The Western Star. (PUBLISHED BI-WEEKLY.) SATURDAY, APRIL 5, 1884.

Western Star, Issue 833, 9 April 1884, Page 2

The Western Star. (PUBLISHED 81-WEEKLY.) SATURDAY, APRIL 5, 1884.

Mr Daniel, M.H.R., started yesterday on his “ pilgrim’s progress ” throughout the northern portion of his electorate. He addressed a meeting at Otautau last evening. To-night he appears at Nightcaps, from whence he will proceed to Wrey’s Bush the following day. The usual monthly meeting of the Board of Management of the Wallace and Fiord Hospital took place on Saturday. The Secretary intimated that he had forwarded plans and specifications with estimate of cost of proposed new building to the Inspector of Hospitals for the approval of Government. The Treasurer was instructed to make application to the County Council for the second instalment of tho £IOO voted to Hospital funds last August, and due last February, which had not been received. The following accounts were passed for payment;—Fetched Bros., £6 10s; Mrs Clarke, 36s ;C. Campbell, £4 9s 7d ; J. M'Lean, £3 14s 6.1. Tho following donations during last month were thankfully acknowledged: Mrs Akhurst, fowls and useful linen ; Mrs Thomas and Mrs Hunter, useful linen. The mail steamer arrived from San Francisco late on Sunday evening. It is due in Riverton on Friday. 4 supplementary Gazette issued on Monday calls Parliament together for the dispatch ef business on slh June.

During the Easter holidays the local banks will be closed on Fridav, Saturday, and Monday. Return tickets at single rates will be issued at the various stations from lOlhto 14th inst., available for return up to and including I9th inst. The members of the local volunteer corps who intend proceeding to the Oamaru review will muster at 1.30 on Thursday and leave for Invercargill by the 2.30 train, from when they will be despatched per special train at 9 p.m. At St. Mary’s Church there will be full choral services on Sunday, morning and evening. We x’emind the settlers of Limestone Plains of the meeting to be held there on Friday evening to consider the bag question and other matters of importance to the welfare of the district. The re-building of the Southland Club Hotel, Invercargill, has now been completed, and intimation is given that it has been res opened under the superinten lencc of Mr Buchanan. Tne buil ling is a most imposing and capacious structure, and his been furnished throughout in a s'yle that will entitle it to rank amongst the best hotels in the metropolis of the South. The local contingent of 'he Salvation Army intend having a “ good time ” of it on Good Friday, when meetings will be held at 11 a.m. and 3 and 7 p.m. Mr J. Beer is announced to deliver a lecture in Sechof’s Hall, Otautau, on Sued .y next, at 3 p.m. Subject : “ The Hope of Israel.” On account of Friday next being Good Friday, the meeting of County Council convened for that day has been postponed till Friday, ISth inst. The recent increase in ihe grain tariff is calculated to realise £150,000 Of this the Middle Island will pay £113,000 and. the North Island £37,000.

As matters at prtscnt stand, the whole Colony has every year to pay £105,000 to make up the discrepancy between net earnings and interest on cost of the Worth Island Hallways.

The sale of Bayswater estate on Saturday did not prove a success. Considering the terms and the quality of the land this failure testifies to the prevalent financial depression and also indicates that the “ earth hunger” of the present population is not of an intense nature. On no other grounds can an explanation be found for the low prices brought by the few sections disposed of, and the failure of the auctioneer to quit the balance at anything like their value. The explanation of the auctioneers, however, that on account of the prices realised not being up to expectation, the remaining sections would be withdrawn, as much better offers had been made privately by Christchurch buyers, is satisfactory, The sections sold were No. 9, containing 333 a3r 13p, at £lolos per acre, Mr Dunn, of Ashburton, being the purchaser. Section 10, same area, was knocked down to the same gentleman at £8 2s 6d per acre. Section 14, containing 350 a ir 4p, on which was erected a house, stable, granary, blacksmith’s shop, &e, was started at £B, and scon run up by 10s bids to £l3, at which price it was knocked down to Mr G. Gordon, Bayswater. Section 13, comprising 220 a2r 36p, was started at £B, and run up to £lO 10s at which sum it was passed in. The farm of Mr P. Blaikie, near Thornbury, containing 590 acres and the necessary farm buildings, was started at £5 an acre and passed in at £5 7s 6d.

