THE New Zealand Herald. SPECTEMUR AGENDO. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1874.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XI, Issue 4020, 30 September 1874, Page 2

THE New Zealand Herald. SPECTEMUR AGENDO. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1874.

It has been said that at no distant date Nev; Zealand of all the Southern colonies will, from its geographical position, bcconio the first in importance with respect to lier mercantile marine. It is here at one or other of our ports that sailing and steam ships will call to replenish deficient supplies, to coal, to refit, and repair. It is hero that the vessels suitable for intercolonial trade will be built, because timber is now, and iron at no distant period of time, will be at command, and skilled labour obtainable. Duncdin in the -South and Auckland in the North will undoubtedly become the two great maritime ports of the colony, and the colony the maritime rendezvous for shipping, whether bound for eastern or western ports. It is therefore no more than our duty to frame such shipping laws as will be conducive to promote tii.it relationship which it in so desirablo should exist between the maritime countries of the world and our own colony. Wrecks and casualties of both steam and sailing ships we are only too well aware will occur, but it is the duty of any governing power so to legislate for the preservation of life and property that such, casualties shall not happen through the incompetency of men or through ue!icient construction in the building of ships. The protection of the lives of seamen and the proper construction of oceangoing vessels is at the present time receiving great attention in the Home country since Mr. Samuel Plimsoll drew the attention of Parliament to the subject, and we have before us a pamphlet written by Mr. A. de Courcy, which contains many valuable suggestions. We are told that when any accident 'happens on a railway, causing loss of life to travellers, a strong sensation is immediately felt throughout the Kingdom. All the causes of the accident are scrutinised to' find out on whom the responsibility falls. The points-man, who may for a moment be wanting in vigilance, the station-master who may 1. a-v j delayed giving a signal, the engine-:"-"ver who may have made a false ma .iceuvre, are ace;iscd and sometimes condemned. Side

•by if side,"with the criminal Prosecution: the action for] damages' .brought ; against the company v :by the'grounded} travellers, or by the families of _ the victims, and large pecuniary indemnities are claimed. Now, taking a view at oceanic instead of railway travelling, we know that numberless men and women pursue their ceurse over the seas, and that accidents which take the name of shipwrecks are of awful frequency. As the law stands at present, when a sliip is lost through the drunkenness or incompetency of those in authority and command, and though some of the crew and passengers be drowned, no one calls him to a strict account. The captain makes a declaration to prove that the loss was caused by the perils of the sea, and his declaration is received as evidence in all Courts of justice. The dead say nothing, and the survivors, happy to have escaped with life and limb, say little more. 111-ad-vised would be the insurers who should attempt to demonstrate that it was anyone's fault. The proofs would always be wanting. The barrister would fulminate with his eloquence their spirit of chicanc, and judgment would be almost certain to go against them. In the case of the loss of one of Her Majesty's ships, the captain has to stand his trial before a court-martial to justify himself. He is accused of not having brought into port the ship which had been confided to his care. A strict enquiry is made, and witnesses are heard. The captain's conduct is scrutiniscd as to the causes which have brought about the i disaster, with all the circumstances preceding, accompanying, and following it. If the least fault, unskilfulness, or want of courage can be proved against him, his prospects are ruined for ever, and ho will never again be permitted to obtain command of a ship. What, then, we desire to see in the home and colonial marine is, that a similar ordeal shall bo applied to the captains of merchant vessels. For, although the captain exercises a private profession, he is, from the moment he mounts his deck, invested in reality with a sort of public authority ; he is responsible, not only for the freight confided to his care, but also for the lives of his crew and passengers. Is it, then, conceivable if he loses his ship, even with the loss of part of his crew, he should not be called to account for it ! The cause of so many marine disasters is not difficult to trace. Builders of ships under competition have pushed, economy to the extreme verge. With owners crews are engaged indiscriminately, while the command may fall to the lot of an incapable or drunken captain, who becomes part shareholder on condition that' he she aid take command ; and moreover, ships are too often overladen. In most cities of the civilised world bridges are rijot allowed to be opened by the publip before they have been tested, while ahy builder, before ho begins a building, nlust supply to the local authorities a p,lan and section in detail of the house he ttitends to build, and must conform to the regulations which are imposed upon him in the interests of public security. The vigilance of the authorities everywhere protects the life of man, even to his habitations and his modes of land locomot'on. And so, we ask, ought this protection to abandon us at the moment we ship to face the perils of the sea I

