LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 878, 1 September 1879, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A petition, very numerously and influentially signed, is to be presented to Mr. Woodbine Johnson, respectfully requesting him to resign his candidature for a seat in Parliament for the East Coast. The petition states that the contest virtually lies between Mr. McDonald and Captain Morris, and that if Mr. Johnson joins in with the wishes of the Poverty Bay electors, he will in the interests of the district, resign in favor of Mr. McDonald. It is notified elsewhere by advertisement that a parade of the headquarters detachments, J. Battery, will take place at the Aiakaraka Hall, at 7 o'clock to-morrow evening. A good attendance is requested, as it is expedient for members to make themselves efficient as soon as possible, in order that they may obtain their certificates of competency. How it should be so, but so it is, there are several names which had been, forwarded to the Returning Officer for the Electoral District of the East Coast, entitling them to be on the roll which have not been placed on it, consequently several persons legally > entitled to record their votes have been disfranchised. Although it ia now too late for these names to be reinstated, still we think an enquiry should be made how such oversights were committed, and who is to be held responsible for them. The amateur dramatic performance on Saturday eveniug, in aid of. the funds of the local hospital, was again a brilliant success. -As on the previous occasion, the front seats were well filled, and the gallery was also very fairly patronised, but there is no doubt whatever that the reduced prices would have attracted a much larger audience had the weather been more propitious. As regards the acting in "Perfidious Albion," we can only accord to it the unqualified praise it received on the occasion of the first performance. In fact, Marie, the fair heroine, exhibited far more verve and decision than on the previous occasion, her rendering of this graceful, yet difficult part being in every way more pointed. The same may be said to of " Poor Pillicoddy," each and all of the principal characters having apparently developed more fully their rendering of the parts entrusted to them, a proof that, not resting satisfied with the first succeess, they had spared no pains in the endeavor to make the second effort an improvement on the first. The vocal portion of the entertainment formed a pleasing break between the two pieces.' Mrs. Johnson sang "The Fairy Tempter;" Mrs. Webb, " Know'st thou the Land ;" Captain Chrisp, " Out of the Depths," and Mrs. Berry, " Memories of Spring," all of which were rendered in a very pleasing manner. Altogether the performance was, like its predecessor, infinitely superior to the great majority of amateur performances, even in towns were there is a far larger array of talent to choose from than there is in Gisborne. One of the most hopeful signs of summer weather and better roads was witnessed by a few interested spectators at the lower portion of the town, at 11.35. this morning. A warm, pleasant, gentle blast of wind run up the Gladstone Eoad, and in its course raised a small circular cloud of dust. It was a partial failure, it is true. The dust rose from the bosom of its mother earth ; gyrated a little, until it assumed somewhat of a conical form, when exhausted, it fell into the lap of its parent. As one swallow does not make a summer, neither, we suppose, does a dust cloud. But as one swallow is generally followed by many swallows, so it is to be reckoned that one dust cloud will be followed by traversable roads and a free admission into the outlying districts without a capsize, or a stickingup being the accompauiment with the consequences which generally follow. We refer readers to the Good Templar entertainment, which will be held in the Masonic Hall this evening. The programme will be found to consist of readings, songssentimental, comic, and serio-comic ; music by the clever members of the Gisborne Volunteer. Band ; recitations, duets and solos. The selections have been so made as to fall in with all tastes, and there is littlft doubt but what there will be a full hall and a most appreciative audience. It is stated in the &. Z.* Herald, that the number of persons to the square mile in New Zealand, when the last census was taken, was 3*95 ; the number of persons to the inhabited dwellings, 5*02 ; the number of the inhabited dwellings to the square mile, 787— the area of New Zealand being estimated at 104, 900 square miles. ' Considerable amusement was created in the Resident Magistrate's Court (remarks the Timaru Herald) by some questions put by the plaintiff to a witness in the case of Burdon'v. Speclding. The .claim was for supplying music to a dancing class called the Zealandia Quadrille Assembly, and the defence to the action was that the music was so bad that no one could dance to it. A witness who described the music as " something horrible," was asked by the plaintiff was he a good judge of music and he answered in the affirmative. "Why then," asked the plaintiff, "did you remain half-an-hour longer than you agreed with me to play for you ?" The witness answered that they merely remained to amuse themselves, but the next question was not answered so quickly. The plaintiff anked if the dancers were such good judges of music how it was they danced "The Lancers" while he played " The Palermo Quadrilles." The answer to this question, if there was any, was lost in the roars of laughter which it caused, and the general impression was that the music was not of the most select character, and that the dancers were not good musical critics. " An old Settler," writing to the Bay of Plenty Times, observes : — " At the last election for the House, when soliciting the suffrages of the electors, Captain Morris promised to support Sir G. Grey (then in Opposition). How has he kept that promise ? The fact was he had an axe to grind, the • Government (unexpectedly, perhaps) did the needful for him, our member grateful to his newly found friends, threw his constituents overboard, and his promises to the winds, and|became a stanch adherent of the party he was elected to oppose, was raised to the dignity of '•whip," invariably voted against Grey no matter the question at issue in the House, and abuse him (not to his face) out or it. These are my reasons for withdrawing my support from Captain Morris, and those of many others who voted for him on the former occasion."