WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1881. NEWS AND NOTES

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume II, Issue 188, 21 December 1881, Page 2

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1881. NEWS AND NOTES

Monday being Boxing Day, there will be no publication of the Star. The Christmas Supplement to be issued with the Stab on "Friday will be four pages, each of seven columns in extent, and will be illustrated by wood cuts. The literary matter will embrace a thrilling story, "A Couple of Cups Ago," by N. Walter Swan ; A Conscientious Stranger, by the late Marcus Clarke ; My Mate's Locket, by Carl A . Filberg; Satisfaction, by . Janet Carroll ; The Valley of the Shadow, by Donald Cameron ; all well written, interesting stories, the scenes of which are laid in the colonies, and refer to colonial life, the authors being Australians. There are also a number of poems by the Australian poets Kendall, Whitworth, Turner, and others. Aa a whole the supplement is an excellent one, and we trust our readers will be pleased with it. Major Parris has been in Hawera during the past two or three days, and this morning went to Patea on West Coast Commission business. One hundred and twenty Cons a£ stone , from the Balmoral claim at Careoar, New South Wales, gave the handsome yield of ] 4,033 ounces of gold. On Monday, the 2Gth December, and | 2nd January, the following hours will be observed at all telegraph offices in New Zealand, viz., 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., and £rom 7.30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Railway revenue of the New Plymouth section of railways was, for the last four weekly periods, i' 1,107, as against .£638 during the corresponding period of 1881. The fall of rain has been considerable throughout the district during the past few days, and a good deal of loss has been sustained by those who have been haymaking or cutting grass for seed. An inspection parade of the Hawera Rifles 'is ordered for Thursday, 22nd inst. The Band will be in attendance, and blank ammunition will be served out. It is particularly hoped there •will be a full attendance of members, this being the last parade of the year. Mr. G. V. Bate has received the following telegram from Mr. G. S. Cooper, Under-Secretary, in reference to the delay in proclaiming Hawera a borough : — •' Sorry to say press of work has prevented Surveyor-General from giving official boundaries of borough, which has delayed proclamation. Everything else ready." During the return of the excursion steamer Penguin, irom Akaivm, on Can« terbury Auniversary Day, a seaman named William Gurin fell overboard. A life buoy -was thrown, and fell within two feet of him, but he neglected to seize it, and made for the shore. A boat was lowered, but failed to reach him in time, and Gurin was drownad. The late sultry weather, together with the steady downpour of rain, ha 6 been the means of considerably increasing the flow of waters in our rivers, and must have lessened the residue of snow on Mount Egmont to some extent. We heard it stated that the flood waters were higher in Stoney River, on Tuesday last, than they have been known for some years past. The colonial railway revenue during the last four-weekly period was J45,984, as against £44,581 during the corresponding period of last year ; the expenses were 57*53 per cent, of receipts, as against 64*05 last year. If the revenue is not increasing very much, the expenses are lessening, and consequently the profit is increasing. We are pleased to find that an excursion train will be laid on from Hawera to Normanby on Boxing Day, at Bingle fares for the return journey. The train will leave Hawera at 11.30 a.m., returning from Normanby at 4.30 -p.m.. We have no doubt a large number of Hawera residents will avail themselves of the opportunity. The sports ground at Normanby is a very pretty place for holidaymaking. For tbe deferred payment sections, opened for selection on Monday, all were applied for, 14 of the applications being lodged at Patea, and the balance at Hawera. We believe that in each case there will be a contest at auction. This will take place on Thursday, when the cash land will also be submitted to the liammer. There seems to be a considerable demand for the land. The Hon. Mr. Bryce arrived in Hawera by coach on Monday, and sta3'ed for the night, intending to visit Te Ngntu-o-te-manu next day in company with Colonel Roberts and others, out the weather was so wet that the trip would have been very unpleasant ; but, in addition to this, Mr. Bryce was very unwell, having caught a severe cold. The trip was, therefore, abandoned, and yesterday the party proceeded on to Opunake. I An instance of smart travelling is recorded. Mr. J. A. Petherick left Hawera on Saturday morning last, and arrived in Auckland next morning as people were going to church. He spent the best part I of two days in Auckland, and was back in Hawera on Wednesday night. Probably this is the smartest travelling yet done from Hawera to Auckland and hack. Ifc would certainly be very difficult to beat it. Mr. Fouiis, School-Inspector, has been busy during the day conducting the examinations at the Hawera school, but his labours will not be brought to a close till to-morrow afternoon, as the number of children attending- is very consi&eT&hle. It may be mentioned, as showing the progress which has been made along this coast during the past few years, that when Mr. Fouiis first took charge of the Wanganui Education District, there were only between 1500 and 2000 children attending the sohooh from Otaki, on the South, to Hawera and Normanby, on the North. Now, there are between 6000 and 7000 children attending the schools in Mr. Foulis's district. It might not be amiss for those who sometimes growl at our hard working Inspector to bear these facts in mind.

