Wanganui Herald. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1885. THE VICE-REGAL VISIT.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XX, Issue 5742, 12 October 1885, Page 2

Wanganui Herald. ( PUBLISHED DAILY.) MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1885. THE VICE-REGAL VISIT.

The visit of His Excellency the Governor of the colony to Wanganui on Saturday was marked by the most j unqualified cordiality and good feeling. The people turned out in crowds, the volunteers mustered strong, and the ceremonial of receiving and welcoming His Excellency passed off with eclat. The glorious weather, too, seemed specially appropriate for such a gala day, and helped to brighten up the dulness which the depression of slack trade has established and made manifest in the countenances and manners of so many of the people, who have had to struggle on against a sea of troubles during the last three years. His Excellency said he was glad to note that the depression had not reached Wanganui, as he was sure by 'the bright assemblage and cheerful looks of the people that they were not I really so badly depressed as their [ neighbours in other pares of the colony, in which the present bad times are being felt to a degree he hoped | Wanganui would never reach. We hope so too most sincerely, but there must elapse some time yet ere things take much of a change for the better. Hia Excellency's visit cannot but do good, as he saw Wanganui under its best and brightest conditions, which will cause him to always remember and speak of it as a place of rich soil and genial climate, where settlers have everything in their favour so far as Nature is concerned. His allusion to our isolated condition, owing to the want of proper harbour facilities, could not but find an echo in every hearer's mind, and we hope the day is not too far distant when this reproach to Wanganui as a town and as a district will have vanished, and our communication with the outer world be carried on by steamers of a superior class and tonnage to those which Sir William frankly confessed he did not like to trust his biliary organs to, having the natural horror of those who

are not good sailors to mal de mer. Until we can get large steamers to call in here Wanganui will remain an isolated, dull place, where business languishes, and no progress is made. Every day people are landing in the colony from Home and from Australia anxious to settle down in the colony ', they enquire about its resources and hear of this part of it being fertile and salubrious ; but when they see the class of steamerß trading here, dwarfed into ridiculous insignificance by the large steamers which now fill every inch of berthing room at the Wellington wharf, they shake their heads and refuse to believe in the fertility or stability of a district which can only afford to run steamers of the smallest size, in which passengers who have never trusted themselves on such frail-look-ing craft refuse to journey. By this cause alone Wanganui suffers no end of loss, and we are cut out of the advantages our good soil, fine climate, and general surroundings might fairly secure to us. The stoppage of the harbour improvement works has been a heavy blow to the best interests of Wanganui and the surrounding districts, and those who compassed the rejection of the measure for the raising of the rest of the harbour loan have much to answer for. One of the persons so short-sighted, we are sorry to say, is Mr Arkwright, with whom His Excellency has been staying at Marton. We trust Sir William Jervois will express his impressions and belief on the subject to his friend, who perhaps may then see he acted too hastily in condemning a work which every qualified engineer who has ever considered the subject has declared to be one from which the most marked benefits may fairly be expected. When His Excellency referred to the paragraph in the address, which alluded to the Harbor Improvement Works, some loquacious person in the crowd took care to inform him that " Not much" had been achieved as yet. We think His Excellency's verdict after visiting the Heads would not agree with his rude interrupter of the morning. A great deal has been done, but far more remains to be done, and this is where the folly of those who oppose the loan shines out. Because we have not got results from the expenditure already incurred equal to the most sanguine, and in some cases unreasonable expectations, the further progress of the scheme is condemned and supplies cut off. Itwould be aswise to stop short of putting up the superstructure of a two-storied dwelling house, because the first floor would not accommodate as many dwellers as the whole building was designed to house. If the works already done have not resulted in deepening the river as much as some people think they should, they have kept the channel clear, and allowed the present traffic to go on uninterrupted, and that, at least, is something. If we ar« content to stay as we are and lag behind every other place in the colony, we must not cry out about dull trade and depression, as they are what we may expect to abide with us so long as we sit down and do not try to help ourselves. We have allowed the distriqt to be tapped at both ends, and our trade to be taken from us, and we wonder why things are as they are. It is good for us to receive a visit from men like Sir William Jervois — men who have had long and valued experiences of , colonial life, as they can tell us how favored we are compared to other parts of the world they have visited. The Governor has felt the Arctic rigors of Canadian winters and the torrid heat of African summers, and seen the struggling settlers of the one colony for months cut off from the soil by the iron hand of frost and snow, while their fellow-colonists in Africa were being roasted by the scorching summer sun. Compared with these men, Sir William could tell us we live in a veritable Paradise, and have all that would make our less favored Canadian and South African fellow-colonists supremely happy, and yet we have failed to appreciate our advantages. We expect the Government to do everything for us, and sit idly waiting for results we should hasten by our own efforts. His Excellency, as the representative of Her Majesty, was worthily received and entertained, thanks to the untiring energy of the Mayor and Councillors and the people themselves. We hope the visit will not be the last we shall receive from the present Governor, as his presence in the place is sure to be followed by good results, as it will wake up the people to the better prospects before them, which are only waiting a little energy and practical organisation to develop to an extent which would banish depression and give everything a better aspect and value.

