The Poberty Bay Berald AND East Coast News Letter. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. MONDAY, MARCH 21, 1881.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VIII, Issue 1276, 21 March 1881, Page 2

The Poberty Bay Berald AND East Coast News Letter. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. MONDAY, MARCH 21, 1881.

A proclamation appears in the. Govern-.., mcut Gccelti- of the 10th inst., defining the limits <>l' tile Ciisborne Borough Wharf, which arc to ho ami include the wharf known as Adair's Wharf, ih» wka>riko&wa as Read's or Cattle Wharf (except that portion on which Mr. Adair's Wharf now stands) and the space between the two wharves. The wharfage 'tariff has also been published, which in due course will bo notified in our advertising columns. Two accidents, which might have resulted serioual}', occurred yesterday afternoon at the Big River punt. An old man — too old and i'eeble for the work — is placed in charge of the punt. Yesterday he could not haul the punt to a clear landing place, so that a buggy witli two persons in it was within an ace of being capsized ; while a horseman immmediately following was nearly thrown from his seat due to the same cause. The County Council should be held responsible for the risks incurred and the danger likely to happen under the present system of working the punt. An entertainment in aid of the widow of the late W. H. Robinson, will be given in McFarlane's Hall, on Wednesday next, by the Thornton Dot Troupe, kindly assisted by the leading lady and gen tlpmau amateurs of flisborne. The object is one that will commend itself to the charitable instincts of Gisborue, and the programme is one which will be certain to draw an unusually largo audience. Among the amateurs are the names of Messrs. J. Bourke, W. Ratclitfc, F. J. l'iesse, and C. Mogridge. The musical interlude will consist of selections from "H.M.S. Pinafore," the accompauinients to be played by Mrs. Taylor, The attractive nature of the entertainment will no doubt ensure a bumper, house.Most of our readers must have seen the remarkably beautiful halo which surrounded the moon a little before 8 o'clock on Friday evening last. The moon rose from a dense fog bank into a lighter veil of haze, having immediately around her, for about four times her own diameter, a bright circle of a few shades less brilliant hue than herself (which may bo imagined from a bright lamp light ia a frosted globe), that again was surrounded by a somewhat lesser depth of radiaut blue, all framed in a. still less band of the prismatic hues. The whole seemed to stand out in relief. The circle was so perfect, the colora so clear, and the sjiaces so defined, that it formed as splendid a lunar spectacle as may be seen in a lifetime. It lasted so for about three minutC3, then quickly faded away. As a glaring instance of the evil of protection duties as relating to Intercolonial produce, may be mentioned the fact of the imposition of two pence per pound import duty on New Zealand honey charged under the Victorian tariff. As a venture, a consignment of honey was about to be sent by bur - enterprising settler, Mr. Knights, to a firm in Melbourne. On enquiry ho ascertained that the price obtainable for it would be from ssd. to b"d. per Ib. duty paid, which price meant after payment of freight, charges andcommision simply nil to the exporter, if not actually bringing him into debt on the consignment. Of course Mr. Knights will not ship the honey at that figure, preferring rather to dispose of it cheaply in any of our local markets. i The Rev. Mr. Williams, both at morn- , ing and evening service yesterday, announced from the pulpit that the Vestry ' had felt it necessary to call a meeting of ' the parishioners on Friday evening next to lay .before them the iiuanoial condition of their church. If it is, as the rev. gentleman stated, not by any means satisfactory, the Vestry have done wisely in taking the f parishioners into their confidence. The ' members of the Church of England in this J town consists of a large majority of its inhabitants. As things go, they are well-to-do, and with anything like fair liberality there should be no difficulty iv the income meeting the expenditure, Of this there can be no question, that if the members of t Holy Triuity Church waut their church ] kept open they must pay. We believe ( there is a large sum owing for pew rents, and the clergyman's stipend is consider- H ably in arrears. All this is not very credit- a able. Plenty of money can be found for o purposes outside religion, but there are always some persons to be found who manage to fiud excuses for not payiug up, or | failing to contribute to the offertory ; these people will get the ministrations of religion as cheaply as they can. If the scheme to be submitted by the Vestry on Friday is of a feasible nature no doubt it will be favorably received. We hope to sco a large meeting on Friday evening. A proposal has been made to compile the grain statistics of the Colony in a 1 different way— after threshing, by results £ instead of before harvest, by anticipation. The idea is good. Grain returns are the most valuable to the agriculturists, and they are the only returns on which no dependence can be placed. Other coun- ni tries give their real returns ;we only say n what we think our returns are gobg to be. •Statisticians gravely compare the thoughts ni with the realities, and found homilies on re ;lie comparison. Our superiority in a , igriculturc depends to some extent actu- "' illy on false pretences. We should look ;o it. R We notice that 9 commencement has )een made opposite Mi 1 . S. M. Wilson's J< Jlub Hotel for the kerbing of the Glad- T/l tone Road. The timber is heavy, and of ;ood quality, and the contractor is doing iis best to make the work of a substantial a l lid permanent character. cl€ An adjourned special meeting of the **T harclioldcrs of the Poverty Bay Printing na ml Publishing Company (Limited), is m: on vened for Wednesday evening, 23rd istant, at 7 o'clock p.m., at the offices of Ir. W. K. McLeau, Provisional Liquida- ex jr. It is necessary that all shareholders lould be present either iv person or by Hi roxy - an Mr. Ledger, in a spirit of liberal geue>sity, handed over his punt takings on :i turd ay afternoon — the takings of those ho paid punta-je to witness the rifle match -for the benefit of Mrs. Robinson. The Crl' nount received was 18s. a To-morrow, the 22nd, the sun all over slll ie world from the Southern to the Nor- in crn poles ; and from the Eastern to the 'estern hemispheres will rise at six and p tat the same hour. There will be no . ception made iv favor of Gisborne in is particular. r Mr C. 1). Berry proceeded to the Oil , >rings to-day in company with the newly " U1 'pointed tube-driver. Active operations car 11 commence ot once in driving for oil, j 'c need hardly say that all in the Bay e j«' ew the- recommencement of the' work o , th much] interest, and a full hope of a cessful result. oau

