NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Times, Volume V, Issue 106, 8 January 1881, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

The Post offbe and Telegraph Station Contract. —We understand that Mr. Henry Burrcll has been the successful tenderer for the proposed alterations to the Station at* Palmerstnn. Some idea of the mngnitude of the work, and the im» po<im» appearance which the building may be expected to present, can be gleaned from the fact that (.lie prico i* under £170. Yet Another One.— Another upset occurred the other day. Mr. Hm ton's cart was beins? driven nlons; tie Ron^itik^i Road when upon neirinir Uie ! >rp\vf»rv, the bellsban'l of the hnrness h^iko, can-in.: the cart I o tilt up, at.rl the horse swerving at the siime time fully completed the tilting prn, cess for the whole affair was nnpsizurl, throwing the youth that was driving upon the road. The horse at the same time 1 cleared himself of every bu of harness, but i bevon,d one of the plinfts being broken, there was no great amount of damage done. News of an. old Friend. — The many frietuie of the Re?, M>, Newfch ml\ be

pleased to hear, by a private letter received m town, that he was, at last accounts, enjoying excellent health, and had taken possession of his new chaige. He is now located at Elinore, on the Campaspe Eiver, m Victoria, and within easy distance by rail of Melbourne. During his stay m Pal« merston, Mr. Newth made himself such a general favorite with all denominations, that we feel sure that our readers will be pleased to hear of his welfare. School Fete.— At the meeting of the Palmerston North School Committee, which took place on Thursday evening, it was decided to give the children a treat. The time was not fixed to a day, but it is supposed to be somewhere about the end of the month. We believe the pupil teachers will undertake the task of collecting the necessary funds from the generously-inclined. A Nasty Accident.— A boy, named Martin Alderson, living at Terrace End, broke his arm on Wednesday evening, while jumping with a pole. It appears that the pole which be was using was of slight totara, and being insufficient to bear his weight, when he was at the height of his spring, the stisk snapped m two, and he fell heavily upon his arm, smashing it. His injuries were quickly attended to, and he is now progressing as favorably as could be expected. School Committee. — From an intimation from the Education Board, published m another column, it will be §een that, the annual election of school committees will tnto place on the 24th of this month. We regret to say that the interest hitherto taken m the election of committees has been m no way equal to the importance of the event, as upon a judicious selection of those having the control of schools m a great measure depends their success and good working. We trust, therefore, to see a number of fitting candidates for the offices present themselves. Circumstances Alter Cases.— Self-interest is a most potent lever, and it is astonishing what an affect it will have upon individuals, public bodies, or even heads of Governmental departments themselves. It is now close upon two years since agitation was raised for the erection of the District Court-house, and fully twelve months ago since it was promised. Assurances that it would be commenced forthwith have been re«eiv«d both verbally and m scores of telegraphic messages, and still not an actual step has been taken to give an earnest idea thnt the work will be carried out. How different is the conduct of the G-overnmenfc with regard to the new Post offices, which because of the proposed amalgamation has been no sooner thought of than plans have been drawn and tenders called for the work. Resident Magistrates' Court.— Although the Resident Magistrate did not leave until the arrival of the evening train on Thursday, he not only coi'ld nofc clear the cause list, but actually had to adjourn the Court m the middle of the hearing of one case. This was one m which Messrs. Freeman and Wylds brought an action against an engineer, named Crabbtree, for £100 damages, m satisfaction of his alleged had workmanship while repairing a boiler. Mr. Staite was for the plaintiffs, and Mr. Perkins for the defendant. As the case is still sub judice wo would nofc care to express an opinion upon its merits, and the evidence would be by no means interesting to our readers. Mr. Ward Days a special visit to Palmerston to-day for the purpose of hearing the remainder of the evidence, together with dealing with fcho other cases which were left unheard. The. Curse of Crime.