NEWS AND NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 15, 2 June 1880, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

Mr. Moore Hunter was unanimously re-elected Chairman of the Hawera Road Board, at the first sitting of the newlyelected body, held on Saturday last. The sports got up by the A.C. Force at Waihi on the Queen's birthday, but which had to be postponed in consequence of the wretched weather, were finished on Saturday afternoon. Most of the events were very well contested. Through the courtesy of Mr. Rawson, Electoral Registar, we are now in a position to supply forms to those who wish to have their names placed upon the electoral roll. In view of the redistribution of seats, it is highly important that every person in the district should be in a position to record his vote " whenever an election takes place. In reply to the telegram sent by Messrs Breach, Bartlett, and McGuire, urging upon the Government the desirableness of having a surf-boat at Opunake, the following reply has been received from the Hon. Major Atkinson : — " An inquiry will be held into the matter of surf-boat and buoy. Will wire you further when I have j consulted Captain Fairchild." Mr. Bate was unanimously elected ' clerk, treasurer, and returning officer of the Hawera Road Board, at the meeting held on Saturday. There were only two other applications, viz., Messrs. J. and H. McCntchan and W. H. E. Wanklyn. A reduction of £5 per annum has been effected through calling for fresh tenders. The necessity of keeping up regular coimnuni ation with", the Plains is admitted on all hands ; but we regret to say that the Postal authorities have refused to grant a subsidy for a bi-weekly service to Opunake, although Mr. Henry, who has been running a coach there for some time past, made an offer to the Government to perform the service at something less than it costs lor keeping the horses of the Mounted Constabulary, who carry the mails at present. This was admitted, we believe, by the officer in command of the forces at the two camps. As the Government will not give the carriage of the mails to the coach, the service will probably fall through — at all events, during the winter months, unless the residents of the district are willing to do what has been done* in other places, where the necessity of keeping up regular communication was felt to be a desirable thing — namely, to subsidise the coach out of their own pockets., i But we think the local bodies ought to urge upon the Government the advisableness of keeping up some regular communication through the Plains, if for no oWer reason than to give intending settlers an- opportunity of seeing the country." This' is a matter that our Town and Road Boards might very reasonably take Tip. "At last" (to use a quotation from a speech once delivered by His Excellency the Governor) we are in a position to announce that Hawera has been constituted a district under the Marriage Act Amendment Act, 1858. Therefore people living up the Mountain road or at Statford will not have to tramp as far as Carlyle whenever they may have to register births or deaths. Inglewood has also been constituted a district, and the residents in that locality will be no longer compelled to go to New Plymouth. The Hawera district extends towards the east by a right line to the source of th ; Manawapoua River, and by that river to the sea ; and towards the south-west by the sea to the mouth of the Taungatra River. It is bounded towards the north-west by the New Plymouth district, and towards the north-east by the Inglewood district, which latter extends as far as the source of the Patea River, and thence by a line to the summit of Mount Egrnont ; towards the west by a line from the summit of Mount Egmont to the source of the Waiwakaiho River, and by the river to the starting point at the north-west comer of section 52 in the Hua and Waiwakaiho Hundreds. The boundaries of the New Plymouth and Patea districts are also set forth in the last Gazette. The same districts are also proclaimed for vaccination purposes. We have received from the office of the Wanganui Herald a " Handbook of the Law Relating to Crown Land in New Zealand," compiled by the Hon. John Ballance, M.H.R. The Land Act, 1877, and the Land Amendment Act, 1879, together with the schedules in connection with the different land boards, are printed in full ; and also a portion from the Mines Act, 1877, referring to the agricultural lease system, The rules of the Hutt small farm association, which has proved so successful in settling a large number of people upon their own holdings, are very fully printed as an appendix to the volume, which is published at the exceedingly cheap price of Is. ' In the conclusion of the preface, the author states : — " Viewing the land laws as a whole, it is difficult to see (except in referrence to the ballot) what fuller powers than are contained in these measures could well be placed in the hands of the Government for settling people oh the land. There is in the later Act a flexibility and discretionary power wanting in the first, which may be used, so long as it is done in the spirit of the law, with the most direct and beneficial effect. The spirit of all recent legislation has been to prevent the further monopoly of the land by a few, and above all to attract small settlers on any terms, even, as under the homestead system of Auckland, by giving the land free on the . condition of improving it. The legislature, to the extent of present experience, has done its part fairly well, and if the executive will only perform its duty as faithfully, the work of .. settlement may be expected to move at a greatly accelerated rate, to the satisfaction oi large numbers of people in every payt of the colony, and with a solid and. permanent gain to the exchequer."