Our telegrams tell us that the heavy rains ami strong gales which we have lately experienced in Auckland have been general throughout the colony. In several of the provinces tradie has been partially stopped. Two of the chief settlements on the "West Coast of the Middle Island—Greymouth and Westport—have again been subjected to flood and inundation, by which much property has been destroyed, while a number of buildings to save them from being carried out to sea have had to be removed. The heavy masonry protective works have saved the south side of the C4rey liiver from making encroachments, but this has been at the expense of the north bank, which has suffered severely, the river making its way at the rear of the main street of the township. The AVaipara steamer has been thrown up high and dry 400 yards from water deep enough to lloat her, and she will have to be launched at a considerable outlay of money. It is these heavy periodical Hoods which have caused so much hesitation as to how the railway shall be carried from the coal mine to the town, the Hoods caused by hoavv rains or the melting of the snow upon the back ranges being invariably accompanied by huge landslips. The people arc, fortunately, among the most enterprising of colenists, and having obtained present aid from the Central Government, with the promise of still more extended assistance in the future, the dangers from lieods and landslips will in time be overcome, and so will be opened to the colony one of the finest coal mines in all its possessions.

Thk Land Transfer Amendment Act, 1574, passed last session, supplies an important omission in the Act of IS7O. No provision was made in that Act for the registration of instruments affecting land granted under the Native Land Acts until the Crown grant for ii. had been issued. This Act provides that land passed through the Native Lands Court shall be under the operation of the Land Transfer Act, IS7O, from the date of the registration of the Crown grant. The estates of the grantees arc subjected to instruments previously registered. Provision is made by the 7th clause for the registration of informal interests in certain cases. Lands over which the native title lias not beau extinguished will be subjcct to the provisions of the Act of IS7O from the date of the order of the Native Land Court (made under the Native Land Act, I S7o), declaring that the land referred to iu such order shall be held in freehold tenure. The remainder of the Act comprises clauses for provisional registration in particular cases, for cancelling such registrations, and the repeal of the 78th section of the Native Land Act of 1573. No claim on the assurance fund will arise by registration of instruments by natives under disability.

The members of our city harbour trusts may well congratulate themselves upon the possession of such valuable endowments. With to handsome a revenue—which far exceeds any other of a like nature in this colony— at least we have a right to expect that- our wharves and harbour should be maintained in the most efficient state, and wo have little fear, as the Board is at present constituted, but that this will be the case. Ye-sterday fifteen allotments of land between Fort-street and Customhouse-street were leased at an aggregate annual rental of one thousand and eight pounds ten shillings, which, allowing 8-svcu per cent, for money extending over eighty-four years, tlie term to which the leases run would yield ail average of £S0 per foot, a larger figure, we believe, than has heretofore been realised in this or any other province of the colony. The ground was bought by the present occupiers, and valuable as it may be looked upon at present, is still more so in prospective, owing to its close proximity to the railway as well as to the shipping entering and leaving our port. The particulars of the sale will be found given in another place in our columns.

It is gratifying to find that the calendar for the criminal session, which commences on Monday next, is unusually light, only ten indictments appearing on the list. With the exception of one charge of wilful murder, and another for an . unnatural offence, the cases are all comparatively light, and are not likely to occupy many days in disposing of. The police state that crime has never been less in the ascendant than has been the case for some month's past in this province.

