NEWS AND NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 43, 8 September 1880, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

We have been informed that a rumor has been circulated to the effect that the proprietors of the Hawera and Nobmanby Stab w re endeavoring to sell out their interest in that journal. There is no truth whatever in the report. So far from that being the case, the proprietors contemplate making some important improvements in the paper. They are satisfied with their prospects, and will endeavor to make the Star a thoroughly representative district paper.

The Hon. Mr. Bryce is expected to arrive in Hawera to-day, via the Plains. It will be seen from our telegrams that the Hon. Major Atkinson paid a visit to the A.C. Camp whilst the Native Minister was there. Sir F. Dillon Bell is expected by the afternoon's coach ' from Wanganui. There are, of course, many speculations as to the cause of Sir Dillon's visiting the district at such a juncture, but the probability is, as telegraphed by our Wellington correspondent, that the Royal Commission is intended to be continuous. Whether Sir Dillon will visit Te Whiti or not, as some people assert, is more than we can say at present.

Major Goring' s camp, near Parihaka, is broken up. One hundred and twenty-five of his men are now at Cape Egmont. The remainder have joined Major Tuke's camp.

A deputation of Normanby settlers will wait upon the Hon. Mr. Bryce, to urge the desirability of constructing a bridge over the Waingongoro river, . to connect with the line of road surveyed by Mr. Skeet, and which it is intended to construct immediately. The work is a veiy necessary one, and we trust that the deputation will be able to secure a favorable reply from the Native Minister.

Mr. G. F. Eobinson, the Crown Lands Ranger, has sent in his second report on the deferred payment lands in the Whakamara and Otoia-opaku districts. ■ In the latter district, four of the holders have failed to make the required improvements ; the other landholders are said to have made very satisfactory improvements. The following is an extract from the letter of Mr. Bobinson to the chairman of the Waste Lands Board : — " In the bush portion of the Whakamara district very considerable improvements have been and are being made, considering the difficulties the holders have to contend with in regard of access to their lands. Altogether, the average of the improvements on this block are equal to about four tunes the amount repuired by the Land Act. Since I visited this district last year, a large amount of work has been done on the roads leading to deferred payments allotments. The Paine road has been felled, burnt, and grassed. A deviation has been laid out on the Mells road, and a long side cutting made to get down to the Otoki stream. A cart bridge has-been erected over this stream and the approaches completed. On the West road, a deviation has been made from the old line of road, so as to get a better gradient, and a side cutting of about 60 chains has been made, but, unfortunately, a portion of the new road has broken away, entailing considerable expense to recut the road out of the rock. Tbe upper portion of the West road has been fplled, burnt, and grassed."

The Speciality Troupe will perform on Friday and Saturday evenings at the Town Hal].

In consequence of the large demands on our space, through so many meetings taking place, we are again compelled to hold over several letters.

Norrnanby is about to have two bakery establishments. Mr. S. Gray, a new settler in the district, is erecting an oven near Mr. Treweek's shop.

Mr. John Winks has resigned the chairmanship of the Hawera Town Board, in consequence of "a disagreement arising out of the gravelling contracts.

The annual monthly meeting of the Hawera Road Board was held on Saturday. A report of the proceedings will be found in our fourth page.

The Maori Pakaru, who was. recently arrested for fencing, was said to have been the man who adjusted the noose round poor Volkner's neck.

A Supplementary Gazette of the 2nd instant contains a notice declaring the road from Stony liver to the Waingongoro river to be a highway.

The Post Office at Opunake has been opened as"a Government Life Insurance Office. It would be interesting to know whether war-risks are covered by an ordinary policy or not.

The ex-Governor, Sir Hercules Robinson, left Wellington by the Rotomahana on Saturday evening. The volunteers formed a guard of honor, and tbe artillery fired a salute on his departure.

Mr. C. Ward's tender, for ploughing Mr. Hendy's land, has been accepted, at J27 12s. Mr. J. Stevenson tendered at £28 10s., and Messrs. Humphries and May at £29 15s.

