NEWS AND NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume III, Issue 228, 29 March 1882, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

.» The Borough Council meets this evening. The taking of evidence in the Mountain road enquiry has been postponed till Wednesday next. There has been a good deal of comment on the race for the Consolation Stakes on Friday. Some people do not hesitate to declare that the issue was decided before the race commenced. The Wanganui Chronicle reports that the Comedy-Burlesque Company did a "big" thing in Hawera. Good business was done evety night, and on the race night the house was completely packed, money having to be returned 1 The Loch Ryan, now loading in Weilington, has taken 200 bags of grass-seed from New Plymouth, shipped (says the Wellington Monthly Price Current) as an experiment, to test its value iv the English market.

It is anticipated that this year the railways of the colony will pay 4 per cent, on cost of construction. The Middle Island lines pay 6 percent., and when unfinished lengths in the North Island are completed, the average will probably be 5 per cent.

M'imi- Ativlti-oa U rovv in An^l ln'id. He 1 iM-lei' at li'ew Plymouth ior an luur or tv. o on his way up. Strgi'iiut Mason, who shut at GuittTiu. received a sentence oi eight years' penal servilnde. It is stated that an order has been received i>i Feildiug from San TTiuncisco ior 10,000 supple jack walking .icks. Silt and refuse, brought down by the sewers, is rapidly decreasing the depth of water at the brenptwork, along thf edge oi the reclaimed land, "Wellington. For COOO nci-es, open on deferred payment, on run 10b', Lawrence, Otago, there were 110 applicants at Lawrence alone, covoriug'a tot il area of 30,000 acres. It is notified in the Auckland papers that a sitting of the Land Court will be held shortly for land about Mok;ai — n step in the right direction. The following geutlemen's names have been mentioned as probable candidates for the NornianhyTown Board: — Messrs. F. Bvet(, Crocker, Quinn, Gibson, Hunger, Sisley, and Wil&on. The committee appointed by the Harbor Board to investigate cliaigeb agaiuat Mr. llliind, sat ou Monday to hear evidence ; and the Herald understands that the charges proved to be quite unfounded. The hours of attendance at Hawera Post and Telegraph Office ou Good Friday and Easter Monday will be iroui 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and trom 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. The following Patea c i rick Q tm i s have been selected to play against eleven New Plymouth cricketers at Easter — Norman, Aiuudell, \V. Hauleu, litdgrjiYe, Carey, Doneghue, Gibbons, J. li.fcchiug, Dixon, Black, and Cosh. Oswald Spottiswood Brodie, who attempted to commit suicide at Waug.iuui some month or two since, was on Thursday brought before the Diblrict Court, and bound over to come up for judgment when called upon. The Taranaki Anniversary Race Meeting takes place on Thursday and Friday*. Special arrangements have been made by the Railway Manager, and no donbt there will be a good many visitors from Hawera and Nonnauby. To settle a difference of opinion arising out ol the recent races, Kelpie and Mr. Coihu's St. Clair were matched the other day. The race came off in one of Mr. Crocker's p.iddock, near Normauby, distance about a mile and a half, and resulted in favour of St. Clair by half a length. The local option poll for the Hawera Road District took place at Normauby yesterday. There was little or no interest shown in the proceedings, only 12 persons voting ; but the voting was three to one in f^vor of the .issue of more licenses. The official declaration of the poll appears in another column. We have to acknowledge receipt of "A Man u til for Volunteers," by Captain W. H. Webb (late adjutant lODth Foot), Adjutant Nelson Distrtct. The author does not claim originality for his work, but says it has been compiled with the object of furnishing the volunteers with a handy book of reference. A statement is made in the Lyttelton Times that a serious dissensiou has arisen in the Cabinet relative- to Mr. Bvyee's proposal to remove the Native Lands Court from Aucklaud. The difference is said to be so serious that a split in the Cabinet will probably follow should Mr. Bryce insist on carrying out his intention. Major Lockett has definitely declined the position of officer commanding the district. The Wangaimi Herald says : — " It is not to be wondered at considering that the Defence Minister has not ouly abolished th • salary of the officer, but determined that the forage allowance fojr this very large district shall not exceed £50." Mr. Kempthorne, the hon. secretary to the Hawera Drill Hall Committee has received a letter from the Hon. Major Atkinson consenting on behalf of the Government to the hall being erected on a Municipal Reserve. The Major also states that tho Government subaidy of .£2OO will be paid over so soon as the .£IOO to be locally raised is lodged in the Bank. At the R.M. Court yesterday, a man named Hickmate, an old offender, was fined ss. for drunkenness, and sentenced to three mouths imprisonment for vagrancy. Walsh brought up on remand charged* with having been in a state of delirium owing to excessive drinking, was fined ss. To-day Joblin Walts was charged with vagrancy ; having been found sleeping in a shc-d behind Mr. O'Rielly's boarding-house, as alleged without leave, The evidence showed, that defendant was a tailor, and that his labor was in demand at £3 12s. Gd. a w' ek, but he refused to work, although cautioned by tlio pol cc. It was not quite proved that he had no leave to sleep on the premises, and therefore the Bench ' discharged him with a caution, at the j samo time advising him to go to work and earn an honest living. A correspondent writes: — With reference to the necessity of the West Coast Commissioner being resident on the coast, the following instance may be cited :—: — Mr. Lysnght has a lease of a portion of the Mokoia Reserve. The rent for this becamo due last week, and the natives applied to Mr. Lysnght for their rent. Mr. Lysaght refused to pay, as he considered himself bound by the West Co.ist Coast Settlements Reserves Act, to pay the vent due to the Commiss oner only. This, the natives state to be Mr. Lysaglu's view of tho case. The natives on the other hand, know nothing of this new Act. Although it is one that chieily concerns the natives, and future disposal of their reserves, they have been kepi in the dark, no translation of it having been made or circulated among them. At present, they only know they let a portiou of tho Mokoia Reserve to Mr. Lysaght ou certain conditions specified in a legally drawn lease, one of the conditions being Unit the rent was payable on specified datcH, and that if tho reut was not paid within thirty days of the date on which it was due, they cau re-occupy tho leasehold. The serious part of the question is this, all tho native 1 ases contain this condition. If the Commissioner resides in Wellington, and does not pay over the rent within thirty days after due by terms of leases, do not those leasing Native Roserves run the ribk of losing their leaseholds ? ■

