NEWS AND NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 82, 22 January 1881, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

In the supplement presented with this issue of the Star will be found a continuation of the serial tale by Mr. Donald Cameron ; a story called " A Only Offer" ; a sketch called "In the Snakehouse at Feeding-time. Under the heading of " Household," a careful description of adul-

terations in tea, confections, pickles, &c, is given ; and the supplement closes with a humorous article from Harper's Monthly, entitled " Ben Peek's Wager."

Mr. Walton Pell, the successful tenderer for the Hawera Railway contract, is apparently determined to push ahead. He has let a contract for the fencing to Messrs. Wiley and Sykes, and has already put on a small party of men to work. Mr. Pell intends sending to Melbourne for a labor-saving appliance, technically termed a "scoop," or excavator. The scoops have been used with good results on railway contracts in Victoria.

The Education Act of 1877 provides that " on the fourth Monday in the month of January, in each year succeeding the year 1878, a public meeting of the householders in every school district shall be held at a time and place to be fixed by the Board, and publicly notified at least fourteen days previously." No such notification has been forwarded to this journal, and we believe that not one householder out of every twenty in the district would know that the elections were pending, but for this notice. Many of the householders in the outlying districts complain of the neglect shown by the Education Board in this matter. The polling for the election is to commence at the school-house at 7 p.m. ; no one seems to know when it closes.

The Ngakumikumi Camp Athletic Sports have been postponed until Saturday, the 12th February. Full particulars will be found in our advertising columns. As good prizes are given, competitors from difierent parts of the coast will probably put in an appearance at Ngakumikumi — one of the prettiest places on the coast road to New Plymouth— on the day of the sports.

Mr. A. Hall, the well-known and popular whip, is now driving a tri-weekly coach between New Plymouth and the Ngakumikumi and Pungarehu camps.

The racehorse Papawai was raffled last night, and was won for Mr. J. Tingey, the highest total being forty-two. The steam launch built by the Taranaki Harbor Board will be ready for use in a few days. Pending the erection of his office in Regent-street, Mr. F. McGuire has taken a portion of Mr. Armstrong's premises, in High-street. Major Baddeley has been appointed Clerk of the Court at New Plymouth, vice Mr. Rawson, who is now the Resident Magistrate for that district. One of the oldest settlers on this coast, Mr. John Cameron, of Turakina Valley, died on Wednesday, at the advanced age of 100 years. We are informed that the tenders called for by Messrs. Websters and McKellar, for fluming for the flour-mill at Tawhiti, have not yet been accepted. The proprietors promise to forward particulars to the office of this journal to-day. Mr. T. King, Chairman of the Taranaki Harbor Board, estimates that a saving of £14.00 has been made by chartering the Adamant direct for New Plymouth, with all the plants purchased by Mr. Rees during his stay in Great Britain. Mr. Rees states that he has not yet had time to test the sample of cement forwarded to the Taranaki Harbor Board by Mr. Decimus Atkinson ; but if it will stand the same test as the English cement had to undergo, the Harbor Engineer sees no reason why the colonial cement should not be used, but rather the contrary, as a saving of £1 10s per ton would be effected. It has been decided that the property tax be payable either at the end of February, or early in March. The Act requires it to be paid in two instalments for the year ; but it will be necessary to have the dates for each moiety close together, in order that the tax may be collected during the financial year. By the original intention, the first moiety was due some months ago. A bush license has been refused to Mr. Price, the owner of the accommodationhouse at the Mangawhero Bridge. We have been informed that the petition for the license was signed by about 100 persons, including all the residents in the locality, and the majority of those who are in the habit of driving sheep and cattle along the Mountain road. Mr. J. Tingey met with an accident on Wednesday evening. His horse shied near the entrance to Mr. Bartlett's new residence (the painting and paperhanging of which has been let to Mr. Tingey) and he got thrown from the spring-cart to the ground. He sustained some severe injuries about the head, but Mr. Tucker was quickly in attendance, and dressed the wounds. , Three gentlemen, having lately passed through the Taupo! country to Wanganui, report having discovered several caves, contained in which are large quantities of alum. Other caves were also explored, in which sulphur was abundant. The explorers' attention was also attracted by a lagoon, the surface of which was covered with a greenish substance. The substance may be oxide of copper, but owing to the volcanic stratum little or no signs of the ore could be discernable on the surface of the ground in the vicinity. Two of th gentlem n, whose principal object is that of prospecting for gold, purpose renewing their researches, as there appears to be traces of the existence of that metal in

;he country to the south of Taupo.

