NEWS AND NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume III, Issue 375, 20 December 1882, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

Postal and telegraph arrangements for Christmas Day and New Year's Day will be as under : — Telegraph station open from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. ; 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Posting boxes will be cleared on evenings of the 23rd and 30th iustants, at 7 p.m. Post office will be strictly closed on both holidays.

The committee have succeeded m raising nearly £'9 towards defraying the expenses of the picnic to be given to the children attending the Hawera School. Three or four pounds are still required to make it as successful as it should be, and it is hoped that those, who up to the present, have not subscribed, will do so as soon as possible. Messrs. H. G. Pitcher, and G. V. Bate will receive subscriptions.

The family of Mr. H. B. Cockburn has been taken in charge by several persons. Four boys were taken in by Mr. Power, of the Manaia boarding-house, two by Mr. Birkett, aud two by Mr. Chas. Days. Three of the A.C. were placed in charge of the dwelling on Monday evening, but had some difficulty in restraining the violence of the unfortunate woman. Mr. Cockburn came down from New Plymouth to-day, and proceeded to Manaia forthwith. : ' J A little disappointment has been felt at Okaiawa owing to the application for a school not having been dealt with. We understand that the list of children was referred to Manaia in order to ascertain how many, if auy, of the children named in the Okaiawa list were attending Manaia school. We understand that none out of some 40 children scheduled as of school ages at Okaiawa were attendiug Manaia, aud cousequently it may be reasonably expected that the Board at its next meeting will deal with the application on its merits.

A French writer is said to have declared that the whole product of Australian vintages would be less than a week's supply for Paris. The total production of wive throughout the globe is believed to bo iibout 3000,000,000 gallons. At the Bordeaux Exhibition, now ended, there were 1711 exhibitors of wine, bitters, liqeurs, (fee. Of these, G9j were Spaniards, 592 Frenchmen, 118 Italians, and 71 Australians. Austria- Hungary was represented by no move than 39, Algeria by 83, Turkey by 32, Serbia by 28, Greece by 24, Chili by 23, Germany by 17, and Portugal by 13 exhibitors. Thus it will be seen that the colonies ranked fourth in point of numbers ; the excellent position they took as prize-takers is now a matter of history.

A narrow escape from fatal accident occurred in Regent-street, yesterday afternoon. It appears from what we can gather that a number of children were playing near a well, when one of them getting too near the edge slipped and fell in. Mr. John Anderson, bricklayer, was working close at hand at the time, and immediately went to the rescue. He succeeded in lowering himself down the woll, and managed to rescue the child before it was too late. When brought to the surface the child was in a very weak condition, but we are glad to be able to state that, ou making enquiries this morniug, she was reported to be rapidly recovering. Much praise is due to Mr. Anderson for the prompt manner in which lie went to the rescue, and there is no doubt that had it not been for his plucky behavior the child's life would have been lost.

We learn that the late shipment of frozen meat by the Garonne and Cliimborazo — the first of which was freighted with 2700 carcases of mutton from Sydney, and the second of which with 1900 from Melbourne — have kept the Home market fully supplied. The Sydney shipment, however, consisted of inferior animals, which, to make matters worse, were so badly packed that coloring matter which was placed on the wrappers stained the meat. The prices realised were consequently low, the average being sfd per lb. The Melbourne carcases were of the proper weight, and were packed with such care that they turned out like freshkilled animals, and realised an average of 6-^d per lb. Some of the New Zealand shippers by the Mataura, we are again reminded, acted less wisely than the Victorians. They sent carcases weighing from 130 to 150 lbs. These realised the meagre rates of from 4d to sd, whilst such carcases as those sent from this district, weighing from 70 to 85 lbs, or thereabouts, realised the splendid figures of from 6£d to 7d. — Exchange.

