The Star. SATURDAY, JUNE 5,1880. NEWS AND NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 16, 5 June 1880, Page 2

The Star. SATURDAY, JUNE 5,1880. NEWS AND NOTES.

Our leading article, and a number of letters on various subjects, are unavoidably held over.

There will be a parade of the Hawera Light Horse this afternoon, at 3.30 p.m.

The Auckland City Council has resolved to co-operate with other municipal bodies to bring pressure on the Government to secure a continuance of tha subsidies.

A sale of goods, damaged by sea water on board the steamer Patea, will be held by Mr. W. Murray Thomson, at the Town Hall, at 12 o'clock to-day.

The mails had to be packed to Stratford once or twice during the week. We are afraid the " through service " is in jeopardy during the winter months, at all events. It will take all the skill of that old, experienced, and popular whip, Jack During, whom we are glad to see again at his post, to keep it going.

There have been some anxious inquiries at our office as to the successful tenderer for the Waingongoro Railway Contract. In consequence, we telegraphed yesterday afternoon to Mr. John Knowles, Under- Secretary for Public Works, but up to the tune of going to press received no reply. Probably, the matter has not yet been decided.

The provisional directors of the Normanby Town Hall Company held a very successful meeting on Thursday evening, and over 100 shares were immediately taken up. The prospectus of the company appears hi another column, and we notice that the payments have been fixed in such a rasonable way that there can be little doubt the remainder of the shares will be taken up. The terms of payment are :— ls per share on application ; Is 6d per share on allotment ; and the calls are not to exceed 2s 6d per share per month.

The amalgamation question has been discussed with some degree of favor during the week. The committee appointed by the Hawera Town Board went through the town, and found that there were 205 resident householders within the boundaries. They afterwards proceeded to Normauby, where matters were discussed hi a frieudly way with some of the principal residents m the sister township. The result is that a, meeting has been convened for Thursday evening, at 7.30 p.m., at Brett and Johnston's hotel, at which Hawera friends are invited to attend.

Major Parris and Capt. Wilson, J.P.s, presided at the Hawera R.M. Court on Thursday. W. Lawson and C. Lichtwark were summoned for keeping unregistered dogs, and were fined £1 and 7s. costs. A similar charge against G. Buchanan was withdrawn, as he stated that the dog had only been given to him five days previously. W. L. England sued J. E. D'Alton for £G Oa. 7d., for goods supplied. Judgment had been given for the amount previously, and as the plaintiff had not taken out the proper sunimons in*the present instance, the case was struck out. M. Burnett sued L. Tucker for £A 12s. 6d., for goods supplied. Judgment was given fer the plaintiff, with costs'; to be paid within a forrnight.

Mr. Rees, Harbor Board Engineer, has arrived at New Plymouth.

It is contemplated in Victoria to send a team of colonial ploughmen to Great Britain. Mr. John Dalley, of Bellarine, is the promoter of the movement, and it is expected that the team will leave Melbourne in July. They will take their own ploughs with them, should they decide upon going.

A football match will be played on the cricket ground to-day, play commencing at 1.30 p.m., between the following teams : — Mokoia: Bayly, G., Bayly, H-, Broadbent, Heaphy, Heenan, Jackson, Lysaght, Lee, Lukis, Matchett, Macauley, Parkes, O'Connor, Thomson. Hawera : Adamson, W., Adamson, S., Baddeley, F., Baddeley, 11., Bate, Goodwin, Graham, Mason, Mclvenzie, Synie, Willy, G., Willy, T., White, Wilson.

Mr. Sweeney intends opening a night school in Hawera on Monday evening. He has been influenced in doing so by the representations made to him that a nvimber of boys, who have been compelled to leave day school at an early age, are anxious to increase their store of learning. We hope, therefore, that the boys of Hawera will avail themselves of the opportumtj'. A little learning is not, in our opinion, a dangerous thing. Mr. Sweenej' will probably have classes for the study of Greek and Latin, if there are any young men desirous of cultivating an acquaintance with the classics.

There is a neat specimen of mechanical skill exhibited in the window of Mr. W. Dixon, Main-street, Carlyle. It consists of eight different varieties of sailing crafts, the sails of which are completely set, and are made from wood, the only other material used being cotton thread, which latter serves for " royal main topgallants," &c. The "sea — the sea — the opens a," is very cleverly represented by means of painted wool. The designer is Mr. Johnston, a carpenter, living in Carlyle, and he has every reason to be proud of his ocean fleet. Old salts speak highly oi then* seaworthiness. Even Mr. Plimsoll himself would feel satisfied were he to see them.

The general opininon seems to be that the Government is safe for the session unless they fall on the property tax (remarks the correspondent of the Auckland Herald). Ministers are very reticent as to their intention on this head, but Oposition members freely express that it will be modified in some way. so as to soften the most objectionable features. It is believed that Ministers themselves are not altogether satisfied with the mode of collection anil assessment, the complex and ajjparently inquisitorial nature of which latter lias been ruaiuly instrumental in raising the present strong antagonism to the tax. Nothing is j 7 et definitely known hi the matter.

There is likely to be some keen competition for the land recently thrown open for aide on deferred payment. In the Moa district there are seven sections set apart ; in the Mangauui district, one ; in the Huiroa district, twelve ; in the Hawera district, two; and in the Ngaire district, sixty-two — hi all, eighty-four sections. For these, there have been no less than one hundred and ninety-nine applications, of which one hundred and three were received at .New Plymouth, and ninety-six at Carlyle. Thirty-six applications came from Canterbury, and it is probable that a good many niore were posted too late. The only sections allotted in the Patea county are : — Ngaire district — Block X. : section 4C, Thomas Reynolds ; scetion * 50, Ezekiel Kerr and Joseph Kerr. Block XIII. ; section 12, Anne Jane Quin ; section 14, G. C. Turner. Sections 45 and 51 of Block X., Ngaire district, have not been applied for. For Block 111., Ngaire, there were no applications received ; and for Block VII. there were only three applications. All the other sections in the Patea county will be submitted to auction on Wednesday, the 23rd instant. In the Taranaki county, all the sections in the Moa and Manganui districts have been applied for ; but there were no applications for the sections in the Huiroa district. We are indebted to Mr. Whitcombe, Commissioner of Crown Lands, for the above particulars, which he kindly telegraphed to us for public information.