NEWS AND NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume IX, Issue 1719, 3 September 1887, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

Major Atkinson arrived in Hawera last evening.

We hear that Mr. Milne has agreed to replace all tbe trees on the recreation ground destroyed by his sheep on Saturday and Sunday last.

Tbe New Zealand railways receipts for the four weeks ended 23rd July were £63.991 as compared with £98,501 last year. The expenditure was .£54691 as against £54,184.

In the following sentence in Mr. McGuire's letter the word " no " was accidentally omitted : — Now as to the second ground, namely, that many persons purchased on the representation that the rate would never be struck, and certainly not for 26 years, and that then only a 3d rate would be required during a period extending over four years and no longer.

The inclemency of the weather somewhat interferred with the attendance at Mr. Mountain's mission last evening, although a goodly nu.nber attended. His subject was " The Great Salvation " and be took for bis text Mathew, Ist and 21gt verse. He touched upon the fact Jesus is able and willing to save his people fully from their sins. As usual his address was epersed with apt illustrations from real life. Mrs Mountain followed the rev. gentleman and made an earnest appeal to her hearers to fully trust in Jesus their Saviour. There will not be any service tonight, but to-morrow there will be one each in the morning, afternoon, and even-

The Wellington Post in .in article on dairy factories pertinently observes: — "A price equal to 7d per lb for cheese in England would pay all parties well if the cost of carriage from the factory to London did not exceed 2d per lb. A price of 3d per gallon could then be given for milk, and this would yield a very fine return to the farmer. The question really is one of great interest and considerable importance to the colony, and the establishment of a large and profitable export of dairy produce would do a great deal to relieve depression and promote settlement. If our politicians, instead of trying to bolster up bogus industries by means of a protective tariff, would direct their energies to trying to foster such manufactures as would afford a profitable export, they would do more good than they are at all likely to accomplish by their present efforts io the cause of Protection."

There is something peculiar going on in connection with the volunteer officers' examinations in Wanganui. It seems that recently the whole of the Wanganui officers were "plucked," and, strangely enough, shortly afterwards the standard was reduced from 75 per cent, of the possible number of marks to 50 per cent., which those officers duly obtained, and under these circumstances there was considerable comment. Now the Wellington Post states that this change was not made specially for the Wanganui men, for the change Irom 50 per cent, to 75 per cent, was only made in June last, aud, being found too high throughout the colony, was more recently again reduced. The Post is not correct in this statement, for the standard has for many years been 75 per cent., and the Taranaki (including Hawera) officers passed this 75 per cent. Btandard. That the standard has been too high may be true, but those who passed it and obtained P.S. certificates in spite of its stiffness are surely entitled to the credit of having done so, and ought not to be robbed of the credit as they are by the staterne.Dt that it was only in June last that the 75 per ceDt. standard was fixed on.

The " find " near Hikutaia has attractpd a good deal of attention during the week (says the Paeroa corespondent of tbe Auckland Star) and all the practical men who have visited the place are unanimously of the opinion that an important discovery has been made. I made a personal examination of the reef, which, has been exposed to view in quite a number of plaece partly by nature and partly be trenching along the suiface line of its outcrop. At the time of my visit it had been traced for a distance of 10 chains within the boundaries of the Prospectors' mine, which embraces an area of 30 acres, and proved to he gold-bearing wherever it was tested. The only work of importance done upon it is that accomplished by meanß of a trench, which has been carried along the hanging-wall side tor a distance of about 6ft, and the lode, which averages Bffc in thickness, has been broken down to a width of 4ft, gold permeating the whole mass. A fair proportion of the 6tone on the extreme hanging-wall shows gold freely, and indications of the presence of silver in highly remunerative quantities are not wanting. There are quite a number of reefs varying from 2ft in thickness running close to and paralled with the one above mentioned ," bat as yet aoae ol these have been sufficiently prospected to enable one to form an opinion as to their value. In places where disclosed by the wash of the watt-r the country on the banks of the Prospectors' gully is composed of that mottled tufaceous rock which never fails to indicate the presence of the precious metal in the Upper Thames districts and I feel confident that the scene of the new find will add another to the list of established mining centres.

M«ssrs. Eobbins and Pierard announce to arrive early she i ring season's goods ; and call attention to the U.S. electric lamp.

Mr. Newton King sells stock at Stoney River on Wednesday.