LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 860, 11 August 1879, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

We are requested to remind members of committee of the Gisborne Library that a meeting will be held this evening, at 7 p.m. There was a clean sheet at the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning. For tomorrow there are a number of small debt cases down for hearing. Creditors are learning, that although they obtain judgments against debtors, m every three cases out of four, the goods and chattels levied upon do not cover the coat of the legal expenses incurred. _ "We are informed that, owing to th« necessary Treasury forms, which have to be gone through, that no moneys for the completion of purchases of Native lands will reach Gisborne betore the 21st inst. The Committee of the Football Club, finding that the number likely to be present at the Ball exceeds their first computation, have very wisely decided to hold the ball at Mr Macfarlane's Hall. As the invites were made to the Masonic Hall, the public will accept this as an intimation of the change. There was. a report this morning that a human body was seen floating m the Bay, opposite the Waikanae bridge. Upon a search being made, a body was seen, but it. was the body of a tree. It will be seen by our advertising columns that Captain Porter will- address the electors to-morrow evening m the Masonic Hall, proceedings commencing at 7.30. We thought such men as Mr. Hodgkinson were defunct, like the New Zealand Moa. Mr. H. has actually refused to accept of his honorarium of £200. He was willing to receive £50 ; but was urged to take the whole if ho distributed it amoug the local charities within his electorate. Still Mr. H. refused, upou the ground that it would be robbing the country. All the other members appeared to have considered that to refuse their honoraria would be robbing themselves, which was a sin as heinous a3 robbing the country. All things being equal they preferred to rob the .country. However, it is the last chance many of the members will have of getting anything out of the New Zealand Treasury as a member of Parliament. Mr H. Lewis is a candidate for the East Coast district; as will be seen by his address, which appears m our advertising columns of this afternoon — not a candidate for parliamentary honors, be it understood, — but' for selling off the whole -of his winter stock of drapery, clothing, &c, to make room for his summer shipments, now on their way to Gisborne. Mr Lewis, by doing this, will accomplish much more than by his standing for Parliament. tSF Head the hew Price List m Garrett Bros.' Advertisement, of. IFew Goods just arrived direct from Home, per late arrivals via Auckland, and just landed per Pretty Jane and Hawea. "P." m the Nelson Mail, has the following : — ln one of the northern districts a church has recently been built, and, as is the case with' most churches, there is a debt upon it, to remove which subscriptions are solicited, the following inducement being held out to the public to give : — " Subscribers will have their names inscribed on a tablet m the church porch." I think I could suggest another inscription, .which might with . advantage be. placed somewhere m the vicinity of , that "tablet." It would consist of a 'little extract from a sermon poached eighteen hundred years ago, which, runs thus: — "When thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do m the synagogues and m the Btreefcs that they may have glory of men." Of course it may be urged that the race of hypocrites has died out since those words were spoken, but I am not disposed to attach much weight to- Buoh -an argument, i* After a lapse of thirteen years, the Maungatapu murdera'are to be brought to the recollection of the members of the House of Representatives. Mr. Curtis has presented a pt-tition from Mr. George Jarvis for a reward for conviction of the murderers. It will be remembered that 'Mr. Jarvis came to Nelson shortly after the murdered men left Canvastown, and raised a hue and cry as to their being missing. He also took part m the after proceedings. The Wanganui Chronicle says : — "There is nothing like a high sounding title to catch the popular fancy, and whether it be that of a new work or a thread-bare subject, or the watch-word of a party, it has much to do with the success of the subject it is connected with. "A great liberal policy" is Sir George Grey's high sounding title for what m reality is a great liberal muddle. All Sir George Grey think about is his own importance, and how to usurp the functions of every constitutional officer who stands between him and supreme power. We laugh at ' the deluded disciples of such a fanatic as Te Whiti, but we might save our mirth for the more blind set of political sheep who follow Sir George Grey blindly, no matter how devious the path or useless the direction lie chooses to lead them to." The city inspector of nuisances (says the Christchurch Press) received intimation on Friday last, from a well-known citizen residing m Gloucester-street, that a nuisance existed on his premises, the removal of which he wished carried out without delay. On the officer attending, he was informed by the gentleman who had invoked his services that the nuisance he desired removed was a bailift, who had taken up his temporary residence with him. The inspector, after consulting the bye-laws, came to the conclusion that, though a nuisance to Lhe party immediately concerned, it did not come within the scope of his duties. . An Ofcago paper says: — "It was too serious a joke altogether which was perpetrated a few weeks ago at the expense of the worthy pastor of an influential congregation m this district. A few admiring friends took it into their heads to present the reverend gentleman with a saddle horse, but, leaving the matter of purchase to a dealer, the result was' the presentation of a very brilliant piebald animal, with manners as little sedate as his color. The pastor now is awkwardly fixed. He can hardly be seen m public on a horse looking as if it had just escaped from a circus, even it he were not afraid to mount it. He can hardly sell the beast' or give it away, so he has to maintain it, and, when he cannot secure unattached boys, pays a man to give it necessary exercise." The Bill to amend the Wastes Lands Act, 1877, and the Crown Lands Reserves Sale Act, 1877, introduced by Mr. Pyke, haß not yet been printed, but it will, says the Post, contain some important provisions affecting the administration of waste lands, and the sale of deferred payment lands. It will propose to do away with the present nominated and irresponsible Waste Lands Boards, and to throw the respousiblity of administration on the Minister of Lands, through his subordinates, the Commissioners. Smaller land districts than the present ones will also be provided for, and the condition of actual personal residence on deferred payment selections will be dispensed with, but cultivation will be insisted on.

There are only five other domes m the world with larger diameters than that of the Sydney Exhibition building — these being St. Peter's and the Pantheon at Rome ; St. Paul's London ; St. Sophia, Constantinople ; and L'Hospital des Invalides, Paris. Mr. Montgomery (the member for Akaroa), whose wife was taken ill suddenly, had to charter a steamer from Wellington. Some four years ago Mr. Montgomery chartered a steamer to reach the sick bed of a daughter. In one short article m the Neio Zealander occur - the following choice morsels: — "He (Sir William Fox) has proclaimed to the House * ' • that he is, politically, a bully and a coward. The veriest fishfa£, scolding m the market-place, : could not have proved herself a greater scold. " And then, a little further on, the writer breaks out again: — "Vituperation with him served the place of argument, — abuse where courtesy should pprevail, —vulgarr r tirade and twaddle, when even from the ; veriest tyro m politics, common-sense ideas might be expected." He is, we are also told, "a discredit to the Chamber which his grey hairs should adorn." His speech was " a display of unrestrained vindictiveness,, recklessness of assertion, and utter disregard for ordinary courtesies of speech." Finally, he is accused of having exhibited lamentable vindictiveness, spite run mad, and senile malice fairly rampant.