The Wairarapa Daily. FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 1880.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 412, 12 March 1880, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 1880.

Yesterday the Royal Railway Com-, mission, which consists of Mr 0. Curtis, of Nelson (Chairman); Colonel Fence (Wellington), Mr J. M, Clarke (Auckland)', Mr E, G. Wright, M.H.K. (Canterbury), and Mr J. Reid (Ofcago), after a brief stay at Masterton went on to Woodville, and we are disposed to believe that.the result of their present investigation will not be unsatisfactory. The members of it are all men of high standing, and vre anticipate that there will be no attempt at log-rolling amongst them. Log-rolling is the bane of most political commissions, especially when they have for the subject of their enquiry the apportionment of public works expenditure. With log-rolling among the Commissioners, the Wellington and" loxton railway might be accomplished at the expense of the Wellington and Woodville line, but the reputation of the Commissioners is fortunately above suspicion, and we may count in a fair issue, and no one familiar with the two lines of country can doubt what that issue will be. The Seventy-Mile Bush district,.and the country in the neighborhood of Bunnythorpe offer an almost inexhaustible quantity of good land favorable for settlement, and capable of absorbing a large population. The West Coast district, on the contrary, has a very small amount of land fit for settlement, The east line of railway is a work of Colonial, importance, the west line is unmistakeably a mere local line. The Hon the Premier, who has an inconvenient habit of quietly ascertaining facts, and posting himself up in the details of any question submitted to him, rather took a deputation of Wellington settlers by surprise when he told them there was more good land in the neighborhood of Bunnythorpe suitable for settlement than there was on the Wellington and Poxton line, It is very satisfactory to find that at headquarters there is m accurate knowledge of the merits of the question at issue. Practically the decision which the Commissioners have to make is between the Wellington and Foxton line and the Wellington and Woodville route, It is all nonsense Wellington papers saying they don't waut to put one route against the other when the Government say that they cannot proceed with both. The Wellington and Foxton line is to all intents and purposes an opposition line to the Wairarapa railway, and its adoption would inflii a serious and permanent injury on this district. To this, however, we should have to submit, were it the interests of the Colony that the line should be made. Believing, however, that the line would be a burden and not a benefit to the Colony it is our duty to oppose it.

The second entertainment of Mr and Mrs Hewett at the Town Hall, Masterton, last evening, cenfirraed the favorable impression made by the first performance, Mr Hewett's " Mocking Bird" on the piccolo is alone worth the price of admission, and shows to what an extent he has studied to produce the effect he did, Mrs her conception of the different characters allotted to her were perfect, To-night will be introduced the wonderful" Leviathan Polka," cornet solo, the great Levy's masterpiece, taking the full compass of the instrument from high D in the upper register to low 6 below the staff, being the most difficult solo'ever written for the cornet. "Home, Sweet •Home" for the violin, with brilliant variations; Wagner's favorite flute solo, and other musical selections will be introduced during the evening. The performance will, conclude with the laughable drawing-room sketch " A Husband in Clover." As this is the last opportunity of seeing these clever suited to tha merits of the company.

Tho Masterton Rifle Volunteers parade this evening. - - ' >v F.H. Wood & Co,, hold a sale at their rooms, Greytown, to-morrow, ■ .„'• ' :■ Mr Henry Thompson has filed a declaration of insolvency, Fiist meeting of creditors, 17 th inst, at 2 p, m,

Tenders close at 6 p.ra, to-morrow;for: 130 ohainß wire fencing, called for by Messrs J. and H. Holmes. Mails for tho Australian Colonies.and United Kingdom per Rotorua close at the Bluff at 11 "30 a, m. on Saturday next, The regular half-yearly meeting of the Wairarapa Jockey Club takes place at the Rising Sun Hotel, Greytown, to-morrow. It is reported that Mr Coleman Phillips has resigned his seat on the Featherston Highway Board,

The Treasurer, of the Masterton" Hospital acknowledges the receipt of a subscription of £5 5s from Mr J. Y. Smith, F. fl. Wood & Co., sell on Tuesday next, a large consignment of second hand furniture, also a.small library and other sundries described in the advertisement, Sir James Wilson, President of the Legislative Council of Tasmania, died on February 29, on his 68th birthday, aftor a long illness, , ■ .. ■ The net amount realised by the late concert in Greytown, viz,, £l7 17s was handed to the Rev Mr Knell on Wednesday by Mr W, J. Salmon.

