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Manawatu Times, Volume II, Issue 22, 3 January 1877, Page 2

The s.s. "Napier" left Wellington for Foxton at 6 p.m. yesterday (Tuesday.) The next meeting of the Manawatu Highways Board will take place at the Courthouse on Monday, the 15th instant. Direct .telegraphic communication with Wellington was interrupted yesterday evening, and our telegrams were received through Wanganui. The line is out of order somewhere between Foxton and Otalri. Mr E. E. Metard yesterday took over the business lately carried on by Mr Quinn, watchmaker and jeweller, who left Palmerston on Friday last. We wish Mr Metard a happy new year and success m his new undertaking. The principal storekeepers and residents m Palmerston have presented Mr Abernethy with an address, expressing regret at his departure and & high sense of the efficient manner m which he has discharged his duties as railway Manager here. Owing to the lateness of the hour at which the Sports were brought to a conclusion m Foxton yesterday, we have been unable to furnish a report of them m our present issue, but hope to do so m our next. In the meantime'we can only -say that a most enjoyable day was spent, and the holidays brought to an end without mishap or failure of any kind. The Supplementary " Ghizette" of Friday, 29th December, fixes the dates and places of the first meetings of the County Councils. The Manawatu County Council meets tomorrow (Thursday, 4th January) m the Eesident Magistrate's Court-house, Palmerston North, at 12 o'clock, noon, the Bangitikei and Wanganui Councils meeting on the same day and at the same hour, also m the Court-houses. As the R.M. Court sits m Palmerston on the same day, the Council will probably meet only to adjourn to the day following or some other more convenient time. Authority to frank letters on public service has been extended to the Assistant-Surveyor-General, and the Chief Surveyor m each of the provinces j Deputy-Inspec-tors of Surveys Wellington, Gisborne, and Invercargill } First and Assistant Geodetical Surveyors, and Inspectors of Police m various provinces. Some persons have a harmless mania for collecting the last words uttered by remarkable persons. The other day a man was hung at Thanna Fort, near Bombay, for a horrible murder, and made rather a notable observation m G-ujerati. Standing under the drop, he whispered to the executioner, " In one minute what a lot I shall Tcnow ! " We ("World") cannot recollect one last word, save that of " More light ! " to equal m suggestiveness this dying ejaculation of an ignorant degraded Hindoo.

