THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1879.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3123, 20 February 1879, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1879.

A telegbam was received this morning by Mr Wm. Souter informing him that his tender for the first section of the railway had been accepted. The amount of the tender is £7538, and the work, as is well known, comprises the reclamation of some four and a half acres of foreshore between Burke and Albert street wharves. Mr Souter intends to take up the contract and will lose no unnecessary time in commencing. What the New Zealand Times will now say of the Ministry we cannot imagine. Nothing less than impeachment will satisfy the demands of the writer who has been so fearfully put out during the last few weeks at the unconstitutional proceedings of Ministers. Probably, however, Ministers will survive even the wrath of the "colonial journal." The following telegram was sent to the Premier from here this morning:— "Accept our congratulations on behalf of Thames people upon fact first Contract for Railway being accepted. Will you kindly communicate same to Hon. Minister for Public Woiks and colleagues. " W. McCuLLOTJGH, " Alex. Bbodie." Bt reference to the Harbor Board's proceedings at their-first meeting, last evening, it will be seen that an account was passed for £11 10s for preparing a list of voters at the .last election. The claim made was for £15 or fifteen guineas. This is a sample of the way the money goes in the Harbor Board's management, and when we consider that the regulations for the conduct of Harbor Board elections provide for no such thing as a list of voters, and also remember that the Board's banker refuses to pay cheques except for absolute necessities, it does appear that to involve the Board in such an expense as £1110s for preparing a roll was a needless waste of money. This is a small matter, it may be said, but if these trifles are to be so easily passed, much heavier items will creep in. We commend to the members of the Harbor Board an economical turn. If they want to see the direction, let them examine minutely the expenditure of the past year. If they do not make discoveries that will astonish them we are mistaken. From the frequency with which payments have been asked for for " engineering services " we feel sure that the Harbor Board would have saved money by engaging the services of an engineer whose time would be entirely at their disposal. Unless the strictest economy be practised this year we fear this community will have cause to regret the formation of such a corporation as the Harbor Board.

Mb Petebb, mail contractor of Napier, called upon us to-day with reference to the road between Ohineoiuri aud Kalikati. Mr Peters has come overland from Napier, driving his buggy to Katikati. Thence he had to come on horseback, and the road he found in a very bad state, the fascines across the swamps having been burnt, necessitating a long deiour. Mr Peter says that he would undertake to make a good road from Katikati to Ohinemuri in three months, not to cost more than £1500, and in every way fit for driving a four-horse coach over. The importance of connecting a rising agricultural district like Katikati with the Thames- is manifest, and it would be worth while for the Thames and Tauranga County Councils to confer and endeavor to bring about such a desirable result. The qviestion has been already considered, we believe, the difficulty in the way of its being carried out being a financial one. The advantage of opening a good road as an outlet for our East Coast neighbors to bring their beef and mutton to a market ought to be productive of mutual good to producers and consumers.

The drill of No. 2 Scottish was numerously attended last evening. Captain Watson was in command. The men were exercised and drilled by Adjuiant Schofield, and acquitted themselves well. After parade several new members were elected and arrangements made for Church Parade on Sunday and monthly inspection on Monday first. Sunday will be the first parade of No. 2 in uniform, and there is likely to be a large muster of the battalion, notwithstanding the absence of many men on leave. The battalion fire on Saturday for separate Company's prizes. No. 2 has been fortunate lately in having a large number of prizes presented for rifle shooting, and their Shooting Committee are busy arranging the terms, ranges, &c.

There was a clean sheet at the R.M. Court to-day.

Dtjeing the past few days men have been employed making a bank of mullock from the end of the Moanatairi mullock tip en the foreshore to the northern ex* tremity of the silt retaining breastwork. This will have the effect of retaining the tailings and other silt in a complete basin.

Me Spbague, Block 27, left a sample of peaches at the office this afternoon as a sample of what can be grown on "the block." The peaches are of a similar size, and the same variety as those forwarded to us a wesk ago by Mr T. Aitken, from the Hospital Garden. In the absence of a market for his peaches Mr Sprague informs us that he is making very good wine from them. He has some wine three years old.

The once notorious prison-breaker and burglar, Fred. Plummer, has, says the Auckland Star, been set at liberty for good conduct, and, it is stated, is living in retirement near Auckland, where he is preparing a course of lectures with which he means to travel round the Colony. Plummer was once known as the " Jack Shepherd" of Auckland. He received long sentences for repeated outbreaks from Mount Eden, and was sent to Dunedin Gaol with other long-sentence prisoners.

Is it true that English ladies of beauty and position receive large sums of money from photographers for a sitting which puts large sums of money into the photographer's pocket P lam quite sure it-is not true; but I think it is a sad and a serious thing that such a report should be whispered about, and that the appearance of these portraits side by side with the ladies of the ballet and the demimonde should give a kind of support to the degrading rumour. A fashion of this kind is almost always progressive. Early last season our Court beauties were content if their simple face might be bought by admirers wholesale at ten shillings a dozen. The portrait was taken plain, and was such as any lady in private life might present to her friends. The public demand appears to hare required something more, and ladies of rank and position have assisted the photographers in supplying it. We have now portraits in fancy dress and affected attitudes ; portraits ia which both their dresses and the attitude have nothing to recommend them, except that they assist to awaken cheap and vulgar admiration. Certain ladies may be congratulated on selling nearly as well as Maude Branscombe, who before she became a photographic beauty had been very attractive in page parts. Other popular favorites, commercially speaking, do not go off quite so well; that is to say, are not so completely the style that 'Arry cares to invest his shilling in.- Still, their portraits are in brisk demand.—Mayfair.