NEWS AND NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume III, Issue 370, 14 December 1882, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

The R.M. holds a land sale at Patea on Wednesday neit, and will, consequently, be unable to attend the usual fortnightly sittings of the Court at Hawera on Thursday. There are ouly 24 applications for the deferred-payment sections to be sold in the Opunake, Parihaka, and Cape Egtriont districts. It is stated, as a reason, that the land is cut up into too small sections. The certificate of Captain Clare, of the ship Northampton, which grounded near Botany, N.S.W., has been suspended for nine months. At a meeting of the Iron Company at New Plymouth the manager reported that the furnace would be ready to " blow" in about ten days. We regret to hear that scarlatina has appeared in two families in Hawera. The complaint is fortunately only prevalent in a very mild form. It is regarded as one of the preventible diseases. The R.M. Court was formally opened at eleven o'clock this morning, but there being no business, it was adjourned. This is the first time there has been a clean sheet during the past eighteen months. A Press Association telegram from New Plymouth says : Not many are arriving for the Government land sale, and speculators are expecting to secure land at the upset price, so as to sell it afterwards at nearly double the price. The quantity of land acquired from the natives in Taranaki since 1874 is stated to be 588,020 acres, and amount paid for it £87,791, or at the rate of a fraction under three shillings an acre. Major Brown has negotiated the purchase of 309,382 acres ; Mr. Pan-is. 263,229 acres ; and Mr, Booth, 15,409 acres. It is said that the Government intend sending to England sboi tly specimens of the different kinds of timber m this district, and some of the railway employes are at present engaged squaring off blocks of timber about eight feet in length to be be sent to Wellington prior to their being classified and sent Home. The Government might as well take some steps to preserve the timber. The money paid into Court by Manaia as surety for Titokowaru's good.behavior on his release from prison, was returned yesterday. £250 were paid into Court in July, and the Resident Magistrate at New Plymouth lodged it in the Government Savings Bank. Consequently, when the money was returned yesterday, Manaia received a cheque for £253 6s. Bd. No doubt he will be agreeably surprised at receiving interest on his money. Forty-seven summonses have been sent up to Hawera to be served on defaulting ratepayers to the Patea County Council. It is believed that some of the rates sued for have been paid, but not credited to the ratepayers. In any case, many of the sums sued for will probably not be recoverable under the new Act, which prohibits the recovery of rates more than two years overdue. The cases come before the court on the sth January, and the new Act conies into force on the Ist January. A new work entitled " The Royal Path of Life " has been brought under our notice. It is printed on a new kind of thick pink-toned paper, embellished with numerous steel engravings and handsomely bound. It consists of a large number — about 170— articles or essays, on highly important subjects, in an easy and popular style, and of an exceedingly healthful tone. There are recommendations from the Bishops of Wellington, and Christchurch, and from many other ministers of religion. With reference to increased shipping facilities along the coast, we learu that the s.s. Hannah Mokau, having been refitted with new boiler and machinery, and had a thorough overhaul, has left Auckland for Waitara, via Wellington. She will be kept on the Waitara-Manakau trade, under the command of Captain Robertson, late of the s.s. Lalla Rookh. With her new machinery she now attains a speed of 7+ knots. The s.s. Oreti will also be placed on the West Coast trade early in January. She will take up the running between Manakau and Wellington, calling at Waitara, Opunake, and Wanganui. She is in the command of Captain A. Campbell, well-known on the coast as a most efficient skipper, and will, no doubt, secure a fair share of the trade. This vessel has also received a new boiler and a most extensive and thorough overhaul, and is fully expected to attain a speed of 11 knots. The local agent at Waitara for these boats is Mr. J. D. Baker. At the meeting of the Taranaki Education Board on Monday the architect reported that cottage at Opunakp was finished, and the contractor entitled to balance of his contract. He anticipated damage to the property from the number of cattle wandering about tbe building, and suggested that the site should be fenced. — The report of the Committee for adjusting teachers' salaries was adopted, and ordered to be printed. — A letter was read from the Opunake School Cuminitte enclosing an application from Miss. Edith C. Goodman for. appointment as assistant teacher at Opunake school. — Miss Goodman was appointed by the Board on probation 1 for six months. — The Secretary was instructed to ask the Committee the probable cost of fencing school site at Opunake. — The Chairman of the Stratford School asked for assistance in clearing the school site. The board granted £3. — It was resolved, That bonuses be paid to teachers at the end of the year. Mr. Carre has made a communication to the Paris Academy of Sciences which , if true, would seem calculated to have a considerable influence upon the transport of food. He states that a temperature of from forty to fifty degrees below zero, applied for about an hour is sufneent to destroy the germs of parasites which are destructive to meat destined for food. If this be satisfactorily proved, the expense of fitting up and working refrigerating machinery on board ship for the preservation of meat during a voyage is unnecessary, as, th ■ meatonce placed in the air-tight chamber, and so treated, would keep sound though its temperature should be raised. < In the common mode of preserving meat &c, by subjecting it to a high temperature, and then hermetically closing the vessel containing ifc the putrefactive germs are destroyed by the heat, and the meat will keep good through any changes of temperature, so long as the vessel remains intact. If intense cold is shown to be equally efficacious, r as ; a destroyer of these germs, a cheap method of meat preserving is available, which can be applied on a very large scale. Mr. Carre's communication was founded- on' the result of observauon>.nuide on vessels employed in the transport o£ '•meat from South America to Prance.

One of Mr. Stent's pure-bred bulls is coming to this district. Mr. Partridge having purchased Saxon at 41 guineas. Captain Edwin is prognosticating raiu along this coast. There is not much appearance of it this afternoon. Tbe installation of officers of Lodge Hawera, No. 052, S.C., will take place in the Masonic Temple this evening. The lodge will be tyled at 7.80 sharp. The takings at concert and sale in aid - of Xbe English Church yesterday amounted to JE2B 13s. 6d., and there are still one or two articles in hand, which were passed at the Dutch auction. At the door more . than £6 were collected as shilling entrance fees, consequently iucludiug children admitted at half price, there must have been nearly 150 persons present. "A very successful concert formed the prelude to the sale of tbe balance of the bazaar goods. A well-selected programme had been arranged, which was rendered in finished style by those who took part in. A duett by a lady and gentlevnan, and a solo by a lady were especially good. The latter, in response to a very hearty , encore, gave a song without accompaniment, in a style, and with expression and modulation, which many professionals would envy. The concluding glee with chorus was lively ; and was sung with spirit and accuracy, and was heartily applauded. The acoustic properties of the Town Hall have been as much improved by the alterations effected, as the front has been improved by the very handsome addition made to it. The goods sold in the afternoon aud evening realised good prices, though a few bargains were secured by lucky purchasers. Mr. Nolan conducted the sale with much spirit and good humour, knocking down to some of the bachelors baby linen and dolls, but the assumed purchasers persistently declined to acknowledge the liabilities imposed apon them. The Rev. W. H. Root thanked Mr. Nolan after the sale, and a pleasant evening'! entertainment closed at about 11 p.m.