A social tea;was'held in; the Temperance TTn.ll evening, iu ' counection with the Fraternal Home Lodge oi l Qood. Templars. About three hundred persons were present. The meeting commenced at eight o'clock p.m. The Rev. P. H. Cornford took the chair. An ode having been sung, the NV.C.T. engaged in prayer. The chairman, in his opening remarks, thanked them for the honour done to him'in calling upon him to preside. He considered it to be the duty of every .Christian minister, as far as lay in his power, to promote the object which Good Templars have especially in view. He regarded the cause of Good Templary not simply as the cause of man, but in like mani] er as the cause of God, and he could not understand how any Christian could give anything like earnest attention to the subject and then withhold his or her earnest influence and direct activity for the promotion of an object of so great importance. He considered himself bound to identify himself with the cause of total abstinence, aud he had thought so since the year 1837, "and for this reason, that he found the obligation in both tables in the Moral Law. There was no cause which so promotes every form of iniquity as the abuse of intoxicating liquors, as there was no form of crime to which it did not lead up to. If there was anything that could militate against the personal or moral welfare of our neighbours, aud if our influence encouraged the habitual use of intoxicating liquc-rs, and if it was the power which induces disease, poverty, misery, aud vice, lie felt bound to use his influence for the purpose of promoting the cause of total abstinence. | The chairman read an extract from a spccch j by Mr. Gough upon the woman's whiskey | war in America, by means o£ which 3000 I drinking saloons are said to have been closed. Mr. Cornford concluded a lengthy, address with the assurance that Templary must succeed ; that its members were on the right side, and that there was a day coming, "When the might with the right and the truth shall be," and it was for them to do what they could to hasten on that time. Mr. Lambert performed an excellent selection upon the harmonium. The members of the Harmonic Society, under the able leadership of Mr. Cooper, lent their valuable assistance during the evening. Their efforts were fully appreciated by the audience. A duet by Miss Cooper and Mr. Baxter was also well received. Several other speeches were made and attentively listened to. The second of tile series of lectures under the auspices of the "Park' Road Mutual Improvement Society was given last evening by Mr. J. Martin, in the Wesleyan Church, Grafton Head. The use of the school-room, •by some, misunderstanding, had beeu promised to the .District Board, and the Church Committee very kindly placed the building at the disposal of the committee of the Society. Mr. Goodall, C.E., presided, and introduced the lecturer to the audience. Tlui subject was, "The Atmosphere." Mr. Martin certainly possesses in an eminent degree the qualification of a popular lecturer. He is not afraid of being plain and explicit, even at the risk of being called elementary. A very clear account was given of atmospheric influences, the effects produced by objects placed in vacuo, weight and expansion of atmosphere. The address was illustrated by experiments with air pumps and other scientific instruments. The structure of the barometer and cffects caused by the atmosphere upon air and mercury were explained and illustrated. The young people had many opportunities of testing the scientific theories expounded, so that the lecture was as interesting as it was pleasant and practical. A vote of thanks was passed to the lecturer by acclamation.

The Rev. Mr. Coffey, says a writer in an Otago journal, in an address to the Sons of Temperance in Milton, on the 25tli August, said he thought they were inclined to depend too much on legislation to accomplish their ob ject: he would suggest persuasive measures. I >id women persuade from the pulpit not to drink intoxicating liquors, and men persuade from the bar an opposite course, I have not the least doubt the persuasive powers of Christian worn would ultimately succecd. Let the clergy men in Otago only try the experiment ; let them give up their pulpits for one .layonly to women in the cause of temperance. I think the clergy would be rather astonished at the number of converts they would make. The dead-house recently constructed in Freeman's Bay, or rather on the point between Freeman's Bay and the town, has been well iitced up, and is well adapted to serve the purposes of a "morgue." But there is something still wanting to render the improvement a complete one. Although the house and all the arrangements are good, there has been one thing neglected. The place is actually almost as unapproachable as the old structure iu Official Bay. Any person coining alongside in a boat must scramble up the broken end of the harbour endowment reclaimed land, at the risk of his neck. The annual meeting of the shareholders of the Prince Imperial Gold Mining Company was held at the office, Wyndham-street, yesterday afternoon. F. Whitaker, Esq., was voted to the chair, when the report and balance-sheet were read and adopted and the retiring directors rc-elcctcd. It was determined to carry on the working of the mine with rigour, under the able management of Mr. William Rowe. It is intended to sink the shaft still deeper, and drive in from the 400-feet level of the Imperial Crown. Mr. T. Garlick was re-elected auditor. Representative liring may be all very well, but shooting representatives is 110 laughing matter, says a Hokitika contemporary. Some youths on tho beach on Saturday were practising shooting of some kind, and this very nearly led to a vacancy being occasioned in the representation of the Hokitika district in the Assembly. Mr. John White was coining out of his gate on Saturday last, when some more adroit marksman than his fellows let go, and lodged the contents of his piece a few feet to one side of our member's head, in tho building at the back.

