The Star. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1882. NEWS AND NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume III, Issue 350, 21 November 1882, Page 2

The Star. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1882.

NEWS AND NOTES.

The Normanby meeting to consider the question of surveyors and leasing of native reserves is to be held on Friday, at 2 p.m.

The combined A.C. and Hawera cricket clubs meet at Manaia to-morrow. The former will probably have the best of it, as Moore, Cunningham, and Parrington will be absent from the Hawera ranks, and Beresford's presence is not at all certain.

A telegram has been received to the effect that Mr. Daniel Wilkie. who lately left Otakeho to settle at the new township of Rotorua, died suddenly from heart disease at Tauranga this morning. Plains people who knew him best will be the most sorry to hear of Mr. Wilkie's untimely death.

The Aurora Australis is again being frequently seen in various parts of the colony. On Friday night a very brilliant display was seen from the Waiinate Plains, and ou the same evening it was visible at Wellington. Last night there was an Aurora faintly visible here ; but by telegram we are informed that there was a beautiful display visible at different parts throughout the colony.

Mr. 11. G. Pitcher, Chairman of the Hawera School Committee informs us that the average attendance at the school is now over 200, thus bearing out expectations of the Committee that the average attendance during the summer mouths would be over that number. It might be added that the school has a claim for additional assistance, which has not yet been recognised by the Board.

The Borough Chambers are approaching completion now, so far as outside appearance goes. The windows are iv, ornamentations are fixed up, and some of the painting has been done. The Town Hall alterations are also making good progress, and the farade is really handsome. Mr. Murray Thomson's new premises are also progressing rapidly, the Masonic Hall is getting on well, and Mr. Gibson's store is showing shape and form. A number of private dwellings are also in course of erection.

A consignment of books for the Hawera Library has arrived, and the library will soon be opened again. The books are from Mr. George Robertson's, Melbourne, and cost about £35. There are a number of books of reference and travel, but the majority are novels, and, though none of them are very new, they ai - e written by well and favorably known authors, and will be interesting to those who have not read them before. By the way, has the library committee yet done" anything towards getting a share of the Parliamentary grant? If a share is wanted applications must be sent to Wellington beiore the end of the year.

Mr. Fanthain sheared his Patea prize Lincoln hoggets this morniug, and the result was most gratifying. The wool from the first prize-taker weighed 181bs. ; second prize-taker, 17^1bs. ; and the third, lOilbs. It may bo mentioned also, for the encouragement of new settlers who think of goiug iv for sheep, that Mr. Fanthara has been very successful with his sheep in lambing. He put on to the farm 1515, of which about 30 were wethers, and some were killed by the train ; but the other day he dagged 1457 and cut and tailed 1280 lambs, while some of the ewes have yet to lamb. The per centage of lambs is thus far above the average. This speaks well for the suitability of the climate for sheep. Of the 1280 lambs C 46 were rains and 034 ewes, a remark, ably fair division of the sexes.

The Swedish Government has decided not to prohibit vivisection in that country, in spite of the appeal made to them by the Diet in reference thereto last session.

At the Imperial theatres in Russia all decorations, costumes, and accessories have to be rendered incombustible. A vote of £5000 for this purpose will appear in next year's Budget.

The largest sheepowner in Texas is a woman known as the " Widow Callahan." Her sheep, more than 50,000 in number, are divided into flocks of 2000 head each.

A law recently passed in California enabling jurors, in returning verdicts for murder in the first degree, to stipulate, if they wish, that the penalty shall be imprisonment for life, has virtually abolished the death penalty there. The well-known novelist Captain Mayne Reid has finally been placed on the pension list of the United States Government. He was an officer in the Ist Now York Volunteers (General Ward Burnett's regiment), and was wounded at Chapultepec.

The Rothschilds are virtual owners of one-fifth of the fertile land in the Delta of the Nile. Theiu share in Egyptian bonds is popularly estimated at £12,000,000. An envious anti-Semite calculates that the income of Baron Wilhelm Rothschild is about £28 per hour, or 9s. per minute.

We regret to have to report that Mr. Maunder, one of the new deferred payment settlers at Okaiawa, met with an accident yesterday. He was felling bush when a sapling struck his leg and broke it. The assistance of Dr. Smith was obtained, and, after certain relief had been given, the sufferer was removed into Hawera. He is progressing favorably.