The whereabouts of Mr A. McDonnell, of the Tuhua prospecting party is at present rather difficult to ascertain. Telegrams have been received from Peter Doddy at Kihikihi to the effect that home affairs necessitated McDonnell's departure before any definite conclusion could be come to with the natives. He has evidently left there, but where he is at present cannot be found out. With regard to the Pohangina Mr H. C. Field was to leave to-day with Mr P. Reed, a practical West Coast miner, whose experience should be of use to the association.

The arrangements connected with sending off the excursion trains on Saturday were not as complete as they might have been. This was more especially noticeable in the matter of ticket selling. Only some 600 tickets had been printed, and these soon ran out. Even while they were procurable there was only one man on to sell them, and it was utterly impossible that everyone could get tickets. It is considered that at least 1500 persons travelled by the trains there being altogether 21 large carriages all full. The outing was very enjoyable and showed that in the summer time the Heads will become a popular place of resort.

At the Police Court this morning John Old for drunkenness wan fined ss, in default 24 hours. Mary Brough pleaded not guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct while drunk. Constable Brown proved the offence, after which accused was fined 10s. She said " she would not pay a cent," and took it out. Wereroa King£ was charged with threatening to shoot a native at Aramoho on Friday. Mr Hutchison appeared for the accused. The evidence of Hunia Mci went to show that the accused had entered the whare runanga, had presented a loaded gun at wf tness, and had slapped him in the face once or twice. Pararoa saw the accused present the gun, and going behind him took it away, after which he tied prisoner down. The magistrate held that as the trigger had not been pulltd the offence was not indictable, and he would therefore deal with it summarily and fice him £2 and costs. He was also bound over to keep the peace for 6 months, himself in £20, and two sureties in *10 each.

1 — 'I "V", t ' His Worship the' Mayor forwarded;^ basket of fruit to the Hospital patients dur^ ing the recent holiday making, ' \- % The Customs revenue laat week amounted to £257 8s Id made up as follows :-~ Customs Duties £203 18s Id, beer atampe"; £51 15s 6d, and pilotage fees £L 14a 6d. The Native Minister went np to Aramoho at 2 o'clock to-day to meet the natives there \ in connection with cot tain matters. The dates fixed for Inspector Bindon's^ visits to the Infant's and Hoys' Schools arej for the former December 3rd and 4th, and for the latter D ecember 7th to 12th. ;? To-morrow morning at 11 a deputation' from the Chamber of Commerce will meet the Hon. Mr Ballance in the Borough Couri? cil Chambers. A preliminary meeting of the Council will be held at 10.30. We are requested to ask drivers of vehicles . and others passing round Mr Garrett's office, at the corner of Nixon and Ridgway Streets to go very quietly as Mrs Collier is lyin^' there dangerously ill. The Parliamentary Union meet at 7.30 tonight* The present state of affairs is, puzzling the Opposition, who are td hold a^, caucus at 7 and decide on their action. A"Ministerial Statement will be made by the. Government. Mr Wm. Arnott, of Wanganui, ia the' fortunate possessor of a very prolific cow-. For seven or eight consecutive years she has had two calves, and the Industrial Gazette has been informed by Mr Arnott that last month she dropped two morß, which are now running with her in splendid fettle. As the vice-regal party were returning' | from the Collegiate School, Mr Huff invited His Excellency into hi 3 studio, where three fine pictures were taken. These will be on view in a few days. Mr Huff has also secured some good views of the reception at the railway station^taken from a window at the Pier Hotel. ■ When the Governor alluded to the services which the Hon. Mr Ballance as member for Wanganui had rendered his constituents and the whole colony, and spoke of the pleasure which it gave him (Sir William) to do so in Wanganui, there was a ready re-, sponae and acknowledgment from those who heard Hia Excellency, who had to wait until the applause subsided before he could resume his reply to the address of welcome. Regarding the reports which were circulated as to intended changes in the management of the police force, we (N.Z, Times) are able to state on authority that they are wholly unfounded. There is no intention of placing Inspector Weldon at the i head of the New Zealand police or of transferring him from Dunedin to Wellington. Nor is there any idea of shelving Inspector Shearman. On the contrary, the value of Inspector Shearman's services is fully recognised by the Government. We have received a letter from "A ' Pupil " denying a statement in our contemporary that the teachers were making it " hot for the youngsters " because of the approaching examination. Space would not allow us to put in the letter as written, and consideration for the feelings of the young fellow who wrote it would also keep us from publishing it as written and spelled. We would,however,acknowledge that if ''Pupil," who is "a scholar in one of the senior classes," is a fair specimen of the senior pupiis in the Boys'* School, it can easily be imagined that the ' • teachers are in a mortal funk. "

