NEWS AND NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume II, Issue 106, 20 April 1881, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

The Secretary to the Treasury has informed the Secretary of the Ngaire Road Board that £708 of deferred payment monies has been authorised to be paid over to that body.

The Rangitikei Advocate asserts that the revival of the timber trade is now an accomplished tact, though prices are now lower than formerly. All the mills along the railway line are now in full work.

Auctioneers' annual licenses expired on the 15th inst. Any knights of the hammer selling without a license render themselves liable to a heavy penalty.

The Patea Mail thinks that because six jurymen served twice in the case of the Crown v. Waters, for furious driving, therefore there was a miscarriage of justice. This is hardly complimentary to any of those concerned, least of all to the fresh jurors.

Efforts will shortly be made to form a Hunt Club at this end, and a meeting will probably be called in the course of a fortnight. The day of Mr. Jackson's sale was spoken of, but it was thought likely to interfere with the Acclimatisation's Society's meeting, which is advertised to take place on the same afternoon — viz., Friday, the 29th inst.

Like the rest of our contemporai-ies, we duly received both the false report and the contradiction of the ploughing near Parihaka. It is to be regretted that some evil disposed person should succeed in spreading false reports, such as the above and that concerning the sickness at Parihaka. Tha following are the names of the committee appointed at the public meeting held at Normanby last week, for the purpose of starting a library and readingroom: — E. Dacre (chanman), S. Gray (secretary and treasurer), C. E. Gibson, J. Kobson, T. Mabey, F. Hunger, W. Rowe, J. Millar, T. Robson, W. Lockington, R. Love, F. Finlayson, J. Morrison, G. Inkster. There was a flower show in Mr. Barker's new premises in Patea, followed by a dance in the evening, yesterday. It was given under the auspices of the Patea Agricultural and Pastoral Association. The committee, apparently, did not consider it ot sufficient importance to advertise it at this end of the county, j, The settlers on the Plains are increasing in numbers daily, and many of them are very busy harrowing their land previous to sowing it down with English grasses. Considering the short time which has elapsed since the land was first occupied, a good deal has been done. Grass seed is now nearly twice as dear as it was three or lour months ago, and those who bought early are thanking their stars that they did so. ■*? At the next meeting of the County Council, Councillor Gane will propose : — " That resolution No. 4 committe of the Bth March, 1881, be rescinded." " That the petition of the Waimate settlers re a road board, as presented by Councillor Gane at the last meeting of the County Council, be complied with at once." Notices of motion to this effect have been forwarded to the clerk of the County Council. Two more settlers from the South, who have been up to look at the Parihaka block with a view to purchasing, returned yesterday, and report that, though they consider the land of fair quality, it does not tempt them at the pi-ice at which it is offered. The Taranaki Herald expects that the sections which are open for application will shortly be bought. The new Supreme Court buildings at Wellington appear to be far from perfect. The acoustic properties are believed to be bad, and there is no grand jury room. The Chief Justice said the plans had been submitted to him and Judge Richmond, and the faults complained of did not strike him. Mr. Freeman R. Jackson has purchased from Mr. W. Cowern the stock sale-yards at Kakarainea, and will in future hold monthly sales there. At the close of Mr. Cowern's last sale, he stated that he had disposed of his sale-yards to Mr. Jackson, but that prior to that date there had been no negotiations. He had only sold the yards, after finding out that Mr. Jackson proposed to set up in opposition. He felt assured that the business could not be placed in better hands, and had no doubt that all his (Mr. Cowern's) Mends would support his successor. He had no intention of giving up business in the locality. A warning is issued in another column to persons who might be inclined to enter into negotiations with those Maoris to whom Crown grants have been lately issued for lands allotted to them within the West Coast Land District. The Commissioner cautions them that, inasmuch all this land is to be specially dealt with by Act of Parliament during the next session, auy such dealings will be held to be null and void. Many persons are under the impression that, provided a Maori holds a Crown grant, it is open to any outsider to enter into negotiations with him for the land so granted. In respect to land within this West Coast District, such is not the case, and the caution has been issued with the object of preventing complications arising out of sueli erroneous ideas. The last Parihaka meeting is thus reported by a gentleman who was there, and who has the advantage of being an acknowledged Maori scholar of the first class : — Te Whiti only spoke for about half an-hour, or less, and said nothing that could lie interpreted to mean anything definite. His allusions were, as usual, purely scriptural, apparently intended to convey the impression that the Maoris are the lost tribe of Israelites. Te Whiti talked in riddles the whole time, and what he said had even less sense than usual. The rain stopped him ; and so far as our informant could say, his speech might mean a great deal, or it might mean nothing. There was a fair attendance, though by no means a large one. Yesterday many of those who had been to Parihaka returned to Hawera and Waimate. The deputation which waited upon Mr. Maxwell, General Manager of New Zealand Railways, at New Plymouth, on Thursday last, had quite a budget of grievances. Mr. McLean wanted more trucks, but did not. wish for the expensive siding that the Railway Department desired him to have. Mr. Berry had an overcharge of mileage to complain of; he objected to the extra rate charged between Stratford and Eltham, also to the absence of a smokingcarriage, the shortness of time foi which a return ticket was available, and to the irregular delivery of coals. Colonel Trimble complained of no goods tracks being sent away on Saturday or Monday, whence arose frequent delay. Mr. Watkins said railway employers impounded his cattle. Mr. Webster wanted sheep and cattle trucks, and also Borne leads to facilitate the loading and unloading of sheep. Mr. Hulke thought firm tickets might be issued ; the extra trains might be arranged to run regularly ; and the l ladies' room be reserved to them, instead of being occupied by the railway officials. Mr. Carter complained of the Inglewood stationmaster. Mr. Humphries of nondelivery of grass-seed. Mr. Bluck of a ' difficulty of obtaining receipt notes for goods, and of inconvenience in the system of delivery at Waitara. Under the circumstances, an outsider can hardly fail to believe that there ia room for considerable improA'ement in the management, and is not surprised to find that Mr. Maxwell asked for time to consider many of the complaints made. He promised to supply more trucks, to refund Mr. Berry's overcharge, and to direct the ladies' waitingroom to be given up to them. If Mr. Maxwell receives a similar greeting elsewhere, his tour will not be all " beer and skittles."

