Wanganui Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY. TUESDAY, JAN. 7, 1879.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XII, Issue 9315, 7 January 1879, Page 2

Wanganui Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY. TUESDAY, JAN. 7, 1879.

Our readers will have noticed that since the Ist of January tho telegraphic intelligence in the Herald has been unusually lengthy. By way of information to our readers we may briefly describe the arrangements made by the proprietors fo provide the latest and best news it is possible to obtain in the Colony. By mutual co-operation between the leading evening journals in .New Zealand the services of a special London ' correspondent has been obtained. This correspondent has been instructed to cable to Sydney any item of importance that comes within his knowledge. The distributing agent at Sydney then forwards to each journal contributing to the general cost a copy of such cablegram. The value of such special information may be gathered when wo point out that such items as the storming of Ali Musjid, the first serious engagement of the Afghanistan war, the death of Princess Alice, and other interesting new?, were first made known to the inhabitants of New Zealand by tbe means of "this ~ special evening journal agency. Tha Wanganui Herald has joined in the enterprise, and its special London cablegrams will be a leading feature in the day's news. Thpn we have a special Australian correspondent who cables from Sydney any items of importance. From this source we have been enabled to publish early and reliable information relative to the Chinese agitation, the miner's strike, &c. We ha\e mentioned two sources of special information, ye now cr-me to the third. J- ight evening journals in New Zealand comprising representatives in Invercargill, Dunedin, Christchurch, Ashburton, Timaru, Oaoiaru, Wellington, Wanganui, and New Plymouth have combined to exchange special telegrams. In those towns where the evening papers have not joined this confederation, agents have been appointed . Information from this source will be found in our columns headed "Special to evening journals." It will contain items of interest down to the very hour of publication. We now come to the general agency, or " Press Association." This organization was found absolutely necessary. There was a political bias in the old Press Agency telegrams sent from Wellington which destroyed their value. This arose, wo are compelled to believe, from tho known antagonism of the members of the firm conducting the Agency to the Premier. That this bias did exist was generally admitted umong the journals of the Colony, and it caused the establishment of a rival agency on the co-ppcration principle. Economy, efficiency, and neutrality are among the objects aimed at by the new Press Association, and so far we think they have been obtained. The instructions sept to the agents of f,heA#so,ciati,on are very positive on the jjoinfc of ex/duding any coloring from messages referring to political evonts. .Factg, and facts alone, are askpd for, and private opinions of agents are to be suppressed. If these instructions are carried out to the letter, neutrality will of course be obtained. Fconomy is a master that concerns not the public, bujfc is a question for the proprietors of the journals interesjfcjed. That so many newspapers in jthe .polony have joined the i^w Association js the best answer. Efficiency is secured from the fapt ]bhat the agents appointed are journalisjts of reputation and experience, and their work' will speak for them. Ourobjecthas has been to point out what has been done recently by the proprietors of this journal to' meet the ,evey-jinereas}ng demand for telegraphic information. Wo haw sp.eefaj information from Europe, Australia, and #ie ehjpf centres of this Colony. Wje have £h,o benefit of # Press Association established among the leading journals of Nesy .Zealand, and in addition to our special tele? grams we have the advantage of Ttfiujtej-'g messages. That these arrangements have npfc been {.edected without a large .outlay is ' on!y what might have been expected, but it is an expenditure that we felt it our duty to mafce if we desired to hold our supremacy on thie coast. The residents of Wanganui are now, as fay ps telei graphip intelligence from th,e rest of the world is ,coneepned ; on the same vantage ground as the resident Jn any of the large centres of the Polony. Ite^er ; sources of information cann,ot be obtained, if there were any hotter we would have them. We desire to make no comparison with any other journal. We believe ouj.' effort will be, a-s hitherto, appreciated by the public, pnd in that appreciation and the support that invariably Accompanies it we gain our reward.

Australia and New Zealand have the largest commerce, j),er capita, carried on by any people o» the face of the earth. Their enormous exports enable them to purchase largely in the markets of the world,

" Iteady-money Robinson " has the reputation of a New Zealand Croesus. -A writer in Hie Sydney Mai], referring to the opening of the Amuri Plains at £25 per 100 acre farm by the New Zealand Compnny many years ago, says : — "About that time a genfc'eman named Eobinsori, who has since become wellknown under the cognomen of " Keady-money Robinson," came over from Ade'aide. He went to the Land Office and took up 100,000 acres of the Amuri Plain for £25,000. He was offered £350,000 for it a year or two ago but declined it."

