The Wairarapa Daily. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1879.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 94, 26 February 1879, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1879.

The present position of the Featherston and Masterton Railway is hardly so unsatisfactory as many porsons'have been led to believe, and there is, we understand 110 apparent obstacle to the various stages of the work being completed to the contract time. It is true that the progress of the work has been somewhat slow hitherto, but it is equally true the contractor still has in the unexpired term of his contract ample time for the due completion of the lino. Two miles of the permanent way have already been laid, and an engine is daily employed in conveying material for the erection of tho Tauhercnikau bridge. From thence to Masterton the formation is of a character that can be executed rapidly and easily with the exception of one point near the Waiohine, where a good deal of heavy work has to be done, The reason why the Masterton end of the line has not been commenced is that its construction .is of a comparatively easy nature, and tho preliminary work of fencing require to be first undertaken. In addition to these reasons, it is also obvious that by proceeding from tlie Featherston end right through, the extractor has the advantage of the line mile by mile'as it is firished for conveying to the various points along it necessary ir#;, concrete, and other material required, it w therefore pretty clear that the contractor is quite justified in carrying on his work on the system which he has adopted, and that there is not at present any reasonable ground for agitation respecting the alleged delay in the progress of the I work. Tho contractor, as is well know, is under heavy penalties for any breach in his engagements, and it is pretty generally understood that the Public Works Office, unless satisfactory grounds are shown for delays, will not hesitate to enforce the bond. The engineer in charge of the line is an officer of conyderable experience, who has had successively the supervision of the Mjjngarofo Muratahi, tunnel aj)d incline contract .and who has ptjwer, if necessary, to take steps which would make it compulsory for tiny portion of the work to be finished within a givon period. Wo roav, therefore, with some confidence look forward to the railway being opened at Greytown, Carterton, and Masterton somewhere about the dates originally named,

The firs win ii) the now yards of the Wairarapa Saieyards Gomppy takes place to-day, " " 1 ' Last season the amount ,of grain djs])atclied from the different districts of Canterbury amounted to 145,014 tops, A meeting of master printers, including Mr Didsbury, Government printer, mis held on Mpijday night, at which a resolution was passed t)iat henceforward the Wellington Typfigraphical Society be no longer recognised, and that ft cony of tj>is resolution be forwarded to the Secretary of the Society. Compositors have been engaged by the Wellington newspaper proprietors, and are now on their way from various parts of the Colony, so that in the event of the printers holding out out against the masters 110 great inconvenience will be experienced, and the papers will bo published as usual. The Hawlce's Bay Herald has been informed that the volcano of Tongariro has recently been in eruption, In May of last year there wag a cone about 120 ft, in diameter at the northwest pitfe of the crater, It was closed at the bottom, b,ut vapours issued at its side, At the present time, while the above cone has vanished, as if it had never been in existence, a large one has been thrown up, with a diameter of 500 ft, at the top, and extending along nearly the whole north side of th.9 prater. At the bottom of the cone there ai|3 jthroo large vents, through which sulphurous'fames are issuing, at times, in considerable yoijimes'" -life floor pf the crater, which may be reckoned a? l,soQft, iii diameter, slio'Svs increase of sulphurous steam'in all dirbetions, and the precipice's above, as well as the outside of the mountain (except to the south), for somo distance downwards, are actively steaming, There are several beds of snow upon cool parts of the floor of the crater—one at the south side under the precipice, lias been melting from the hot vapours below it, till it Has fashioned into a cave with a scjvlloped'roof/as

Mr T. R, Proctor, the well-known jeweller, of Christchurch, announces hia arrival at Masterton.

We are glad to notice that another meeting'of'the Masierton Farmers' Club is convened for Saturday, 8. • It is stated that, tho petition for the .•Carterton' Borough' lias received tho requisite number of signatures and will be at once forwarded. We call attention to a new firm of auctioneers, Messrs Blaker rind Co. , of Masterim They advertise thoir first sale for 'Saturday next.

The name of the man whose death at Te Oro we recorded yesterday is George O'Brien. His body is now lying at the Empire Hotel, and the inquest will be held this afternoon.

At a meeting of the Library committee hold at the Instituco, Mastorton, Mr Murray's motion in favor of opening the Reading-room on Sunday afternoons was lost.

