The Western Star. (PUBLISHED BI-WEEKLY.) SATURDAY, MAY 29, 1880.

Western Star, Issue 353, 29 May 1880, Page 2

The Western Star. (PUBLISHED 81-WEEKLY.) SATURDAY, MAY 29, 1880.

The annual election of auditors for the borough of Riverton took place at the Council Chambers on Wednesday. Messrs G-. Robertson and J. Fullarton were the only candidates nominated, and tLose the Returning Officer, Mr 11. B. Casscla, declared duly elected. The following letter from Mr T. W. Gemmill, Orepuki, was vea l at the meeting of the Wa-te Lands Board on Thursday Sir, lam desired by the Committee who drew up the petition desiring that sections 13, 16, 17, uni 18, block IF, Lmgwood district, be re-adver-tised open for selection, to thank the Waste Lands Board for its prompt compliance with the prayer of tlie petitioners, and also to express their satisfaction at Finding that a sense of justice and equity guides the decisions of the Board. With regard to the second part of the petition re Mr Warden Wood, they desire me to state that, while they would not wantonly make complaint of any person authorised by the Board to deal with, or dispose of the Waste Lands of the Crown in the district, they still think that the answer of the Chief Commissioner to sKirkton, who wrote complaining in February last, viz., : “ The railway survey was completed in May, after 'lnch time the sections were open for application, conjoined with the explanation to Mr Kinross in Ids place at the Board, April 22nd. The sections had been temporarily reserved. by Mr Warden Wood, pending the determination of the route rf the railway, and were not, with the exception of 16, re-advertised, applicants having been informed that the land would then be open for applications, justified them in (heir animadversions, as no other inference can bo drawn from them than that the administration of the sections was in the hands of Sir Wood. In justice therefore to Mr Warden Wood, as well as to the petitioners and the public, they venture to think that some enquiry ought to bo instituted, and Vexnijanations given, ns it seems to them tßaEnul a doubt that there has been error jßßKgsicro— and everyone will admit that it

il%w|fily 'ilesirablo tnat officers entrusted by til's' Board with the onerous and delicate trust of adininisteiing in any degree the powers exercised by the Board should be above suspicion. Our Oivpuki correspondent, writing on Tuesday, says : —“ A concert and ball was given at the sclioolhouso on Friday evening last under the direstion of Messrs Andrews and Niel M'Lean. It being a Hue night, there was a good at eiiftance, and the affair Wuxi off quite satisfactorily. Without going into the various morns of the individual vocalists, which would be an iuviduous task in a suiuil community, 1 may mention that the i oniie (aieiit displayed by Messrs Devonshire ami Crawford was most umnLtakeably and enthusiastically recognised. Mr Andrews

informs me the sum he received Iroin concert and bull was about £1 4s. It is intended, wills a balance of £1 IBs in hand, to purchase a school bell, or a harmonium for Uie use of the school, as toe Committee may think iii to decide. —A meeting at the Progress Comma tee was held last evening at Mr A. Cassela’ store, wi.cn replies were agreed upon to two messages from Mr Warden Wood, asking the opinion of the Committee respecting Mr ftscott’s application for a second residence aiva and Mr R. Stewart’s for a residence area. To Mr Escott’s application their answer was opposed to the grant of the application, as they considered it was never intended that two residence areas should be held at the same time by one person. To Mr tile wart’s, consent given on removal of the present pegs one chain from the Taunoa bed. The Committee came to the conclusion to dissolve their body by calling an early meeting to return their trust into the hands of the public.”

The Counties of Southland, Wallace, Lake, Fiord, and Stewart Island, with such islands as may be adjacent thereto, and ail cities and boroughs within the boundaries of the said counties, as and to be a district under and for tile purposes of the Diseased Cattle Act, 1871, under the title of the Southland cattle district. Messrs A. M'Neil, J. S. Shanks, T. Brydon, J. B. Sutton, and J. Holmes have been appointed members of the Cattle Board.