Tho meeting of the Riverton Band of Hope last Friday was, considering the weather, very well attended. Readings and addresses by Messrs Reid and Akhurst were evidently enjoyed. The prizes for acrostics were handed over to tho winners—lst prize— Jessie Fullarton ; Charles Akhurst the winner of the 2nd prize, having generously retired, it fell to John Clark ; the 3rd prize to Andrew N. Burns ; the 4th to Mary and Alex. McNaughlon,

Orepuki Correspondent: —The annual meeting of subscribers to the Orepuki Public Library was held at the Courthouse on Monday evening last. The public did pot put in an apper ranee, and had not a solitary representative beyond the members of the Committee, who had no other alternative than to re-elect themselves. Mr Frank Weston was duly elected as chairman, and Mr A. J. Jolly, secretary, treasurer, &c. The report given by the Secretary showed the institution to be in a fairly flourishing condition. The past year had 27 subscribers and the total revenue amounted to £24 16s lid. The sum of £l3 15s 2d has just been received from Government subsidy, and 160 volumes just arrived from Edinburgh have been added to the library. The Secretary was requested to insure the books, which were now deemed of sufficient value to justify the expense. Witli the usual vote of thanks to tho Chairman the meeting closed.

Before Mr Daniel, J.P., on Monday, a man named John Milne was charged with having about 2 o’clock on Saturday morning last, broken a window, looking glass, and chair, the property of Helen Ah Hum, residing in Havelock street, valued at £3. Accused pleaded guilty, but urged in extenuation that he was under the influence of drink at the lime and did not know what be was doing. The evidence of Mrs Ah Hum was to the effect that accused came to her house at the time named and demanded admittance, and on being refused he used disgusting language, lifted a wnshtub tha' was lying outside and broke in a window with it, breaking the sash and a look-ing-glass and destroying a chair. The presiding justice characterised prisoner’s conduct as most disgraceful, and inflicted a fine of £3, costs, £3 ICs ; in default two months’ imprisonment.

“ Mark ” supplies us with the following anent football: —“ The opening match of the season was played on the Club’s practice ground in the Kaik on Saturday. Sides were cliosen by (lie captain, T. Howell, and viccCaptain, J. Panklmrst, Amid three hearty cheers, the President kicked off, and ere many minutes had passed, cries of “ forward,” “ line up,” “off silo,” etc., reminded tho spectators of last year’s fun. With one or two exceptions, none of the players were in form for running and pushing ; but passing-back and collaring was deserving of special mention. Robinson having kicked a goal from the field, the vice-Captain’s side won by a gaol to a try. Now that tha Club has gone to the expense of securing a piece of ground close to tho town, it is to be hoped the members and public generally will visit the ground (at the eastern terminus of Napier street), as often as possible.

At the meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce the other day, the Chairman in his speech sai 1 that in July last it was estimated that the liubilili-s of bankrupts for the year and those who made private arrangements amounted to £1,213,566. These figures appeared large, but there were indications that 1883 would show even more unsatisfactory results. No official return had been made, but he believed that the bankruptcies for that year amounted to £2,006,051. No doubt many who would otherwise have remained in business for some time longer hastened to take advantage of the old bankruptcy law by fi ing in December last, and this was borne out by the fact that there were no less than 206 declarations in that mouth.