This morning Mr Beard, of the Chronicle staff, came to grief near the Kai Iwi Railway station. At the time he waa proceeding in the direction of the hotel there as the train from the north was approaching. The horse became restive, and in crossing over the bridge, which was very slippery owing to the recent rain, missed his footing, and brought himself and rider to the ground. The feelings of the passengers in the train, however, were relieved by observing the horseman, after his uncontemplated descent,quickly pick himself up again, being apparently, with the exception of a plentiful sprinkling of mud, none the worse for his mishap.

At about 11.30 yesterday the Keith Street firebell rang out the alarm, which was shortly afterwards taken up by the big bell. The indicating strokes made it known that the scene of the fire was No. 2 Ward. On arriv ing in Little Nixon Stveet il waa found that a two roomed cottage, occupied by a carpenter named Duval, was in flames. One of the rooms had been used for making window frames, and a heap of shavings stored in one corner were first noticed on fire. The arrival of the Brigade with two reels soon set matters right, The house belongs, we understand, to Mr H. Doble. There are no insurances on it,

One of the most important meetings held on this coast for some years was that held by the natives at Te Motuiti, near Foxton, on Tuesday last for the purpose of settling the celebrated Himatangi case. To those who know nothing of the facts connected with this block of land, we may say, by way of explanation, that the block was in 1868 put through the Court and divided amongst certain applicants to the dissatisfaction of all parties. From then till 1877 petitions were annually sent to Parliament. la that year the block as a whole was restored by special Act. Then the owners continued to petition for rents and profits of the land which had been impounded. Last session, the Native Affairs Committee reported in favor of the applicants, and the House voted £1000 in settlement. This amount of money, Mr Lewis, Under-Secretary for Native Affairs, took to them, and explained, that by direction of the Native Minister, he had brought it to them to be paid over in any manner agreed to by their chiefs. After a lengthy debate and two speeches from Mr Lewis explaining matters, they agreed to accept the money. As an expression of their satisfaction they then brought forward, in- accordance with Maori custom, a pair of huia skius, two handsome mats and a valuable greenstone. Mr Lewis accepted the latter only, and said he would take their ancient heirloom as a present to their staunch friend Mr Ballance. This announcement was received with cheers. We are indebted for the above particulars to the Evening Press.

Our Manaia correspondent, writing on the 10th, says : — In our local Parliament on Wednesday evening the Premier and Treasurer (Mr Allsworth) brought down a Financial Statement, in which, by reductions in various departments, and by a small increase in the property tax, provision was made for expected deficiency. The Property Tax Bill passed through Committee, read a third time, and passed. The debate on Mr Homer's federation motion was then taken up. All of the speakers were in favor of the motion, and all but one seemed to think that free trade between Great Britain and the colonies and protective duties against all other countries would be necessary. Mr Days (Public Works) thought that England, having so much money lent to other countries, could not afford to impose protective duties on the imports from these countries, as it might interfere with the means of getting interest on such money. Some leading speakers being absent, Mr Bays moved the adjournment of the debate till next sitting night, which was carried. For some weeks past, owing to the indisposition of Mr Nairn, the duties of speaker have been discharged by Mr Budge, chair* man of committees. — Mr Nairn has had leave of absence from his bank duties, being relieved by Mr Halcombe, of the Hawera branch, but I am glad to hear he is now improving in health. — At Messrs Nolan and Tonks monthly sale on Thursday there was a good attendance of buyers, and prices showed a slight advance on recent rates. — At the R.M. Court on Thursday before Col. Roberts, R.M. H. Sinclair, contractor of Manaia, obtained judgment against Titokowaru for £30 and coats* This claim was for balance due on a contract for building a large meeting house near Okaiawa. Titokowaru did not appear, and judgment was given by default.

Half Asleep— " I never," wrote a young lady to a friend, "go to church or lecture but I am half asleep, and I never know afterwards what the sermon of lecture was about." It was a plain case of nervous lethargy, produced by want of action of the liver and digestive organs. She waa persuaded to try American Hop Bitters, and now she writes :—": — " How intelligent and bright are sermons and lectures now, and how glorious the world we live in is ! Dr Joule's Hop Bitters are indeed a blessing to me." Notice