THE Poverty Bay Independent. Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning. Saturday, November 14, 1885.

Poverty Bay Independent, Volume I, Issue 74, 14 November 1885, Page 2

THE Poverty Bay Independent. Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning. Saturday, November 14, 1885.

Our supplement, issued with this morning’s issue, contains the usual complete tales, and other interesting extract matter. Mails for Tauranga, per Taupo, will close this (Saturday) evening at 7 p.m. Mr Booth, R.M., returned from the Coast on Thursday evening. The Auckland Tramway Company have now fourteen cars running. An Exchange says :— “ A polite way of dunning a delinquent debtor is to send him a boquet of forget-me-nots. The regular monthly meeting of Lodge Montrose will be held in the Lodge Room, Harris street, on Monday night. At the R.M. Court yesterday W. Donaldson was charged with attempting to obtain money by false pretences, and was remanded to the 18th inst. John Smith, charged with having no lawful visible means of support, was also remanded to the same date.

The Auckland correspondent of the H.B. Herald says the fire on board the Wairarapa, commencing as it did in immediate proximity to the ladies’ cabin, calls to mind the great risk to which passengers, but especially female passengers, are exposed in these steamers at the busy season for excursions. Ido not wish to disparage the Union Company’s steamers; they are a credit to the colony, and are quite equal, and indeed superior to many I have travelled by in Europe, but wherever I have had a glimpse of the ladies’ cabin in a large passenger steamer used for short trips I have not envied the poor ladies. Your correspondent’s better half (though she does not write half the correspondence, which on behalf of your readers I very much regret) voyaged with me in one of the Union boats some few months back. The steamer was crowded, and the ladies’ cabin was full, but she obtained a berth in a supplementary cabin in conjunction with, I think, seven other ladies. I imagine it would have puzzled any stewardess- to find room for one more. There was a small table, and one or two hooks for hanging dresses, but if you are a married man you will agree with me that to hang eight dresses with all their appurtenances on even three hooks is a problem. The bonnets, hairbrushes, bags, parcels, &c., &c., had to be deposited on the small table, or on the floor, or on the beds, or anywhere. I threaded my way along sundry narrow passages, and I could not undertake to say what distance may have separated our respective quarters. I cannot say wiiat became of the boots, they may have gone to the boot room, they may have remained in the cabin, or prudent ladies with an eye to contingencies may have retained them in situ. Now only imagine a fire when well out to sea, and you have all the elements of a catastrophe. I did not wonder when I read of the Wairarapa that some ladies escaped with difficulty in their night-dresses, for they would have had very strong nerves if they attempted to assort their own garments from the miscellaneous heap of those articles, and, besides, I have been quoting at 10 or II p.m. It was a fortunate thing that the weather was fine, and that it was near daylight when the fire broke out.

The Gisborne Building Society having X/fo-o to dispose of, a ballot will be taken on Monday, 16th of November.

During the first week that the Wellington exhibition was open it was visited by <5,302 people ; on the seventh week 13,492 attended. A printed notice was lately circulated in Ohinemutu to the effect that “ The paper will not be printed this morning, nor probably for a week, as the printer was drunk.” It is evident that they know the average run of the printer’s sprees. The following civil cases were disposed of at the R.M. Court yesterday :—Colebrook v. Nika Roro, claim L 7 lIS 6d ; judgment for the amount and costs, 18s. Colebrook v. Nepia Tokitihi, claim La 18s ; judgment for the amount and 14s costs.

A Napier paper says :—“ The chain of circumstantial evidence against Maxwell is pretty strong and almost complete. There are only two links missing, and if these are found Maxwell will hang pretty surely. They are: One, Is Preller dead? Two, Did Maxwell kill him.?

Windsor Castle, with its adjuncts, occupies about twelve acres of ground. The castle stands on an elevation, and is nearly surrounded by the little park, which is connected by a long avenue with the great park, comprising about 3800 acres, behind which is Windsor Forest, which has a circumference of about fifty-six miles.

The Faust Family gave their farewell entertainment on Thursday evening, the proceeds being for the benefit of the Hospital. A varied programme was presentea, each item of which was gone through with that ease and precision which has characterised the whole of the performances of this talented family. The Troupe left for Napier last night by the Waihora.

