The Patea Mail. Established 1875. MONDAY, JULY 16, 1883. NEWS OF THE DAY.

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1060, 16 July 1883, Page 2

The Patea Mail. Established 1875. MONDAY, JULY 16, 1883. NEWS OF THE DAY.

By advertisement elsewhere, the members of the Masonic fraternity will learn their monthly meeting is held to-nighC In addition to ordinary routine, a Masonic lecture will be delivered. An interesting case of breach of promise is not unlikely to occupy attention in Patea before long. The plaintiff is a fair widow, residing not far from Hawera ; and the defendant is well known in this locality as a “lady-killer.” Matters between the parties have come to a crisis, and the legal gentlemen are on the qui vive. The opening performance of the Patea Dramatic and Musical Society will be given in the Harmonic Hall on Wednesday evening. The Sawmill Company has been successfully floated, that gratifying announcement being made at a general meeting of shareholders and others on Saturday night. A report of the meeting appears elsewhere. * Members of the Patea Rifle Corps ar® reminded that to-morrow night is a Government inspection parade. Recruits wishing to join the coips are requested to send in their names early this month, as after the 31st inst, no further enrollments can be made until the new year. The Company’s trophies will be fired for as follows : Ist class, July 23rd ; 2nd class, 24th ; 3rd class, 25th . inst. The classifications will be read out to-morrow night on parade. At the Waverley Town Hall to-raorrbw evening there will be a “ Night of Sacred Songs and Readings.” Besides the above Mr Edwards will read “ The Shipwreck,” and Mr Thomson the “Boots at the Holly Tree Inn.” The proceedings will commence at 7.30.

The Patea Band returned this afternoon from New Plymouth, where they have been assisting at a concert in the Alexandria Hall. The Waverley left here on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m., and arrived at Wellington at 6 o’clock yesterday morning. Mr Rasmussen’s shop next the Albion Hotel is now open for business with a well selected stock of boots and shoes in great variety. Quite a calvacade of Maoris of both sexes passed through Patea this morning on their way south. They were returning from a visit up the coast. ,~ - A gentleman who visited the graveyard at Mr Jardine’s yesterday, informs us that the only relic to mark the spot is a totara slab upon which is engraved the name of Thomas Nixon, a member of No. 7 Company, 57th Regiment, and the record that, he fell in action on March 13, 1865, Wo would remind the public of the Hospital meeting to-night at 7 o’clock. We hope to see a large attendance and a genuine interest manifested. ■ ' ,The evening mail for the south, which has been hitherto closed at 7 o’clock, will in future be closed at 8.30, thus giving a convenient extension of an hour and a half, which will be much appreciated by business men. We. look upon this as a step towards extending mail time till five or six in the morning, which will undoubtedly become a necessity before long. Several of the sub-contractors on the Manawapou contract have commenced operations, and the work will soon be in full swing. Mr A. Nathan has built a store and offices, and evidently means to push the contract on with vigour. Between Patea and Manutahi there is yet a good deal of work to be done, and it will be a month yet before the line is ready for traffic.

We learn from Wellington negotiations are proceeding between the Wellington Meat Export Company and the Union Company to have the Waihi and some other small steamers fitted up with freezing chambers to convey carcases from Blenheim, Napier, New Plymouth and Wanganui there for export. We are glad to say that the frozen meat question is exciting considerable interest not only among settlers in the district, but among townspeople also, Mr H F Christie has placed himself in communication with the Auckland and Wellington Meat Freezing Companies and has asked upon what terras they would be prepared to erect works here. If the replies are at all favourable, Mr Christie intends to take steps to have the district canvassed ; so that it may be ascertained what support can be relied on. We hope this movement will be attended with success, as the establishment of the frozen meat trade upon this Coast would give all classes of business an impetus that would have a most beneficial effect.

A proposal has-been set on foot by the Napier Jockey Club that the principal racing clubs in the colony should amalgamate in forming a racing association for New Zealand.

The foundation stone of the new church of St Martin’s, North-east Valley, Dunedin, was laid on 7th instant by the Bishop of Dunedin, in presence of 400 spectators. The choirs of the different Anglican churches assisted in the ceremonial. The' church is to seat 350 persons. The tower will be about 60 feet in height. The length of the building is 92 feet chancel, 30 feet by 18 feet ; transept, 50 feet -by 21 feet ; and nave, 25 feet by 12 feet. The Bishop stated that an account of the late spectacular game of chess, played with living figures, which was got up for the benefit of this church, together with a photograph of the performers, were deposited with the usual documents in the foundation stone then laid, which is to stand below the place assigned for the baptismal font. He mentioned the munificence of Mr J. M. Ritchie, who purchased the site for the church at a cost of £327, and acknowledged donations of £SO from Mr P, C. Neill, and £3O from the Curate, Rev Lloyd Keating. He anticipated that the building would be erected in three months. The Rev Mr Keating, who will be remembered as acting as Curate of Patea for three months last year, has since been working to establish a new church in Dunedin, and church people will be glad to hear of his success. The Wellington correspondent of the Press telegraphs :—A report, which I believe has been telegraphed over the colony, has been in circulation to the effect that the Hon Mr Oliver succeeds Sir F. Dillon Bell as Agent-General, and that until he is ready to go Homs the Hon Mr Walter Johnston will proceed to England and take his place, accompanied by the Hon Mr Bryce to institute criminal prosecution against Eusden; and that Mr J C Richmond will be Native Minister. I am able to authoritatively contradict this rumour on the word both of Mr Rolleston and Mr Bryce.

