COUNTRY NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9097, 4 July 1888, Page 6

COUNTRY NEWS.

C'fKOM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.]

Hamilton, Tuesday. New Zealand wine makers are anxiously looking for some further movement from Sir George Grey in reference to his proposed Bill to allow settlers making wine from New Zealand fruits to distil their useless and waste fruit into spirit for the necessary fortification of these wines. The Waikato County Council will, it is understood, at- its next meeting, forward a petition to the House to support the proposed Bill, ar.d send it to Sir George Grey with a letter expressive of their appreciation of his practical interest in the welfare of the settlers. Last Sunday was a church parade of the Hamilton Light Infantry Volunteers, who attended, with their officers, some forty in number, at St. Peter's. A strong expression has, however, been given effect to by many that the churches should be patronised turn and turn about, the practice having been for members of all denominations to attend at the English church. In these bad times, when no church is paying its way, the difference made to the collection by the attendance of the volunteers is considerable.

Pdkete, Tuesday. As a lad named William Barber was ploughing last week upon the farm of Mr. William Graham he turned up what proved to be the remains of a greenstone tomahawk. The stone is of a very handsome description, but unfortunately like most of the native stone tomahawks found the shank end is broken off at the handle. The piece of pounamu in question is about four inches in length by two and a half in width. The opportunity is a good one for the Auckland 1 Museum to acquire an interesting and valuable Maori relic, particularly as there is said to be an interesting Maori legend in connection with the stone. The place where it was found is close to an old native pah on the river-bank, where, in the days of invasion from the North, the massacre of a large number of the tribe living at Pukete took place. Te Awamutc, Tuesday. A meeting of the public interest*-d in the good government of the colony is called for Thursday evening next to consider the necessity of further Government retrenchment. Contracts have been let to Mr. Kennedy for draining portions of the Domain at 4s, Bs, and 9s per chain. Otorohanga. Tuesday. Numerously-signed petitions by both natives and Europeans are being sent to Wellington, protesting against the Government Native Land Bills, the Native Lands Fraud Prevention Bill, and the Maori Heal Estate Bill. The former is styled by them the Native Lands Fraud Perpetration Bill, and is looked on with more than distrust, and will indeed, if passed, lead to a greater breach on the part of the Government and the King natives than has yet existed. The natives insist on their right to do as they choose with their own lands, and will not brook the slightest attempt of the Government to assume that most objectionable of all privileges, the right of pre-emption. [BY TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENTS.] Cambridge, Tuesday. Porter, the absconding teller of the Colonial Bank, arrived to-day. Last night the train ran over and killed a horse at one of the Railway crossings on the outskirts of the town.

Te Aroha, Tuesday. The second of two very successful entertainments in aid of the organ fund of St. Mark's Church, was given on Saturday evening, in the Town Hall. A series of tableaux, under the direction of Miss Newby, were especially meritorious, and elicited great applause. The nett proceeds of the two entertainments amounted to about £15.

Another of the inconveniences of the retrenchment policy is being felt here in the closing of the Post and Telegraph Offices after 5 p.m. This step has been necessitated by the reduction of the staff. The Telegraph Office will be open on Tuesday and Friday evenings, from 7 to 8 o'clock, for the despatch of ordinary and press telegrams. Mr. George Wilson, Mining Inspector, is at present here on his periodical visit of inspection of the goldfields. He leaves for Paeroa to-morrow. ARAPOHUE. A football match between our boys and Aratapu was to have come off last Saturday, but owing to the wet weather each side was short of men, so the match was postponed till the 30th inst., when a good game may be expected. I owe a thousand apologies, which I now tender, to the Misses Dreadon and Stanaway for omitting to mention before that they were generally admitted to be the belles of the leap year ball given on the Ist inst. The official declaration of the poll for the proposed loan of £6000 states that the number of ratepayers entitled to vote was 400, while 276 voted for the proposal, 18 against it, and 118 did not vote, or 41*2 in all. Where did the odd 12 hail from ? A good many are surprised to learn that while this riding contributes about 60 out of the 400, the Kopuru, Aratapu, and Dargaville Ridings only muster: a little over 300 between them.

The school is closed for a fortnight for the midwinter vacation. This is the second year that an inspector has not been this way on a surprise visit. Every sensible person ought to feel grateful to "Pollex" for his admirable article on local government in the Weekly News of the 16th inst., and it is to be hoped that " the powers that be" will derive a salutary lesson therefrom.

I fear that we shall suffer by-and-bye for this summer-like weather. Mrs. H. Beasley, of Beaconsfield, kindly sent me a dish of ripe strawberries a few days ago. A ratepayer at tht, poll the. other day adduced a novel argument why the Wairoa electors for Marsden ought to have voted for the ex-M.H.R., namely, that if elected he would have to attend fit Wellington for three months or so in each year, and therefore could not do any mischief in the Hobson County during that time.— Correspondent.]

W HY raves that ghastly haggard wretch, who stamps with frantic mien, A nd crushes neath his iron heel what once

a watch had been ? T hat watch was a deceiver, and that man has been deceived, Even now he missed his train because its false tale he believed. ****** *. Returning ten days afterward, I see with face serene B eforo me stand, with watch in hand, he who that wretch had been. U troubled now he waits the train, devoid of care or worry, Repose and rest upon his face, where all before was flurry. You ask me ' Whence this wondrous change ?" He's bought a Waterbury 1 NOTE. The genuine Waterbury Watch is sold by the agents, Messrs. E. Porter and Co., Queen-street, Auckland, and branches, at 13s 6d each, and buyers will do well to purchase from them direct, in order to secure themselves from annoyance and imposition. There is only one Waterbury, and it has only one price, 13s 6d. Many watches are sold daily, at from 7s 6d to lis, a3 Waterburys, which are simply cheap and rubbishy imitations made in Switzerland and on the Continent. These will neither keep time, nor can they be repaired, as no watchmaker has any proper material. IMPORTANT NOTICE. The Waterbury Watch Company have contracted with a leading Queen-street Jeweller to repair any 1 1' alerburys sold by their agents, E. Porter and Co., at a price ran/jinn from sixpence to half-a-croum, and to supply them solely with material for the -purpose.' Should any Waterbury need repairing or adjusting lake it at once to the agent. If you take, it to any other jeweller, or attempt to open and adjust it yourself, you cannot succeed, and in this case, should you seek to have it set right by the agent*, a uniform charge of FI VE SHILLINGS will be made. On no account loill any chzap imitation watches be repaired. In consequence of many owners opening their watches for experimental purposes, we have resolved to do-üble the charge for repairing all such, because a great many parts are necessarily strained and broken through imperfect knowledge in thr mm-,,?;™,.