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Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3324, 18 August 1879, Page 2

The Assessment Court under "The Land Tax Act/ will sit this week at the Court House, Grahamstown, before H. iKenrick, Esq., Judge. The Borough of Thames will be dealt with on Wednesday "and the County on Thursday.' The , Court will sit at Coromandel on Thursday week. ' We hear that the publicans of the Thames will shortly follow in the wake of | heir Auckland brethren, in agitating for a reduction in their license fees. For many years our licensed victuallers have had to pay £40 and £50 each per annum, while in the more prosperous southern provinces the annual charge ranges from £25 to £30. The Auckland publicans hare certainly good grounds for complaint, and we have no doubt but that the justice of their claim will make, itself heard. At the last meeting of the* Borough Council, Mr MoGowan drew attention to the bad state of Tararu road. We recently took an opportunity to inspect the neglected thoroughfares of the North ward, and must admit the appearance of these, roads is not at all creditable to the Council. Of course we all know the want of funds has been against the Council carrying on any new works, but it would be advisable that a portion of the first available moneys should be expended on highways of this much neglected'district. Says the Hangiora Standard:—Keally this farce of having Maoris in Parliament is getting very broad. It was introduced on the political stage by the Atkinson Government, with a good intent, no doubt, but it is getting somewhat sickly. Fancy the other day ''the Honorable" Takomoana rising in his seat in the House, a propos of nothing in particular, and stating he would vote against the Ministry because, forsooth, " a bailiff had distrained for a debt in the whare of one of his people " ! What next, we wonder. And are the right and liberties of the people to be, swayed in the political balance by such blatant Parliamentary bunkum as this P In the present chaotic state of affairs why not " run" the Honorable H. Takomoana as leader of the country. The New Zealander had a good skit on Sir W. Fox and party last week, being a parody on Longfellow's -'Psalm of Life," concluding:— Lives,of "Reynards,''.all/remind üb, ; : _ How they filched throughout their time, ]S"ow departing left behind them » ; Histories only of their crime ; Histories that eotae son or brother, Prowling hungry o'er life-a-plain, 1 j : Learning will instruct some other , How to lire by stealth again. •? , Let us then be up and doing, • •■..•■ Hunt the " Foxes " to their fate j . Trust no pleading, how'er urging, '■; ' :: From the vermin of the State. > A tweive-yeab old girl in Akron, Ohio, dreamed that she saw her mother murdered in a hotel in Warren,, that State. The next morning she told of .the dream and was laughed at for her fears. When the evening papers came she read therein the details of the murder almost precisely as they had appeared to her at the hour of its occurrence. ,7 Says an American paper■:—lf the people.about Niagara Falls don't want to find them missing some of these days, they had better be careful how they suffer the Princess Louise to hang around there loose. The other day, when she' first looked upon the Falls, she threw her head back in ecstasy and exclaimed, "Don't speak; let me drink in the whole scene!"

Pevebal square yards of ground on the Po]len .street side of the Piako enginehouse collapsed about three o'clock to-day, making a cavity 12 or 14 feet deep. The sinkage caused several large tanks against the wall of.'-the engine-house to fall* No one has as yet been able to go below to ascertain the estent of the damage, but it is considered probable the ground -has sunk from No. 3 level. As far as can be seen from tho mouth of the shaft, it has received no injury; Unless something is r<one immediately the damage to the company's property may be something con* siderable, as the sinkage is only a few feet from the winding engine and the shaft. A Chinaman (says "iEgles") lately appeared in a Witness-box in Victoria. The Clerk of the Bench inquired of him how he was usually sworn. The witness, who was evidently of an accommodating disposition, glibly replied, " Ah ! kiss him book—kill him cock—blow him match-^ s'help me Bob—all along the same ! " ; Mb James Grant, who for the last half century has been well known in the world of literature as author, journalist, and editor, died at his residence in Bayswajter Lbndbn: Mr Grant was born in the: town of Elgin, N. 8., in 1802. In 1850, Mr Grant was appointed the sole and responsible editor of the Morning Advertiser, si .post which he retained until he resigned some seven years ago. Mr Grant was; also the author of about 45 volumes in general literature. \ r : Ax amusing and rather singular bet has been decided by; the Kaiapoi Bench. It appears' that some time ago a local saddler made a bet with one of his custo-. mers that the latter would have an increase to his family within twelve months.! The stakes were a new set of harness,' and the bet was duly committed to paper. Unfortunately for the saddler, ! the event did not come off within the I time specified, for the infant only made its appearance two weeks after! the year had 1 expired.' /The' customer to: make his bet certain, secured the harness, and on payment being demanded referred ! the saddler to his agreement. The latter, feeling aggrieved, sued the other for £11, the value of his harness, but the Bench, having heard the merits of the case, 'decided tKat 'the '• customer } was clearly entitled to the goods, and returned a verdict for the defendant: : f ° ■ As idiotic correspondent,, sends us the following scintillation of wit:—"What celebrated fashionable 1' thoroughfare in London: does our other member resemble?," "Why, fiotten Bow, of COUrse." r „mv ; , <■.;.';•■;:■: Vt '] v;..