NEWS AND NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 71, 15 December 1880, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

To-day we present to our readers a portrait of the late lamented Miss Mary B. Dobie, who was the third and youngest daughter of Major Herbert Mayne Dobie, of the 30th Native Begiment (Madras Army) i who died whilst on active service in India. Mrs. Dobie is a Bister to Mr. Arthur Locker, editor and proprietor of the London Graphic, to which journal Miss Dobie contributed several sketches of New Zealand scenery. Her loss may, therefore, be regarded as a public calamity. Mr. Frederick Locker, the poet, is also a brother of Mrs. D.obie's, and a son at Mr. Alfred Tennyson's, Poet Laureate, has been married to Mr. F. Locker's daughter. It is not surprising, therefore, that a young lady so accomplished as the late ilias Dobie should belong: to the 6&U*? gifted families. She was an en* tLnasiaav in all that pertained to art. Quite recently Miss Dobie, in company with her sister (Mrs. Major Goring) paid a visit to the Fiji Islands, and were for some time the guests of Sir Arthur Gordon. In consequence of Christinas Day and New Year's Day falling on Saturday, tbe Star will be published on Friday, the 24th, and Friday, the 81st instant. Ad- | yerti&ere' attention is directed to a notice j in another column. The conditions for the occupation of deferred payment land, as published by the Crown Lands Department, will be found in oar fourth page, and will doubtless prove useful to the successful bidders at to-day's sale. The Taranaki Land Board does not enforce residence on the bush land taken up on deferred payment. The return cricket match, Hawera and Mokoia versus Ngaire, Waihi, and Normanby, which it was intended to pi iy on Saturday next at Waihi, has been postponed lor the present, as the Waihi players hare had so much cricket lately, that they are anxious for a short respite. To-day the rural allotments on deferred payments on the Plains will be put up to auction ; to-morrow the cash, sale of C 00& acres will begin at 11 a.m. ; on Friday, at the same hour, the oash sales of town sections in Manaia and Optmak ; will be held ; on Monday next the village settlements at Otakehu, and of suburban land at Manaia and Opunake will be open for application or purchase. The match which had been arranged between the Cob and Buttercup did not come off on Saturday last. The Cob failed to put in an appearance, and in consequence Buttercup waa taken round the coarse, and her owner claimed the stakes. li was n&der&t&Dd thai subsequent to this, the own«rs h.vl arranged to try the horses, but unfortunately Buttercup, while being ridden on Sunday last, fell down dead ; it is believed that she ruptured a blood vessel. Messrs. Iredale Brothers have decided to offer for sale nineteen sections of land near Hawera., suitable fox suburban resi< 1 dencea. The land is only f, few minutes' walk from the post office, and has been subdivided into sections varying in size from one to five acres. Already several o£ the townspeople have decided to build upon l&nd adjoining this, and, in con&a/juence, considerable enquiry Las been ] made after the land. The sale .will commence at 2 p.m. to-day, and ought to secure a good attendance. It is believed that some of the buyers of land on the Plains will be anxious to live at Hawera for sometime before taking up their abode on then farms, and this sale will afford them an opportunity of securing a really good situation. The Town Board have wisely decided [ to accept Mr. Foy's very reasonable offer to construct a map or plan of Hawera, , showing the comet levels for all streets. I drains, and water-channeb throughout | the town. It is not as if the money were being paid for a map only. In reality the payment will be made for a plan which will afford a basis for the calculation of all work henceforth undertaken by the board. Hitherto large sums of money have been wasted in the formation of BtTeeta at the wrong Iev«I ( It is patent to any observer that there have been many errors made in the past, as th« surface water lies in large pools in the very channels of High street. After Mr. Foy has completed bis work, reliable data will ba at the disposal of' the board, from which they can ascertain hoik khe quantity »n& value of any work which they may have to undertake, and will also be in a position to have all work carried out on accurate levels, in accordance with one generaldramage scheme.