The “ Bankruptomaniac ” has again found a similar “ mares nest ” to that which he made such a cackling over in the case of Stevens. Had he completed his first local as follows, he would at last have discovered that raraavis— an honest bankrupt in Poverty Bay. “ Yet another bankrupt. F. J. Thompson, settler, has filed to-day ” —but will pay 20s in the pound. An Arizona editor was recently accused by a rival editor of seeking the office of postmaster under the Democratic Government. His indignant reply was as follows :—“ The scarecrow who tries to edit our esteemed contemporary is lying, as usual. We don’t want the post-office, but we are in the hands of our friends ; and; by the Eternal, they’ll see that we get it, whether we want it or not.” Mr C. Bennett, agent for Leather’s Beer Extractor, is now in town, and intends calling on the brewers and licensed victuallers. The pile of testimonials from the leading hotelkeeprs in each town, which Mr Bennett brings with him, is certain proof. Armed with these testimonials, and the high opinions expressed by the southern and northern press, Mr Bennett should meet with very considerable success in this district. Mr Bennett can be seen at the British Empire Hotel. Peel street.

A correspondent asks us (N. Z. Times) if there is any reason to suppose that the recent disastrous fire on board the s.s. Wairarapa was another result of Captain Russell’s resolution (for reducing the Public Works Estimates by half a million) being carried by Parliament ? We are not aware that this was the case, but we have heard so many equally remote and improbable consequences confidently attributed to the passing of that resolution, that we should not like to assert that the Wairarapa fire may not be another of its dire results.

It has never been the custom of the Admiralty to encourage thrift in any department whatever, and officers showing a disposition to save the public money have usually been sharply snubbed. It is now reported that not long ago an officer went, a long journey on service. He was a modest man and full of zeal, so he travelled second-class and rejoiced to think that he was doing a small service to the taxpayers. Presently his account of expenses was sent to the Admiralty, when he received a sharp reprimand for what was considered his misplaced economy, accompanied by an order that, when again he was employed, “ on service,” he was to be careful to travel first class.

A number of runholders and others interested in sheep dipping (says the H. B. Herald of Sept. 25) went yesterday, at the invitation of Mr R. Dobson, to Greenmeadows, to witness a test of a new dip invented by Messrs Geo. Heslop and Eakins, of Napier. The compound has an arsenical base, but the inventors claim that they have discovered a method of removing the caustic properties of the arsenic, and so rendering it harmless to cut or wounded sheep. One hundred sheep were put through the dip, which when mixed is almost colourless and inodorous. A few minutes afterwards the lice were found to be dead, and those ticks which were not killed appeared to be in extremis, but the party did not remain long enough to make further observations. Fifty of the sheep were set apart to be mixed wite infested sheep, and fifty to be put in a paddock by themselves. In fourteen days, and again at a further interval of fourteen days, they will be examined and reported upon by Mr Fitzroy, who was present at the dipping. An Enoch Arden case was reported in Ottawa recently. About 18 years ago a married man left Ottawa for California, leaving his wife and two small children behind. After his departure his wife never heard from him, and having mourned for him as dead for some years, she was prevailed upon to take a second husband. The first husband meantime had never settled in California at all, but had located in British Columbia where he had amassed a fortune. On his return he found his wife comfortably re-mated, and not only does he not blame her, but is quite willing to let his successor continue undisturbed in peaceful enjoyment of his home. One drawback exists, however, he is most anxious that his son and daughter whom he left babies, should cast in their lot with him. The son, who is earning his own living, is not at all tempted by his father’s wealth, and declines ; the daughter also preferring to stay with her mother. The discussion attending this matter has for the presenl spoiled the peacefulness of the home life nor does there appear any immediate likelihood of a settlement being arranged.

The H. B. Herald of the 10th inst. says : —“ The town was quite deserted yesterday, and at midday a battery of artillery fired down Hastings street might have injured buildings, but could not have damaged any persons.”

“ Argus,” in his “ Jottings at Random,” in the Hawke’s Bay Herald, gives the following : —“ Snyder ” Browne, an old journalist well known in New Zealand, died at Gisborne last week. When I read the news I fell a musing, and wondered what sort of a “ sit.” he had got now. The result of my reverie was a bad attack of inspirational jimjams, during which was conceived the following Editor’s Drseam. A journalist died and went fo the gate Watched over by Fishermati Peter in state, And asked for admittance So see the grand sights That grace the post mortem Olympian heights. “ Nay, stay,” said St. Petes‘ “ your passport I want— Admission to these blessed Realms I can grant Upon those terms only—uiaess you can show You were more than a common old scrubber below.” Said the journalist “ That is la very soft thing, For mine was the trade of ths jolly inksling ; Whene’er things were wroiig I wrote for redress, So open your portals and let ifi the Press,” “But stay,” urged St;.-Peter! “ I’ll see you indite ' 1 Some choice composition to [hove you can write ; \ For how shall I know your professions are true \ Unless I am shown what you’re able to do?” The journalist sighed and fled from the spot, Nor stayed till he reached t’other country so hot; For writing on earth had proved such a bore That he chose to be d d ere he’d write any more.