Tlip hon. Fr-o. to tl'o TCr'nnnt "Racinp: Club has received a biibscripiion of i's ss. from the lion. Major Atkinson. The Post says that Ministers will nssemble eaily next month, and will be tlooely engaged during the following six weeks m preparation of measures for introduction. At present it is not contemplated to attempt auy very large amount of legislation outside ot the Bills abandoned lasst year. The new Loan and Public Works Scheme, the local Government Bills, and the reform of the railway procedure, are likely to be the pieces de resistance. The Wellington correspondent of the Auckland Herald say 3 that "the statement that Government intends making a flying survey through the King country, anfl seoking an opportunity to arrest Winiata, Te Kooti, and other Maoris .who are wanted, is obviously a canard, invented for political purposes, for the benefit more particularly of the Northern natives and the Southern members, in order to irritate both against the Government." A singular reason was mentioned in the Supreme Court of Victoria recently (says the Melbourne Argus) for abandoning the name of " Smith " and adopting | another. An application was made to | prove the will of a woman named Amelia Smith, otherwise Steeth. Her husband, who was one of the executors of the will, made an affidavit that he had come to '• this colouy in the year 1851, and was called Berridge Smith. Iv 1853, he desired to enter the Government servic as a mounted constable, but was told that they had already too many persons bearing the name of Smith in their employment, aud that they would take no more having that patronymic. Iv consequence of this, he changed his name to Steeth, and under that designation was married to his late wile. The Court granted probate of the will. A correspondent sends the Hawke's Bay Herald the following under the heading " A Novel Church Service :" — " At the time usually set apart by the Church of England for a sermon, the Rev. Mr. Robertshaw took the congregation at Wood villa by surprise last Sunday by announcing that there would be no sermon, but instead a meeting for the purpose of taking into consideration the Bishop's letter, the election of churchwardens, &c, and for that purpose he called upon Mr. Fountaine to take the chair. Mr. Fonntaiue having accordingly rend the letter, -was asked by a member of the congregation if it was usual for the Church of England in New Zealand to conduct their business meetings on Sundays, and another member proposed an adjournment to sortie week evening, which was accordingly done." The Opunake correspondent of the Taranaki Herald wires : — The steamer Hauraki, which arrived here on Saturday, took away four or five tons of dressed flax, being the first consignment sent off by Messrs. Wagstaff Brothers and Sous, who, a few months ago, took over the old Capo Egmont Flax Company's mill from Mr. Breach. The new proprietors have erected a rope-yard, and spinning has already commenced. There is a large demaud aloug the coast for the tow for cabinet-making purposes, and a considerable quantity has been sold already. New and more powerful machinery has been ordered, with which, when fixed, Messrs Wagstaff Brothers and Sons expect to be übL to turn out five or six tons every month. They appear to thoroughly understand their business, aud, if the flax can be made to pay at till, will certainly do so iv their hands. " Traveller," writing in the Taranaki Herald about Hawera, thus refers to our Courthouse : Two immigrant cottages, built by the Provincial Government in the early days of the history of Hawera, have been chucked together, and serve the purpose of dealing out justice, law, and survej'S. The procedure on Court days ia not calculated to impress the astute aboriginal or the intelligent European. The bench, the bar, the prisoner, the police, and the public are so mixed up that the procee.iiugs are always iv danger of terminating in a free and easy consideration of the case, and it is only by the strictest propriety being nianitained that a due regard to the majesty of the law is preserved. If better provision is not made, I am certain that official virtue will not stand the strain, and some grotesque scene will, sooner or later, occur and scandalise the Hawera Court. All good people should, therefore, unite in beseeching the obdurate Minister to save uliG uopart'OieiJt over which he presides from some terrible impropriety by building a uew Courthouse at once. A Bill of Exception has been filed to LllG judgment of the Court against Guiteau, aud tho question at issue \$ that of jurisdiction. President Garfield died in New Jersey State, and the crime was committed in the district of Columbia, and it is urged by Gniteau's counsel that Judge Cox had no jurisdiction as judge of tho district. If that plea holds good, Guiteau cannot legally be tried at all, because the ruling of the New Jersey Supreme Court iv a similar case decided that the Courts of that State cannot take cognisance of crimes committed in another commonwealth or territory. The case was this : — A man stabbed in New Yoik was removed to Long Branch, where he died. An attempt was made to try the man who did the cutting, but the Supreme Court ruled that he had committed no crime of which New Jersey could tako coguisauce, the death being the result but not an element of the crime. This case oxactly fits that of President Garfield. The point is to be argued before the District Court in Banco ; and Guiteau declares that the Almighty ordained that it should so fall out to protect him from the hands of his enemies and those seeking his life. Mr. Pnlford has on sale, agricultural seeds, galvanised iron, and boots aud shoos. Tenders are invited for tho erection of cottage at Ukaiawa, for Mr. P. Maxwell, of Normanby. Mr. J. S. Adams' cleaving cheap sale having now concluded, he is about opening out new winter goods. It is announced that should sufficient inducement offor, the Patea Steam Shipping Company wi'l lay ou the Wakatu for Christchurch Exhibition. An advertisement from Mr. Pulford, notifying the receipt of now goods for the season, arrived too late for insertion in this issue.

