FROM THE “STAR ” SIXTY YEARS AGO.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18642, 20 December 1928, Page 11

FROM THE “STAR ” SIXTY YEARS AGO.

ADVERTISEMENTS AND NEWS OF DEC. 21, 1868

Lyttelton Boating Club.—We are sorry to learp that a telegram was received on Saturday afternoon from Mr D. Davis to the effect that the new boat ordered by the club, and made by Mr Fuller, Melbourne, and shipped on board by him on board the s.s. Otago, has been smashed during the passage. JC « « Commercial.—Messrs Wilson and Alport had a fair supply of cattle at market on Saturday, and sold them at Satisfactory rates: Two-year-old very prime steers brought £8 12s 6d per head; ditto, good quality, ditto, £6 17s 6d and £7; choice herifers, £9 ss; fair quality ditto, £7 15s; good dairy cows, £9 10s; three fat cows sold at each £lO, £lO 15s and £l3. From a Leader.—A few days ago we gave a telegraphic .summary of a letter addressed by Mr Fitz Gerald to the editor of the Wellington “Independent.” The letter itself has now been published by our morning contemporaries. Mr Fitz Gerald’s advice to his fellow-colonists may be summed up in a very few words—Don’t ask for Imperial troops in the present crisis; rely on yourselves, but ask England for money and arms. And this is selfreliance ! Is it possible—we ask this question in all seriousness—for any man of ordinary common sense to reconcile the two statements made by Mr Fitz Gerald? The Waimakariri.—lnformation up to nine o’clock last night shows both approaches to the Styx bridge to have been washed, but by the judicious action of the Road Board it is still passable .to light traffic. Drays will, however, have to diverge from the North Road and take a circuitous route to evade the river. Starting from Christchurch, they should proceed along the North, Hare wood and Gardiner’s Roads to the Waimakariri, and thence along the bed, until arriving near Mr Tisch’s farm, at which point they will return to the North Road. Starting from Treleaven’s, they will, of course, diverge at this, latter point and regain the North Road by means of Gardiner’s Road. The Late Poverty Bay Massacre. — The “Invercargill Weekly News” thus remarks on the evanescent nature of the sympathy excited by the late massacre by the natives'; “The flush of horror and ,indignation felt on the receipt of the particulars of the Maori invasion of the settled districts on the East and West Coasts of the North Island seems to have faded rapidly from the minds of this community. - * The generous first impulse has given place to the cool second thought, and people who, three short days <ago, talked. loudly of their willingness to go to the front and ‘exterminate the wretches ? have subsided into a frame of mind that may be best translated by saying they are ‘determined to mind their own business.’ ” A Manifesto by the Maori King.—The following important printed circular from the Maori King, which was read at a large native meeting held at Awhahuri (Upper Manawatu) haa been kindly handed to us (“Wellington Independent,”. December 19) by Mr Burr, who arrived by Cobb’s coaches last night. 1. That the sword is to be sheathed. 2. Leases not to be granted to Europeans. 3. All purchases to cease between the races. 4. That the boundary is fixed. 5. No more roads are to be made. 6. Digging for gold is not to be allowed. 7. No more survej*s are to be made. 8. The schools are not to be attended. 9. No parties are allowed to enter any European courts of justice. These articles have been forbidden before. This is the second time they have been forbidden, and they are strongly forbidden. (Signed.) NA TAWIIAIAO. Printed at Auckland.

SB K St VESSELS IN HARBOUR. Wainui, s.s., from Dunedin. Light Brigade, ship, from London. Ilydaspes, ship, from London. Blue Jacket, ship, from London. Glenmark, ship, from London. John Knox, barque, from Sydney (cleared). P.C.E., barque, from Newcastle. William Ackers, barque, from Newcastle. Amateur, schooner, from Newcastle. Wellington, schooner. E. V. Cameron, schooner. Cleopatra, schooner. Jeanie Duncan, schooner. Bonnie Lass, schooner. Lady Don, schooner. Bee, schooner. Volunteer, schooner. Margaret, ketch. Mystery, ketch. Courier, ketch. Antelope, cutter.

The Wellington “Independent” of December 15 says: Through the semiofficial statements of Mr Charles Edward Haughton, the Acting Undersecretary for Defence, political quid nuncs during the last day or two have had abundant matter for gossip. Mr Haughton, indeed, has set a pretty tale afloat, no less than that the Governor is about to dissolve Parliament. It seems, according to the version which has reached us, that his Excellency the Governor and the Ministry are at loggerheads on the question of getting troops from Australia; that his Excellency want§ them and Ministers don't. This quarrel, so the story goes, reached its climax when the Ministers refused the request of a deputation the other day that they should advise his Excellency to send for Imperial troops from Australia, and in consequence of this it is asserted that Sir George Bowen is prepared to dissolve Parliament and let an appeal be made to the country. We have made inquiry into this story, and find that, like most others emanating from the same source, it is only in a small degree true. There is no doubt, whatever, of the fact that his Excellency Sir George Bowen wants the services of Imperial troops, and that the Ministry, being bound by past action, decline to have them. So far, then, there is a clear disagreement between his Excellency and Ministers, but whether that will induce the former to exercise his constitutional power of dissolving Parliament is very doubtful. Mr Haughton, who ought to be a reliable authority on such matters, is reported to have said that the Governor will dissolve, but we are somewhat sceptical of Mr Haughton’s assertions.