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Waipawa Mail, Volume X, Issue 1020, 9 December 1886, Page 2

To-day we publish on our fourth page a complete list of hints to voters who will have to ercise their right of francliiscon Saturday next, with regard to the borrowing question. We are almost ashamed to trouble our readers with this matter so often, partly because wc believe that the majority of them are unanimous and require no persuasion, and partly because, after all is said and done, the sum of £1*2,000. is such a paltry one, taking the annual revenue of the county into account and considering the immense value of rateable property in the county, that it is hardly worth opposing. On the other hand, it is well worth adopting and we thought it just as well to place, the facts before the rate payers, so that they could know everything. It is always best that these things should be clone openly, and the borrowing proposals which are now before the county will at any rate bear the light of day. A concert in aid of the Tatangata Library funds will be given in the schoolroom at Patangata on Tuesday next, 14th. We hope to see it well attended.

Amongst other events in this town wc have to record Mr Holder's re-commencc-ment in business. Wo have no doubt that Mr Holder will be able obtain a share of public support. Says the Auckland Herald: —Amongst the signs of a coming revival in trade is the steady remittance of credits to the wool growers iu this colony, through the rise iu the price of this staple industry in the London market. Instead of having the “drawbacks” of last year, some very substantial sums have come forward by the last two or three mails from England, and have greatly eased sheep farmers. One company roceivcd by the last mail no less than £50,000 of credits, and another £20,000.

Two questions continually stick in Mr Barker’s throat, (if we may use the simile), in his capacity of commission on the Town Board. One is the drainage of thetown ; the other is the levels. As regards the latter, we hardly see the necessity for going to expense until the board is prepared to make the streets. When the money is in hand and about, to be expended, that will be time enough for the levels to be taken. But as regards the drainage question, wc must sympathise with Mr Barker’s views. If a town board drains one side of the street it should drain the other. Drainage directly affects the value of property, no matter whether people reside an the spot or uot. If the board is going to make a drain behind the Empire Hoetel and Bank of New Zealand, it should modify its proposals and make it down the centre of the street instead. The Patangata County Council offices will contain two rooms, each measuring 19 feet 2%', inches by 15 feet 4! 2 inches. These arc each provided with brick fireplaces, and the stud is 12 feet. The offices will be built at right angles to the road, aud will be entered from the side by a porch. One room is lighted by two windows and the other by three. The new offices will be a great acquisition to the township, and have a square appearance and are exceedingly neat. At the same time tlieCouucil has uot been to any extravagance, and the interest on the cost of the new building will easily be covered by the amount of rent which has been paid for the hire of a room iu the past.

Mr Collett submitted to his motion for taking a road through Mr ltathbone’s paddock (instead of Wavcrlcy Street) to be rather easily thrown out at the Town Board meeting on Tuesday evening. It is true that he expressed a dertermiuatioa to bring it up again some future time, and a good many hope that lie will do so. The question may be looked at in different lights, we are aware but this is one of its aspects at any rate : The Town Board has struggled to open up Waverley Street, presumably for the good of the town. Every effort has been strongly opposed by the Rechabites. Now, would it uot be wiser to cry truce, and give up the game, before it has cost more than the candle? That is the question which has to be considered. If the Kechabites absolutely refuse to deal in a practical way with Waverley Street, then go to the other line of road. Take it through Air Ratlibone’s land. We believe the latter gentleman would acquiesce if a fair offer were made, as it would givehim a frontage to his land, a thing which the honorfiblc tent of abstainers appear to regard with the profoundest contempt.

The Government have issued a pamphlet on the best methods of raising Mulberry trees and silk worms. It is written by Mr G. A. Schoch, and appears to contaiu a vast deal of useful information. No doubt it can be procured, and we advise our readers to apply for copies, if they waut them, at the Government, ‘agents. This is a pamphlet that the 70-Milc Bush Settlers' Association ought to get hold of. The latest news of the frozen meat market eomes as follows from London :—The frozeu meat market continues in a glutted condition, and the rates at which carcases sell are extremely ifregular. At the cud of last week there were in store no fewer than (>5,000 New Zealand carcases, 3,500 Melbourne, and 20.000 River l’late, besides 5,000 Falkland, qr over 90,000 iu all. Added to this, the Klderslie,'. from New Zealand, which is just .clocking, has ou board 26,000- sheep. It is consequently futile to hope for any advance in rates, for some time io. come. The . whole questiou of the frozeu meat trade (as regards New should be inquired into by an independent person or commission, and certain regulations-framed on their advice. The present state of affairs is the result of sheetbad management. At the annual meeting of the River Frozen Meat Company on Wednesday, a dividend of 10 per cent, was declared on the preference shares, and the Chairman pointed out that, despite the depressed state of the market during the past ye&r, the falling off in the rates of New Zealand meat had been much greater than that -in River Plate. It takes an extraordinary amount of drumming to get some people to understand that the piece of poetry which appeared on Saturday last did not refer to a correspondent who wc much regret will never contribute to this paper again. “ H.M,” (poor fellow) only gave us a single item from Makotuku, because he happened to be there one night. We have a permanent correspondent in Makotuku, and the silly individual who writes poetry there replied on Saturday to one of our permanent correspondent’s letters Dear, good, dense, well-meaning souls, why do you put us to the trouble of explaining, especially when the very meution of the subject brings up recollections which arejsad aud painful, and which we want to forget. The following anecdote is from the Sf Stevens Jtevicw :—A meclinuics wife, who had carried her husbands humble diuner to his workshop, read the newspaper while lie ate his repast. “ Jack” she said. “ I ace that the poor kidnapped prince is going back to Sofia—it’s hard, aint it, for a man to be torn from his wife by a lot of scamps” *• Wife,” said Jack, wilh his mouth full, “ Sofia’s not his wife I” “ Not his wife ? Then the Czar did quite right !” A Maori woman very narrowly escaped being run over by the train yesterdey morning, at the Waipawa railway station. She had just alighted from the Napier train, and was crossing the rails to the platform, when the train from the bush came lolling in to the station. She did not appear to see it at all, and wandered along the liue. Constable Trouson saw the danger, and so did Mr W. Peters, a porter at the statioo. These two very pluckily ran on to the line and seized the woman and pulled her off. All three had a narrow escape, and people who saw the episode say that the engine very nearly grazed their heels. The constable and porter deserve great credit for their prompt and daring actiou. for they undoubtedly risked a good deal to save the woman’s life, aud were successful.