The charge against the two Maoris and Darvill, of the Big River Hotel, for stealing grass seed, was resumed this afternoon, and had not terminated as we went to press. A number of civil cases i$ likely to come before the- Court to-morrow. These are debts claims, most of which arc likely to go by default. The bnilifl' and hi's numerous assistants still continue with more work in hand than they can accomplish. " Nudma, Bonuni" is the answer eitioraeflnpon Jttost of the- writs issued to levy execution.

Legal proceedings have been instituted by Mr William Clarke against Mr Fleming the Chairman of Directors of the South Pacific Petroleum Company, for the recovery of £217, for money due for coin-' ' mission on sale of shares, aud for the performance of other work which lie did under •instructions, Tenders are invited by the Borough Council foa the lease of section 118, Patutahi, containing 1,000 acres. We are requested to draw attention to the advertisement appeariug ,iv our columns in reference to the Wanganui races. The new tatiff of wharfage charges -became force of law on the Ist iust. The Council meets to-morrow evening, when it is probable tenders will be called for leasing the wharf under the gazetted rules and regulations. The Lyttelton H arbour Board has at last consented to reduce the wharfage rates. The attempt was made to get this benefit conferred on grain alone, but the Board's sense of general fairness was too much for the proposal, which had to bo amended so as to include many other things. The reduction is rather cutting into the Board's margin. Tuesday was a busy day at the Property Tax office, says the //< mW, it being the day on which the first instalment of the tax became payable, and we question whether such a scene has over been witnessed before in Auckland. From the opening of the office in the morning until past official hour (3 p.m.) for closing, a crowd of people poured into the old District Court buildiugs to iuterview Mr. Maclean. The crush was moro like that of " a first night " at the Theatre Royal of a popular play, and the patieace of the taxpayers was in some instances exhausted before the busy clerks could obtain leisure to relievo them of their cash. About £10,000 M-as taken during Monday and Tuesday, showing that thcro is some money in the place yet. Money deposited in the Post-office Savings Bank by minors over seven years of age, may be by them withdrawn. Bunches of grapes may be preserved through winter by simply inserting the end of the stem in a potato. The bunches laid on straw and occasionally turned.