LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 920, 13 October 1879, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

♦ The settlers of Poverty Bay are to be congratulated on the fact that local enterprise has induced Mr J. S. Cooper, of Waerenga-a-hika, to importthe magnificent thoroughbred horse Maroro. This beautifully formed animal will be remembered ■as being, in 1877, the best colt throughout the length and breadth of New Zealand ; and as he is a Towton, and possesses all the grand points of hia sire, he should, if there is anything in breeding, take second place to none. . On being landed he was at once removed to the Argyll Stables, and, as a matter of course, was interviewed by a number of the best horse-judges in the Bay. The verdict given must have proved to Mr Cooper that he was not mistaken in his selection, ami to the outside public that a thoroughly sound and good horse such as Maroro, will always be a profitable investment. It is apparent that the New Zealand colonist is a very large consumer of liquors, more so, in fact, perhaps than any other nation. Hitherto America has beeu considered the greatest liquor - consuming nation in the world, as every man, woman, and child in the States spends £2 10s on drink annually. Our Yankee friends, however, have lost their prestige, as it is proved by recent statistical returns that our own colony occupies the premier position among the imbibing nations of the earth, as, with a population of under half a million of souls, £4 per head is spent annually on intoxicating drinks, or a total of £2,000,000. Our national debt now reaches the respectable total of £27,000,000 and some people are already shaking their heads seriously, and wonderiug how it is to be paid. Our public works only produce enougli to pay interest on the debt. Were the money spent in drink annually by our people devoted to the liquidation of the national debt, in eleven years we should owe nothing. Our working population would save one million sterling annually by being total abstainers. A case, says the Wellington Post, was brought before the Resident Magistrate this morning, when a man named James Bent was charged with assaulting a lettercarrier. The defendant, who (was not exactly sober at this time, went up to the postman in the street, and asked for aletter. The official replied that he had none for him, whereupon Mr. Bent at once went for that postman, and knocked him down. If there are many Bents about we should recommend postmen to study life insurance rates without delay. It is said that the miners of Stafford Town, Hokitika, recently got up a shilling subscription and purchased a pick, shovel, and tin dish for presentation to Mr Edmund BarfF, the rejected of Parliament, as a new start in life. The articles were sent by coach, carriage paid, and duly delivered, but were soon after seen lying in the gutter, despised and rejected in the scorn of offended dignity. Mr. Barff is a digger by calling, but a very indifferent one. He prefers paid politics. The town of Napier is to be congratulated upon the stern rectitude of the guardians of its peace. Ihe chimney of the police sergeaut having taken fire, he forthwith instructed a constable to lay an information against him under the borough bye-laws, which was done. Impartial performance of duty could not well go further. He appeared in Court on Wednesday, and paid his fine like a man, and was gratified by the approval, not only of his own conscience, but of such of the public as were in attendance.

The following is from the Welliugton New Zealaud Times of the 10th hist— lt has became a serious matter for consideration to all well-meaning persons in the district of Poverty Bay as to whether the S resent administration of -'justice in that istrict is satisfactory or nofc The charge made by his Honor Mr. Justice Gillies, fully reported in this paper, at the present sittings of the Criminal Court at Auckland, will clearly show to the thinking public that Poverty Bay is not the only portion of the provincial district of Auckland where justice has been mal-administered by reason of the neglect of the late Government in appointing fit- and proper magistrates for the colony. The general apathy and incapacity shown by the late Minister of Justice in the effective administration of his official duties in the colony has been geuerally remarked. It has been currently reported that the Hon. J. Sheehan, as Minister of Justice, interferred with *the sheriff at Napier in the exercise of his duties, and told him not to enforce an ejectment against some influential native chiefs, who were supposed to be proteges of Mr. John Sheehan. Such interference was likely to cause the law to be looked npon by natives in the Hawke's Bay district as non-effective. We have reason to believe that the action taken by a well-known solicitor practising at Napier and Gisborne, and a champion of Sir George Grey's, has done much to bring about the present unsatisfactory state of affairs now existing in the Hawke's Bay and- Auckland provinces. The present Government will, we have no doubt, carefully avoid combining the offices of Minister of Justice and of Native affairs, as such a combination is clearly liable to cause disagreeable complications.