The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 1879.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 175, 3 June 1879, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 1879.

The Ministry must by this time be heartily sick of the land Tax. It is said that in St. George's Hall in Wellington thirty clerks are regularly eraployed ' in this dapartment, and yet with this magnificent staff the Commissioner does not appear to be able to make satisfactory progress, The general arrangements made for collecting the tax ought to be as perfect as possible. The tax itself is generally regarded as a nasty pill, and the least which is expected from the quack i doctor at the Treasury is that facilities should be afforded for swallowing it as conveniently as possible, The local

knowledge of tho Laud Tax Department, supplied as it is with agents in every part of the colony, ought to be perfect, and yet, if we look at the notices published of the places appointed for inspecting valuation lints, we should find that in this district at least that the department has hardly availed itself of its facilities for doing its work properly. The Police Station at Tenui, for example, is appointed as a place for inspecting valuations for tho Castlepoint, the Awliea, and the Wainuioru Hidings, The Police Station at Tenui is practically inaccessible to a large portion of the district which these three j Hidings constitute, a district which | contains between two and three thousand square miles of country, and extends a distance of one hundred miles north and south. Tenui is not a convenient centre for the greater part of the Wainuioru and for the whole of the Awliea Riding. The distance is too great, and the impassable state of the roads is also an insuperable objection. Some of the landowners in Waimiioru would have to travel a distance of seventy miles to inspect the valuation lists at Tenui, and some of the residents in the Awliea Riding would iiave to travel still greater distances. The Mungapakeha road is now said to be all but impassable, and other routes are still less attractive. The time is said

to be very inopportune for this very impolitic tax, but it would bo difficult to find any time when the collection of it would be likely to pass inircsented, The Government will, we trust, endeavour not to make it unduly vexatious by depriving settlers of their right to appeal, which is what they have done in not placing the valuation lists in convenient localities, The right of appeal will be freely indulged in, property having fallen considerably in value since the valuations were made. The department should have ascer- | tained what would be the most convenient centre for each Riding before norifying where valuation lists were to be placed. For instance, Featherston is probably the most convenient place for the Awliea Riding, bnt the department coolly fixed upon Tenui, some fifty miles north, as the right spot. We think even Governmeut officials ought to be able to guess a little nearer than fifty miles. We do not expect a Commissioner to hit the bull's eve, as it were, but it is only reasonable that he should come within ten or twenty miles of it,

Tenders are invited, by the Borough of Masterton for 21 chains of footpath on Queen-atreefc, 11 chains of construction in Ghapcl-atreot and sundry other works,

'There is a lady lecturer at Dunedin. She leaves it to her audience to choose her subject. It would appear that lovely woman talks as well on one subject as on another.

Mr H, Thompson having satisfied the requirements of County" Council East as to sureties, has obtained the contract for tho Hurunuiorangi Bridge. We trust this

work will not only as is anticipated be a feather in the cap of tho Masterton engineer, wins designed the structure, but also of the Masterton builder who has undertaken its construction.

The result of the election for Auditors for tho Borough Council of Masterton yesterday was-J. lorns, 62: Win. Easthope, 37; E. A. S. Wyllio, 30: J. M. Girdlcstone, 18, and GiJ. W. Dalrymple, 1, Messrs lorns and Easthope have been therefore declared duly elected by the Returning Officer, Mr R. Wils'ono We are glad to notice that the contractors for the new premises of the Bank of Australasia, at.Masterton,.have commenced to place bricks on tlw ground and

to excavate for foundations. Another spot on the scene of the late fire is being covered by Messrs Dalrymple & Go's new offices, tho framework of which is now up.

Tho entertainment was not given at St. Matthew's School-room last night, 'owing to the Feathorston friends not being able to proceed further than Groytown because

of tho rain. A telegram to' this effect reached Masterton about 5 p.m., and it was decided to postpone tho entertainment to some other occasion. Copy of telegram —'' Stopped at Groytown by rain, returned wet through," James Hannah, who died in tho Masterton Hospital on Monday last, was admitted as a patieiit some few weeks ago, but in consequence bf intemperate conduct on his part had to bo excluded from the institution. Last week ho made a second application for admission, and was.at first refused as it was impossible to cure his complaint "heart disease," and it was considered that it would be better for him to join his friends who lived in another part of the colony. ' On Friday evening, however, he showed symptoms of severe illness, and ho was at once sent into tho Hospital where lie lingered till Monday morning. At the time lie died he • bad in his possession a draft for £5, sent to him by a brother to enable him to rejoin his friends.

