NEWS AND NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 26, 10 July 1880, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

t-H In future, the mails for Wanganui and the south will close at Hawera at 7 a.m., instead of 8 a.m. The coach will leave Nornianby at 7 a.m., and Hawera at 7.30 a.m.

A large number of the Waitotara natives passed through Hawera yesterday, on their way to Parihaka. For about an hour or two the street, opposite Mr. Davidson's store, was completely blocked up with a number of bullock-drays, heavily laden with flour, tea, sugar, and other provisions. Prominent amongst the crowd was the notorious Kereopa, who came up in his handsome buggy, on the side of which his name, painted in gold letters, stands out in bold relief.

The surveys on the Waimate Plains are being pushed vigorously ahead. There are now ftve parties in the field, and Mr. Finnerty's is ordered to go on as soon as possible — probably next week, as he has only to finish a small portion of the block of 3000 acres that he has been surveying near Stratford. Mr. Hiirnphries, Chief Surveyor, came to Hawera on Thursday, for the purpose, we presume, of superintending the work. It is expected that 7000 or 8000 acres will be ready for sale by the Ist of September. This is very satisfactory.

The Patea county football team will play to-day against a similar number from the Wangamu county. On their return, they will probably receive a challenge from a team to be selected from the following players : — Backs: Norman (Waverley) ; R. Baddeley (Hawera). Half-backs : F. Baddeley (Hawera) ; Dasent (Carlyle). Quarter-backs : Wolner (Hawera) ; Barr (Waverley). Forwards : W. Adamson, S. Adamson, Green, Mann, G. Willy, Goodwin, Skeet, W. Heaphy (Havera) ; Sinclair, J. Adamson, Read, Byrne, Sergeant, Chadwick (Carlyle) ; and Home (Waverley).

The following news comes from Hokitika: — " A discovery of gold which may prove of great value to the coast has been made in the ranges between the Paringa and Blue river, about twenty miles south of the Paringa and the Haast rivers. The new Paringa and Haast road, now being made, will ran within two miles of the locality in which gold has been found, and the formed road will shoi*tly be made past this place. It appears that two men have been spending some weeks in the locality prospecting without tools, obtaining supplies of food with difficulty. As the result of six weeks' perseverance under the most adverse circumstances, they obtained fifty ounces of gold of a very heavy character. They tried to get water on the range wher they were at work, but were unable to do so, and in consequen c devoted themselves to the search for the metal in the crevices of the rocks, with the result above stated. The gold is a magnificent sample, and was shown to the chief surveyor on his recent visit south, and from which he returned a few days since. As soon as the road is through there is very little doubt that a large mining population will be settled in this much neglected and ahnost unknown and unexplored country."

The New Zealand Times states that a Defence Office circular has recently been sent to officers commanding volunteer corps throughout the colony, intimating that in consequence of the end of the Government financial year having been changed to March 31st, the volunteer year will in future end on December 31st, iustead of March 31st as hitherto. All claims for capitation will be made up to the 31st December next, and the number of inspection parades to be attended will bj the same as formerly, namely, six. The circular does not state whether capitation for the nine months will be paid at the usual rate or not, but it will be seen that in any case volunteer corps will receive the present year's capitation three months sooner than usual — welcome news, no doubt, to most corps, but, as a set-off, the requisite number of parades will have to be attended in nine months, of which nearly three are already gone, instead of the twelve. It will therefore be necessary for volunteers, especially in small corps, to be careful to attend regularly at inspections if they do not wish to see their corps with a diminished capitation roll at the end of the present period, or perhaps with the number of efficients fallen below the minimum which entitles a corps to capitation. :

