LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume 5, Issue 403, 26 February 1876, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL .

The treasurer of the Wairarapa Hospital acknowledges the receipt of £2O from Messrs Beetham, being the amount collected on the Brancepeth Station for the Hospital. Mr B. H. ElHotte has purchased from Mr Hoddsr his interest in the Golden Fleece Hotel, Fakuratahi, and takes possession of it on March 10. This house is a capitel business stand, and Mr Elliotte may be congratulated on his new enterprise. On Thursday evening last the Waingawa and Waiohine were flooded. There was no rain in the valley, but on the hills a considerable amount must have fallen.

The following from a Victorian paper is a fair specimen of condensed news:—“ Malden, Victoria—mother made tea—placed teasput on box —turned to do something else— little girl, 18 months only—drank from spout boiling liquid—verdict, accidental death. A shocking accident occurred at Batbhurst through the explosion of a kerosene lamp. A family were seated round a table when it burst, setting fire to Mrs Nagle, Mrs Beardon and Thomas Nagle, five yean old. The first two are shockingly injured, and it is feared they will not recover. Housekeepers may rejoice—mutton has recently come down in price, and is now vended at. 2d the fore-quarter and 3d the hindquarter, Beef still is beef (except when used to make pork sausages), and keeps up its price. It is usually retailed in the Wairarapa at Id per lb under the price wliioh rules in Wellington. The Forbes Times, a New South Wslee paper, says:—An individual not far from Forbes has turned out to be the person wanted in the matter of a legacy of something like £IOO,OOO. We hardly feel at liberty to mention nsmes at present, but the party is well known. For years past he has earned an honest livelihood by hard work, and has plenty of friends who will be rejoiced to hear of his good fortune.

A correspondent calls attention to the fact that there u a bull running loose about Graytown. We trust that the animal will b* at once captured and muzzled. When we reflect on the valuable lives which are endangered by a brute of thisskind being about, when we consider thateven the safety of some of our Local Board chairmen is possibly threatened by this dangerous beast we are overwhelmed with consternation, and on public grounds trust that steps will be taken to prevent harm of any kind befalling them. A public meeting was held at Taradale, Hawke’s Bay, on Tuesday last, to take into consideration what steps should be taken re the Tntaekuri river, when the following resolutions were passed—“ That in order to prevent this district from further damage by the overflow of the Tutaekuri river, it should at once be brought under an Act cf Parliament, wherein the necessary powers shall he given to levy a rate sufficient to provide the funds necessary for carrying out such works for its protection as competent engineers may decide upon.” “That, to give effect to the foregoing resolution, a committee be appointed to consider the Conservation of Bivers Act now in force, and report upon the same to a meeting to be held in a fortnight. We have often been struck with the way the Wellington bench usually allows itself to be dictated to by the police. It appears that this is no longer to be permitted. We are told by the Times that at the Court on Wednesday, a prisoner was making a statement

regarding the action of Detective Farrell, When Sergeant Monaghan interrupted. The Mayor, who, with J. H. Wallace, £gq., was presiding desired the police officer to maintain silence. Sergeant Monaghan did not do so, but submitted that the prisoner should not be permitted to make, charges affecting Detective Earrell while he (Farrell) was absent. The justices on the bench, feeling that their dignity was imperilled, informed Sergeant Monaghan that they, and not he, were the persons to decide that question. There is a young man at Taranaki, a sort of New Plymouth brother, who recently received a valentine advising him to marry. Charmed with the suggestion, he at once advertised in the Taranaki Budget for the address of his lady correspondent, and intimated that his intentions were honorable, and that his views were matrimonial. Valentines are not thrown away on model young men of this stamp, and we venture to assert that they deserve every encouragement at the hands of the fair, or possibly unfair, sex. Taranaki may well be called the Garden of New Zealand if it produces maidens who send nice valentines, and young men who advertise for maidens. We fear that the valentines which are circulated about the Wairarapa are not calculated to lead to the happy results which characterize the Tpranan ki ones. Almost all that we have seen have been simply villainous. As an advertising medium we regret this, and trust that the ladies of the district will be wise and send nice alluring missives which will * fetch* our young men, and that the latter will advertise freely for their addresses in that excellent local paper which with pardonable delicacy we omit to name. The Wanganui Herald says that the road from Masterton through the Forty Mile Bush is all that could be desired, at present, for coach traffic, and rumor hath it that a gentleman, who lately made a pioneer trip, intends to prosecute this enterprise regularly at no distant date. Ten miles of this mad are being metalled in the worst places by Messrs. Heron and Quain, the contractors, and from the number of carts they employ a scene of busy life presents itself when least expected. Men are also engaged under the superintendence of Mr. M'Donald, the overseer, in reparing the road generally in S laces which show an indication of being elective in winter. The whole road, when the difficulties attendant on its formation are taken into consideration, reflects great credit on all concerned, and it is with pleasure we hear that Mr. Munro, the superintending •engineer, has to far recovered from his late accident as to be able again to assume the active duties of his profession. The past week has been a dull one in the Wairarapa. Mr Hastwell’s four coaches have been lightly loaded, money has been scarce, visitors to the township have been few, news has been scanty, and the newspaper business anything but animated. During the last few days we would have been thankful for anything in the shape of intelligence of a local character, but we have not even heard of a big gooseberry, a lizard with two tails, a sheep with five legs, a mare with twin foals, an auriferous lump of road metal, or any other of those small mercies which occasionally during a dull season add a charm to the local columns of a country newspaper. Since writing the above providence has been kind to ns. We have witnessed a local object of interest, a work of high art and beauty. Strollers down Main Street Greytown may observe in the shop window of Mr Maxton a wedding cake which we venture to say will compare favorably with any other effort of a similar kind in the colony. The richness of its material, the ehasteness of its design, and the elegance of the wreath that entwines it indicate the skill of an artist of whom Greytown may be proud. It is a thing of beauty which will be a joy for ever, for though it will probably go the way of all cakes the impression it makes on the mind is perennjd! We would like to have a photoprapb of it!