The candidates for the Mayoralty as yet give no sign of enlightening the public as to their views. Cannot they be induced to come forward ? It' they will not call a meeting and invite the burgesses, let the burgesses call a meeting and invite them. They might tbeu be interrogated on the subjects we have before referred to, and might also be asked if they, or either of them, will expect a salary for their services. It is just as well to have matters cleared up. We hear that each is extremely sanguine of his success.

A man named Eichard W. Dick, of Stratford, created a disturbance at Normanby on Saturday night. He went to the Native pah, and a quarrel ensued, during which it is said he became very violent, and threatened to cut the throat of a native named Taniwha. As he was not allowed to carry out his benevolent intention, he proceeded to break down fences and behave generally as if, to use the language of Mr. Joe Gargery in Great Expectations, he were out on the rampage. For his conduct he will have to answer before the E.M. on Thursday : First, Tauiwlm's charge of having used threatening language ; and, secondly, a charge laid by Hone Pihama of having maliciously destroyed property.

The Wanganui Herald reports having seen the plans of the new grand stand prepared by Mr. J. E. Wright for the Hawera Jockey Club. The stand will occupy a ground 1 space of 66ft x 23ft, the ground floor, including a luncheon room 48ft x 16ft, and a ladies' room 16fb x 10ft, fitted with the necessary conveniences. The public booth at the rear is 50 feet in length, while the lawn bar has a length of 35ffc. The bars are fitted up in a similar manner to those of the Wanganui stand, with shutters and a verandah projecting all round. The gallery will be approached by two wide flights of stairs, with entrance to luncheon room. The luncheon room will be lined throughout with matched lining ; and on the gallery seat, accommodation will be provided for over 350 people. The upper part of the staud will be relieved with panelling, perforated parapet to relieve the box appearance so common io the structure of grand stands. The grounds around the new stand will be laid out similarly to those in Wanganui, with saddling paddock, stewards' room, weighing room, judge's box, with picket fencing, &c. It is intended to proceed with the contract at once.

The Wanganui Chronicle and Herald have got at one another's th routs again this week. The Chronicle says that whenever an article appears in the Herald " it can bo seen that the father of lies has been hovering about the editorial table, and has settled down on the dirty page." The Herald having made nasty remarks about the miners, the point of the compliment being that the editor of the Chronicle represents a mining constituency in the House, lie of the Chronicle retorts, " We have always understood the gold-miners to be a remarkably intelligent and respectable body of men ; and their calling is, from our point of view, far more elevating and ' soul-expanding ' than making tintacks or hawking brass jewellery." The key to this is to be found in the writings of Ignotus ou the career of the editor of the Herald. This is all very " soul-expanding," especially for subscribers to these papers who pay for and expect news and intelligent writing.

The Pope, although confined to the Vatican, is not deprived of his sporting season. His Holiness indulges beneath the shade of his own fig-tree in his favorite, sport of roccolo, in which he is rumoured as being most successful. The roccolo would scarcely satisfy the venturous spirit of Englishmen, but it is pursued by the greatest enthusiasm by country gentlemen all over Italy. The sportsman sits in a bower of green leaves, through which openings are left for the passage of a long rope. A net is spread upon the grass, and grain profusely scattered all around. The birds at early dawn descend in great numbers to peck the grain; then the hidden sportsman, suddenly pulling up the cord attached to the net, the unwary birds are caught by the score at a time. At the present season the juniper berries give a very delicious flavor to the flesh of those birds who feed on them, and there is no greater delicacy in all the Italian cuisine than a dish of small birds with the juniper berries still undigested taken from their craws and floated in the sauce amid which they are served. The London correspondent of the Auckland Star says :-— The best criterion, as to tire all round excellence of the eleven may be found in the statistics, published in the " Sportsman." From these I find that the batting averages are decidedly heavy. Baunerman, Massie, Horan, and Murdoch have each scored more than 1,000 runs, Murdoch heading the list with 1,706, Massie 1,410, Bannerman, 1,206, and Horan 1,175. Bannerman, the papers say, has batted steadily and consistently throughout the trip, proving at times a veritable "stonewaller." In bowling, Palmer and Garrett did most execution at starting, Spofforth being decidedly " off colour. " As the season progressed, however, "the demon "came well back to his pristine form, and the way in which he scored the Englishmen during the last liour or so of the famous • All England match will long be remembered. From end to end the fielding of the Australians has been little short of marvellous ; in fact, the authorities seem to be unanimous that this is their really strong point. "They are," remarks the "Sportsman, " "more like cats than human beingß, so agile are their movements"

Mr. Furlong publishes business card. Messrs, Dawson Bros, give fencing notice in' respect of laud at Kaupokonui.