A post-off'u'9 is now established at Otakeho. Mails close at Hawera daily at 2 p.m. The Vvanganm breakwater is about to lie coasida-ably extended, tenders for the formation of 1800 feet having been called. It is stated that about a dozen new telegraph stations are about to be opened in the Auckland district. Henry Augustus Levestam, engineer, Nelson, has deposited a patent for an improvement in the rudder of ships or vessels of all kinds. On the declaration of the poll at Nelson, Mr. J. C. Eichmond said he believed the Government would have a large majority in the new House. The steamship Great Eastern is proving a veritable white elephant. It is now suggested that she should be utilised as a floating hotel. At the October Civil Service examinations, 80 candidates put in an appearance, ] and 84 underwent exauimatiou. Out of | that number 20 passed, and C 4 failed. The telegraph office at Baliohi has? been abolished, and a post-telegraph station is •now open at Parihaka. Shades of Te Whiti ! The Locnl Industries Association at Ashburton is about to be wound up. Protectionist doctrines do not appear to find very great favor amongst our iellowcolonists in Canterbury. It is announced that Sir Arthur Gordon, Governor of New Zealand and Hi{/h Commissiouer of the Pacific,' will shortly be relieved of general supervision over the colony of Fiji. Among the candidates who passed theannual civil service examination, was Alfred Alexander Buske, of New Plymouth, who was educated at the Patea Public Sohool. Application has been made to register the Golden Crown Company, at Terawhiti. The nominal capital of the company is £12,000, in 24,000 shares, of 10s. each. It is announced that in appreciation of the character and services of her Lite husband, Mrs. Garfield is to have the privilege of sendiug letters throughout the States of the Union free of postage. The traffic returns on the Wanganui section of the railway, for the four- weekly period ending 12th November, show a cousiderable increase, as compared with the same period last year, the figures being — 1880, £2,822 75.; 1881, £3,730 115. &). A Cricket Club has been started at New Plymouth, of which Mr. Stnndish has been elected president, Mr. Taylor captain and Mr. Rogers, secretary and treasurer: committee, Messrs. Webb, Ambridge, and Begley, the captain aucl secretary to be ex qfficio members. In connection with the catastrophe at Vienna, caused by the burning of the theatre, it is averred that investigation has shown that the police, through some bungling, locked the doors of the burning building before it w:is more than half empty, anci fcli.tfc an extraordinary, number of deaths is attributable to the means of egress being thus cut ofl. The wet weather has sadly interfered with thp success of the! Rifle Association's first fixture. Both yesterday morning and this morning the rain came down in such torrents that shooting was out of the question, and as there is no indication of the weather settling, it has been decided to postpone all the matches until next week. Due notice will be given of the date fixed on. Mr. Max. D. King, secretary to the Hawera drill shed committee, has received a reply from Mr. Rolleston in answer to an enqiiiry as to the terms on ■which the section at the corner of High and Albion- streets would be granted as a site. Mr. Eolleston says that section is obtainable, and so far as title is concerned, that will be perfectly safe. There will be no interference so long as the building continues to be used by the volunteers. The arbitration cane, Brett v. Youug, is proceeding to-day, before Messrs. Freeman Jackson and James Livingstone. As our readers are no doubt aware, it is a claim for compensation ari&ing out of a coach accident, which occurred ou October 27th, 1880. Mr. Samuels, instructed by Mr. Barleyman,' appeared for Mr. Brett; up to the time of going to press Mi*. Young is unrepresented. The following witnesses have been examined in support of plaintiffs case, (which is that he sustained grievous permanent injury iv consequence of the negligence of defendant's servant,) viz., Major Brown, Dr. Bichards, Major Noake, Dr. O'Carroll, Messrs. Hugli Irwin, Patrick Galvin, Farquhar Finlayson, A. G. Brett, C. E. Gibson, James Robson, F. H. Brett (claimant), Wm. Vine, Wm. Stockman, Andrew Chalmers, Mark Johnston ; and a, statutory tleel&yaticMa by Col. Roberts was also read. The case was proceeding when we went to press with our first edition. Subsequently the claimant's case was closed, and the arbitrators announced that they would consult. Try England's Normanby tea, at 2s. — Ad. Messrs. Beeehey and Cole in vibe bhe public to sample their Christmas beer. Tbe Patea Harbor Board notify proposed alterations in the bye-laws. Mr. Freeman E. Jackson's Waverley stock sale takes place on Friday next. We would again call attention to Messrs. | Nolan and Co.'s land sale to be held on i Friday next, 23rd inst., after tbe Government land sale. The lots to be offered comprise town and suburban sections in the most promising part of this district, | including sections in Hawera, Manaia, and I Opunake, and should command attention at the hands of speculators and others. 1 Five o'clock this evening will be the latest time for sending in tenders for the erection of an hotel for Mr. Pulford. To-morrow, at 4 p.m., tenders will close for the school-house to be erected at Ngaire. Try England's Normanby tea, at 2s. — Ad. How then shall we make good bread? Not with yeast, nor bi-carbonate soda and tartaric acid, nor cream tartar (the latter often adulterated with sulphate of lime), and certainly not with. Baking Powders containing alum, for this is a slow poison. We say, use the Baking Powder that is analysed and certificated by a qualified analytical chemist. The Moa Brand, male by Sharland and Co., is pure and wholesome, and has stood the test of years. 16 makes light, sweet bread, good cakes and pastry ; it is rich in the phosphates, and restores what is removed in the separation of bran from the flour. All stores keep it, for they can sell none else, when Sharland'6 is once tried. — Advt. ' t

Captain Webb was very near finishing his swimming careev lately at Tunbndge Wells. Iv a match for .£'loo a-s:ile lie backed himself against G. A. Jennings to swim for tive hoiii\s ; neither ruen to leave the water or touch any boat during the time ; the one who traversed the greatest distance in the time to be the winner. Webb from the start went right away from his opponent, but after beiug four hours in the water became benumbed. He, however, very pluckily held out, and when half a minute was wanted to complete the time could hardly bold his head above water. On the pistol being fired he was dragged out of the water, and steps taken to recover him, but it was some time before he was announced to be out of danger. Jennings, on the other hand, was perfectly right, and was greatly concerned at his victorious rival's serious condition.