LOCAL, AND GENERAL NEWS.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XVII, Issue 2388, 24 March 1874, Page 2

LOCAL, AND GENERAL NEWS.

It. M. Court. — There was no business at.thia Court yesterday. Maori Census.— -Mr J. Booth, of the Native Land Purchase Department haa arrived in Wanganui to assist Major Edwards in completing the Maori Census. Local Improvements — The Post and Telegraph offices have recently undergone a complete renovation. The entire exterior has been painted white and regard haa been had to ' public ' convenience by placing written directions over the delivery windows and postal receptacles. Maori Turfites. — The Hawke's Bay Maories are taking to the turf. Hushed, apparently wiih the success of the native- owned horses at the last Napier meeting, Karena, of the Ruatamuoha has bought Major Pitt's well known racehorse 'Marquis' for 1000 guineas. Cattle Trade with Wellington.— A dealer from Wellington visited the Wangaohu Valley during the latter part of last week, and bought about 100 head of cattle. We' hope this will be the commencement of a large cattle trade between Wellington and Wauganui. Patea. — The Tarauaki Provincial Council is looking after the wants of the Patea settlers a little better than it used to do. It has determined to give the district an additional representation in the Council, and passed resolutions in favor of making Patea a port of entry, and vesting its reserves in local trustees for educational purposes. j^MraflEcTfQii.,. — Mr Swan assures us that lle;Jra's\{n\3|^|ig guest of Mr Pearce on "J^e-Ti'ight i the-^olic^miide a descent upon /bfie Albion Hotel,' an,d in this he ia borne out by Mr PeaYceV|liiniself . Mr Swan further informs its* thas he only claimed his expenses Dy way bf lUibke, and without any serious in tention/qf. rlceiving them. More than this, he has --pejipr insisted upon pay*ment. It app£ar'a^|lSat Mr Swan was not in the-hoiiae at^ey^vme the police came, he x hkyihg^efjb;sspn#time previously. half yearly session* of the Pariaka Native Parliament opened on Tues day, the 16th inst. About 400 natives were in attendance. The proceedings,; says the * Taranaki Herald' were opened at 8 o'clock when Te Whiti made a most sensible address, which was devoid of that usual prophetic lore so customary in his speeches. Everything appeared to be going on satisfactorily uutil Hemi Parai introduced, the question of extension of the telegraph wire across the Pariaka District. This was violently opposed by Ngatairakaunui, who denounced it in strong language. There is a strong section of natives who are anxious to see the telegraph carried through the district and if a firm attitude is adopted by the Government, this important work may be yet successfully accomplished. The natives were told by Mr Parris that the Government intended to erect a lighthouse at Cape Egmont, to which they gave no re^ ply. Patea a Port op Entry.:— -At a meeting of the Taranaki Provincial Council, held on Wednesday, the 18th, a discussion too place on the advisability of proclaiming Patea a port of entry, which is thus reported in the ' Herald ' — Mr McGnire moved — ''That it is desirable that Carlyle be I proclaimed a port of entry, and that his Honor the Superiutendent be requested to take such steps with the General Government as may be needful to affect that object." He said that the duty on goods brought into Patea was £800 a month, con» sequeutly it was high time that it was declared a port of entry— Mr Peacock second-, ed the motion, and said that a public wharf and Custom house at Carlyle were required. At present a private gentleman had a wharf of his own, so: anyone r brinuing a vessel ! alongside had topay very high dues. There was a person at Carlyle who acted as a ferry man and pilot, and if a Custom house were built, he might look after that too, , and thus amalgamate the whole in one which would save expense- -Mr Whitcombe thought they were entitled to what they asked for. The signalman at Waitara was paid £70, and when the Custom house was built there, he wa3 appointed, with an addition to his Balary of £30 a year, as Customs officer ; and what had been doae at Waitara he thought could be done at Carlyle — Mr Syme thought that making Ciarlyle a port of entry would save the community a great deal of expense — The other members agreeing to it, the motion was put and carried without a dissenting voice.