Messrs lorns and Fei'gusson are instructed io sell on March 16th, on the farm of Mr Waller Morrison, Manaia, a valuable flock of sheep, some of the best choice hones in the Wairarapa, farm implements, and 2,000 bushels of oats.

Enough corn for the whole world has been grown in America this year. We learn the average condition of the corn crop is 90, tho yield being estimated at 1,300,G00,000 bushels.

The Hckitika Star say3Wo learn from good authority that the Union Bank of Australia has been served with a writ of summons in tho Supremo Court, by Messrs F. A. LearmonthandCo, claiming £20,000 as damages for a breach of the arrangement existing between the bank and those gentlemen. Some natives have reported at Carterton, says the Standard, that Mahapuku had stabbed one of his wives—the eldest of three—in several places on the temple and body with a pocket knife, last Sunday week, and that she« not likely to recover, but we have since heard that she is a little better. The perpetrator with his youngest wife has left the district.

Tlio following extraordinary story is from the Bay of Plenty Timo3 of a late date" Constable M. Marsh of Whakaiane, arrived at Opotiki on Friday last, having in charge a European boy named William Floyd, who has been living with tlio Maoris during the past threo years. He is apparently about ten years of age, and seems quick and intelligent. Accordingly to the account given by the natives, he was sold to them at Napier by his mother for 2s. Gd. and a kit of kumaras, and has sinco been living quite contentedly amongst them. Ho states that his failier andmotheraroatili living at Napier, and that his father is employed as a. carter there.

We learn from tlio Chronicle, a determined attempt at suicide was made at Featherston on Thursday evening. An old man named John Honey entered the Club Hotel at Featherston on the day named, and called for a pint of beer. This he took into a side 100111, remarking at tire same time that " his troubles would soon be over." This excited the suspicion of the barman, who followed Honey into, the room, and 011 finding a peculiar smell in the room, he took the pint pot from the man before lie had tiiue to finish its contents. Ho immediately fell down in apparent great agony, ai)d his lifo was with great difficulty sustained. A small bottle labelled'' Almond flavoring" (poison) was found empty in the room. This is appears was purchased fromMr St, George, a chemist in Greyiown, from which town Honey arrived the same day, The mail is now in custody,

On the subject of Kentish laborers i*or New Zealand, a contributor to the " Mark Lane Express" lias the following somewhat venomous remarks" It appears that Mr Siunuons has given up the idea of taking his Union nion to' outer upon (;•])(> possession of that magnificent evate of 5000 nci-eo fa) Caipla, ftnd is going to New Zealand with thp|n instead. Ho says he will take 500 or (300 of tho men to the latter colon)', antl lie is now open to receive applications from those who wish to go, It remains to be seen how many will accept the offer. No doubt New Zealand is preferable to Canada as a field for laborers, If the Kent laborers think they can do better in New Malawi than in Kent, by all means let them emigrate. I think, ljowover, that the conduct of colonial Governments in coming forward whenever there is an agricultural labor dispute in this country, and offering free passages to the men, is somewhat objectionable, It serves them right if tliey get a lot of ne'er-do-wells who arealways foremostin a strike, W'q learn upon good authority, writes the Times," that fjOOO bushels of corn were reaped at JJreti farms op. tllP East Coast, in the County of Wajrarapa West. The crop which was estimated to average some tliirty-fiy.e bushels per acre, owing to a storm at a. critical period, which caused much of the grain to be 11 .shed," only reafed about twenty-five bushels. A yie'd of from forty to fifty bushels was expected at one time, but the dry pather which has now lasted for many months, prevented the crops from maturing properly. Two reapers and binders which were imported have given satisfaction, and next apaaon tho farmers in the district intend fo'placa a large area pf virgin land under tillage. Fronj 1$ to ifiQO acres will probably be broken up and put iiiiQ crop, the yield from which will help to swell tho returns of the gain exported from the provincial district very materially, The WAIIIARAI'A DAILY can be road In WELLINGTON at fie Atliemcuin, tho Empire Hotel, liarveil's Motel, the Queen's Ho'd, the New Zealainlcr Hold, Opoidcnt.il Jotcl, ihe Ruynl Hotel, " Orr's Dining liomiis'' J.aiiiijton Quay, and at MrW. frenran's Dining Ilooins, Ilanitfon ij.uay; i ii in »y