Mr O. R. Carter has arrived at the Bluffby the Albiom

The next quarterly meeting of the Committee of the Wairarapa and East CoaskFastoral Associations, takes place on Thursday next, at the Institute, Grey town, at 2 p.m. The Albion arrived at the Bluff on Thursday bringing English news to Feb 17. The wool sales bad opened and prices continued with great spirit. The other news is unimportant. We understand that a movement is on foot to call a public meeting by requisition in Grey town to discuss that two headed monster the Greytown Local Board. We trust it will result in the partial decapitation of our local dragon

The Government are surveying a short line from the terminus of Mr McKirdy’s contract at the back of Mr Shirley’s hotel to Fox-st. (near the immigrant cottages), where the railway station will probably be fixed, an eligible site haring been secured for it in that portion of the township. The Queen opened Parliament in person on the Bth February. The speech referred to the existence of cordial foreign relation* reforms in Turkey, the purchase of the Sue* Canal shares, and the visit of the Prince of Wales to India, 1 Royal Commission of Inquiry is promised respecting the suppression of the slave trade. Bills are aho promised for the establishment of an ultimate tribunal of appeal i for the amendment of the Merchant Shipping law; and legislation on universities and primary education. A longmeeting of the Education Board was held in Wellington on Wednesday last. Mr Beetham’e motion was carried in favor of secular education. Mr Beetham was requested to see the settlers of Matsrawa and Woodside, and to ascertain whether they could not agree with reference to the site for the proposed school-house, The resignation of Miss Humphries as assistant teacher at the Greytown school was accepted. On Monday evening next the Canine Troupegive their farewell performance in the Town mil Greytown. On this occasion the panorama of Artemus Ward’s travels is to be exhibited, and the programme is to be concluded with a distribution of presents. The big posters says £6O worth will be given away. Of course one is bound to believe anything which is printed in big type, and one can only wonder at the munificence of the nroprietor of the Canine Troupe, who by this stroke of genius, renders going to the dogs as profitable as it it amusing.

One of thp Wairarapa’s oldest and best known settlers has passed away. Yesterday at Mataravra died Dr Welch, who some twenty-two years ago settled in Wellington as a medical practitioner. When the Greytown Small FardfSettlemeat was founded the deceased took up his residence in the new township and for some years represented the Wairarapa.in the Provincial Council, and in the session of 1856 acted as clerk of the same. In 1857 he contested the Superintendenoy with Dr Featherston and in several parts of the Province obtained a majority of rotes. Of late years he bad been a confirmed invalid, devotiue his leisure hours to literary pursuits, unable to take the active part he once disdisplayed in public affairs, but still feeling a strong interest in the district in which he resided and aiding with open hand and heart any ntcagswnt which tended to advance it, As will be risen by an announcement else' where the funeral takes place this afternoon. We shall in another issue speak more at length than we can in our present one of a settler who in the past has been intimately connected with the history and progress of the Province and district, and has by his many private virtues won the regard of a large circle of friends and acquaintances.