NEWS AND NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 48, 25 September 1880, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

Eighty men from Major Tuke's camp will probably be sent during the ensuing week to Mauaia, where it is intended to build a redoubt.

Large numbers of people have come to the district during the week, the land for sale on the Waimate Plains being, of course, the principal source of attraction.

Mr. Chetwynd and survey party arrived on the Plains on Wednesday, from Pungarehu. They will be engaged in taking levels for the bridges on the road between Manaia and Normanby.

Mr. Pinnerty and party have arrived at Opunake. As Mr. Finnerty laid off the township some time ago, there will, in all probability, not be a great deal to do ; but if the pegs havj been removed to anything like the same extent as on the Plains, it would be almost as easy to make a second survey as to follow the old lines.

We have much pleasure in stating that Major Noake has kindly consented to "a postponement of the cavalry parade until Wednesday nest, on account of the cricket match. The telegram does not inform us whether the same applies to the Normanby Bifles, but we presume that it does, seeing the number of names from both townships included amongst the players.

Mr. Buchanan has negotiated with the natives for the lease of about 1000 acres adjoining his present leasehold on the Whereroa Eeserve. The land is principally bush, and a good proportion ot it is broken, but there are over 200 acres of fern land. The price stated is 2s per acre for the first seven years, 2s 6d per acre lor the second term, and 3s per acre for the third. "This ought to prove a better investment than buying land, on the Waimate Plains at fancy prices.

Saw-milling is likely to become a prominent industry in the Ngaire district. We have been informed that Mr. Taylor, who lately rented Major Stapp's farm at Tikorangi, intends erecting a mill on his land adjacent to the Ngaire railway station. A gentlemau, who has been engaged in the timber trade in the Manawatu district, contemplates erecting a mill close to Stratford. Southey and Willy are busy putting up machinery at their mill at Mangawhero, and will be ready to commence working operations in a few weeks. A tramway, about a mile in length, to connect with the railway, will also be commenced in a short time.

Complaints have been made to us of dog poisoning. Two valuable retrievers belonging to Mr. J. Tingey, painter, have been killed by that means during the past week. One of the dogs was tied up for a day or two, and as footmarks have been traced to where the poor brute was chained up, it is supposed that it was maliciously poisoned. If such be the case, we hope thai; the J5 reward, ■which Mr. Tingey offers,- will have the desired effect. Six months imprisonment would be quite little enough punishment for such a mean and cowardly action. We trust that Sergeant Cahill and Constable Crozier will bestir themselves in the matter. It is a serious affair, in a district where there are so many valuable dogs.

The export cattle trade from the Waitara is increasing to a great extent. Four vessels are now regularly engaged in the trade, and of course there are several others occasionally calling in. The paddle steamer Hauraki, for which Messrs. Bauchope and King, auctioneers, New Plymouth, are agents, has lately undergone a good overhauling. The bottom of the vessel has been re-sheathed with copper and she has been put in thorough repair. As a consequence, she did the journey from the Manukau to the Waitara, on Saturday last, in fourteen hours. It is a well known fact that paddle steamers are preferred for the cattle trade, and although not quite ~so fast, they are much more steady for the animals. The Hauraki is owned by Mr. Cottier, of New Plymouth.

The accommodation provided for the travelling" public has been none of the best during the winter months, consequent on the bad state of the roads. The Ist of October will usher in a new state of things. Mr. Andrew Young intends running two coaches daily between Hawera and Ngaire, and we have no doubt that he will find it advantageous to keep up a similar service with the southern end of the county. Mr. W. E. Prosser has had a very fine coach just built to ord'jr by Mr. Cockburn, who did a large business in that line in Wellington some time since. This conveyance will start from the Hawera Hotel on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, at 9 am., for Opunake, from whence it will return on the following days. There will be a change of horses at Oeo, and four will run during the longer stage, and two for the remainder of the journey. As the road is in pretty good order, passengers will arrive at Opunake in time for the mid-day meal — always a consideration with those who have good digestion waiting on appetite.

