LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 848, 30 July 1879, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At a meeting of the ratepayers in the Waikohu Highway District, held at Mr. Skillicorn's woolahed, oa the 22ud instaut, Messrs. Arthur, Chambers, Keinpthorn, Scott, and Sunderlaud, were elected wardens ; Messrs. Burnett, and Walker, auditors ; and Messrs. Frazer, and Orr, fence- viewers. The pursuit and capture of a real live wild beast is not an every day occurrence in Poverty Bay. We are .informed,, however, on the moat reliable authority, that an enormous specimen was shot on Monday on the outskirts of Gisborue. It was found on examining the contents of his stomach, that lie had ventured within the pale of civilisation merely with the object of securing a few front seat tickets for his family for the forthcoming performance in aid of the Poverty Bay Hospital. The public will be glad to learu that it is about to be stufted. [Advt.] Mr. W. Haydn Flood, of Napier, pianoforte tuner, has arrived, and will remain in the district for a few days. Orders left atthe Masonic Hotel any time during this week will receive prompt attention. A meeting of tradesmen and those in business, will be held this evening at the British Empire Hotel, when business of an important nature will be laid before them. , We have to acknowledge the receipt of a large batch of Parliamentary papers, including the first copies of Hansard of the present session. Messrs. Bourke and Smith will sell by auction on Saturday, 200 volumes of works, without reserve. A meeting of the Debating Society will be to-night weok in the Court-house. The subject for discussion has not been divulged, but we are informed that it will be a most interesting one. The plan adopted in this case is, that of announcing the subject at the meeting by the president so that an extempore debate may be elicited. The Agent-General intimates in a home paper of the 10th May : — " In consequence of the enormous number of applications for free and assisted passages," that " for present " none such will be granted except to domestic (women) servants. It is time the authorities of Gisborne .took some steps towards putting down the terrible slaughter that is perpetrated every day in the Gladstone Road, in the shape of cutting down the prices of Boots, at Gakrett Bros. See Advertisment. The Ota«o exhibits for the Sydney Exhibition number 120. In variety and value they are stated to exceed those from the whole of the rest of the Colony. In consequence of the question from Mr Evans Brown, the late Premier has caused instructions to be issued to the Deputy Commissioners of land tax not to object to the apparence of agents other than solicitors, in appeals against the tax. Some additional particulars relative to the accident to Mr. Samuel Locke.l are given in the Evening Post, showing how very narrow was his escape with life. James Brown, night-watchman on the wharf, first heard his cries, and . on going in the direction of the voice found Mr. Locke under Compton's wharf. Brown threw a line to him, and he seized hold of it and held on until he was drawn clear of the wharf, but his strength was then exhausted, and he fell back into the water. The rope was then thrown round him so as to keep his head above water, while a man who had been attracted to the j)lace undressed, but before he had his clothes off the police arrived in a boat, and took* Mr. Locke on board, in a very exhausted and insensible state. When he recovered consciousness he explained that he tripped over some timber at the edge of the breastwork, and before he could recover himself fell into the water. At latest advices Mr. Locke was progressing satisfactorily, though the operation which had to be performed on his leg necessarily left him in a very low and weak state.

" Lounger" in the Melbourne Herald writes : — I met a person the other day. who, I honestly think, is the original Mark Tapley. He was hurrying along the street with a jolly smile on his face that told of a peace within his bosom of a most enviable kind. I said so, "Peace! I believe you my boy; and to tell you the truth ;'tis a novel sensation with me. See;" — aud he "produced a paper from his pocket; it was a form of schedule in insolvency — "I'm *going to file, my boy;" and he langhed joyously. " You regard this as an enjoyable circumstance, then ?" I cried amazedly, •• Enjoyable circumstance. " he echoed. "I should rather think so. A clean receipt and conscience are surely, delightful." "Well, whatever the clean receipt may be," I returned. "I can't see how you lug your conscience into the schedule of your happiness ?" "My dear sir," said he, " you are evidently no philosopher. The law can do no wrong. Ergo, that which is done in the name of the law inuat be right. That which is right is soothiug to the conscience. Twig ? Ta ! ta !" and off he walked as airily as a man who might have succeeded to a fortune. Funny mistakes, says the Post, are sometimes made by the bailiffs, aud constables whose duty is to "cry" the various cased in tne law.uourts. At the Jiasideui Magistrate Court, a geuilemau namea Ow°u Lord was interested iu a case, but in order to save tune, no doubt, his name apye.tred on the omcial records as O. Lord, bald the clerk to the orderly, "CailU. JLord." "U. Lord," shouted tne orderly. As Mr. Lord did uot answer at once, tue orderly went outside the door, and yelled " Oh, Lord," three times. Altogether the Court was convulsed with laughter; the orderly could not see that there was anything wrong, and simply contented hiinselt with calling "Silence 1" in stentorian tunes. A well-known legal gentleman who was entering the Court when the orderly was calling " Oh, Lord," was amazed, aud made anxious inquiries as to the mental condition of the orderly. The Patea Mail, depreciating the " scare" on the part of some of the West Coast settlers, says : — " What we maintain, is, tuat by combating imaginary dangers at home, we are bringing real dangers from abroad ; that what may frignten the Maories, loill frighten the merchants ; and that the certain alarm of our friends is more earnestly tb be deprecated thau the possible alarm of our enemies is to be desired. The Maories will be checked by roads, rather than by redoubts, aud vanquished by the pick and shovel sooner than the Eutield and the sandbag, The railway aud some bush roads will lurniah a iiual solution of the native dimuulty, and will at the same time keep nieii iu the neighbourhood, aud prevent business from complete stagnation. Even when hostilities break out, we see no reason why the enemy should not speedily be so confined, that armed workmen could proceed with the work. This work when completed would bring Parihaka within the pale of the law, even if it were not destroyed by our arms. And the road would remain everlasting monument, becoming more and more useful as years rolled on. But of what use will the sandbags be ? We can conceive of none, except that they would be suitable receptacles for the heads of certain alarmists."