"We have roceived a copy of H. I. Jones' Shilling Almanac ami Directory. As an iustauce of how complete the directory is, we may mention that the Hawera directory alone contains 280 namas, Normanby about 100, anil Manaia and vicinity about 120. The official, professional, and tiade directories have been carefully compiled, although great liberties have been taken with the orthography of the proper names. Partridge appears as Swetbrige, John Winks as Iris Winks, &c. The Fencing Act is published in full, with the amendments for this year. Customs duties also appear in full. A Stock Breeder's Guide is a novelty, which will doubtless be of service to farmers. The sales of Messrs. Nolan's, Jackson's, Steven's Gorton's Stock Sales for the year appear in curious juxta-position with such memorabilia as the battle of Waterloo, Accession of Queen Victoria, &c, which dates survive in the almanac hy a happy accident, as had a monthly stock sale occurred on either of these days, the sale would have been chronicled, the historical event expunged. The calendar includes a complete Office Directory for 1884. The volume is well got up and neatly printed, and is a good useful shillings worth.

The sparrows have nearly destroyed the cherry crop in the gardens of the Horticultural Society Victoria.

Electric lighting in tbe EUenbovougb. mine is an unqualified success. In money alone there is a saving of £200 per annum.

The illness which has compelled Sir Stafford Nortkcote to go to the Mediterranean ia weak action of the heart. It is not immediately dangerous. Mr Cross succeeds temporarily to the leadership.

Sir Julius Vogel is of opinion that in the encouragement of immigration the colonies will find a better mine of wealth than any gold or diamond mine yet discovered.

All the farmers throughout the district who have sown swede turnips are crying out for rain to save the crop. The corn crops generally are looking remarkably well.

Satisfactory progress has been made with the driving of the pipes for tho proposed artesian well near the Borough Council Chambers. The pipes are now down 42 feet from the surface, which is deeper than any well about Hawera.

The Misses McCutchan's private concert this evening has been rehearsed with great care, and from what is known of the selections to be played, a thoroughly enjoyable musical evening may be confidently looked forward to.

A six days' bicycle contest recently took place in Sydney. A competitor named Frish led up to the last day, when Eolfe caught him, and eventually won. The distances covered were as follows : — Eolfe, 00!) miles ; Friah, 908 ; Mitchell, 903 ; Hoskins, 740 ; Thorley, 738 ; Haurigan, 597 ; Watson, 173. Great disappointment was felt in consequence of Press, who won a similar contest in "Victoria, not competing, after being advertised.

The method in which Japanese newspapers are conducted is often amusingly naive. A recent issue of the Nicfii Niclii Shimbun — which, like all its native contemporaries, not in columns, but in squares — came out with one square blank, the empty space being covered with a number of straight lines. The editor apologises for the extraordinary appearance of the paper, informing his readers that at the last moment be found that what be had written wa9 all wrong, and bad to be taken out. He had no time to fill it up with anything else, and there was nothing to be done but to leave the space with nothing it it.

The accident to Dr. Pollen and Mr. Bold occured while the doctor was driving the well-known horse Grey Momus. They met a baker's horse, which carries out bread in panniers, and Momus took fright at the unsightly load, dashed off the narrow road at Makaure, upsetting and completely smashing the buggy. The occupants were thrown out, and Dr. Pollen fortunately escaped without serious injury, but Mr. Bold fell upon his head, and was insensible for some time. He however recovered, and was enabled to proceed to town. The buggy is a complete wreck, and it will take about £20 to repair it. The horse which caused Grey Momus to take fright, was, we believe, unattended, and it is likely that litigation will be the result.

The London Daily Telegraph of the 22th October, publishes an article on the rapidly rising prices of meat which should encourage Now Zealanders who contemplate shipping frozen mutton to tbe old country to preserve in their good woi'k. "We learn," says the writer, from Mr. Michael Mulhall's ' Balancesheet of the World' that England consumes 1,800,000 tons meat per annum, out of which she produces but 1 ,205,000 tons. Hitherto the annual deficit has been supplied from America, but meat is now as dear in New Yoi'k, Boston, and Philadelphia as in London. Frozen mutton will doubtless come to our shores in large consignments from Australia, New Zealand and the River Plate. Years upon years, however, will have to elapse before we can expect substantial help from these sources."