| ill*. DeLias, the lessee of the Prince of Wales Theatre, has succeeded in securing the services of Mr. P. M. Bates, an actor of considerable merit, and having an English and colonial reputation, for three nights only of next week. Mr. Bates, with his talented wife and company, have just finished a successful tour of the Australian colonies, and lie is now, wo believe, on a visit to New Zealand with the view of spying out the capabilities of this colony to support a good company for a season in each province. There has hitherto been a want of means of ready communication between the higher part of the town and the land recently reclaimed by the harbour Board on the eastern side of Freeman's Bay. The Board, however, have during the last day or two become awakened to the necessity of providing a thoroughfare, and have placed men on for the purpose of cutting a flight of steps up the cliff. These will lead from the end of the reclaimed laud to the bottom of Hard-inge-strect. A meeting of the trustees of the Grafton Road Highway District was held last evening, in the school-room of the Wesleyan Church, for the purpose of hearing appeals from the valuator's assessment. (S. E. Hughes, sen., chairman of the Board, presided. There were several objections heard, but the assessment in all cases but two was sustained. The attendance at the Prince of Wales Theatre last evening was not large, and a new programme was substituted, of a similar character to the first, but introducing different songs, <fcc. The company will only appear for two nights more. Amongst the passengers per the.Hauraki, from Coromandel, arrived last evening, were his Honor the Superintendent, Mr. Holloway, Mr. Sheehan, and Mr. Cadman. A fearful death is reported in one of the Hokitika papers, Mr. J. Fitzsimons having been gored to death and afterwards fearfully mutilated by two wild bulls. Last year the Melbourne Hospital alone relieved 26,000 out-door patients, and the I Ladies' Benevolent Society 99,256 !

The jVew. Zealand . lington Poet, .jof the "ISHfiv'j instant, 'thij; ' morning is guilty,' l of what can, only, be characterised .as . deliberate?"' hood in reference to the' late dinner to his Excellency the Governor. Noticing the New Zealand Herald's statement " that notes were sent round to J the three Wellington journals, kindly informing them that their representatives would be allowed to occupy the reporters' gallery while the 'lions' fed," the Times says :—"lf notes were sent round to the three Wellington journals, informing them that their representatives would be admitted to the reporters' gallery, no such note was ever received at this office. If it had been, it would at once have been consigned to the waste-paper basket, or returned to its author." We affirm without hesitation that such a note did reach the Times office in possession of a member of its staff, and that it was neither thrown into the waste-paper basket nor returned to its author, as it undoubtedly should have been. On that occasion we adopted the only course compatible with dignity and self-respect, and the Times sacrificed both, though its representative was strongly urged to act in unison with us. How the Times can deny having ever received the letter, which remained in the possession of its sub-editor, we are at a loss to imagine. An American gentleman named McCarthy has just arrived at Wellington from San Francisco (says the Post), bringing three new patent inventions, which, we understand, he is willing to dispose of. The first is a gas-stove, the peculiar feature of which is that it generates its own gas, from petroleum or alcohol placed in a reservoir, and made to pass through a tube in some way, which is the patent secret, in a flame, leaving the tube in the form of gas, which can be graduated to any degree of strength. In the small model shewn us cold water was brought to the boil in two minutes. There is no unpleasant smell or danger of explosion, and the .stove, which is eminently portable, can be constructed to any size at less than half the cost of a kitchen grate capable of the same work, and its working expense is only about a halfpenny per hour. The second invention is a small portable filter, which screws cn to a water-pipe, and will last practically an unlimited time, only requiring to be unscrewed and reversed daily. The third is- a'powder, which, dissolved in kerosene, prevents all risk of explosion or of the lamp-glass cracking. Indeed, the inventor states tliat a lamp-glass may be dipped in cold water, and then the utmost strength of the lamp turned on without the slightest chance of the glass cracking.

