NEWS AND NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 46, 18 September 1880, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

Affairs seem threatening at Parihaka. Our special correspondent's message did not reach us yesterday, probably because the Government work occupied the wire. We draw attention to a curious rumor from the East Coast, that war was to have been declared by Te Whiti on the 12th instant.

Some time ago we stated that it was unlikely that the Royal Commissioners for the West Coast would resign their office until the native difficulty in this district had advanced a good deal nearer solution than it appears to be at the present moment. We notice that the Wellington Post confirms this view, and states that they will probably be officially requested to continue their labors, and to endeavor to carry out the recommendations made by them in then: last report.

There was a good muster of settlers at Mr. F. R. Jackson's sale yesterday. Prices for store cattle were perhaps hardly so high as last month, but all the animals yarded changed hands, so that both buyers and sellers ought to be fairly well satisfied.

The devil, who is generally supposed to be one of the ruling spirits of o printing office, must surely have been sowing tares among the wheat in an article on the sale of the Waimate Plains, which appeared in our Patea contemporary on Thursday. It is so full of errors, that it is calculated to mislead the public, and we therefore hope to be excused for correcting them. There are not 3200 nor yet 4460 acres offered for sale, as stated by the Mail, but 7526 ; of which about.l27o acres are deferred payment, and 5250 acres are cash sections. There are 39 (not 22) deferred payment sections out of a total of 127. The block colored for sale measures more than 4 miles by 3, and is not " about 3 miles square." It is somewhat curious that the one error of importance made by the Government in the description should have been overlooked. The Gazette notice states that the land to be offered has a frontage of nearly three miles to the sea. On reference to the map, it will be found that the sea frontage measures exactly one mile and three-quarters.

The Mataura Ensign says : — " Mr. C. Maunsell, of Mataura, despatched a quantity of oats to London through an Invercargill firm. He has received advice.that they yielded in Condon 335. per quarter, or equal to 4s. per bushel."

The parade of horses standing in the district will take place to-day at Patea at 2 p.m. We learn that there will be a fine show of well-bred stock, and seeing that almost every man in the district is more or less interested in horseflesh, we expect to see a large number of settlers gathered together to criticise the new importations, and to compare them with old favorites which have been retained in the district.

The total amount of grain taken on the Southern railways during the past season amounted to 238,033 tons 17 cwt. 1 qr. On the Christchurch section, 159,878 tons 12 cwt. 3 qr. were brought ; on the Timaru and Oamara section, 50,298 tons 8 cwt.; on the Dunedin section, 18,367 tons 1 cwt.; and on the Invercargill section, 9489 tons

15 cwt. 2 qr.

At the preliminary trial of the Maori prisoners at New Plymouth, Kahui, one of the number, said : — " I am the only man of evil. I have now learnt that we are all evil alike by being brought here. The talk of to-day can't be finished, as there is something hard in it. I am nothing better than a sick man, and the prison -I am going to may be my coffin."

A site has been purchased for the New Zealand Insurance Company in Wanganui, in the Avenue, where the National Bank building now stands. The frontage measures 28 feet by a depth of 85 feet. The price given was £'58 Bs. 6d. per foot frontage, or a total of The Herald says : — " We believe this is the highest price yet paid for land in Wanganui ; yet few holders in the Avenue between the Post Office and the bridge would-be inclined to accept less for their property."

In a letter to the Rangitikei Advocate, Sir W. Fox says : — There is, I am sorry to say, no hope for the West Coast railway at present. -- The Government is willing to hand over the work and material at present on hand. on liberal terms to any company which might be formed; but a clause which was proposed to be added to the Railway Construction Bill to enable it to be clone was lost with the bill. It is certain, however, that the West Coast must', have this railway — it is only a question of time ; and if the settlers between Wellington inclusive and Taranaki combine in earnest, I hope that next session may enable us to get it.

The Dunedin Herald, after comparing the railway maps of the North and South Islands, " candidly confesses that the completed railways on the North Island, as they appear on the map, present a beggarly display; and were we North Islanders, we should want to know why such disproportion exists." Eepentance comes too late when all things are consumed ; the loan money is all gone, and the North Islanders are inclined to doubt very much whether any such reflections on the greed of the Southerners would have been published by the Herald if the Treasury had some unspent millions still at its command.