An influential meeting was held last week at Tikorangi, and resolutions as to the advisableness of forming a separate county were passed. Straws show how the wind blows, and that meeting is only another indication of the state of public opinion in reference to our present costly, cumbersome, and inefficient system of local government. The House of Eepresentatives will soon be forced to deal with this important question, and the constu tuencies will demand practical work instead of petty squabbling. Whilst on this subject, it might not unreasonably be asked — What have the committee appointed at the "public meeting held in this district been doing ? Have they held any meetings ? Has the petition, the rough draft of which was read at the meeting, heen prepared ? Or If as &>e zo&fcter been "nipped i' the bud?" If such be the case, the promoters would have done better had they not called the meeting at all. The convening of a public meeting is a comparatively easy matter, but those who believe that their object is worth accomplishing, must be prepared to go much further than that. These remarks are made in no hostile spirit to the committee, but so many inquiries have been made at .our office that we have felt it necessary to give a gentle reminder.

The English mail, via San Francisco, was delivered in Hawera on Thursday.

Messrs. Bluck and Baker will hold an important sale of kauri timber, at Waitara, on Tuesday next.

The cricket match, first eleven versus second twenty-two, will commence at ten o'clock this morning.

The addition to the Roman Catholic Church is nearly completed, and will be the means of giving a good deal of increased accommodation.

The new colored maps of tlae land to be sold on the Waimate Plains can be had either from Mr. Wilkinson, clerk of the court, or Mr. Chancy, postmaster.

Bu lding operations, in connection with the Norcnanby Town Hall, will be commenced in a few days. "We hope to see the remainder of the shares speedily taken up.

A new timber yard will soon be started in Hawera. It is intended to keep a good stock of kauri and other kinds of timber, and a regular trade will be opened up with Auckland.

Mr. Cheal, surveyor, has purchased the lease of the corner section next to Mr. Watts', cabinetmaker. A new building will soon be erected, and Mr. Cheal will probably occupy it himself.

At the last meeting of the New Plymouth Harbor Board, the secretary informed the members that a machine for bending rails had been lost in the ill-fated Bangatira. A letter was read from Mr. Curtis, resigning his seat on the board.

The unemployed working on the ManaiaNormanby road will shift camp on Monday next. Nearly three miles of the road have been roughly formed. At the same rate of progress, the formation should be completed to the Waingongoro before the land is sold.

" It never rains but it pours," is an old saying. We hear that a new bakery will shortly be started at Waihi. It was only about a week ago we chronicled the fact of Mr. Gray, a new settler in our district, being about to open hi the same line of business at Normanby.

Down at Christchurch, a short time ago, two men went out shooting early on Sunday, at Burnham. One shot was fired, and a hen pheasant killed, but the men have had to pay in all M 9 6s. for the shot, and somebody else is to eat the pheasant. At the Besident Magistrate's Court they admitted that they were in the habit of living on game, which is plentiful in the neighborhood, but their employers said they were very poor, and only earned 4s. a day each.

A correspondent writes from the Empire City : — " Things seem to be drifting steadily into a miserable condition. I think business is getting worse every month — not in any particular line, but in every direction. During the last few weeks, several hundred people have cleared out for Sydney : we are losing the best of our tradesmen. The number of empty shops and .houses is something appalling: I counted twelve tenantless houses round the Basin Eeserve last Saturday, and I have been told there are no less than 150 houses empty in Cook Ward alone."

A rumor was very generally prevalent in New Plymouth, in the early part of the week, that the hon. the Native Minister wished to march on Parihaka at the time the meeting was being held, but his Ministerial colleagues were of a different opinion. It may be stated, however, that a rumour reached Mr. Bryce, from New Plymouth, the day before the meeting, that a march had actually been made on Parihaka, and that Te Whiti and Tohu had been taken prisoners — the former without resistance, but the latter after strong opposition. There may be just as much truth in the one report as in the other.

Brewers beware! We desire to di*aw the attention of all those interested in the manufacture of beer to several stringent clauses in the .Beer Duty Act. Clause 6 requires every brewer to send a notice to the Collector of Customs in his district before commencing or continuing his business, in the form of the first schedule of the Act. Clause 10 requires each brewer to enter into bond to pay the duty, and to comply with the other provisions of the Act. Collectors will supply stamps to be affixed to the plug or the stopper of the tap-hole on each cask. There are a number of other regulations, re the keeping of books, &c, which will certainly render it necessary for every brewer to keep a clear head for his business, and not to allow the fumes from the vats to muddle his brains. Forging a stamp or die renders the forger liable to penal servitude for seven years, or to be imprisoned, with or without hard labor, for any term not exceeding four years.