The company now performing at the Odd Fellows' Hall, played "The lrish Emipraut" and »he " Belle of the Barlevmow " last evening* There was nothing in either piece to call for particular comment, but all engaged evidently did their best to please the audience. To-night's entertainment is for the benefit of the Union Boat Club.

There is a cltu s of persons at most of the ports of the Colony who make it their practice whenever immigrants are to be landed to bo present, on the wharves to criticise the appearance, &c, of the new arrivals • Their opinions are usually expressed in tones loud enough for those criticised to hear, aud are generally the reverse of complimentary. This was the case when the Manawatu arrived here this morning. Certainly people are not seen to the best advantage immediately after a long voyage, but it is most reprehensible that they should be obliged to hear the illnatured personal remarks of a lot of idle persons.

The installation meeting of the A.1.0.0.F. will be held this (Tuesday) evening at 7.30 p.m.

Some time ago the employees of the Wanganui railway affirmed, at a meeting of deleaates, the desirableness of establishing a Proridenfc Society. Tho matter was left in the hands of a committee to open up communications with the employees on tho other sections of the North Islaud, with the view of embraciug all the railway rraployeesin the Island in one Society. We believe that letters were^ent by the loc-d Secretary, but that little or no attention has been paid to them. Since then the matter has been allowed to rest. We certainly think the committee appointed by the representative meeting at Halcombe should meet, and decide either to give up the proposed Society, or to establish it on their own section. That the object of the Society is a good one is generally admitted, and it eau be successfully established and worked is also very certain, therefore why should there be any further delay 1 The section could be readily divided into .medical districts, the contributions could be deducted from the monthly pay sheets, and tbe Society worked economically. We trust soon to ace the movement made.

Candidates are reminded that the examinations for scholarships under the Education Board will be field in the schoolroom tomorrow, commencing at 10 o'clock a.m.

The wreck of the Taranaki was visited on Boxing Day by Captain .Fairchild, who found that the stern part of the wreck is not in such deep water as was supposed. He was able to feel her deck with a 12-feet oar until within six feet of the stern, which is pretty sound, owing to the depth of water protecting it- Part of the bow projects above water, and is a good deal smashed.

The Dunedin Bailway Employees' Benefit Sociely now numbers 208 members and has £765 to its credit.

At the Southwark Police Court, on October 17, a young woman named Catherine Carter 26, was charged with being drunk and disorderly. A constable said that between 4 and 5 o'clock in the afternoon he found the prisoner in the street singing and calling out, " Where's my husband. He's a jolly good fellow," and other words, collecting, at the same time, a number of young roughs and thieves. Perceiving that she was drunk he requested her to go home, and as she refused and became noisy be was compelled to arrest her. The-Magistrate to the prisoner : '• You seem to be a re?pectable young woman ; what have you to say in answer to the charge ?" Prisoner: "I am very sorry and am ashamed of myself, I do not recollect much about it." The Magistrate : " Where have you been to get bo much drink?" Prisoner (blushing a little).; " Well, sir to tell yon the truth, I was married yesterday ; and after the wedding we had something to drink, aud I lost my husband." Tbe Magistrate : " How is it he did not come and bail you our, instead of .allowing you to remain in the station-house on your wedding night? Jlas he not been near you ?" Prisoner : '• I-lO3t my husb.nud somewhere. I think he must have got more intoxicated than myself, aud most likely is looked up somewhere else." (Laughter.) The Magistrate : " I am afraid he has not much respect for you. However, as yovi have been locked up on yqur wedding night, you may go." One of tbe most common subjects for paragraphs in co'onial journals is the " ecrvantgalism" of the period, and in these the topic is invariably the cool indolence of servants. We have heard (says the Auckland Herald) of one instance, however, wherein an Auckland tradesman made a servant girl " toe the maik," aud no mistake, in a manner whjch few could have done. '1 he girl was engaged to come home on the Thursday, which she did, bringing her clothes with her. Iminediatelv after, howevep, glfe Jeft, and did not return till Saturday, when she said that sbe had been called away by teicgram to attend her uncle, who resided at Panmure, and who had been taken ill. The tradesman happened to find out that the excuse was false, and he said, " If I had not been pre* pared to take you when you came to me after being engaged, you could have demanded a week's wages, and therefore I will not give up your things unless you pay me a week's wages." The girl was astounded, and refused, hot' after some time, no doubt wanting the contents of her box for the Christmas holidays. §he sent §s, which has been handed over to us for the Orphan Home, Howe Strjbet. ' ■ • "