The Kakaramea Eifles have been disbanded, by order of His Excellency the Governor. The Hon. Mr. Waterhouse returned to Wellington on Saturday, aiter a lengthened absence from the colony. It is notified in the last Gazette that a Money Order and Savings Bank office will be opened at Nomianby from and after the Ist of the present month. The men belonging to the A.C. Force, who have been stationed at the Normanby Redoubt, have been replaced by a similar number from Waihi. The appointment of Mr. James Livingston, J.P., as a member of the Waitotara and Patea Licensing Courts (districts, has been gazetted. Mr. T. Mason, M.H.8., has been apj pointed a School Commissioner for the provincial district of Wellington, vice Mr. E. Toomath, resigned. Mr. Sherwood's application on behalf of the Carlyle Fire Brigade for a gift of the old Government buildings, to be used as a depot by the corps, has been successful. The A.C. Hospital at Normanby, which had a clear sheet for a short time, has, we regret to state, received a fresh batch of three men from the Public Works contingent. We understand that Mr. Freeman R. Jackson has negotiated the sale of Mr. T. Middl.mas's property at a satisfactory figure. The purchaser is Mr. Eredale, a young gentleman who, together with a brother, only recently arrived in this colony from England. For the quarter ended 31st March there were infected sheep on the following runs or farms : — C. Hainblyn, Waitara, 80 ; J. Sargent, Bell Block, 102; E. M. Honeyfield, Whenuakura Block, 1300 ; J. Hawken, Kakaramea, 1650 ; C. and E. Synaes, Manutahi, 3350 ; H. S. Peacock, Manutahi, 2400. The Post learns from a private source that Sir Julius Vogel's contest for the Falmouth seat in the English Parliament cost him .£SOOO, and that he has on his hands a handsome house and park, which he took in the neighborhood at a heavy rent, which he will k have to pay for six months longer. The four newly-painted telegraph posts in Princes-street look remarkably well, but they would present a much better appearance if the remainder of them in I the same street also received a coat or two of paint. The latter have quite a povertystricken look, when compared with their more highly favored (and painted) companions. The Road Board at its last meeting d cided that in future the sittings of that body should only be held on alternate months. We doubt, however, whether alternate sittings will be found sufficient for the proper transaction of business. In nearly every other road board district meetings are held once a month, and there is invariably plenty of work to do. Only three nominations were received for the vacancies in the Town Board, viz., that of Messrs. M. D. King, J. Duffill, and H. B. Cockburn. Consequently, therj was no contest. The three newlyelected members had retired in the usual course, and were re-elected. No contest for the Road Board ! No contest tor the Town Board 1 Verily, municipal honors must be at as great a discount in this district as volunteering ! The Hawera Town Board, at a meeting held on Monday night, unanimously adopted a resolution, on the motion of Mr. King, for the appointment of a* committee to inquire whether the town can be incorporated into a borough. The general feeling appeared to be in favor of an amalgamation with Normanby, if the residents of that place were willing to join with Hawera, although opinions were freely expressed in the course of conversation that Normanby would gain far more than Hawera should an amalgamation take place. An interesting account of the football match which took place on Saturd y between a team from Waverley and the Carlyle Club, has been forwarded to us by our correspondent, but pressure on our space compels us to hold it over. The result was as follows : — Waverley, two force-downs; Carlyle, one. Our correspondent states that Carlyle will probably challenge Hawera for the 19th instant — the match to be played here. Our local players will, therefore, have to look sharp if they wish to retain their previously won laurels. It is reported that the Post office authorities propose to transfer the Post office at Normanby from Mr. Beresford's store to the dilapidated old building at present used as a Telegraph office. This does not meet with very gen ral approval from the residents, and a correspondent, signing himself " Nemo," has sent us the following letter on the subject : — " It is reported that the postal authorities propose transferring the Post office at Normanby to the building now temporarily used as a telegraphic office. If this is correct, prompt and urgent measures should be taken to prevent such a foolhardy proposal. The building in question is a very old affair, being composed altogether of a lot of rubbish. What should be weather-boards arc merely palings, such as we usually see used in fencing, and the flooring is made up of pieces of old boxes. It will convey some idea of the strength of the structure, when it is stated that it has sunk in the middle nearly a foot below the general level. Any one disposed to enter the place feloniously, could do so with the greatest ease, either by the walls or the flooring, and to a ' professional,' especially, such an entrance would be merely child's play. In addition to this, it should be stated that a lean-to attached to the building is used as the entrance to a bowling-alley, which is frequented by all sorts of people, some of them smoking pipes, and not always too sober. The liability, by these means, or the upsetting of a lamp, of enveloping the ricketty old building in flames, would really be very great, and from the peculiarly dry nature of the tenement, the whole of its contents would inevitably be consumed, with little or no warning. To those who are in the habit of receiving important letters here, the proposed change has given the greatest alarm, though a few foolish young persons have made such proposed occupation the occasion of considerable merriment. It is to be hoped this .matter will be seen into at once, and the insane projected averted."