The Government advertised tenders for the Bridge at Gladstone more liberally in Dunedin than it did in tho Wairarapa where the bridge is situated. At tho late Council mooting £4l6a was voted to the Otago Daily Times for this work. Some £SO or £6O were previously forwarded to different papers in different parts of the colony, whore Gladstone with its Hurunuiorangi Bridge would be a " terra incognita If the Government had to build a canoe at the. North Cape it would send the advertisement calling for tenders to a

newspapor proprietor at the Bluff provided that the. latter was a whole-souled supporter of the Premier.

We are requested by the Rev Mr Teakle to publish the following reply which has been received from the Bishop of Wellington. Wanganui, May 28th, 1879. Gentlemen, —I have to acknowledge the

receipt of your petition praying that

the Parochial District of Masterton be constituted a Parish. I will bring the subject under the consideration of the Diocesan Syrnkl at its next session. It is not within the province of tlie Standing Committee to deal with it.—l remain, Gentlemen, yours very faithfully, 0. Wellington.—To C. Minchin, Esq., and others signing the petition,

1 The Georgia Minstrels opened in Mas- ' tcrton last night to a crowded houso, a ■ large number present being unable to find seats. A great treat was evidently expected by the audience, and that they wore not disappointed was amply proved by the frequent, bursts of laughter and rounds of applause that greeted the efforts of the performers in each part of the entertainment. The overture which commenced the "trouble" at once proved that the troupe possessed excellent music, a skilful" Bones," and a " Tamborine" whose equal has not yet been seen in the Wairarapa, and two corner-men whom it would be very hard to " rub out." The jokes and funny sayings were all given in a first-class manner, and were entirely free from vulgarity. The songs were well chosen, and were all given and received so well that it would be impossible to select any particular one for special praise, though it is but just to state that a Masterton amateur who was assisting on this occasion gave two songs with great skill and taste, one of which received an encore. Billy Wilson's song and dance, was somewhat marred liy a slight disturbance between one of the ticket-takers and an individual who was a "little elevated." Constable Scale adjusted the difliculty, and the performance proceeded, Billy ro-' | ceiving well-merited applause for his sfeil-. ful rendering of" Joseplnis Orange Bl<y |. som," HoseaEaston and Billy Wik/ jn kept the audience in continual l.iugh ter for about a quarter of an hour in the "Troubles of a Music Master," awl t] ien gave place to Judge Crusoe, whoso h' jghty original remarks oil tlic Education, question, and the no loss original quo' lion's with which ho illustrated them, 1 e ft t] ie audience in high good humor to receive the Funny Old Girl, who, how cver do not think was as much appiv jciatecl as

the rest of the performers. Thr , fi ve m j n . utes with Easton and his banjr, promised on the programme was not gj- re n as the instrument had beon left a' ■ Carterton and after a few witty so.yin.g?, ,md a song, the concluding farce was' -placed on the : stage with great fun and, spirit, bringing a very pleasant evening' b a,muselnent to a successful close. To show the cor ,1 Jn difference with which some debtors treat their inability to meet the demands of creditors (says the Lyttelton Times), the following deserves noticeAt a certain mee ting of creditors held in Timaru/jn Friday afternoon, the debtor said he. had prepared no written statement of h'fs position, and was pnr ceeding in & vet y cool and lc isurely manner to state it from memory. ;At. length questions put by creditors ;i ppeared'ratlior. irksome to th.e debtor, and after carefully examining his chronometer he said;" I kuow the chairman of then leeting intends, going to the Grand Nation: J Eteeplecliasef I at Oamaru to-morrow, and is anxious to get away by the afternoon t rain, I snggest that the meeting adjourn., and meet at the t same hour on Tuesday." The coolness of this proposition so a mused som&'of the creditors, and nonplusa ed others, that the debtor's motion was carried. The chairman left by the, train as suggested, and the debtor, evidently relieved at having esraped a severe cat echLsm, went in his wnj> rejoicing, Poasil )ly a written statement will be produced at Tuesday's meeting. > • •