The land in. the Waivo.a district open for Bel§etiou under deferred payments consists of fourteen sections ranging jn 'from if acres to 305 acres. JB'our sections respeotively of 105, 77, BG, and 128 acres, embraced in Block VIII are put up at the upset price of L 5 per acre, The other sections containing yenpectively 182, 62, 122, 305,47, 66, 50, 80, 88, and 50 acres |n Block IX, are also put up at the' upset 'price of LSpej? acve,

A whaleboat race between representative crews from the Wanganui Rifles and Fire Si^gado will bo rowel on Saturday next. The course will be from the boat shed, round the Old Man snag ajid'bact, and the race will start dt 8.80 p.m. Tbe Brigade jviil row in the Cutty Sark;the crew consisting of Messrs Holdich (stroke), L'owell, Miller, Shaw, GosJcy, with T. Bush (cox). The Rifles represented by Messrs Hughes, R. Gray, Leydon, Connjell/flates, and H. Bush (cox), will row in the Dangej.'' '"' ' ' "

The Union dub intend sending a cre^r to Wellington to take part iv the Anniversary Regatta on the 22ud iust. They will compete most probably in four races. At present the selected crew consists of Messrs Clansey, RoscoeJ B, and Baasett. We clip the following from the N Z. Herald of the 25th December '.—"'The death 'of Mr A. Keane, the mate of the s a Roweno, on Friday night, was one of these mysterious incidents'o'p shipboard which ever and anon occur, and for whjch' no reason can be assigned. lio person sijiw the poor fellow fall overboard, nor was there ftny rough weather prevailing. The last seen of the deceased was about 9.45 p.m., about four miles from the Watchman, when the man at the wheel observed him on the starboard side of the main deck, asd,the vessel's course having been slightly altered, h& walked orgr to the lee or port side, aud this was the last seen of him. Shortly after this the man at the wheel thought he heard some moana in the water, and liefceuing heard them again, and when he threw the life-boy, which was close at haud, into the water, and called oi.i

to thosa forward to stop and go astern. This was immediately done, and, looking for the officer of the wstcb, Mr Keane, who was in command at the time, wa3 found missing. Captain Sollars, who had been relieved by the poor fellow at 820 p.m., was by this time on deck, and kept the stc.imer as near the position as the man at the wheel could tell when be first henrd the sounds. There was a heavy oca running afc the time, and no boat could be lowered ; but the the steamer cruised around for fully an hour, burning lights and using every means to discover the poor fellow, but without success, aud the steamer was reluctantly put on her course again without rescuing him who had latterly been amongst them. Mr Keane leaves a widow and one child to mourn his loss, and we are sorry to hear that the loss of their breadwinner , is such as to render their position one deserving of the attention of the charitable."

The members of the Union Boat Club are determined that Wanganni shall be represented at the Wellington Regatta. Five representatives have beeu selected and it is expected they will take part in three races at least. Tbe five men will all row in the Whaleboat Bbcp, Clansy will be withdrawn and the other four sent for the Maiden, and then W.^ Wisdom eives place to Clansy so that a trial can be made for tho outrigger race. The entertainment this evening will partly go towards defraying the expenses of the men, and therefore we trust- it will be liberally supported.

The immigrants who have lately been sent to this district, including those who arrived on Sunday, have been all readily engaged. Over sixty arrived by the Manawatu ex Fernglen, this morning, and applications for them are already numerous. The great bulk of the men are farm and several laborers, there being but one or two mechanics among them . They appear as a whole to be a hardworking, and orderly lot of people.