Mr. Vogel's departure, says the Otago Times, is really taking the mainspring out of the clock and expecting the rest of the machinery to work on without its aid. It is at the period of its history at which we have now arrived that the question of the success or failure of the great public works scheme is to be tested. The preliminary steps are, by comparison, easy, though we do not wisli to underrate the skill which has been shewn in carrying matters on. Just now we are in the full swing of expenditure, and every temptation is before the dispensers of the public funds to recklessness iu disbursement, to carelessness in economy, to indifference to detail. The ultimate success of the whole must entirely depend upon the care given to small matters for the next year or two. It is quite certain that the public generally would never have consented to the giant plans we are concerned in if it had not had a supreme, almost childlike, confidence in the great chief. We have expressed our conlident belief that if Mr. Yogel con make arrangements at home such as please and satisfy him, ho will not return to this country, l-iut even if he does return, lie will have been absent from his post just when he was most wanted here. A nice piece of " sporting" rascality has come to light in the Launccstou Police Court. A running match recently came off between Bird, the noted pedestrian, and a man named Harris, the stakes being lodged with Robert Keene, landlord of the Duke of Wellington Hi tel. liird won the race, and thereafter applied to Keltic for the stokes, which the latter refused to pay, whereupon Bird charged him with larceny as a bailee. At the hearing <)f the case JJird stated that he had staked £•20 with Keene, and supposed Harris had staked his £25. On applying to Keene after the race, the latter denied having any money. For the defence, Harris stated that it was a ''double race," and that he had not put any stakes down. Bird was to lose the race to pluck some young fellows. This pleasant arrangement, however, fell through, and Harris and his friends were "sold." Keene has been committed to take his trial at the next sittings of the Supreme Court. The annual general meeting of the shareholders of the Prince Imperial Gold Mining Company was held yesterday afternoon. Mr. l'\ Whitaker took the chair, and explained to the meeting the position of the company. The balance-sheet was then submitted to the meeting and adopted. It was as follows : — Capital and liabilities : Total amount received from shareholders, £6:2,000 14s ; calls due, £47 10s : accounts owing, £115 12s lid. Property and assets : Mine and plant, £50,010 14s ; debts owing and cash in hand, £0 Ss 9d ; calls, £47 10s. Profit and loss : Balance due to old year, £05(51 19s 9d ; working expenses to August 81st-, 1574, £12S 4s 2d : total, £0090 4s 2d. The wl: >lc of the retiring members of the directory were reelected, viz., Messrs. F. Whitaker, T. Russell, C. J. Taylor, J. M. Shera, and W. C. Wilson. Mr. .1. T. Garliek was re-ap-pointed auditor. The Ly/teiton Times advocates the exclusion from the House of Representatives of all Superintendents and Provincial officeholders. It does so on the ground that Ministers are unable to carry out what they consider for the good of the colony because of the pressure put on them in the interest of individual 2'rovinces ; that the action of the Legislature is constrained and overridden by provinciid combinations ; that the presence in the House of a band of members personally interested in the maintenance of the existing order of things renders administrative or constitutional reform impossible.