Mr James Marshall, President of the Dunedin Jockey Club, died on Saturday morning. The deceased gentleman was the principal partner in the well-known brewing firm of Marshall and Copeland. The Salvation Army authorities at Home evidently, to use a mining phrase, “ struck a patch ” in sending a detachment to attack New Zealand. The leader of the expedition has made such headway that he has received promotion twice since his arrival here. He came a “ Captain he was then made a “ Staff-captain and now we learn that a telegram just received from London informs him that a “Majority” has been conferred on him. In future operations in this colony will be conducted under the command of “ Major ” Pollard. Major Te Wheoro presented a petition to the House the other day, signed by a large number of Maoris, praying for the banishment of all lawyers from the Native Land Courts. The last paragraph is worth reproducing. It reads as follows, that: — “ We, the petitioners, pray to have that part of the Act repealed which allows lawyers to practice in the Native Land Court, as your petitioners prefer conduct-' ing their own cases. Your petitioners would respectfully submit the following case as an instance : —There was a block of land at- Waikato, containing 12,000 ocres, sold for six shillings an acre. The case was conducted by the lawyers, and their charge amounted to £3700; the price of the land came to £3600, leaving us actually £IOO in debt.” A telegram has been received in Wellington that the New Zealand Shipping Company’s steamer Catalonia only left the Cape on July 2nd, No reason is given for the detention.

Edward Blackburn, late of Dunedin, a Cumberland wrestler of repute, and Professor Miller, had agreed to wrestle in Melbourne on June 29th, for £IOO, and in Catch-as-catch can style minus Jackets, but owing to George Dowling (Blackburn’s agent) failing to cover the Professor’s money the match fell through, although both men had gone into active training. Blackburn now intends challenging Miller to wrestle two falls Cumberland style, two falls Grasco-Eoman, and a fifth fall of a style to be agreed upon, for £IOO aside, the match to come off at an early date.

The Te Aroha News has the following: —On Saturday last Te Kooti duly paid his promised visit to this township in response to the invitation of Mr Coleman, hotelkeeper. He came in a double-seated buggy, with three compatriots, a young native acting as charioteer. He was accompanied by a large cavalcade of natives of both sexes, mounted and on foot, but there was little curiosity and no excitment whatever. A few white people went to Coleman’s to see him, and some, but not many, drank with the visitor and at; his expense. He appeared to have plenty of money, and certainly did not present the appearance of the bloodthirsty savage of the- past. During what may almost ba deemed his present triumphal march, he has proved himself nearly as good a patron of publicans as his sovereign, Tawhaio, for he halts at allpublic-houses en route, and treats his body guards most liberally. This shows that he must be well supplied with funds, for some of them are ex-ceed/ng-Iy thirsty souls, and he pays cash for. their refreshment. The Timaru Herald says facts concerning the frozen meat trade and the direct steam service to New Zealand are only now beginning to dawn on the British public, whom they seem to have taken entirely by surprise. The Times recently drew attention ,to the remarkable circumstance that.the British King circumnavigated the globe, and discharged and loaded 6000 tons of cargo in less than four months, an exploit'which a few years ago would have been deemed beyond the region of possibility. The Times especially mentions that the British King brought a large quantity of frozen mutton in excellent condition, and evidently intends to imply that the quickness of her transit had something to do with the success of the shipment. Of course it had hot really anything to do with it, for when once the meat is frozen, a week or two in the chamber more or less is neither here nor there.

An Auckland telegram says :—The frozen meat 'and storage company is now in process of formation. The capital is to be £150,000 in 30,000 shares, the first issue to be 14,000 shares. Plans and specifications of the first part of the reclamation are ready, and the work, will be commenced at the earliest possible mbipehit: It is expected that the whole affair will be completed and ready for work in twelve months. Arrangements are being made in England to provide the refrigerating machinery. Persons sitting quietly in various places of amusement in London have lately been astonished at seeing a young gentleman silting near them suddenly illuminated in a mj'sterious manner. A moments inspection has revealed in his button-hole a tiny incandescent lamp which is supplied with electricity by an accumulator caried in his breast pocket.