Mr. Flynn informs us that he met nine drays, heavily laden with provisions, on the road between the Wainoagoro Eiver and Opunake. Large crowds of natives are travelling daily to Parihaka.

Now that all doiibts 7 are set at rest in reference to the site for the Normanby Town Hall, the shares are going off well, and the remainder will doubtless soon be taken up. The secretary, Mr. Wreford, is indefatigable in his duties.

The cricketing season was fairly opened yesterday. About a dozen players got together, and one or two enioyable hours were spent. . The opening match will probably be played the last Saturday in the month, if the weather is favorable.

Mr. W. M. Thomson's sale of horses, &c, on Saturday, was well attended, and satisfactory prices were realised. We understand that for the future Mr. Thomson intends bolcling a lorfcniglitly sale in. prosser> yard.

Mr. Geo. Mitchell has started a sad.dler's shop in Normanby, and we have no doubt from the large number of settlers in that portion of the district that Mr. Mitchell will be able to command a fair share of support.

Mr. Cowern's monthly sale of stock, &c, will be held at Kakaramea today, and Messrs. Bauchope and King, New Plymouth, will hold a sale of stock at Waiwakaiho to-morrow, at 2 p.m. There are large entries for both sales.

The notice signed by the chairman of the Patea County Council, constituting the Ngaire a road district, is published in our advertising columns. The first meeting of the new board will be held at Brett and Johnston's hotel, Normanby, at 2 p.m. on Wednesday next, the 15th inst.

The usual monthly meeting of the Hawera Masonic Lodge was held on Monday evening, tbe chair being occupied by the R.W.M., Bro. Finnerty, and a large amount of business was transacted. There will be an emergency meeting next Monday, at 7.30 p.m.

The Public Works Contingent has arrived at Opunake, and will probably be at Manaia to-day or to-morrow. The forty-_ nine who are at Opunake will, we are informed, be reinforced by another body of twenty-five or thirty men. They will be immediately put on to make the road between Manaia and Normanby.

The first number of Mr. Joseph Ivess's new venture — the Waikato Mail — has reached us. It is creditably printed, and contains a good deal of local and general news. It is similar in size to the Star, and for tbe present will be issued twice a week, but the proprietor states that he hopes to issue it tri- weekly a few weeks hence.

Tenders are invited up to the 30fch inst. for the conveyance of mails between the Ngaire and Waitotara, and also between Hawera and Waitotara, for the year ending December 31st, 1881. Both these services are marked as likely to be affected by railway extension, and may be terminated by tbe Postmaster- General on his giving one month's notice in writing. If both should be tendered for at reasonable rates, and the tenders accepted, there is every probability that the mails would be delivered here twice a day, as was done formerly on the line between Kai Iwi, Waverley, and Carlyle. In connection with this subject, it may not be out of place to point out that the opening" of the New Plymouth railway line to Mangawhero (Ngaire), and also of the Wanganui line to Waitotara, will probably take place about the Ist of October.

All the papers are full of the supposed gold fields in Marlborough, which Mr. Moore claims to have discovered. We remember to have made Mr. Moore's acquaintance in Wellington, and he was then trying to obtain money from the county or city council to enable him to explore the Wairarapa ranges,, and also bargained for very good terms for himself in the event of his discovering a good field. Now he claims to have found rich quartz reefs, gold bearing cement, and payable alhivial diggings, but, strange to say, not one of these three discoveries seemed to him to offer nearly such a good prospect of reward as a government grant. It is always well to distrust mysterious discoveries of new gold fields made by one prospector alone and unattested. In this instance, however, we ' have tried very hard to believe that Mr. Moore has really discovered, a new El Dorado, but we are forced to confess that' our faith has proved quite unequal to the task imposed upon it. We would if we could, but we can't. We deeply lament our want of faith, but seek consolation in the thought aptly expressed by an American writer " Blessed are they that expect nothing, for they shall not be disappointed, j