Dr. Richards has been appointed public vaccinator for this district. A foot parade of the Hawera Light Horse (with swords only) will be held at 3 o'clock this afternoon. Mr. W. M. Thomson will hold a sale of trees, shrubs, carrots, chaff, &c, in Pros-, ser's yard, at 2 p.m. to-fia;-. A meeting of members of the Church of England will be held at 4 p.m. to-day, in Mr. Wanklyn's office. The Post states that Mr. Conyers has completely vindicated himself from the charges made against him by the Royal Commission. Those who wish to consult Mr. Skeet, dentist, will have an opportunity of doing so up to Friday next, at his' rooms, Whittaker's buildings. Full particulars ai - e published in the New Zealand Mail of the 3rd and 10th July of the last series of wool sales, together with the prices realised on the various clips. In our last issue it was stated that Mr. G. D. Hamerton had been appointed coroner for the county. It was the resignation of the office, and not the appointment to it, that was gazetted. Strange to say, our Carlyle contemporary fell into the same error. Mr. Leslie Charles has commenced his profession as a teacher of music and singing in Normanby. He informs us that he will visit Hawera two or three times a week, and that he will be prepared to undertake the tuning of pianos and harmoniums whenever required. The Rangitikei Advocate states that several imported bulls owned in the district have died lately, and now we hear of Mr. Fraser's Royal Prince of York and another of Mr. Larkworthy's bulls being attacked with some kind of disease. The change of climate probably accounts for it. Mr. Seddon's speech, in the no-confi- j dence debate, occupied tour hours, but it was (remarks the Post) unlike the postscript to a ladj''s letter. Mr. Seddon's lengthy speech was contained in the first fourteen words-r" Sir, I feel I shall not do justice to the subject beiore the House." The Rangitikei Advocate understands that Mr. Joseph Harris has succeeded in disposing of Mr. J. Meads' property at the Upper Tutaenui, to Mr. F. Brown, of Wellington, a son of the Registrar-Gene-ral, at the moderate price of £7 per acre. Two years ago a much higher ofler was refused. Mr. Edward Tregear, authorised surveyor, Carlyle, has favored us with a lithographed copy of a map of the county of Patea, compiled by himself. The sections and the acreage in the different road districts ai*e very distinctly shown. The maps are published at a very cheap rate, and will be found useful for reference. The natives of Whenuakura (according to the correspondent of the Wanganui Herald) held a meeting the other day and agreed that a fine of ten shillings should be imposed upon any native belonging to the tribe residing there who patronised the local publican. The reason being that the 1 said publican had raised the price of beer out of proportion to the tax. The Alliance News, the organ of the Temperance bodies in Great Britain, in reviewing the results of the late general election, says :—": — " A grand advance has been made, and splendid victories have been achieved, such as to give us unspeakable joy, and to call for our most profound gratitude to Almighty God. And most sincerely and heartily do we congratulate the earnest workers in this social crusade against the greatest scourge of humanity — greater than war, famine, and plague combined — the legalised liquor traffic."

The sparrow nuisance would appear to be exercising the minds of the farmers in the neighborhood of Sandon and Mount Stewart at present, where they are said to have increased to such an extent as to discount very considerably the chances of raising good crops in the way of grain. A meeting was recently held at the latter place to consider the best method of mitigating the nuisance caused by these little scavengers, and it was resolved that all grain-growers should endeavor by means of poison to reduce as far as possible the number of the feathered robbers.

Mr. G. McLean thinks — at least he so expressed himself in the House — that it would not be a bad idea to make the late Government a present of the Hinemoa, a copy of John Stuart Mill's " Political Economy," and and send them off to found a colony on their own account. What an excellent opportunity this would afford Sir Gr. Grey to stand his candidature for the Dictatorship of a young colony. He could nip serfdom hi its early bud, and no doubt his exertions in the interests of " the whole human race" would be the means of handing down his name to that " posterity " on which he loves to dwell. Mr. McLean's suggestion (says the Post) is not at all a bad one, and is worthy of consideration by the House and the country.

For the multiplicity of his resources in a time of trouble, a colonial schoolboy (says the Marton paper) cannot be excelled. Illustrative of the fact, we give the following conversation as it occurred in one of our schools the other day: — Master — "Why did you not come to school yesterday ?" Boy — " 'Spose I must do what father tells me." Master — " You must obey my orders, sir." Boy — " Then I must play truant from home next time they want to keep me." Master — " No, you must bring a note in explanation next day." Boy (gleefully) — " Then I must write it myself, 'cos father an' mother can't write a word."

The Waikato Times gives the following account of Rewi's somewhat famous mansion ;—"; — " The residence built by the Government for the old Ngatimaniopoto chief Rewi, at Kihikihi, is now almost completed, and the painters and paperhangers are busy on the inside work. An alteration has been made in the internal arrangements as describsd in these columns some months ago, by throwing two rooms into one. This, from a Maori point of view, is a great advantage, as it will provide a large apartment where the natives can meet and discuss their affairs as is then: wont in assemblies. The alteration discovers a disposition to defer to the customs of the Maoris, which they cannot fail to appreciate. The building gen- rally is a very handsome and commodious one, and reflects the greatest credit on the contractor, Mr. J. L. Madeno." -