, This report gained some currency, but was promptly and tively denied by the Government organs, and the paper in which it first appeared was accused of having fabricated the story. Several papers which had published the original report inserted paragraphs to the effect that it was incorrect, having been officially denied- 7et this appointment has been gazetted, and Mr seat is vacant J What are we to make of such examples of the want of truthfulness displayed by the Government and its organs ? and how much reliance can we j4ace upon them in future?

In the Resident Court yesterday afternoon, Col. Whifcmorewas brought np by Inspector Scully on a warrant issued at "Wanganni,. upon an information laid by Benjamin Peyman, and calling upon the Colonel to show cause why he should not pay a sum not exceeding £2Q % for failing to appear when summoned before the Wereroa commission. Mr J. N. Wilson, solicitor, who appeared on behalf of the defendant, and raised obj ec lions to th e information, which the Resident Magistrate declined to consider, as he was sitting as a Justice of the Peace only, and had no jurisdiction beyond remanding the defendant to a time and place to be fixed. Mr. Wilson then applied to have the place of hearing of the infor> mation fixed at Napier. After considerable argument the Magistrate said that he thought it; was a case of great hardship (where a penalty'of ,£2O was the only question of which the Magistrates had cognizance) to issue a warrant in the first instance. He would therefore accede to the application on behalf of defendant, and fix Napier as the place of hearing, and the informant could apply to the Justices then present for a further adjournment to Wanganui if they could show goed reason. He would fix Friday the 24th of May, at the Resident Magistrate's Court, at 11 a.m. as the time and place of hearing. And as he did not think Colonel Whitmore likely to abscond, he would not require his recognizance, (the Act giving him discretion) on the Colonel's promising to attend. The name of the new tri-wcekly newspaper to be shortly published in the Waikato district will, it is said, be "The Waikato Times," and is to be printed at Ngaruawahia, not at Cambridge, as at first intended.

The people of Blenheim have good reason to fear their lives and property are in great danger in the event of a flood, as a deputation which waited upon the Superintendent a few days ago on the matter pointed out that " only thirteen yards now remained between the bank erected by the Government at Leary's and the river, ai,d that the space was being lessened every day." So that there is little now left to prevent a junction of the Opawa with the Oamaka, on the Eenwick road. The New Zealand Herald says the fact is undeniable that the Govei nment Printing Department is, next to the Native Office, the most mysterioin, costly, and incomprehensible of all the old public departments. We believe the Public Works Department may fairly challenge the palm for cost and inefficiency, but it i-- a new creation, and should not stand side by side with the old respectabilities. The collection of edible fungus originated by a Chinese merchant in Wellington has become a branch of industry in Otago also, Messrs Kum Goon Lee & Co having shipped by the barque Seagull, for Hong Kong, 131 bales of that commodity, valued at £BOO. The same firm send to Hong Kong by the same vessel 131 packages of old iron and other metal, valued at .£IOO. " John" is evidently of opinion that " mony a raickle maka muckle," though probably he never heard the saying. [Though the fungus is above described as " edible," we believe the term is incorrect, and that it is not for purposes of food that it is used in China.] Though the sacred spot where the remains of Taraia, the great Auckland chief, is kept in profound secresy, his friends are desirous that the scene of his deathbed should be marked historically. The Thames Advertiser informs us that several relations of Taraia made a request that the Government should erect a slab at the place where Taraia died. The Superintendent replied that he would do so, and would, if possible, obtain it from the Hape Creek. Opinion differs much as to Taraia's age, and the Maoris, as usual, have no idea. It may, however, be reached within a few years. Te Moananui stated that Taraia was somewhat younger than Horeta, or Hooknose, who saw Capt. Cook at Mercury Bay in November, 1769. Hooknose was at that time twelve years of age. Supposing Taraia to have been fifteen or twenty years younger than Te Hoi eta, he must have been within a few years, of a century old when he died.