The other day we heard of a civil servant who appeared at a fancy dress ball in a~*very seedy old coat, much patched, and labelled all over with cardsvbearing the inscription " 10 per cent, reduction," economy, retrenchment, &c. jThen came a story of a country .postmaster, who had been in receipt of fifty shillings per year ; who, on receiving notice of the proposed reduction, replied in' formal terms that " after due consideration he had resolved to accept his pay as reduced to 495. 6d. ; but trusted that under the circumstances- the said reduction should not be held to impair any claim which he might have to_ a retiring allowance ! " Now at last, as a fitting climax, we hear from Invercargill that postmaster Lowther, who has filled the office gratuitously for some years past, has received notice from the Postal Department that his "salary" is to be reduced 10 per cent. Some of those who sit in high places, however, do not takd kindly to the reductions. For instance, Judge Weston, upon a recent occasion, remarked while on the bench :—": — " The country will yet realise the folly of degrading and pauperising the judicial bench. By-and-bye our courts will be presided over by men possessing neither honor, experience, nor ability, and so it will come to pass that crime/ will go unpunished, the innocent will suffer, and property will be no longer safe to its possessors. Of all the institutions of the country, the Bench should be the most carefully protected, its occupiers should be placed beyond temptation, and beyond the influence and caprice of members of Parliament, annually exercisable." Seeing that Ministers agreed to draw 20 per cent, less stipend from the Treasury than heretofore, in order to place themselves to some extent on equal terms with their servants, the Judge would have acted wisely by displaying an equal desire to set an example of economy.

Property i.bout New Plymouth is fetching good prices. Mr. Isaac Bayly re entlv sold an acre near ihe town for over .£ICO.

A large number tendered for the supply of rations to the A.C. Force. It is stated that three tenders were sent from New Plymouth, one from Normanby, three from Hawera, and two from Carlyle. It was currently reported on Thursday that the successful tenderer was Mr. John Stevenson, but up to yesterday afternoon that gentleman had received no official intimation of the fact.

The second, competition for the McGuire Cup will take place on the Priuce of Wales' Birthday. The hon. secretary, Mr. King, wrote to the Normanby Bifles and the Hawera Light Horse, suggesting that the competitors from the various volunteer corps in the county shonld all fire at the same range. From what we can learn, the feeling at this end is against the proposal, in consequence of the loss of time that would be involved.

With reference to a letter published in another column, from Mr. Inkster, on the subject of sugar-beet growing, we should be glad to learn upon what authority the writer states that the profits from 8 igarbeet growing on the Continent have been 25 to 30 per cent. In France, the industry has been especially fostered by the State, by the granting of a substantial bonus. We should be most happy to do all that lies in our power to encourage this or any other local industry, such as that suggested by Mr. Inkster, but we desire to be first convinced that it is likely to prove a really profitable undertaking. We are satisfied that the soil in this district is all that could be desir d, and the climate generally suitable, though in some seasons ratber too wet in summer. But, belore going further into the matter, it is highly necessary that the statistics of cost of cultivation, labor, average yield of roots, and per centage of sugar, &c, should be ascertained, and laid before the public in a clear and succinct style. The latest and most improved beet-sugar-machihery is known to be far more economical in its working and profitable in its results than that formerly in use, and it would be well to try and obtain some of the most recent publications on the subject, before calling a public meeting, as suggested by our correspondent.

A meeting of settlers in the Ngaire district was held at Brett and Johnston's Hotel, Normanby, yesterday afternoon, for the purpose of considering the advisableness of extending the boundaries of the Ngaire survey district; and also for the purpose of discussing the question of. merging all the district road boards into the proposed new county of Egmont. There were about a dozen settlers present, and Mr. Southey, chairman of the newlyconstituted Ngaire Boad Board, was voted to the chair. After some discussion, a resolution, proposed by Mr. Quin, and seconded by Mr. Gray, for the amalgamation of the lower with the upper portion of the Ngaire district, was carried by four votes to three, Messrs. Quin, Mabey, Gray, and H. Gibson, voting for, and Messrs. McCutchan, Stewart, and T. Bobson against; but the latter gentleman's vote was object d to, on the ground that his property was in the Hawera and not in the Ngaire survey district. The chairman ancL Mr. Quin undertook to take a petition round to the settlers for signature. The following resolution was proposed by Mr. Gray, seconded by Mr. Allen, and carried : — " That this meeting desires to enter its most earnest protest against the movement originated in Hawera for a separate county, as it considers it too premature." The only person who voted against it was Mr. Quin. In consequence of the meeting having been held the day before publication, we are reluctantly compelled to hold over our report till next issue.