NEWS AND NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume VII, Issue 1265, 24 March 1886, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

We remind settlers of the meeting to be held this evening in connection with the New Plymouth harbor. Mr. T. King, the Chairman of the Board, came down by train this morning, and Mr. Paul, the other delegate from the board, will arrive this evening. We hope to see a good attendance, and to hear an interesting discussiou. The question of raising addi tional funds to complete the work is of the greatest importance to the district, and whatever the issue, we hope it will be carefully considered.

Tbe Due d'Aumale has purchased for £25,000 Itaphael's picture of the " Three Graces," which belonged to the late Lord Dudley's collection. It measures only seven inches, and it is said that so high a sum has never before been given for so small a painting.

Some considerable interest was shown in town last evening in connection with a trotting match against time by the horse of a well known settler. The stakes were for £5 a side, the owner undertaking that his horse should trot from Normanby to the corner of Princess and High Street's Hawera, (a distance of four miles,) within a quarter of an hour. A large number of persons assembled to witness the finish, and considerable speculation ensued over the event. As the horse came up PrincesBtreet, attended by several gentleman who had ridden in with him, and were taking the time, some excitement prevailed, the general opinion being that the bet would be lost. On the time being declared, however, it was found to be 14m. 2s. from start to finish, and" the owner of the horse thus won with nearly a minute to spare.

At his Gore meeting Sir George Grey waa asked whether, iv a case of bankruptcy, the matter of granting a discharge should not be left to the creditors to return a verdict unanimously before such discharge is given, unless it could be shown to tbe Judge that the dissentients acted from malice ? and he returned this reply : " To reply to that fully would require veiy considerable thought — for instance, as to whether tbe unanimous vote ot the creditors should be required, and other things of tbat kind ; but ray own view for many years has been this; — that probably the greatest cause of litigation in the world, and one of the things that trouble the world rriost, ate bankruptcy laws, and I have arrived at the conclusion that the best thing that could happen for men would be if there' were do bankruptcy laws, and it every debt were a debt of honor. ' We see tbat gambling debts are paid, whilst other creditors are cheated, because they are debts of honor. However radical such a view mar appear, I have arrived at the conclusion, that that •would be the best ! state of things for us all. l