In a recent G-azette, among the appointments of Judges of Assessment Courts under " The Eating Act, 1875," therein notified are the following : — Manawatu Highway Board district, Manchester Highway Board district, and Kangitikei Highway Board district, R. Ward, Esq.., R.M. ; Wangaehu Highway Board district, and Wanganui and Waitotara Highway Board district, J. Giles, Esq., R.M. ; for the Leithbi-idge-, Marton, Bulls, Foxton, and Palmerston North Local Board districts, R. Ward,* Esq., R.M. ; and J for Wanganui Borough, J. Giles, Esq., R.M. In the Gazette of December 28th, John Frederick Rockstrow, Esq., is appointed Registrar of Births, Deaths, and Marriages, and also Vaccination Inspector, for the District of Foxton, as the same is defined m Proclamation of the 20th day of July, 1874, and published m the "New Zealand Gazette," No. 39, of the 23rd day of July, 1874. From a return lately published it appears that, during the last ten years, there have been 41 appointments of members or exmembers of the General Assembly to offices of emolument under Government. Of these ,19 were appointed by Fox Ministries ; 8 by Stafford Ministries ; 2by the Waterhouse Ministry ; 9by the Yogel Ministry ; one by the Pollen, one by the Atkinson Ministry, and one by the Judge. Among four members were distributed eight appointments. The salaries range from £100 to £1,500. A large proportion of the appointments were made years after the receivers had ceased to be members of the Assembly. A recent telegram from Melbourne says that farm labour is scarce m the country. As much as 15s a day and keep are given m ■ some parts. A recent telegram from Canterbury says : — Harvest operations have commenced. ! There will be less straw, but more grain per acre this year than last. All cereals look very well. The Wellington " Post," of the 28tb December, says that a quantity of land m Sandon, Manawatu District, will shortly be thrown open for selection on deferred payments. Na Raniera Te Iho writes to the " Wairarapa Standard " declaring that the purchase of the Wairarapa Lake has not been completed, and that the natives have presented a claim to the Native Lands Court demanding the said lake. According to an official report, the total population on the Kumara, including women and children, is not less than 4,500, of which number 3,000 are engaged m mining, leaving 1,500 engaged m business and other pursuits. Dr Buller has been m Napier for the purpose of getting up the briefs for the defence m the great libel case — Russell, of Hawke's Bay, v. the " W t aka Maori," the entire management of which has been entrusted to him by the Government. The rabbit infliction m Otago maintains frightful proportions. , The other day 16,000 rabbit skins were sent by waggon from Galloway Station, Manuherikia. Thirty-seven bales of rabbit skins are now lying at Castle Krook Station, Southland, and on that station above 130,000 rabbits have been killed this year. In the Wellington Provincial District the scale of voting qualifications for the election of members of Road Boards is as follows : — If the rateable property be rated upon an estimated value of less than £300, one vote j not exceeding £1,000 two votes; not exceeding £2,500, three votes ; not exceeding £5,000, four votes. This, of course, is the capital value. The Wanganui "Herald" says:— By laying the rails as the earthwork is finished on the line between Turakina and Marton, the^ railway may be open to within a few miles of Marton fully eight months sooner than if it were postponed until the earthwork contracts were finished. Our information is the best, and if not m the possession of the Minister of Public Works, it ought to be. It is of great importance that the line should be made profitable at the earliest possible moment, and as it might be conveying the greater part of the produce of Rangitikei within about four months from the present time, by the plan of simultaneous construction, there is every inducement to push forward the work m the way suggested. The " Southland Times " understands that the Rev. Father Kelly, of Melbourne, who is generally thought the most eloquent preacher and lecturer of all the Roman Catholic priests m Victoria, is about to visit | New Zealand shortly. In Victoria Father j Kelly draws crowded audiences whenever he lectures. His subjects are principally historical — " George Washington," " Mary Queen of Scots," and others of the kind. * In Wellington a portable engine for street-watering purposes has been fitted up at the Lion Foundry and is now m full working order, so that there will always m future be an abundant and constant supply of salt water to deluge the streets if necessary. This engine is ten-horse-power, and can work the pump to fill the four tanks (1600 gallons) m twenty minutes, the estimated cost of working it being £2 for each day it will be used. Both the Wanganui papers are loud m their complaints of the state of the Borough finances. The " Chronicle " confesses "an inability adequately to express its censure of such inexcusable laxity " as that of the Corporation who do not even furnish the annual balance sheet. The " Herald " says : — " We venture to say. that there is not a Corporation m the colony whose affairs are m the same deplorable state of confusion as our own ; and there is not one whose affairs ought to be more satisfactory, if we take the resources, the debt, and the public works of the Borough into account." The United States correspondent of the Melbourne " Argus " writes : — lt will perhaps interest your readers to know that the very remarkable exhibit of wools from Australia m the Philadelphia Exhibition has helped materially to promote a modification of public-opinion on the tariff, -which had already begun. I have within the last month had occasion to converse on this subject with several gentlemen deeply interested m the importation and m the manufacture of woollen goods*, m this country, arid I • have • found 'scarcely any ' difference ;of opinion as to the advantage which would accrue s to'the United States could the Customs duty on Australian wools be reduced i to a reasonable rate.

A correspondent of the " Evening Post/ who signs herself " The mother of- a large family," gives the following remedy for diphtheria : — Boil down camomile flowers m strong pickling vinegar until the mixture becomes thick pulp. Have ready a •thoroughly heated cradle or bed; Place the patient m a warm bath for sir or seven minutes, and then wrap, without drying, m a warm blanket, allowing no chill to reach the patient ; put to bed, and then apply the poultice right round the throat, particularly under each ear. The patient will gradually fall into a heavy sleep, which must not be disturbed. Watch the poultices carefully, which will, if well covered with flannel, keep warm for about two hours. : Have' ready another poultice, which apply as before. The second poultice is generally sufficient, if not, others can be applied, as they do not scarify the throat. Be careful mot to use the vessel, m which you make the, poultices, for any food until thoroughly cleansed,

At a Masonic banquet at Grahamatown i recently Mr Whitaker Jiaid s — l was connected with the first Masonic lodge m New Zealand, and when I look back at that time (thirty-three or thirty-four years ago) I do so with satisfaction. There were then, m Auckland only a few wooden and raupo "houses, and m a small room, not. one-fourth the size of this, we established the first lodge m New; Zealand. It is with pride and satisfaction I look back to those days and notice how early men from the mother country plant Masonry m the countries they take up their abode m. With about a dozen brethren we set to work and laid the foundation of Masonry m New Zealand. - A farmer residing near Newcastle, U.S., recently discovered a number of boys helping themselves to apples m his. orchard. He immediately unloosed a large bull-dog, and set the brute after the boya. The savage animal caught one of the.! youths by the throat, and, m a moment,' tore put the boy's wind-pipe and severed . the jugular vein, causing death m a very few minutes.