The price paid for Larry by Mr. W. Walters was £250. The Adelaide Register estimates the harvest yield as giving 155,000 -tons of grain for export, after providing for home requirements. News from New South Wales states that near the river Murray stock are perishing by hundreds in consequence of the scarcity of water. Only fix inches of rain has fallen for the last nine months. The Wanganui Herald states that Government propose to constitute a Board for managing the Government Insurance Department, such Board to consist of five members, two of whom shall he elected by shareholders, and the other three to be the Colonial Treasurer, the Chief Medical Officer, and the Commissioner. jSk The post office inspector recently paid a visit to the Manaia post office. He carried with him a large indiarubber pad on which letters are to be stamped. This was his only credential or insignia of office, and the sub-postmaster required no further evidence of authority; No one hut an official holding high office would carry about with him a stamping pad weighing 201bs. or more. The inspector expressed surprise at the large amount of postal work being done at Manaia " free gratis for nothing." But this does not supply the wants of the public, who suffer much inconvenience from the separation of the post and telegraph offices. We were recently 'assured by a gentleman that a telegram addressed to him at Manaia was delayed ten days en route* Recently a number of passers through Manaia desired to telegraph from there to New Plymouth, hut finding that they would have to go nearly a mile and a half out of their way to the telegraph office, resolved to go on to Hawera and wire from there in preference. Of course, as tho township is rapidly growing, the longer the residents put up with the inconvenience now felt, the better the class of building they are likely to procure, but " while the grass is growing the steed is starving." The Premier promised a post and telegraph office if the business done warranted one ; it might be "worth while for the settlers to ask the result of his inquiries into the matter.