Axttror Hume, Esq., has been gazetted inspector of prisons within the colcny. We are glad to state that there is now abundance of work for masons and quarrymen, at the New Plymouth harbor works, remarks the News. The occupation on lease of a number of sections in Stratford will be offered at auction at New Plymouth on Saturday next.' Several sections in Manaia and Otakehu small farm allotments have been withdrawn from sale. Particulars are advertised elsewhere. Tbe ladies wbo bave charge of the Roman Catholic Church Bazaar have decided to postpone it for some time, so as to allow for further preparation. Mr. E. ff. Ward, barrister and aolieitor, has decided to practice, in Hawera, as well as in Pa tea. He will make this town his ueackquftrtets, and has taken offices at the northern end of High street. W« understand that the Government have decided to do away with the Armed Constabulary station at Waihi. It is, however, probable that a few men may be kapt to look after the buildings, &c. Mm Wava, relict of the late Rev. Boberk Ward, Primitive Methodist clergyman, died recently in Wellington. The deceased lady and her husband arrived in New Plymouth in the year 1844, having been passengers on the barque .Raymond. The Committee oi ih& H&wera Athletic Sports have decided to allow wiuners of prizes to accept trophies to the value of the amount won, instead of the money prizes offered! Amateurs will thus be able to compete without disqualifying themselves as amateurs. In out fourth page a large' number of landed properties are advertised for sale. Among others, a farm of 429 acres near Waitara, the lease of 700 acres, with nineteen years to run, and a farm of 53 acres near Stratford, and a number of other desirable investments. Persons who are looking for land would do well to examine these properties before leaving the district. At the Police Court yesterday, before Captain Wilson and F. McGuire, Esq., J.P.s, Charles Williams was charged with stealing from the person of Thos. Eilroy. He Lad been previously. sentenced to fourteen days' imprisonment for larceny at Normanby, in July last. Tho bench sentenced the accused to three months' imprisonment The Ngaire people are determined to have the southern portion of the Mountain road metalled, if possible. At a public meeting held there on- Monday last, it was resolved to write to the Government, asking at .what figure they would be prepared to let the work. It was stated by the chairman of the meeting that public tenders had been four times refused, and that a private tender considerably under tlae price at wliicij tJje Qovernmeni oSerei iolei fcbe a&zat> work for l&6t year, had been also .declined. The programme of the Normanby eporte, which are to be held on Boxing Day, will be . r found in ' our advertising columns. Tnere are twenty events, and the prizes are based on a liberal scale. The volunteer band at Cape Egmont will play on the ground during the Jay, Colonel Roberts, who ib president of the sports, having kindly permitted them to attend. In the evening, the new Town Hall, which is rapidly approaohing completion,' will be opened with a ball. A good day's enjoyment may therefore be expect, d. The Rev,- J. Torry delivered an interesting lecture last evening, in the Normanby Presbyterian Churoh, on " The Life of a Scottish Naturalist." The lecture was listened to attentively by a 6mall but appreciative audienoe, several of the humorous sketches causing much laughter. The choir from the Hawera churoh tfang several glees during the evening in a most creditable manner. We regret that pressure on our space will not permit of our giving a full report of the lecture. Mr, Twigg has undertaken to act for the Ngaire $oad Board in" the same capaoity as he has been engaged to act for the Hawera Road Board. On Monday last he accompanied the chairman of the former hoard, and commissioners Mabey, Hawke, and Twigg on a tour of inspection through the Ngaire district, with a view of ascertaining what work was most urgently needed. Some of the deferred payment settlers are in mnch need of work on the roads laid off to their sections to give them access to their land. At tho last meeting of the New Plymouth Harbor Board, in reply to a question by & member of the board* the engineer said he expect d to have the harbor ready for tho entrance of coastal steamers in two years ■ from this date, and to have shelter for small craft in eighteen months. The chairman said he had informed Major Atkinson that they wanted the railway extended to the harbor «ite, and that the board would like to construct it for the Government. The engineer