HASTINGS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1200, 1 March 1895, Page 18

HASTINGS.

On Saturday night, betwoen 9.30 find 2 o'clock the tire brigade were rung up no less than th ee times, the first being a false alarm and the other two..-.%.. haystacks. Hovs hay could take §#**&*? that time after some hour* «-f pelting rain S9eina somewhat, liiy.srfn'i'U?, but one owner says on, seei"i£' die -tiuik on fire he ran for his hors'- eo that he might get up town and the bell, but he found his paddock gate open and the horse gone, which lends colour to the suspicion that an incendiary had been at work. The perfotmai>.c« of "Phyllis" .by the choir of St. Matthew's Church was the means of filling the Piincess Theatre. The entertainment was in aid-of the choir funds. There is some talk of touring the country with the opera owing to its great success. -■ • The railway platform is being sanded, and will probably be tarred also the length, some 600 feet, which will make* • it a nice promenade. The erection of the new post office is, < no doubt, being kept steadily in view. Some people have an erroneous idea that the building will encroach on the footpath. This is entirely an error. It is to be hoped the department will not be niggardly, but will give us a building worthy of the town. A hundred pounds or so should be neither here nor there in a case of this sort. It i 3 to be hoped, also, that it will not be put up on the three-bobble-square principle, like the Courthouse. Respecting the proposal to run a Sunday train to and from Napier, the local assembly of the Knights of Labour called a special meeting at which there was a large, number present, A strongly*

worded resolution was passed protesting against the .proposal, and pointing out that; 1 the running of the train had never done a bit of good for Hastings, and that it meant practically the opening of hotels and eating houses on Sunday, and the consequent employment of a great many workers who wanted their Sunday to.themselves qu'te as much as other people. From a financial point of view it had proved in the past a disastrous failure, and the Commissioners were very glad of the excuse afforded by the big strike to knock it off. It seems rather illogical that people should be compelled to leave off work in the middle of the week, and that the Sunday traius should be run. No reason whatever has yet been shown for runnng the train. Qn Friday and Saturday the town seemed practically dead —all the people having apparently gone to the athletic meeting in" Napier. The business* places might just as well have been shut up for alL.there was to do. Two' of the local representatives of Napier papers we're called upon to explain why they had neglected to register the ;dogs that follow them about. It ended as usual. When tho-ie two long trains of country children were taken to Napier on Saturday week it was fully understood that they would be looked after to the extent, -^sffik&> : yvzy-. least-of getting,some kitid of refreshments, but it now appears "that nlany of them had neither food nor drink the whole day until they got back to their homes. One would almost .think the teachers who accompanied them would have seen that some arrange.ment ;was come to for supplying the wants of the youngsters in this direction. .1 see'a gentleman at Makotuku has undertakerirto supply 600 of the Napier childreh>?Virith refreshments when they go Vup there next" week. Has he been overcomeby::' the generosity of the Napier firm -who handed round to the starving ■ *'kiddies" a lot of fans bearing a prominent i .advertisement ? ; . It iis expected there will be at least 2000 going from Napier to the buah, and between 'SOO and 600 from Hastings. -'■',. The, '"social" arranged by Mrs Dan • Moroney to raise the balance due on the Catholic Church organ was a success in every way, the theatre being crowded vwith dancers, although the thermometer stood at;94deg. At intervals between the dancing songs were given by Meesrs A. ,A. George, Hunt, Ridgway, Winsley, , and others. ' ; The tradespeople have decided to send an -envoy to Rotorua, where the Native opens on the second of next • ; ihori'th> to.: offer a considerable sum of. .morieqr-towards th» expenses of the KotahitUnga if the members will consent to hold the meed next year. One firm say they made up all they lost '.-'•by', the big fire (a good sum, too) during meeting,of 1892. The people 'run the Maori paper in Hascings "have'set ? an example that might be foi- . flowed' by. th^itEuropean brethren. They ; ?tifcve suspended publication for some weeks so that the editor may have leisure <to. go round and collect enough money printers for favours already received. A rather novel proceeding. Mr R. Sinclair, who has had charge of Hannah and Co.'s establishment here for some time, has been promoted to the .Wellington establishment. Mr Sinclair has made many friends while here.