The Patea Mail. Established 1875. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 1884. NEWS OF THE DAY.

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1159, 5 March 1884, Page 2

The Patea Mail. Established 1875. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 1884. NEWS OF THE DAY.

The County Council meet to-rnorrow morning. The Rev. Mr Whitchouse arrived in Patea last night. The Assessment Court will sit at 10 o’clock to-rnorrow morning. A meeting of the Otoia Licensing Committe will be held at Kakararaea at noon to-morrow. The Mayor of Hawera has gone to Wellington to endeavour to raise a loan to build gas works with, Hawera County Council has passed a resolution in favour of endowments being set aside with a view of providing a fund for hospital and charitable relief. Mr Abbot has been elected chairman of the Wanganui Harbour Board in place of Mr F. R. Jackson, who was unable to accept the office through pressure of private business. The Rev. Mr Luxford leaves for Kaiapoi at the end of this month. The Hawera folk are going to give him a farewell soiree, and it is to be supposed that Patea people will pay him a similar compliment. Major Atkinson, accompanied by Messrs Seed, Batkin, and Cooper, has been making a series of domiciliary visits to the various Government Departments to try and learn something about their work and organisation, with a view to retrenchment. Tho crops are turning out very well in the Waverley district. Mr John Hair expects to average 70 bushels to the acre of oats, and 40 of wheat. Mr John Morton anticipates his wheat to yield from 30 to 35 bushels to tho acre ; his oats threshed out 41 bushels, and a good sample. Tho sports in connection with the Swimming Club will be held to-morrow in the river opposite the railway wharf, and should the weather prove fine, no doubt will bo a success. The arrangements made in connection with the event are most complete, and the Patea Rifle Band will be in attendance. At Hawera yesterday morning a fire occurred in the shop of Brookes, photographer, and extended on one side to the premises of Suiter, tailor, and on the other to Pitcher, watchmaker and jeweller. Suiter and Mrs Pitcher narrrowly escaped suffocation by smoke. The fire was got under before much damage was done. The buildings were insuied in the Northern and National Companies for £4OO. Pitcher’s stock and furniture was insured in the Colonial for £7OO, and Suitor’s in the National for £2OO. Brookes, who is the principal loser, was uninsured. The Manaia correspondent of the Star writes “It is stated that if surface soil be brought from tho hush and placed in suitably covered spots in gardens, native trees will soon make their appearance. The experiment may bo worth trying.” It is reported, on what we know not, that most of tho New Zealand trees and shrubs to be found at the Kew Gardens in England were raised by the method mentioned by our correspondent. Boxes of earth were forwarded home, and under the influence of the hothouse there was soon a luxuriant growth of antipodean specimens.

The following is an extract from the annual report of the Wanganui Education Board, prepared for transmission to the Minister for Education The Patea District High School has not been a success at any time, although it has been efficiently officered ; but the cost of its maintenance has not encroached upon the Board’s funds. The numbers who attended during the year for secondary education were as follows:—lst quarter, boys, 4 ; girls, 0. 2nd quarter, boys, 5 ; girls, 0. 3rd quarter, boys, 7 ; girls, 1 ; 4th quarter, boys, 7 ; girls, 0, The numbers now learning extra subjects are four boys only. “ Anglo Australian ” writes in the European Mail I These are hard times, surely, for the rank and file of the lower as well as the upper sections of the great middle class. There has been a vacancy in the office of the Agent-General for New Zealand for a copying clerk, and an advertisement, slating the facts, and adding that the salary was from twentyfive to thirty shillings a week, was duly inserted in a daily paper. On the same day that this announcement appeared there were two hundred applications, and on the day following three hundred more ! Only fancy I five hundred eager applicants for a post of this description, and all arising out of one advertisement. At the Hawera R.M, Court on Monday a man named Charles Williams, alias George Lacy, was charged with stealing £6 odd from Edward Cullinan, who was lodging at the Shamrock Hotel. From the prosecutor’s evidence it appeared on Sunday morning he awoke about five o’clock and saw prisoner in his room, kneeling down by the washstand. He made various excuses for his presence and left. Witness then found that the money was gone from his trousers’ pockets. Called prisoner back and questioned him, when he took the purse from underneath the washstand. Found there were two notes and two shillings missing, and prisoner returned them. Prisoner said something tempted him to take the money. Other evidence having been given, Williams, who is an old offender, was committed for trial.