The visit of Lord Northbrook and Mr. Fawcett to Liverpool terminated in a great public meeting, at which a vote of confidence in the Government was carried by acclamation. Lord Norfchbrook spoke hopefully of Irelaud. Ainungst other facts he quoted the latest returns as to outrages. "In the half-year ending the 30bh September, 1881, there were altogether 2,051 agrarian outrages in Ireland. In the half-year ending 30th September, 1882; that number has been reduced to, 1,667. But examining the nature of the offences which constitute these totals, the contrast becomes still more striking, The offences against the person, the most serious of all the offences, in the half-year ending September 30, 1881, are 174; the offences .against the person in the half-year ending September 30, 1882, were reduced to 76. And taking the offences altogether, and excluding from them an offence serious enough, but not actually brought into the nature of a crime, namely, the issue of threatening letters, the whole of the offences, excluding threatenimg letters, in the half -year ending September 30, 1881, were 950. The offences were reduced in the half-year ending September 30 last, to 565,"

Mr. E. Pulford thanks his customers for the support given him in the past, and solicits continuance of the same for the new firm of Gardner and Sutton. The latter make business announcement.

W. Jameson offers 18,000 bricks for sale, cheap, at Waihi.

Messrs. R. H. Nolan and Co. will sell on Saturday next at 11 a.m., on the premises, Regent - street, a quantity of household furniture, without reserve.

Nominations for an extraordinary election of borough councillor close at noon on the 29th December.

H. J. Wright offers good-will of lease of cemetery reserve for pale.

An extraordinary election of one commissioner of the Normanby Town Board will be held on January 11. Nominations close on December 29.

Cheap saddlery at J. Henderson's.

Robbins, Pierard, and Co. advertise stove ornaments, wire meat-covers, fly-traps, &c. Messrs. R. H. Nolan hold usual monthly stock sale at Hawera on Thursday. About 200 head of cattle, and 200 sheep are advertised.

F. R. Jackson holds important clearing sale of stock at Pine Hill, near Patea, to-morrow; including 1000 mixed sheep and a lot of valuable horses, farm implements, &c.

Full particulars appear elsewhere of the contents of Star sheet almanac. It will be seen that no trouble has been spared to render the almanac a useful source of information, always handy for reference as to dates of local meetings, elections, for payment of taxes, &c. Information re licensing, registration of electors, births, deaths, marriages, and dogs ; mail notices, rates of postage, &c, &c, &c.

Messrs. Bennett and Eobbins announce that Mr. Pierard having been admitted into the partnetship, the firm will henceforth be known as Robbins, Pierard, and Co. They have taken the handsome shop lately erected at the corner of High and Princes streets, and will open ther* on Thursday next.

During the coming week we expect to see crowds of parents buying Christmas Presents at the cheapest market, and that is without doubt at H. I. Jones and Son's. Their Shilling Table contains many articles for which lialf-a-crown each is charged in some of the general stores. We have never seen such a splendid display of fancy goods and toys suitable for Christmas presents as H. I. J. & S. arc now showing.— Advt.

The inside decorations of the Masonic Temple are almost completed. When furnished the Hall will be one of the handsomest on the coast.

The day before yesterdey, heavy rain fell a couple of miles inland of Okaiawa in the bush, but only a very slight shower at the township. There was a fresh in the Kapum, as evidence of the rainfall near Mount Egmont.

A week or two ago a telegram was received from Melbourne stating that at the meeting of the Australian Frozen Meat Company the chairman stated that there had been a loss of i! 8000 on the business done. The chief cause of the loss was not from injury or damage to the shipments, but was ascribed to the high price of meat in Melbourne, which was chiefly owing to the long continued drought. The chairman stated that only two shipments out of twelve had been seriously damaged. He added that until the price of meat for London came down to 2d per lb the company would undertake no more business : at that price there would be a fair margin for profit.

The Timaru harbor works are said to have cost £130,000. The depth at low water is 22 feet. The Oamaru Harbor Board states that their total expenditure, inclusive of all plant for wharves and works and the improvement of the estate, was on the 31st December, 1881 (the date of the last balance), £207,000. At Oamaru for the past three years 21 vessels, ranging from 300 to 760 tons register, with draft of water from 15 to 16 feet 8 inches, have been loaded at the wharves and sailed for the United Kingdom, and there are two 500- ton vessels now loading for the same destination. Five of the above vessels loaded and sailed in December, 1881.