Thomas O'Driscoll, Jeremiah Towers, Patrick Otter, Patrick O'Connor, John Denby, and Maurice Monahan, who were convicted at the District Court about ten months ago for rioting on Boxing Day, appeared before Judge Ward on Saturday, at Timaru, for sentence. Mr. Stout, counsel for the defence, called a number of witnesses as to character, including Messrs Wakefield and Turnbull, M.H.R.'s. The Judge said he would take into consideration the long time that had elapsed since the trial, and the fact that an Orange procession had since been held without molestation. O'Driscoll having promoted the disturbance by his letter was fined .£100 ; and the others were required to enter into their own recognisance to appear for sentence when called upon. His Honor's concluding exordium was, " One word before you go : Sin no more, lest a worse thing come to you."

Dame Rumor has a thousand tongues, and lies with each and all. Another exemplification of the above came under our notice a day or two ago. " Have you heard that a bushman who went up to split timber in the bush near Manaia for Mr. on the Waimate PI dns, has been warned to leave off and clear out, otherwise the Maoris say that they will remove him by force, if he is not gone before Saturday." Such was the story as it came to us. An interview with Mr.

showed that an old Maori had undertaken to point out some timber for splitting in the bush, and the splitter had set to work. The next day the old native was afraid lest the other Maoris on their return should blame him for his action, and th refore he tried to persuade the splitter to knock off. The latter was not a Maori scholar, and honestly believed that there was a chance of forcible measures being used to eject him, communicated his fears to the first man he met with, and thus started the story which reached us in the form given above.

The Wanganui Chronicle in an article on the deferred payment system of land tenure and the abuse of it at Hawera, saps:— "The residence section does not come into operation with regard to these lands until next June, and 'E. C. B. plainly states his opinion that these speculators are depending principally on the chance of being able to dispose of their purchases before that date. It is quite clear that all such transfers should be refused. The Act clearly intends that before a purchaser of deferred payment land is allowed to dispose of his interest he shall do something substantial by way of proof that the application was a genuine one, that is, that, when he applied for the land, he did so as a bona fide intending settler — a man who, after making himself acquainted with the provisions of the Act under which the land was to be sold, had determined to accept the conditions and settle down as a small farmer. . . We do not know how the Commissioner of Crown Lands regards this matter, but we contend that he has the power so to administer the law, that to a very great extent this door to a very odious sort of land-sharking -may be closed."

Mr. W. Dale wjII hold a sale of stock at Patea on Thursday next.

Some interesting particulars in reference to the growth and manufacture of beetroot will be found in our fourth page.

The Misses McCutchan notify that their school will re-open on Monday next. The first quarter for music pupils will commence on Tuesday.

Mr. Barker announces that his firsi ram and ewe fair will be held at his new yards, Patea, on Saturday, the 25th Feb ruary. There are already 2350 entries.

To-day is the forty-first anniversary of the Port Nicholson settlement, and also, if we mistake not, of the colony of New Zealand.

This day week the lease of a number of town sections in Hawera will be offered for sale by Mr. W. M. Thomson. There were some mistakes in the advertisement, as previously inserted, with regard to the area; but the correct acreage will be found in our advertising columns to-day.

Intending competitors at the Opunake Sports, which take place on Saturday next, will, no doubt, bear in mind that the rules require that all nominations must be sent in before the 24th, and all acceptances be notified to the secretary (Mr. H. Middleton) before 10 a.m. on the 29th inst.

The next concert of the Choral Society will be given on the 3rd of February. The rehearsals have been very well attended, and as an attractive programme has been prepared, the concert is likely to prove a success. The new conductor, Mr. Leslie Charles, has been indefatigable in his exertions since he took the baton of the society.

Some maliciously-disposed persons have broken the windows of the Wesleyan Chhrch, and we regret to learn that some damage has also been done to the fencing. It is a disgrace that such a thing should happen to a place of worship and its surroundings, and all well-disposed citizens should aid the police as far as possible in finding out who the offenders are.

The balance of the cash payments, in connection with the last land sale, were due at the beginning of this week, but as no notification to that effect has been published, we are afraid that some of the purchasers may have forgotten their liabilities, and as their lands are liable to forfeiture if the money is not paid, we have thought it better to give them a gentle reminder, even though it be at the eleventh hour.