The opening of the railway lias given a wonderful impetus to the Hutt district, which promises soon to becomc an important and populous suburb. Already several nice villas have been built there, and are occupied by city gentlemen, and several others are to be immediately commenced. The i Hutt has just been proclaimed a district under a Provincial Local Boards Act, and its affairs will in future be managed by an elected Board of Commissioners. A Building and Land Society has just been started there, and a gas company is now actually on tlie lapU.—Otago Daily Times. An entertainment will be given at the City Hall 011 Monday, the 12th pros., for the benefit of the widow Mrs. liyan. The performance will be under the patronage of the Oddfellows, the Foresters, and the Hibernian Society. Mr. P. Doran and other distinguished amateurs have promised to give their valuable aid, and a good programme is being prepared. There is no doubt the entertainment will prove a success, a result to be hoped for on account of the deserving object for which it is given. The Coromamlel -Yraw says : —" Mr. Holloway seems eminently fitted for the important trust reposed in him, allowing nothing to escape his observation. We are glad to find that lie has formed sucli a favourable opinion ofCoromaudel as being a really beautiful district, and looks with confidence to her immediate future as a gold-produeing portion of the province. The Sydney sharebrokers have suspended a number of the Board for three months, for giving fictitious quotations, a discipline which might be extended advantageously to some other colonies. Captain McLean, of the steamship Otago, has liberated 10 pairs of magpies in. the Dunediii district. These birds would thrive much better in Auckland than Otago. We learn from the Government Insurance Agent that the maximum life risks have been extended to £3,000.

The following amuHing, letter appears: in the Waha Maori:—'', Matatera, September 6,1874. Sir, —Will. you oblige me: with a little space in the Waka Maori to endeavour to dissuade some of ourMaorifriends from the excessive practice of card-playing. Having charge of a native school, I am often pained to observe - the sleepy - listlesaness. of some of the pupils, and the absence of others who, I think, might attend. I am informed that they are in the habit of'sitting up most of the night playing cards, and this in a stilling .atmosphere is sufficient to account for what I above refer to ; and perhaps the worst, feature of it is they play for money, or even for their clothing. Now, it is easy to perceive the evil effects of this practice, both on those who play arid those who look on; and I would earnestly urge on the chiefs, parents, and elders to do all in their power to discourage such practices. I am not unmindful of the disadvantages of our Maori friends as compared with ourselves. But if they avail themselves of the advantages the Government are anxious to put in their way, ! and learn to read the English language, a new world, as it were, of entertainment would be opened up to them. They could sit by their fireside and read of wonders they never heard of before, and J earn what is going on in all parts of the world. If they are anxious for larger political privileges, this is the way to obtain them. If they wish to enjoy all the advantages we ourselves enjoy—to preserve their race in health and vigor, and to stand side by side with one of the most enlightened and powerful nations of the earth—let them abandon all enervating habits and they may soon attain it. Trusting the above will not be too great an intrusion on your space, I am, &c., Thomas Lewis."

The following we extract from thereport in the IYclson Colonist of the Nelson Volunteer Brigade dinner. These are the remarks of His Excellency upon Fire Brigades in general and those of Auckland in particular:—"l would now wish to express some words in my position as guest o£ a Brigade so honorable. In some of the British colonies the Fire Brigades justly occupy most honorable pesitions. There is always before you special danger with which you have to grapple, and it gives me pleasure to find that all your Volunteer corps are in so efficient a condition, and that this Brigade is so efficient that the building trade is a considerable sufferer. I was lately in a city where we had a fire at least each week. It must have been intended that the fires should be successes. We used to be spectators of a grand pyrotechnic display, and the Brigades generally pumped away in a great state, but it was of no use—they seldom had any water. I used to think on the whole it was good for trade. Business people and insurance companies were well supported, and I am not aware that any one was much hurt. Nelson, it appears, goes on another tack. On a very pretty site, covered with very pretty houses as it is, its Brigades and inhabitants take pride in protecting it, and these Brigades are evidently very popular. I wish to express to you with all sincerity that I shall always retain a most agreeable recollection of my stair in this, one of the most agreeable spots in New Zealand, if not in any other country." A serious accident happened yesterday afternoon to a lad named Peter Ferguson, on Gore-street jetty, whereby he received a compound fracture of the leg. The boy, whose age is about twelve years, is a native of Ofcahuhu, where his father resides, but owing to too kind treatment at home, he left it, and came to town. He represented himself as an orphan at Nicholson's boarding-house in West Queen-street, and was there taken in out of cliaritj'. He lias since done odd jobs for the people, ran errands, and so forth. Yesterday he was engaged in collecting lire wood, and whilst on thy wood wharf a pile of timber stacked ui: the wharf was blown over by the force of the strong westerly wind. Part of the timber fell on ':he lad, knocking him down, and breaking his left, leg. The bone was completely severed. He was with as little delay as possible conveyed to the Provincial Hospital, where the fractured limb was set by Dr. Philson. His recovery is simply a (jitestioaof time. One of the largest trees in the Domain was bloii 11 down by the gales last week. It is a line manuka tret:, nearly two feet in diameter. Several other trees were partially torn up by the roots. These have been again covered with earth and otherwise secured against casualty. We are gratified to see that the ranger anil workmen have been busy in " thinning" the scrub and underwood. Last yiar there was really some reason to apprehend a lire from the most trivial causes. The place would be improved by even more " thinning" than it has received. It would be both pleasanter as a place of recreation, and healthier for invalids who might u. c e it.