There is nothing fresh to report from the A.C. camps. Although the forces are now within about twelve miles of each other, the "dismal swamp" has not yet been found, nor is it likely to be. In consequence of fresh orders having been sent to the commanding officer, to make a dray road right through, instead ot merely forming a track, the works have been progressing at a slow rate of speed, and, if tbe order is still persisted in, it will probably take months, instead of weeks, to make the roads meet. The wiser course, evidently, would be to make a track right through for the winter, and to form a dray road as soon as the spring sets in. The Energtic Company, Reefton, struck a reef recently sft. wide, which is estimated to yield at least an ounce to the ton. The Golden Fleece Company cleared up last week with 973 ounces retorted gold from 630 tons of stone. Irish landowners are taking precautionary measures against the adoption of the land policy advocated by Mr. Parnell and the land league. They are getting into debt (we are told by a San Francisco paper) to the Government as fast as possible, the loans being secured upon their lan d. In one week the applications for new loans numbered 200, representing an aggregate of 5,550,000 dollars. Since November the applications for loans by Irish landowners aggregated 18,830,000 dollars. If they get their hands into the national wallet in this way for a few months longer, the British Government, in self-prot ction, will be compelled to sustain landlordism at the point of the bayonet. Cetewayo is engaged in making mental notes. He has calculated (says the Cape Times) that each charge fired by the foreign men of war now in Table Bay in saluting the fort was of the value of an ox. He also concludes - that it is more expensive to keep up armaments in Europe than in Zululand. His Majesty also regards the Queen's conduct in not answering his message of contrition as showing a great lack of courtesy, but he remains confident of his return to Zululand. For the present his chief regret is that his connubial circle is so unbearably small." Another paragraph in the same paper says: — Cetewayo, accompanied by Captain Poole, R.A., interpreter, Longcast, and suite, made a semi-official visit to the ex-Chief Langalibalele, at the latter,s residenca on the Cape Flats, on Saturday last. His Majesty drove in a carriage which was hired for the occassion. The first part of the visit was very stiff and formal, but the two illustrious prisoners ' thawed ' during the course of the interview, and the parting was most cordial." Tbe Napier Daily Telegraph, referring to the discovery of coal in Hawke's Bay, says it is likely to be attended with most important result to the people of the province. The coal field is situated in the Seventy-Mile Bush, within easy access of the railway, and the outcrop of three seams, some five feet in thickness, running horizontally, showed a continuous improvement in quality as the tunnelling proceeded. The analysis furnished from a small sample taken from the surface by the Government Geological Survey Office gives the remarkably small percentage of five per cent, of ash. An experienced coal miner on the spot is of opinion that when the seams are opened out they will produce coal of quality second to none in this colony. The London correspondent of the New York Tribune, in a cable despatch to that journal, thus reports the failure of Tennyson's new play : — " The first representation of Tennyson's one-act comedy, "Falcon," at St. James's Theatre, was a complete dramatic failure, notwithstanding careful preparation and costly mounting. Mr. and Mrs. Kendal were unsuited for the chief parts, but no actors could secure success. The piece throughout is merely verified narrative, and wants action and dramatic interest. The management placed " Falcon" as an afterpiece, anticipating a catastrophe. The audience contained numerous Mends of Tennyson. There was some applause, but the public received the piece with perfect coldness." Upon this the Tribune remhrks: — "It was once remarked that Charles Dickens could write about a three-legged stool in a way that would delight the whole civilised world, while many a wiser man could not write about anything in a way that would please anybody. Something of the same thought must be suggested by the disastrous failure cf Mr. Tennyson's little play in London, which it was impossible for even a friendly audience to receive kindly. Supreme in his own art, the laureate has, in this case at least, found himself utterly unable to command the success which so many smaller minds have achieved."