The Thames Star. Resurrexi. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1891.

Thames Star, Volume XXV, Issue 4841, 13 September 1894, Page 2

The Thames Star. Resurrexi. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1891.

The poll for the election of a Councillor for tho South Ward is taking place to-day, and closes at 6 o'clock. The candidates are Messrs Taylor and Stewart. We are requested to state that Mr James Park, F.G.S., will commence a course of lectures on "The metallurgy of gold and silver," on Friday evening at 6.30 o'clock at the School of Mines.

It will be seen by an advertisement that Mr E. H. Taylor gives hia usual weekly address, illustrated by lantern pictures, this evening in the Pollen Street Lecture Hall at 7.30 o'clock. The admission is free, and as the weather promisee to be fine, there will no doubt be a large attendance.

Our readers will remember that under the auspices of the local Ministers' Association and with the consent and approval of the Committee of St. James's Church services are to be held monthly in the Tararu Presbyterian Sunday School. Tonight the third of the new series is to be held, and the Rev. C. Meek, of Belfast,who occupied the pulpit in the Presbyterian Church last Sunday, end is to do so again next Sunday will be the preacher.

Judging by tbe interest evidenced in the annual meetings of the various local Cricket Clubs, that manly sport bids fair to be well patronised this season. On Tuesday last the members of the Tararu Cricket Club met in the district school kindly lent by the Committee. That enthusiastic veteran, Mr J. B. Steed man, presided, and the attendance beat the record. The Committee's report was lengthy and encouraging. Tbe Treasurer's balance sheet showed receipts, including £4 Is 6d from bon. members, £17 18s 3d ; expenditure, £16 8s lid; credii{balance £1 9s 4d. The working officers for the season 1894-5 are: —Captain, Mr Wiggins; Vice-Captain, Mr J. McGregor; Secretary and Treasurer, Mr W. H. Newton ; Committee, the officers and Messrs W. Brown, W. Wilson, A. Griffiths, and T. Goclkin ; Auditor, Mr H. T. Torrens ; delegates, Messrs McGregor and Griffiths. Several new members were elected. Tbe retiring officers were heartily thanked for the efficient services they had rendered. The Club's officers have arranged with Mr Burr a for the right to practice on the vacant ground between Burke street and Haven street, a convenience of which it is expected members will be quick to avail themsehes.

Foe several winters past it has been obvious to the general public that the time-table of the Tauranga-Thames line of mail coaches was about as uncomfortable, unserviceable, and dangerous as it could possibly be. As the number of persons annually travelling by this route is small it has taken some time to stir up sufficient interest in the matter to induce the residents of the district concerned to petition for a very common sense alteration. In the summer months the present arragements work very fairly—the days [ are long, the roads are good, the weather as a rule fine, and the coaches can make the through trip in daylight nine times out of ten. With the approach of winter all this is altered, and we find the driver forced to travel as 'long as six hours in darkness over bad roads and often in execrable weather. The miseries of any unfortunate passengers may be imagined, and the danger to life and limb in thus travelling at night, from landslips, broken culverts, sharp turns on cuttings, &c, is ten times greater than it would be in daylight. It might naturally be thought that some great advantage at least must be derived from adhering to the summer time-table to compensate for the discomforts and risks encountered in doing so. An outsider would hardly credit our statement that no benefit accrues whatever from the present arrangenie3it,butsuchis really the case. The mails from here bound for Auckland in the winter season are more often too late to catch the Thames steamer than not, and as far as the delivery at Tauranga is concerned, a coach leaving Katikati at an early hour on Tuesday and Friday mornings would answer, for all practical purposes, just as well as the present management when the mail reaches here between 10 and 11 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays and consequently is not sorted till 9 a.m. on Tuesday and Friday. To passengers the difference would be literally as great as from night to day; from theThames end they would reach Ka^Jcati on Monday evening and woSd be thankful enough for a rest after some 10 or 11 hours in a co^ch on the Thames County roads. Going from Tauranga it is nothing short of barbarous in winter time to turn, intend- j ing passengers out of their beds to em- j bark on a thirty mile coach drive in the cold and darkness before breakfast. If Waihi or Paeroa were made the stopping place for the night an ample day's work would be done and no injury accrue to anyone's interest. We hope the Post-master-General will seriously consider the petitions now being drawn up at both ends of the line and decide to make the changes asked for, which have everything, except precedent, ia their favor and nothing whatever against tlieni.—Say pf X J!e»ty Times,; '

Mks Thokbcen's art union of fancy needlework, &c, is exciting considerable interest, and the tickets are meeting with such a ready sale that the drawing will take place about tlie end of the present month. There will be 60 prizes, some of which are very valuable, and as the pii ;e of tickets is only 2s those desirous of i.mvesting should at once call at the shop in Pollen street, as they are nearly all disposed of.

Asr agreement as to the amalgamation between the Bank of New Zealand and the Colonial Bank was signed yesterday by Mr Murray, on behalf of the Bank of NeAv Zealand, and the Hon. G. McLean, Chairman of Directors of the Colonial Bank, and at once forwarded to Government. It is now under the consideration of the Cabinet, and should the terms be approved, the agreement will require to be submitted for confirmation to a general meeting of shareholders in the two Banks, which will take place at Wellington and Dunedin respectively on the 26th inst.