A well attended meeting was held at Lutnsden on Saturday evening wiih a view to arrange what action should bo taken to resist payment of the tax proposed to be levied by the Waimea Plains Railway Co. The first motion, which was carried unanimously, was to the effect that in event of the Company insisting upon payment of the tax, the ratepayers should combine to oppose payment, the necessary expense to be divide! pro rata amongst the ratepayers. The nest motion, however, did not meet with the approval of the meeting. It was to the effect that the members for Invercargill and Awarua be asked t o take steps to get Government to lake the linn over. An amendment was propossd by a Mr Pickens : “ That if the Waimea Plains Railway Company had made a bad speculation, let them stick to t.” He (Mr Pickens) said if the line was not paying let the company put it up by auction and sell it. There was no doubt the railway was constructed to enhance the value of the land it went through, and this was done by a few speculators who wished to place the land in the London market. The “ spec” had not proved financially as successful as they an ticipated, and now they were in difficulties they wished to force tin ratepayers to make up the deficiency.—Mr Mo Math seconded the amendment. He could not see why the Government should be asked to take over a line that was not paying. If it did not pay the company, whose rates were higher than those in force on the Government lines, how could it be expected to be a profitable invest- / ment for the Government ? Let the company stick to it, and the rat epayers must use every endeavor to oppose the rate. The amendment was carried.

At a meeting of the Medical Association of Dunedin, held on Eriday evening, a resolution was passed disapproving of the verdict of the jury in the recent case against Dr Parry, on the ground that it was not justified hy the evidence. It was resolved to petition Government with the view of having the sentence commuted, and Dr Copland, the president of the Association, was authorised to prepare a petition and have the same forwarded to Wellington.

Ghastly possibilities of a mysterious tradegy are suggested by the discovery of a human skeleton by the side of a long-disused track near the township of Hamilton, Waikato. The fragments of clothing, &e., prove it to be the body of a European soldier. The skull bears evidence of having been pierced in two places by a ride-bullet, and the probability is therefore that the man, whoever he was, was murdered. From the fact that the present road has been in use 17 or 18 years, it is evident the occurrence took place soon after the close of the war. A correspondent writes to the “Waikato Times” that some time in 1865,if lie recollects aright, a militia-man left Cambridge for Hamilton to transact some business; that he reached the latter place, executed bis commission, started on his return journey, and was never afterwards seen. Little notice was taken of the affair at (he time. The police purpose keeping the skeleton on view at the barracks for some time, in the hope that some clue to its idsntity may be forthcoming.

The Premier has replied to the chairman of the public meeting held last week at. Christchuicli to protest against the increase in the railway tariff, stating that the former answers of the Government contain a sufficient answer to the resolution re raising the rates, and that the appointment of non-political boards to manage the railways of the North and South Islands respectively can only be effected after discussion throughout the country and grave consideration by the Assembly.

\ Cominentia-' on the Salvation Army, the * IS T ew Zealand Presbyterian ” says :—“ The Salvation Army has been evoking some animadversion on its spirit, views, and methods and this is, we imagine, precisely what it loves above all things, as the best tribute to its power and .most influential advertisement. Dante saw, in Hades, the melancholy souls of such as on eartb lived without praise and without infamy ; who had not heart, nor life, nor reality enough in them to be either loved or listed, honored or despised, praised or dispraised; and certainly, whatever such sort of life may count for in the world to come, it is commonly a humdrum business here; and churches and ministers and public men are never in a sadder plight than when no dog will longer trouble tself to bark at them, nor even an old woman cry, ‘ God bless you!’ "i A meeting of the Riverton School Committee was held last evening, at which Messrs George Reid (Chairman), Mills, Robinson, Tall, and Acheson were present. The Chairman read copy of letter to the Education Board from Miss Fullarton resigning her position as pupil teacher in the Riverton District High School. On the presumption that the Board would accept said resignation, the Committee resolved to recommend Master George Robertson to the Board to fill the vacancy; also to recommend Miss Mary Robinson for appointment as pupil teacher, without salary.—Mr Straek wrote applying for leave from Thurs Jay, 10th inst., till end of Easier holidays.—lt was resolved to grant the application, and that the Easter holidays commence on the 11th, resuming on 21st inst. —Mr Chapman’s account for £2 8s 7d was passed for payment, and the meeting adjourned.