reported as follows : — *• The average number of men employed upon the works during the- past fortnight has been 94, and the number on the books on -Saturday last was 143. Part of the iron jetty has boen shipped from 'Wellington-, per e.s* "Waaaka, bat was carried on to Auckland on Monday night. The lucerne and other seeds sown on the sandhills during the past month have germinated, and the messembryanthemnm planted during the last three weeks between the furze, which has been pinned down to the surface of the sand, has in every instance taken rood." We regret to find from the pilot's report that the harbor works at Patea have been hardly so successful as those who regard that port as their outlet could wish. Mr. Wood, the pilot, reported as follows :—: — "The bar has been completely blocked up sin oe December 2nd, with hardly any entrance. The heavy sea on the bar would not let the scour force its way through the north spit — the sand being banked tip by the heavy sea brought the tail end of the spit below the boulder bank, with,9.ieet at spring tides, and the channel very narrow, with a broadside' sea up to. the end of breakwater. But the fresh coming* down yesterday drove through the spit, and made a straight channel. The fresh is running very strong now, scouring away the north 'spit, making the channel wide between breakwater and spit. The heavy westerly sea against the heavy fresh will Vikely hring ihe entrance to the southward of the breakwater. The works are standing the heavy sea and fresh well. Thirtytliree -vessels have "crossed the bar since, 'last report. Two crossed at night. Man' and punt have been engaged lifting snags."

Several properties near Hawefa are advertised for sale by Messrs. McCutchan. Tenders are invited for the refreshment booths at the Normanby sports. Mr. F. R. Jackson will hold his usual sale of stock at Hawera on Friday next. Applications vrill be received tip to Friday, the 24th instant, for the .post of clerk to the Ngaire Boad Board. *' A hundred head' of cattle- are advertised for private sale by Messrs. Bauchope andKing ; particulars may be had at the Empire Hotel, Hawera. Bank holidays will be observed in 1 Hawera &hd if orznanhy on hlouilay, 27th December, 1880, and Monday, 3rd Jauu-' iuy,'lßßl. On Wednesday next Mr. Cowern will I sell by auction, at Patea, the right to col- > lect tbe dog-tax in the several ridings of ; the county. Each riding will be Bold separately. Mr. H. M. Brewer, Land Purchase Officer, in the Public Works Department, arrived in Hawera on Monday evening. A court will soon- be held here for the adjudication of all claims for land required to be taken for the purposes of a railway in this district. A report that gold had been discovered on the banks of the Mangaehu, a tributary of the Patea river, by Mr. Barclay's survey party, was circulated in Hawera and Nor» m&nky yesterday, and created quit" a sensation. Oh th« map th« Mangaehu appears to l)e about equal distance from Stratford »u<l Hawera, but it can be reached by canoe from the former place. It ia stated that some of the specimens were submitted to the popular captain of the steamer Bowena, who iB an old and experienced miner, and that Captain Amodea pronounced a very favorable opinion on them. Some bush, adjacent to Messrs. Berry and Newman's contract, near the. Mangawhero, took fire last week. It spread on to 'sections belonging to Messrs. Quin, H. Gibson, and A. Gibson, who, we are informed, estimate the damage caused by their bosh being- set 'fire to at -about £40 to £50. One ot the injured parties intends seeking redress in » court of law, as be alleges that the buab was set fire to by order of th» railway contractors. We believe there is a law in force, which provides (hat bush land can only b« set on fire during certain months of the year. If so, the contractors, who are threatened with heavy penalties unless their work is finished within the specified time, are placed in rather an awkward fix. A few sparks might' set fir« to the bush near the bridges which are in coots* of construction, and might destroy them at any moment. On the other band, the settlers who have recently felled their bush along the Mountain road might have sustained very serious injuries, had the wind been in a different direction on tlie Hay the fire took place. It is well knows that farmers srowlii prefer to ii&ye standing bush, rather than have ft bad burn, aad]w§ axe informed that Messrs. Quin and Gibsons will have muoh trouble, and considerable expense, in getting a good burn, in consequence of the fire having spread to then* sections last week 1 . - - .' ' !