The crashing machinery for thoroughly testing the Featherston reefs, in the Wairarapa, is now in course of erection. It has been decided, in the Supreme Court at Hokitika, that the ordinary rule of set-off does not apply, as between banker and customer does not apply. One of the local saw-mills has received so many orders of late, that the proprietors were forced to decline a large order offered to them. The Auckland Star reports that Sir George Grey was sixty-nine years old on the 14th inst. He is said to be suffering from his sore leg. It is notified that the share list for the Wellington-Manawatu Railway will close on May 31st. Forms of application may be had at any of the branches rf the Bank of New Zealand. At Mr. Menlove's annual sale of stock, near Oamaru, the prize Clydesdale mare Princess Mary, bred by Mr. Boag, was sold to Mr. McLean, of Hawke's Bay, for 145 guineas. It is reported that a well known PakehaMaori was arraigned before Judge Lynch, at Normanby, a day or two ago. He was charged with abusing the hospitality of his host, and was sentenced to be tarred and feathered. The verdict was promptly and efficiently executed. Sir Samuel Wilson, of Ercildoune, recently sold one of his sheep runs, comprisiug 3,000,000 acres of land, about 250,000 sheep, besides cattle and horses, for the yearly payment of £50,000. The land is leased from the Crown ior a term of years. The p.s. Samson called at Opunake on Monday, and discharged a full cargo of timber* about 60,000 feet. Part of this was for some bridges now under construction, the rest being to private order. A number of buildings, including two blacksmith's shops, are now in course of erection there. The English Church Building Committee have determined to hold a bazaar, in aid of the new church, now in course of erection, A number of ladies have been asked to allow their names to be placed on the committee, which will meet at the Institute on Thursday the 28th inst., ■when the date, for holding the bazaar, will be fixed. One settler on the Plains has been waging war to the knife against the wild pigs on the Waimate, and now after a fortnight's hunting, finds that 303 have been killed. An adjoining neighbor has been killing for a longer period, and has a much longer list of victims. The strangest part of the story is, that the numbers of the porcine invaders has not been perceptibly diminished. Mr. Bunny, in his speech to the electors of the Waira.apa, is reported to have said :—": — " Those people who want their children educated beyond the Fourth Standard ought to pay for it. Any persons who want their sons to learn Greek and Latin ought to pay for it." Mr. Beetham agreed with him, but drew the line at the Third Standard. The Eangitikei Advocate says: — "We have heard of a man taking up his bed and walking, but it is a rare thing to see a man taking his house on the journey with him. The other day a Carnarvon settler passed through Turakina, carrying his house on a dray. He was taking it all the way to the Waimate Plains, where he intends to settle." Arrangements have been made by Mr. Flynn to run his conveyances so* as to meet Mr. Hall's coach from Taranaki, via Opunake, at the latter place on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Travellers will be able to come on to Hawera by Mr. Flynn's conveyance on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, arriving in town early in the afternoon. The Otago Harbor Board has offered its employees to arrange for insuring them against accidents of all kinds from month to month, by deducting from their wages at the rate of a penny per day, which would entitle them to £1 per week, while unable to work, in case of accident, or £100 to their heirs in case of death. In an article on the Property Tax, the Christchurch Press says: — " Nothing could be more strikingly illustrative of the changed temper of the people of this colony than the manner in which the increased taxation imposed since the present Government came into power has been submitted to. Within the last two or three weeks come £225,000 of direct taxation has been paid into the Colonial Treasury, and the operation has been attended by no excitement of any kind, unless it were the display of some eagerness on the part of the taxpayers to hand over the money as speedily as possible. The dogged resolution to pay a necessary, but unpopular, tax must have considerably disconcerted those patriotic Liberals who had looked forward to an unseemly display of hostility to the tax and the Government who imposed it, when the time came round for its payment."