We have heard, on good authority, that a resident in this town, who was afflicted to such an extent (hat lie could not move without the use of two sticks, lately received a letter from Ireland containing a piece of wall plaster from the Homan Catholic Chapel of Knock, uppon whichithe apparition appeared. He got it mixed according to the instructions contained in tiie letter, and drunk it off, the effect, so we are informed, was instantaneous. He got up from his chair and walked across the room without the aid of his sticks, and now he is stronger than ever. It is a pity, for for the sake of suffering humanity, that there is not more of the miraculous wall in Grreymoulb, as we should be able to dispense with hospitals, and Hrs Moriee and Smith, would have to seek some other occupation. Hrey Hirer Argus.” It is rather singular that in such a land of progress as New Z /aland, the antiquated medicine Castor oil should bo so coma.only used. As a lubricant there is no similar product so valuable, but as a medicine few drugs are more pernicious. The best physicians have banished it from their pharmacopea. Although usually giving present relief, its after results are most distressing, and when once a person has got into the habit of taking it, its use soon becomes almost a necessity and it has to bo taken in constantly increasing loses to procure the desired effect. It is the opinion of eminent authorities that most cases of chronic costiveness, which are so common, are caused by injudicious d using of tbo sufferer in infancy and childhood. -Experience and observation prove that if their use is never begun, Castor oil and all other aperient medicines maj' bo entirely dispensed with.

The “ Bruce Herald ” notices one of the “ most extraordinary yields of potatoes which has ever occurred in the Otago district, and has in all probability never been rivalled in the colony.” They were grown by Mr Nicholson at Moa Flat, near the locality where the wheat for which Mr Peter M'Q-ill obtained tlio first prize at the Sydney Exhibition was

grown. From three-quarters of an acre of ground the “ Herald ” vouches that thirteen tons of potatoes wore taken. The following sample of the rhapsodical nonsense uttered by Mr R. Reid, M.H.K., at the Hokitika meeting on Saturday is from the “Hokitika Star” of Monday. ‘At the time I came before you to request your suifrages at the general election, I bad already made my mind to, if returned, support Sir George Grey. You did me the honor to return mo as your representative. lam here to thank you again for that honour, and also to slate I have stuck to my colors Sir George Grey, the ablest statesman New Zealand ever had ; the greatest and most important ally Westland eyar had, the best friend of Westland’s people; for he always had their interests and welfare at heart, through good report, and through bad report, through overvvhelmning difficulties, through insurmountable obstacles, through great od Is, newspaper scurrilous abuses, and the like, lie stuck to Westland. He sluek to you until his Ministry were turned out by a majority in favour of his underhand opponents—the Hall Ministry; and lastly (I say it with pride) Sir George Gicy is a firm friend of mine.” The last sentence explains it all. To be patted on the back by a real knight is something, but when that real knight happens to be an ex-Governor, the honor is great indeed. Micky Houlahan “ with a rule live Markiss ” sitting alongside of him and proposing his'health was nothing to it.

.. An accomplished orang-outang was lately exhibited at Munich which played the violin magnificently, and was particularly deft in executing the “Carnival of Venice.” Its owner pocketed large profits at first, but one evening a doubting spectator silly gave the Wonderful monkey a sharp cut with a penknife. The creature apparently did not fed the cut, so the visitor gave a vigorous pull at his tail, which suddenly came off, and brought with it part of the monkey’s skin, displaying underneath a man, the father of the exhibitor of the animal prodigy, whoso disguise had been so complete as to defy detection for a week.

The “ New York Herald ” remarks that “ the spring opening in the murder line is decidedly lively,” and nobody would (says “Truth”) be disposed to cavil at the statement after reading a single day’s tragedies. In a Southern (own several rowdies entered a bar and assaulted a policeman, who shot one dead and wounded another. At St. Nicholas a waiter shot dead a commercial traveller who found fault with the quality of the eggs supplied for bis breakfast. At Slaughterville. .Kentucky, the Marshal having been threatened with death by a citizen, who considered himself wronged by that official, went to the house of his enemy and shot him dead ; and the same fate betel a man engaged in a strike ; while a colored boy of 14 cut the throat of a colored girl because she refused to get up to find him a pen. Pretty well this for one day.