CORRESPONDENCE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XVII, Issue 2954, 17 October 1891, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

NOBMANBY GRIEVANCES.

Tatheßdi^rWtJ^mar. «\ ; Sib, — I have no wish to trenob upon ot ' displace your able correspondent, but as certain matters, seriously affecting' (he in« terests of this town, have escaped his notioe, I take the liberty of drawing attention to them through tbe medium of your widely circulating paper. Since the constable was withdrawn from Normaoby tbe larrikins have become an intolerable nuisance. At all hours of the night stones are being projected on to iron roofs, and kioking and knooking at doors at a late hour are favorite and increasing amuse* ments. A good number of petty larcenies also have lately occurred, articles of every description are being stolen in ' all directions, tills rifled and pockets picked. It is only tbe other day that Mr. P. Dolan's cash box was' cleared oat of all its silver, about 80s, and at a rink caraival last week one of the < company had a similar sum taken from bis pockets in tbe Town Hall, and I hear of four or five similarly ; of variou^Sgttb^TOnthe Bame occa- >> eion. If police enpnvision is not restored i we shall soon have to record the perpetra- ' tion of crimes of a more grave, if not felonious, character. The re-opening of the Normanby Hotel, also, is the subject of much comment, and is specially worthy, of note from we 'pequliajrijTiosiiion that affair has assumed; ■ Onjf|£| account ;it ought to haye as widef#|ffli|pfcs sible, and I therefore calroi? atteqjrat' of other districts to it, as vml as that ofthe authorities. The position is this: •The hotel and furniture are the t property of Mrii^P. MoGtaire, wJMMonae* time ago leased it to a Mr. Jdsnifl At -the last annual meeting oFfiielioensing committee due notioe was given to Mr. Josling that his license would be granted only on condition that additional furniture waf put into tbe hotel inside of three months. Mr. Josling gave the* owner immediate warning that if this mxc not done the license of the house>would be cancelled. Mr. McQuire paid no attention to this, and at . the last quarterly meeting the license was accordingly cancelled by a majority of the committee, for besides tbe alleged deficiency in: furniture, &c, the committee held that -a third hotel in this small town was superflous, and could not be payable to any of them as evidenced by the recent failures of two oat of die three of the licensed holders. Quite lately Mr, McGuire's _ solicitor sent the Licensing Committee a document re* questing two of their number to sign a paper to allow the hotel to be re-opened I m order to test the casein Court. Tbe committee held an informal meeting, and ( after taking legal advice, declared their determination to have nothing to do with the request. Further pressure, however, was brought to bear upon them. A thr&t was used of taking the case to the Supreme Court, and of serving a writ upon each of the oommittefemen, in the event of their non-compliance. Damages were proposed to be recovered for the cancellation of the license, but a majority of the committee « seoond tune decided to adhere to their former resolution. It should he noted that only the dissenting majority attended these latter meetings, although the othen received formal and timely notioe, to do so, but for certain unknown teason, kept religiously away. Subsequently Mr. Bayley (chairman), and Mr. Sisley granted a permit to re-open the- hotel in defiance of the wishes of the majority, and without even attending one of the meetings referred to. On the 14th, thepolioe.accom* panied by one of the dissenting corn* mitteemen, entered the hotel and* de> manded of the keeper his authority for re-opeoing it. The latter could give none whatever, whereupon it was surely a greatslaxity on the part of the police in timk seizing the stock then exposed for sal^ and seizing it at once, but this ofilcial— who seemed to be possessed of some very confused notions about his duties— de* olined to take that step, -pending advice from some higher authority. The hotel was actually closed for nearly six weeksi and it was surely a foolish thing on the part of Messrs. Bayley and Sisley to sign the permit, beoause (Ist) the committeei by a majority, had placed it beyond their power: to deal with the matter, on account of their having previously absolutely cancelled the license; (2nd) they took no notioe of the special meetings to re* consider the matter;' (Brd) they were well aware that the majority of the committee were against re-granting the license; (4th) they now, without consulting their col* leagues, grant permit in defianoeof declared and expressed wishes of a majority of the committee, for it is obvious that if two of the committee can,ineffectiinoon6istentfy, and in *,a manner clandestinely, grant a license, ' or a temporary license, then, in that case, the declared wishes and resoln* tions ofthe majority of the committee are nullified. That is the position, and in the name and at tbe request of several residents here we demand immediate redress. Why Bbould the lioease be taken from . one man m order to transfer; ! it to another in a precisely similar eon* dition, since tbe furniture is no better to* day than it was at the tune of the cancellation of the license. Sir, we must have an immediate restitution of our former police supervision; a more vigi* lanfc and accurate management of the disorderly and thieving elements in on* community. We insist that we shall no longer be subjected to midnight annoyances by larrikins; that our money and property shall be protected from marauders andithieves, and watched over by offioers having at least some intelligent understanding of their duties, and who are not too inert to enforce them. — I am, Ac, _ . Thkophbasius Dshoojuss.

The Wellington Evening Press points out that there is a most extraordinary discrepancy between the number of sheep as supplied by the Stock Department and tLe nnmber obtained by the census ennmera* tors. The Stock Department gives the total number of sheep, in New Zealand as 16,116,118. The gazetted census return states the total at 17,865,428— a discrepancy of nearly a million and three* garters. Now* the census waa taken on April 6th, and the stock returns are for .April 30tb. But we believe that 200,000 would be an ample allowance for sheep slaughtered during the 25 days from Apnl 6th to April 80th. After making this allowance, there is still the very large discrepancy of more than one million and a * half. Speaking to an Auokland Star reporter ' on the subject of Wellington's trade with Taranaki, Mr. J. P. Maxwell, one of the Bailway Commissioners, said : " Nothing comes to Wellington from Taranaki except passengers and mails. Wellington draws oattle supplies from so far north as Hawera, but otherwise, merchandise and produce passing between Taranaki and Wellington goes' by steamer. Wool, meat and sheep are almost exclusively shipped from the small coastal ports, and do not pass over the railway, and there is a good deal sent from Wellington to New Plymouth and to Wanganui by water. As a rule we cannot compete with water carriage, the atter being very much cheaper to work." Mr. Maxwell also drew attention to the important trade established between thfe, Manukau and Taranaki, which he regarlMt. as superior to any railway communication that could be established for the conveyance of goods. Waimate Road Board invites tenders for works.