Messrs Webster and McKellar have opened up a case of farming implements called the " National Com Sower," which will be found a great boon to the farmers in this district (says the Herald). The facility with which Indian coni-, peas, mangolds, beans, &c, can be sown by the use of this implement is truly astonishing, as it pierces, the soil, and drops the seed simultaneously ; in fact, performs the whole operation of planting by one' stroke of the hand. The makers of this machine are Messrs. Pope and Baldwin, Quincy, Illinois ; and it has the further recommendation of being inexpensive, the price being only 7s. 6d.

Lawyers do not always get the oyster, as the following reply, which one of the legal fraternity received from a client the other day, will conclusively prove :—: — " My Worthy Sir,— I received your note, Just tiie one yourself had rote z By that I 66.9 ttlftt y<> u intend to make a noise ; Do not do bo, for you might wake up the boya. Now about your fees, I know quite well that you can see That pounds are strange things to such as me. But now, dear sir, if it should be,

That you could find a job for me,

I should be happy to work out your fee." Comment is needless. That client deserves to get off scot free.

A candidate for civic honors, at Napier, has addressed the following sentence to the ratepayers : — " Should you think my independence marked by spurious or selfish motives, do not give me your support." This is placing the ratepayers on the horns of a dilemma, because it is certainly uncourteous to attribute evil motives "to any one, and yet all those who prefer to vote for another candidate will apparently have to be enrolled among those who think this candidate's motives corrupt. We confess that we are somewhat puzzled by Mr. Leonard's phraseology; we wonder what "an independence marked by spurious or selfish motives" looks like, or feels like, or acts like. It is a very slippery, eel-like sort of an abstraction, "awfully difficult to grasp mentally. We have often noticed, however* that city councillors' ideas and language are apt to be far above and beyond the comprehension of the average ratepayer.

The chief recommendations of a South Australian Commission, appointed to enquire into the working of the liquor laws, were as follows : — " That the issue of licenses should continue in the hands of the Licensing Bench ; that the penalties should be heavier for the selling of drink to intoxicated persons ; that the inspector should be empowered to take away samples of liquors at any time, and have .them analysed ; that the occasional nightpermits to publicans to keep open after hours should be issued by two justices ; that on Sundays public-houses should be open from 1 till 3 and from 8 till 9 ; and that publicans' licenses should be raised."

We desire to acknowledge the receipt of a copy of the Statutes for 1880. They are printed on toned paper, and for the first time in demy quarto size, instead of foolscap. There are 57 general and 23 local acts. They include 11 consolidation statutes dealing with the laws affecting Aliens — Trade and Commerce — Importation and Sale of Gunpowder — Protection of Property of Married Women — Juries — Building Societies — Protection of Animals — Securities affecting Personal Chattels — Adulteration of Food — Marriage — and Banks and Bankers. It will be seen from the above, that much good work was done by the Revision of Statutes Commission last year.

This day week, the Hawera Cricket Club will open the season with a mateh — first eleven against 22 all-comers. The following are the names of the eleven :—: — Messrs. White, Southey, Mason, Wanklyn, Bayly,G,Lysaght,Cunningham,Beresford, Johnston, Parrington, and Biddiford (captain). The 22 is expected to be chosen from among the following : — Messrs. Arden, Hamilton, Miller, Gray, Perry, Griffiths, Gorton, Jenkins, Treger, Bayly, 1., Innes, Lloyd, Lukis, Galvin, Thomson, Yorke, Bate, Partridge, Fowler, Flint, Skeet, Dacre, Goodson, Bayly H., Dingle, R,., Wilkinson, Baddeley, Fi, Baddeley, R., and Willy. The match will commence at 10 a.m., and players are requested to be on the ground at that hour.

A report of the first Imeeting of the Ngaire Boad Board will be found in another column. The business was well conducted by Mr. Southey, who was appointed chairman ; but there was a great lack of information as to the funds at the disposal of the board, and a lamentable ignorance of the powers entrusted to, and the duties imposed upon, them by the Highways Act was admitted and deplored by all. Young boards resemble young bears — all their troubles are to come. Everything goes smoothly as a rule until it comes to a division of the spoils, and then the snapping, snarling, and growling begins, and in some cases it seems like Tennyson's brook, to " go on for ever."