EAsr Coast. — According to the Poverty Bay * Herald,' settlement ia spreading rapidly along the East Coast districts, between Poverty Bay' and the Bay of Plenty. Messrs Espie and Goldsmith, we hear, have taken up tiie run at Tologa ßay, advertised for sometime past, as an " unstocked run, 8000 acres in extent." Mr Cartwright Brown also, has taken up a block, considerably further north, and other settlers are turning their eyes in the same direction. The country is, much of it, all that could be desired, if only the difficulty about titles and the scabby sheep could be got rid of. Palmer River Diggings.— The latest news to hand about these diggings is contained in a Sydney telegram dated March 14 : -Floods subsiding at Palmer River. Roads to goldfields drying fast. Packhorsea very much wanted. General ne\ys,of gold returns good. Several men died of starvation during the floods ; some existed a week on grass. A later despatch from Townville says the roads are accessible ; rivers all down. Provisions still scarce on diggings. Two men who have arrived from Cooktown state they prospected 100 miles up the Palmer without success, reefs being found in all directions, gold within 40 miles of Cooktown. Meat is scarce, but 22 cows have reached the township Railway Tenders. — It is* surprising what a difference there is between the amounts of the various tenders sent in for the contracts of railway works in the colony, leading to the belief that many of our contractors know little more about the work which they undertake to execute than the general public, and frame their estimates by guesswork. Here, for iustance, are the j ! amounts of the various tenders for the Deborah Bay contract : — D. J. JVi'Kenzie, i Dnnedin, £35,227, accepted ; and the following declined : — Brogden and Sons, Wellington, £70,023 ; C. M'Kirdy, Wellington, £54,4L8 ; Hawkins and Co., Dunedin, £59,932 ; G. Proudfoot, Dunedin, £81,613; Rossbotham and Co., Dunedin, £34,955 (informal) ; W. D. Morrison, Dunedin, £43,000. A Large Farm. — Referring to Mr Menlove's Windsor Park Estate, near Oaraaru, the- * Bruce Herald ' states that during the harvest season, just completed, no less than 300 harvestmen have been employed— 10 reapers- have been at work (the property of the, proprietor), and three others working by contract. 2,000 acres of grain have been cut, a large quantity of which will be shipped to England ; probably the largest yield ever grown in the colony by one person. The estimated yield 1 is upwards of 50,000 bushels wheat, 12,000 bushels oats, and 8,000 bushels barley. On the property 2,000 acres will this season be laid down in grass. This season's grain crop is very tine, some of the wheat ranging fifty bushels to the acre, and of splendid quality. Patent Drill. — The 'Qtago Daily Times ' furnishes the following description of the Burieigh patent drill, a machine that' is at the present time being extensively used in Europe, America, and the Colonies. The drill, which weighs altogether about one hundredweight and a half, is worked direct from' a cylinder, with compressed air or steam, and will pierce 24 inches in two minutes in the hardest granite without any sharpening being rendered necessary. It will bore any depth up to 27 feet, s*nd can be worked any direction, up or down. The Government of Queensland has, we are informed, just "purchased three of these drills at a cost of about £500 each, and Mr Wakefield, of Kiawa, New South Wales, uses one of them in carrying out a contract for the supply, of metal for the roads. They are chiefly used, however, in the carrying out of railway; works, Kebb and Co.'s lithofractenr being used as a blasting com pound TlSl|oi^ectlon : with these drills. Divers Names. — -It will be some time before the world is satisfied that •' Sir William Harcourt " is the same man it knew as Mr Vernon Harcourt, who has in duecourse received the honor of knighthood, on being made Her Majesty's SolicitorGeneral. Why not Sir Vernon Harcourt, it may be asked ; and why of all the five Christian names William, George, Granville, Venebles, Vernon — under which the new Solicitor- General, was gazetted, is the first chosen 1 The answer is that, although _in fact Sir William Harcourt boasts so many Christian names, he, like everyone else, can have legally only one Christian name. Lord Coke long ago laid down the law that '" a man may have divers names, at divers times, but not djivers Christian names'; he cannot have two names of baptism as he may have divers surnames." There are cases in the law books where indictments have been quashed because the accused was described by two Christian names. Pleading is not so strict at the present day, and such a defect would only give rise to an amendment ; but still the law remains the same. " The law is not precise, }) says Chief-Justice Popham, in Queen Elizabeth's reign, "in the case of surnames, but for the Christian name this ought always to be perfect."— ' The Hour.' Emigration op Miners to the Palmer. — The 'Grey mouth Star,' in a late number, says that notwithstanding the late unfavorable accounts from the Palmer a very large number of miners are .bent on going from this district and the Grey Valley. A great many are only waiting to dispose of their claims before starting, whilst others are abandoning claims that pay small but steady wages and this is especially the case in the IGrey Valley. For several days past the streets haye been conparatively crowded with men purposing to Bet out by the first Melbourne steamer, whether by the Bluff or direct, and theOmeo expected on Saturday, laid on for Newcastle, will be pretty well filled. The full effect of the exodus will not be felt until after St Patrick's Day, that being specially observed as holiday time in the Grey district. After that is over it : will set in with full force, and some thinly populated parts will be almost depopulated. That a large proportion of those " rushing " will lay their bones in Queensland, there can be no doubt owing to the difficulties and dangers of travelling in the unhealthy climate among hostile savages, but any attempt to divert the stream is wholly useless, and bitter experience alone will incuculate wisdom when too late. The neglect of past years in not provid ing means to fix the population by water .races &c, is now bearing such fruit as might be expected. Had the Governments and legislatures of this colony of the past been more farseeing, at. the present day New Zealand would not have - periodically lost her most valuable population. Possibly the lesson now being taught may open the eyes of .the Assembly on its meeting in July next. A good sermon is like a kiss — requires but two heads and an application.