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Opunake Times, Volume V, Issue 201, 7 August 1896, Page 2

We give a reminder of the Quadrille Assembly in the Foresters’ Hall this evening. Tenders close to-morrow for cleaning the school for one year. Impounding notice from the Opunake poundkeeper. Mrs W. Read advertises for a general servant. Mrs F. Read advertises for a general serbant. The s.s. Glenelg grounded on the mud flats in the Wanganui and was consequently delayed in her trip’north.

Mr W. D. Scott held very successful sales of trees at Opunake on Tuesday and Rahotu on Wednesday.

The tenders for the Pihama School additions were referred by the Wanganui Board’s executive to the full Board, which meets on next Monday. At the annual horse parade in Melbourne, the best draught stock hailed from New Zealand, and the pick of the lot, a colt named Young Champion, brought 350 gs. Messrs Robinson, Road Surveyor, and T. W. Fisher paid a visit here on Wednesday to inspect aud report on the encroachment of the Waiau river, in the township, near King Street.

A number of five and ten-pound notes on a defunct Melbourne bank are in circulation in Wellington. Evidently they are portion of a series never issued as they are not signed, Two or three tradesmen have been victimised.

Mr A. Anderson supplies us with the following The rainfall at Rahotu for July was 3 - 80 inches, which fell on 21 days. The month has been remarkable for the lowness of the barometer, the average being 29 50. It has not reached 30'00 since the 16th June.

Mr T. H. Webb notifies that he intends starting the carrying business between Opunake and Hawera. Mr Webb has been a resident here for some time, and being steady and reliable is bound to gain the confidence of the public.

A middle-aged man named James was found on Sunday morning lying dead under the verandah of Messrs Dick Bros’ store at Waihi. He had been drinking round the hotels on Saturday night and lain on the road in the cold all night. Notwithstanding that the suppliers to the Loan and Mercantile Mangatoki factory and creameries in connection with it practically get 3d per gallon for their milk last season, they are not satisfied, and wanted to make the concern into a co-operative association, but this was lost by 35 to 28 votes.

It is rumored that two new electorates will be created between Wellington and New Plymouth aud one in the Auckland district. To do this three electorates in the South Island will have to be wiped out. Two electorates between Westland and Canterbury and one in Otago will probably be the ones to go. At Dunedin the Judge sanctioned the appointment of Mr Wm. R. Cook as liquidator of the Ward Farmers’ Association. Mr Chapman announced that a project was in view for the reconstruction of the company with the object to save liquidation becoming disastrous to shareholders.

In order to avoid the odious £SO commercial travellers’ tax in New Zealand it is proposed in Melbourne to charter a special steamer once a year, run over to New Zea land, collect the buyers there, bring them to Victoria, keep them a few weeks, serve them with the goods required, send them homo after a good outing, and all at a cost of less than half the tax.

On Tuesday afternoon a horse harnessed to a spring trap bolted down the main street, but fortunately did no damage, Mr J. Peacock, who was on horseback, went in pursuit, aud succeeded in stopping the bolter before be got very far. A couple of ladies who were wheeling perambulators in the street got a considerable fright. It is a dangerous practice leaving horses unattended in the street without even chaining the wheels, and will most likely result in a serious acci-' dent if continued.

Messrs Breach and Moore call a public

meeting to take Steps to urge the construction of the Opunake-Eltham railway. Mr W. D. Scott notifies a clearing sale of dairy stock on behalf of Mr W. H. Eyes and Mr R. L. Hutchens, at his Opunake sale yards on Friday next. Some first-class dairy cows will be offered, which should induce keen competition.

A New York patent medicine firm have discovered a man who is a paragon in baldness, and his unusually large, unusually shiny poll has been rented* together, of course, with the use of the remainder of the man, by the firm as a hoarding. The name of the medicine is painted across the bare surface, and as soon as it is pronounced perfect (and dry) the living picture is presented with a ticket for a theatre. As soon as he removes his hat he becomes the observed of all observers ; the stalls chuckle and titter, the circles laugh, the pit shouts, and the gallery roars. Mr Marshall, Crown Dairy Factory Inspector, met with an accident on Wednesday morning on the Main South Road, opposite Mr D. Wilkie’s place. In trying to avoid one of the many dangerous holes in the road, he got into another unexpectedly and was thrown right out of his trap, the wheel of which passed over him and broke a rib. Mr Wilkie kindly drove him to his home at Opunake where he was attended by Mr Feaver, and we learn he is progressing favorably. It is imperative that something be done to the road as in its present state it is certainly unfit for traffic.

The question of the Momohaki valuations cropped up at the meeting of the Land Board the other day. It will be remembered that, against the urgent solicitation of the Land Board, the Lands Department about two years ago offered 120 acres of good land for lease at absurdly high rentals, and though it was all taken up it wan predicted that the tenants could not possibly pay the rentals. This has proved correct, every tenant having forfeited, although improvements up to £3OO a section have been made, and now the question of the real value of the land and of the improvements has to be faced. The Ranger estimates that the land has been overloaded at from £1 10s to £2 an acre, but his valuation of the improvements is objected to by the lessees as too low. The Board decided to get an independent valuation made of the improvements. —Wanganui Herald.