NEWS AND NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume X, Issue 1917, 30 April 1888, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

Captain Edwin telegraphs : — East to north and north-west gale after 16 hours from now, with much rain ; glass farther fall.

A summoned meeting of Oddfellows will be held in the lodge-room this evening. Good attendance desirable, as important business will be dealt with.

The Nelson Mail states that there has been an unusual export of barley from Nelson this year. Already one vessel has sailed for Hobart with a full cargo, and the barque Presto is now ready to sail for Adelaide with another load. These two vessels will take between them from eight to nine thousand sacks. In addition to this, a considerable quantity of barley has been sent.to Auckland and other ports in New Zealand.

Thomas Kilpin, a Midhirst settler universally esteemed, passed away on Friday evening last, after a short and painful illness, He was a member of the Manganui Road Board and Midhirst School Committee. He was buried on Sunday, and his remains were carried to graveyard, followed by a great number of people. Mr. Schumacher (reports the Midhirst correspondent of the Taranaki News), at the request of the deceased's mother, made a few remarks over the grave.

At an inquest in a country district in Auckland the other day the following story came to light. The wile, some four score years of age, had died suddenly, and the inquest brought out these facts : That eight years before the old dame had died she had consented to her husband going through the form of marriage with another woman, and that tbe two wives had lived in harmony in the same house ever afterwards. The husband and wife No. 2 had nursed wife No. 1 in her last illness, and appear to have been kind to hex*.

A wrestling match took place in the Manaia Drill Hall on Saturday night, between J. Donnelly and W. Christie both of Manaii, for a small wager. Cumberland style was chosen, and two out of three falls would decide the contest. Great interest was taken in tbe match, owing to Christie being one of Pearce's most promising pupils, but he was defeated with comparative ease by Donnelly who won the two first falls. The win was evidently a popular one, judging from the applaiise accorded the winning man, after the match.

The following players will represent Hawera County in the football match against Taranaki County, to be played at New Plymouth on Wednesday, 2nd May : Good (3), Kivell, R. Lucena, D. Patterson, Rogers, Bolger, Coutts, Pearce (2), Major, Joll, Snook, Hair. Waiting men — Willy, Lysaght, Patterson, Lucena, Helmling. All players are requested to attend, as the team to represent Taranaki against the Englishmen will be chosen from the two teams on Wednesday night. Players must communicate at once with the secretary of their club of their intention of playing or not. The Taranaki county will he represented by E. Humphries (full back), T. HemptoD, W. Bayly, and A. Bayly (three-quarters), Rogers (quarter), Tate, and C. Bayly (wings), and Beane, Hine, Whitehead, Lye, A. Atkinson, McNeioe, and Henderson (forwards). Emergencies : A. Kivell, Fred Bishop, Cameron, Ogle Co ad, and Webber.

A reporter of the Dunedin Star has interviewed Mr. D. Mills, Manager of the Union Steam Shipping Company, with respect to the exaggerated reports regarding the exodus to Melbourne. Statistics are produced are from the certified lists forwarded to the head office, showing that the largest living freight taken by any steamer this year was 245 passengers of all descriptions — men, women, and children, and that several of them took considerably less than 200. In conclusion, Mr. Mills said, " You are quite justified in saving that not one of our steamers has carried 300 passengers to Melbourne this year.

On Friday, Mr. W. F. Hoskin, of Bell Block, sustained a severe loss, through his wheat stacks igniting. Mr. Hoskin and a number of men (the Taranaki News reports) were engaged in threshing with Mr. T. Bayly's threshing machine. Work had proceeded some time, and at 10 a.m. Mr. Hoskin was going to his house to get some bags, when he noticed smoke issuing from one of the stacks in the field. He immediately ran back, and called to his men at the machine, and they endeavored to extinguish the fire, by mounting the burning stack and trying to stamp it out. They were unsuccessful in this, however, and the flames steadily gained upon them, and other stacks were burned, the total loss being estimated at X'3oo. There was no insurance.

The special correspondent of the Napier Telegraph furnishes a report of the Hon. E. ititchelson's sketch of the Native Policy of the Government. It was the intention of the Government to repeal the present Act of 188G, and a new hill would ho introduced. It would have comparatively few provisions, one of the chief being freetrade in native lands, giving power to the Maori to sell or lease his property at his own discretion. The Act would prohibit any negotiations for land until three months after the investigation of the Court, and paymont marie before the expiration of that period shall be illegal, also that where there were more than 20 owners in a block of land it could notr be sold until it was subdivided into portions owned by not more than twenty. There would also be most stringent enquiries made that a native when parting with land still had sufficient to maintain him. A clause would also be inserted, in response to numerous petitions, that lawyers be prevented from appearing in the Native Lands Court. With regard to incomplete titles, it was intended to appoint a commission, who would closely investigate which were bona fide and which were not, and then report to the Government, when a bill would be framed and passed, dealing according. One of the most difficult subjects to grapple was the Native Lands Courts Act; but the Government, after eliciting the opinions and wishes of the leading chiefs ot the North Island, felt confident they would be enabled to do something that would be satisfactory to all. Mr. Mitchelson's remarks were received .with great pleasure and approval by the Maoris, and he has done much to ensure their confidence in the present Ministry.