The Lyttelton Times says :—“ The Adelaide, which ran into the Wairarapain Hobson’s bay is a steamer trading 1 between Melbourne and Adelaide, to the latter of which ports she belongs. She is a vessel about 1200 tons, and is reputed to have a speed of 15 knots. There is a latent jealously among the Adelaide Company’s boats of the fast steamers of the ■Union Company, and there is not the slightest doubt that there was a race between the two vessels, carried perhaps further than was intended. The very minute description given by one of the passengers makes it abundantly clear that there was a fierce struggle on the part of the Adelaide, at all events, which crowded up the Wairarapa, so that the latter could not have very well got out of the way had she tried. The eagerness of the rivalry may be gathered from the jeering remark by the Adelaide’s passengers about the Rotomahana. That steamer, as the fastest boat in the Colonies, is naturally a source of considerable pain to other companies*”

Mrs Gillies, wife of Mr Justice Gillies, died on Monday at Auckland. Wellington Licensing Committees have resolved not to issue any licenses beyond 11 o’clock. The Governor and family leave Wellington on the 12th inst, for a two months visit to Auckland. A proposal is on foot in Wellington to send Hearn to Sydney to try conclusions with Laycock and Hanlan. “ Used up ” and the “ Boots at the Swan ” will form the programme for the next entertainment of the Patea Sociables. The Tongariro left Plymouth for Port Chalmers on Sunday. Sir Julius and Lady Vogel are passengers by her. Wanganui residents propose a banquet to welcome their rifle champion and his brother volunteers, who have distinguished themselves so well. Mr J Lett has taken Mr C F Barker’s premises, which he has opened as a grain receiving store. There should be a good opening for such a business as Mr Lett proposes to commence, and no doubt ho will be well patronised. The Dunedin Refrigerating Company have received the following cablegram from their London agents:—“We have sold at the average price of sfd 2000 sheep ex Tongariro. The market is firmer and competition is increasing. A telegram from Invercargill states that the floods have driven thousands of rabbits out of their burrows. Passengers by the Kingston train report that the line was almost blocked by the rabbits, which, when overtaken, took to swimming. The Waverley Licensing Committee held a meeting on Mondays, present : Messrs Mason (chairman) Thurston, and McDonald, The only business transacted was the granting of a transfer of the license of the Waitotara Hotel from Mr S W Nicholls to Mr James Southcombe.

Mr Napier, of Waverley, [met with an unfortunate accident a day or two ago. Ho was conveying a piano from Waitotara to Waverley, and coming down the Waitotara hill the pole of his trap broke, the trap capsized, and although he escaped unijured, the trap and piano were both badly smashed. A meeting of creditors in the estate of W, Odgers was held on Monday, Mr Barns representing the Wanganui Equitable Society, the mortgagees attended. An offer of £165 was made by him on behalf of the society for the furniture and stock of the hotel, the American organ and harmonium excepted. He also undertook to pay the £25 in furniture or money to the debtor, as required by law. This offer was accepted by creditors, subject to the society not proving in the estate.

Yesterday’s Chronicle says : —We learn that an old and well-known resident of the upper part of the town, Mr Peoples, on Sunday evening drank a portion of the contents of a bottle of the poison known as “ rough on rats,” narrowly escaping a fatal result. The quantity of the liquid taken by Mr Peoples is not exactly known, beyond that be swallowed two doses, and he was nearly dead when found. Dr Tripe was immediately sent for, and, by prompt and skilful treatment, succeeded in bringing the poor fellow so far round that he is now on the road to recovery. A painful accident occurred at Wanganui on Sunday to a lad named Hall. He was walking beside another boy on horseback when a third boy, on the other side, touched the horse with a stick. The horse kicked and struck Hall just above the eye, inflicting a terrible wound from which the brains protruded. Ho was taken to a neighbouring hotel, when Drs Earl and Connolly operated, taking a number of pieces of bones away. On Tuesday the boy was well enough to be removed to the hospital and detail the facts of the accident. He is progressing favourably. Mr Cowern’s opening sale at Manutahi was held yesterday. A good entry of stock of all description came forward, and considering the harvesting, a fair attendance of buyers mustered. The yards are laid out on the best principle, and are well situated, adjacent to the hotel, and should form a great feature in the future business of Manutahi. The entries comprised 1730 sheep, 117 head of cattle, 9 rams, and 9 horses. Woolly lambs made 6s 4cl, and an inferior lot 4s ; wethers, 2s 4d to 9s. Two imported rams from Canterbury brought £3 3s each ; eighteen month steers fetched 35s ; a nice lot of 2£ to 3 years only made £3 11s ; 2 pens of fat cows, good beef, realised £4. For the pen of heifers, £2 was offered and declined. There was good bidding for the horses, but the reserves were too high, and only one found a purchaser, a pony hack £5. These sales bid fair to become popular.