The Superintendent of Hawke's Bay knows how to improve the advantages of his position as Government Agent and confidential friend to the Government, by pushing on the construction of railways in'his province. In fact, the railways are being pushed on more rapidly 111 Hawke's Bay than in any other province, and there are now upwards of GO miles under contract to be completed considerably within two years from the present date. This extent of line will tap the large and valuable forests of the Sevcntly-Mile Bush, and open up a most profitable timber trade for Napier. It will be a much longer time before this bush is reached by the railway 011 our side. In his report to the Poverty Bay Petroleum Company, the new manager, IV! r. Parsons, says : —" Doubts have been expressed in my hearing that you will be unable to produce relined oil as cheaply as m America. These may be at once dismissed. Wages here are lower than at the oil region of Pennsylvania ; the country through which you would bring the oil, either by tramway or pipe, offers every facility ; and I have no hesitation in saying that there is no reason why it should not be sold in a refined state, at the port of Gisbome, as cheaply as it is sold in the United States." The Otago Guardian says:—"The New Zealand Hansard is at ouce costly and useless. If it accomplished the main end and aim of its existence we should say nothing whatever of the cost, but being a double failure, we are entitled to grumble. . . . The people do net read Hansard as a rule ; they seldom see it; and theirpolitical education is entirely dependent upon the newspaper Press of the colony, the proprietors of which are heavily, though indirectly, taxed to maintain it. Wo are requested to call attention to the fact that the entries for the Selling Steeplechase and Hurdle Race, and the acceptances for the Handicap Sweepstakes, the Hunt Club Steeplechase, and the Captain Cook Hurdle Pace of the Auckland Racing Club's meeting must be made at S o'clock on Friday evening, the 2nd prox., at the club-room, Auckland Hotel. The race meeting will take place 011 the Kllerslie race-course oil Wednesday next, the 7tli October. The W'anganid Chronicle states that the Government have, after long negotiation, succeeded in making arrangements with Kemp, 011 behalf of the Wangaivai natives, for a twenty-one years' lease of about 350,000 acres of the M uriuiotu country, at £3500 per annum, or at the rate o? £10 per 1000 acres. There are, however, considerable native reserves to be made out of the block. A selection of three bulls from the superb herd of Messrs. Leney and Son, Kent, to arrive in New Zealand by the Lennox Castle, are odered for sale. Particulars appear in another column. We are requested to draw attention to the fact that Messrs. Tonks and Co. will sell this day, the shipment of Fiji sugars, the sale having been postponed yesterday. Mr. Lewisson's art union of jewellery will be drawn at four o'clock to-morrow afternoon, at the Mechanics' Institute.. Tenders are required by the District Engineer at the Thames for material for extending the goods wharf, Grahamstown. The next quarterly term of the Church of England Grammar Sshool, Parnell, commences to-morrow. Tenders are required for the construction of section 6 of the Waimea water-race.