— On Thurstwo prisoners were placed m the dock, one charged witli horse stealing, and the other with aiding nnd abetting. The first was a respectable-looking man, called G-eorge St. tf ill Hargrenves ; and the other the well known Maori, Harry Laing, whose honest, good-humored face ha 3 been a feature at the Feilding Athletic Sports for the past few rears, and the la«t person we should expect or wish to see m a felon's dock. It is due to the latter to say that he appeared to feel his position, and his whole bearing was m strong contrast to that of his aristocratic looking companion, who accommodated himself to his position with the utmost? nonchalance. As no evidence has yet been taken, we trust to find on Wednesday — to which day both prisoners have been remanded — that the unfortunates will be able to produce testimony to relieve them from their disagreeable position. What does it Mean?— At the last meeting of the Borough Council, a telegram was received from Mr. J. Gh Holdsworth, the Commissioner of Crown Lands, asking if the Council would grant the use of one of the halls of the town for the purpose of holding the land sale on the 21st of February. That was all the information bestowed, and although nothing specific is mentioned, we presume ihe sale will be of the Kairanga Block. We must certainly bestow our commendation on the Government for the course they have pursued m hoi line; the sale m Palmerston, instead of m Wellington, and we feel convinced that not only will the convenience of buyers ba studied, but the receipts will prove the wisdom of the course. There is no doubt that intending speculators must have had their patience pretty nearly exhaueted, but when a good thing has to come, we presume " it is better late than never." Town Improvements.—Notwithstanding the general outcry about the dulness of times and the scarcity of money, it is a perfect matter for wonder to note the number of new buildings being ererted all over the town. Go where you will within the town boundaries — and it must be admitted they comprise a very wide range — the cheerful ring of the hammer may be heard, or the sight of a fine substantial house will greet the eye, where, but a few days previously, a vacant space could be seen. In Cuba street, Mr, Dixon has erected a neat dwelling house, which would grace any street, and the same may be said of the residence erected by Mr. Thomas Manson m Fitaherbert sireet. In addition to this, we are pleased to see the business portions of the town being taken up, the more particularly when the premises are to be occupied by those who will add another to the list of the mercantile community. We allude to the offices being built "on the Square, to the order of Mr. Fred. Mowlem, whose increasing business necessitates that he should have a central stand. A Queer Bone of Contention. — A rather stiff paper war is now raging between Mr. Colewso, of Maori Dictionary notoriety — and the editor of the Hawlcfis' Hay Herald, and the casu.i belli is Te Whiti' s "cooked pot atoe." It nn.y bo recollected that when the Governor's ppivinl onvoy, the nristopratic Knollys, reached Parihaka and In hi his credentials at the feet of the Prophet, the only reply which the au<r<i.<t and arrant old humbu-j would deigfii to the airle-de-oamn's overture', wtjs, "The potaropii 1 ooofcpd." Considering the distance the inesspngor had (ravelled, and the expense incurred m thp mission, we scarcely think the information ia worth the trouble unrf <?o«t. Certainly the hospitality of the Seer of Parihaka is not much to boast about for nit hough the telegraph : e wires have flashed the important news that Te Whiti informed the Gubernatorial nwnwngtt that I

(be delicious esculent " was cooked," the j telegrams are silent as to any offer to share | the " joint " with the distinguished visitor. Mr. Colenso takes the Scribe at Napier to task for his interpretation, and asserts that Te Whiti's dictum is " the plum is bard." For our part we fail to Bee a cause to quarrel, but had the Prophet declared that he was a hard nut himself, he would not be very fur astray — and a fact which the Government are about beginning to realise. | Mercantile. —We believe there is something even more than a probability of there being a dissolution of partnership m the well known firm of Messrs. Thynne, Linton & Co. We have been given to utufir" stand that, although it has not been .officially announced, legal arrangements for dissolution are pending, and the formal notice will be published m a few days. Wo are pleased to learn that the district will not suffer by the change, as Mr. Thynne will retain the Foxton, and Mr. Linton the Palmers ton business. Men of enterprise and energy are too scarce, and the Manawatu could ill afford to lose from its mercantile circle either of the gentleman referred to. We trust that each severally will secure the same success m their future separate courses, as they enjoyed when associated together. "Long "-ing for Notoriety.— The man Long, known as the Picton hangman, who some few months ago paid Palmerston a visit, and enjoyed the hospitality of Constable G-illespie, has been playing a dangerous game at Napier. Being desirous of quenching his thirst, and not having this" wherewith to indulge m the luxury, he boldly demanded to be supplied with liquor, and when the request was refused, vowed vengeance against the whole human race of whom be constituted himself the enemy. Amongst other threats used was one to set the town m a blaze, and sure enough that night an hotel was destroyed, and a man burned to death. Fortunately, however, for Long, the jury were satisfied as his noncomplicity, else he would have been likely to have made his appearance on the gallows, and m eren a worse capacity than on the last occasion. Something like a Dividend.