In our last issue the names of Crs Bish, Woodroofe, and Vile were omitted from the list of those who waited upon the Railway Commissioners. To-morrow, at 12 o'clock, lorns- and Fergusson sell farming implements, live stock, etc., at the farm of Mr W. Hester, Opaki, C. Pownall and Co., Grey-street, Wellington, call attention to the fact that they have sums from £I,OOO to £IO,OOO to lend on property. We are requested to state that a soach will run at intervals between Masterton and the Opaki to-morrow, for the convenience of those desiring to attend the sale at Mr Hester's farm. We have received from the Postal department a very neat card, giving the New Zealand and Australian postal timetable in letters of the most diminutive size. The department, however, omitted to send the microscope required to make the letters legible. The average sura paid in salaries by the Municipalities of the colony amounts to 4£ per cent ou their incomes'; of counties, 3-9-10ths per cent., of Road Boards 3 per cent. Mr Renall will probably take an interest in this return, as.an illustration of his. theory-of; departmental extravagance.

Mr Crombie the Deputy Commissioner, in another column, notifies that the Land Tax will be payable on the Ist day of April in Counties East and West, and in the Boroughs of Masterton and Carterton' Ratepayers will be able to remember the day-without making ail entry in their notebooks or tying a bit of string round a finger.--A special sitting of the R. M. Court was held at Tiuui on March 10th. Messrs Maunsell and Langdon, J.P.'s on the Bench, when the following cases were disposed of:—Civil—Rooney v Belliers; debt £l4 Judgment for amount and costs,—Brown v Ferminger; debt £4 Settled out of Court. Criminal.—Constable Darby v Love; obscene language, Fined £1 and costs—Same v Kirby; reprimanded, to pay costs.—Same v Madden ; fined 103 and costs,

The tenders for the Wairarapa Station Buildings, called for in another column, includes the Carterton and Masterton stations, No copy of the specifications has been sent to Masterton, We-have ourselves made an application for this omission to be remedied, and a promise has been made that a copy shall be sent up to the Borough. Under the present arrangement Masterton contractors haveto go to Carterton to make an estimate for a Masterton building, , '

There was ut fair attendance at F. H. Wood and Co's sale at the Featherston Sale Yards on Wednesday last. The supply of cattle was not equal to the demand, A pen of 12, 6 and 9 month old calves fetched 31s each. Several cows were disposed of for prices ranging from £4 to £B. A large number of thoroughbred Romney Marsh and Merino rams were yarded, but competition for them was dull. The bulk of them, however, were disposed of before leaving the yards though at rather unsatisfactory prices, one lot of 83 Liucoin ewes and lambs being sold for 14s per head. Tho Romney. Marsli rams fetched from 25s to 355.

A telegram from Blenheim says that gold has been discovered in Upper Wairau Valley, about 30 miles from Blenheim. 40 miners are at work, making from 15s to 20s per day. Any rush is deprecated, experts considering that with the first heavy rain the diggings will be flooded, and all the present works, carried away. Some experiment's have been made in New South Wales, at the instance of a number of gentlemen interested in meat preserving, tending to show.the advisability of sending meat home in a frozen state, without ; taking off the skin and wool, A fat wether sent down from Young on the 14th August, and frozen eight days afterwards, was skinned and found perfectly sweet, • A romantic case of suicide has occurred in Melbourne. A steady young man named Walter Henry Brace, aged 15, conceived a strong affection for a girl named Rosa Cootes t aged 12. Recently they quarrelled. She told the -lad—no doubt in jest-to go and poison himself, and on Sunday evening, 29th February, he obtained cyanide of potassium, alleging it to be for a photographer, where he was employed, and poisoned himself. On his dead body was found a letter to Miss saying l)e had faithfully obeyed her command to himself.

The N, Z. Times says; A considerable number of horses of a. nondescript character were shipped by the steamer Rotorua, for Lyttleton, yesterday. With the exception of two fine dark grey ponies, which we should bave thought would find ready purchasers here, they come from tke station of Mr Mitchell, of Morrison's Bush, Wairarapa. There has been very little demand of late for this class of stock, and should Mr Mitchell's experiment prove successful, some hundreds of horses would find their way to the Ohristchurch market in less than a month. So far as pricee in Wellington are concerned, we are not exaggerating when we say that £lO will now purchase an animal which would have brought £3O not more than a year or two ago. We learn that the ruling prices in the West Coast districts, where formerly a good animal always commanded a good figure, are even worse than here. Tricbett has accepted a challanqe from J. Punch to row round Fort Denniston and! Goat Island in 26m.., Punch taking £2,000 to £250.