—^ Mr. W. L. Coward, auctioneer, of Waipukurau, is a gem of an insolvent ; and Mr. H. Wilding is a gem of a trustee. Some two years ago the former gentleman bestowed his patronage upon us to the extent of " wiring through an auction sale, leaving us to pay for the message, and to bill him for both . We did so, but to two years correspondence Mr. Coward turned a deaf ear and never deigned a reply. Annoyed at such treatment, we sent an invitation to him to appear and explain his conduct to the Re»ident Magistrate, when we received a memo, that Mr. Coward had filed his schedule, and that Mr. Wilding was his-trustee. Thinking that we could get some more information out of that gentleman than the reticent Coward, we inquired from the trusty Wilding if our small amount was inserted m the schedule of the insolvent. In return we raceived a printed form, announcing the fact that a dividend of three half-pence m the £, (which we presume on account of some hidden satire was printed m large type) had beeu declared but our claim had not appeared m the schedule. With a due appreciation of the whole joko, Mr. Wilding attaches the follow., ing footnote to the official circular, " You are not m the schedule, or I would have sent you a few stamps. If you vent your virtuous, indignation m the Manawatp Times, please send me a paper. — H.W." We may say that we have not vented our virtuous indignation j under t.he circumstances we think we have been very mild, nevertheless we have sent Mr. WilHing a copy of the paper. Mr. Coward recklessly runs into debt — pays Hd, and yet people ask " What's m a name?" Some idea of the extent to which Mr. Coward has victimised his creditors may be realised, when -we say that the full amount paid upon some £800 at the rate of l|d, did not amount, to £5. The r-nse came on for hearing on Thursday before Mr. Ward, when after reading t.he circular and footnote, he laughingly gave us a verdict for what it was worth. Our dividend, had we received it would have been 3|d. As we did not, we have posted Mr. Wilding a paper with a half- penny stamp upon it, And that makes us square. A Genuine Treat.— lt is not often that the boards of the Foresters' Hall is graced with the full strength of a first-class Dramatic Company, and it is even more seldom that an artist of Mr. Grattan Rigg's reputation gives its patron a chance of enjoying an intellectual treat. The piece m which Mr. Riggs elected to make his bow to a Palmerston audience was of the order of " Our Boys," and entitled " The Yankee Farmer." It is ludicrous m the extreme, its very absurdities proving its greatest attraction, but has this commendation, that its author has put into the mouth of the hero — which of course Mr. Riggs sustains — a perfect volley of the most quaint sayings which are calculated to keep the audience m a chronic state of laughter. It is not however, all sunshine and jollity, for some sad scenes of New York life are given, and it is m such as these that Mr. Biggs ia shown to best advantage, ?»nd that the genius of the actor is apparent, his well«sftstained grief at a death bed scene which ia presented, and his manly indignation when he imagines his only son is a criminal, were somewhat too real to be comfortable. He is supported by an excellent company, for m Mr. Musgrave it possesses the best " old man " at present on the Australasian stage — one who has taken the place of Lambert and Rogers, and played " Polonius "to the " Hamlet " of every star who has visited the colonies. Mr. Dave Clinton enacted the — to him — strange %oU of Elder Hammond. Mr. Clinton has the reputation of being the hest stage villain m New Zealand — as he is the most g«»nial soul off it — so it is hardly to be supposed that he took the new part as "if to the manner born"; while although Mr. Bur* ford has bean holding a prominent position on the stage of th« colonies more years than we would like to state, he appeared on Thursday as the gay young New Yorker with all the dash and devilry of the orthodox blood. We must apologise for leaving the ladies for the last. The principal female characters were taken by the Misses Murielleand Wilton — the^ne with a charming vivacity nnrt naivete, and the other with touching pathos, suitable to their respective parts. We regret to say that, on the first night attendance wa* by no means commensurate with the clai us for patronage. We are compelled to hold over our critique on " The Shauohmnn," m whinh Mr. Rijig3 appeared last night. To night the company appear m Fnxfcon m "The Yankee Farmer," and wilh the very excellent stage of which that town cau hunst, nnd the capital programme to he submit tetl, those whi> patronise it may premise thoiiisolves a real treat.