THE AROHA NEWS AND UPPER THAMES ADVOCATE.

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 32, 12 January 1884, Page 2

THE AROHA NEWS AND UPPER THAMES ADVOCATE.

♦This above all — to thine own-self-bo true And it must follow as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.' — Shakespeare.

SATURDAY, JANUARY. 12, 1884.

The strike of the miners employed in our goldfield is a circumstance which may be fraught with most serious consequences to this district. We had hoped when the tramway was completed, and the battery had started crushing, that we had left all our troubles behind us, and that we were to glide serenely along the uninterrupted current of prosperity. But this was not to be. No sooner have the people interested in the development of the field by Herculean efforts surmounted the most serious of the initial difficulties, than our interests are jeopardised by a struggle between capital and labour. In referring to this unfortunate contretemps, we will be. in by unhesitatingly stating that we sympathise to some extent with the men. The scale of wage — 9s. per diem is little enough, when it is remembered that ordinary labourers arc at present in receipt of Bs. per day. Surely the discomforts of a Waiorongomai miner's life — separated from home and kindred, and living in a rough and primitive fashion, sufficiently far away from Civilisation to deprive him of most of its benefits — should entitle him to at least one shilling" per diem more than fche ordinary labourer. xVnd this is quite apart from the consideration that mining is a skilled calling, and entitled to payment as such and also that the cost of living here if considerably higher than on other goldfields on the Cape Colville Peninsula. An old Thames miner, whose word we place implicit reliance in assure us that he could live at Grahamstown for just half what it costs him to subsist up the hill. Those who have instigated this most unwise step have displayed considerable cunning in choosing a fitting period for striking the blow at the miners ; they knew that the Christinas festivities would have made a serious inroad on their little savings, and no doubt believed that they would be forced to accept the reduction without a murmur. But these clever gentlemen have made a grave miscalculation and we misinterpret the feeling of the miners greatly if they do not hold ont as long as the mine owners. There is plenty of work in the district and sooner than be beaten the men would go swamping or platelaying. The excuse given for the reduction is that some of the mines are not paying. Now this is a most unfair argument for capital to raise in a contention with labour, and for this reason : When a commercial venture is paying the owners of it never think of inviting the employes to participate in the profits, and, au contraire, they should not think of asking them to bear a share of the loss. On other grounds the excuse is a hollow one. The New Find mine is paying ; why should the wages of its employes be reduced ? The directors, to be consistent, should increase the wages of the men employed in that mine. To our minds the most contemptible thing in this unfortunate affair is the manner in which the reduction was made. Even those who may consider the decrease necessary will be compelled to admit that it was " a right thing clone in a wrong way." The men were permitted to go to A uckland and elsewhere for their holidays without a word being said concerning the nice [Jittle surprise that had been prepared for them on their return. They came back, many of them light in pocket, an 1 they are forced on the spur of the moment to take the money offered or shake the dust of Aroha from their feet. We are inclined to think with Mr Kenrick, that had the companies given a week or a fortnight's notice of their intention, thatmost of the men, though feeling themselves hardly used would have decided to cDijlinuc at work. And now jusl

ono word of warning 1 fcb the minn owner?. Should the strike continue, it will be Found impossible to re-man the hill with experienced workmen. Most of -the ground is strong, irregularly, stratified '• shooting" ground, and to break it to advantage the highest technical knowledge is required. The result of the employment of unqualified men will be an increase in the " mining requisites " hills that will more than counterbalance the saving of the shilling per day in the men's wages. The whole matter'bears indications that the directors have been badly advised, and we j trust that they will speedily reconsider t.heir decision and meet the miners in a fair and generous manner. The Thames Advertiser has a leader on the strike, in the course of which it says :—: — [f ever there was a place in which the very best understanding and sympathy between capital and labour was necessary for its successful development, that place is Te Aroha ; and whoever has advised the step just takon, so fraught with danger to the continued existence of that sympathy, has made a serious error, and one which will be seen in ifes^ effects long" after the immediate cause of the present dead-lock has been removed. We take for granted, without the slightest hesitation, that the proposal to reduce the wages of the miners at Te Aroha will de dropped, there is no help for it — such must be the case ; but it is u matter of extreme regret that such a cause of difference < should ever have been raised between the directors and their men, when it is recollected what a splended feeling 1 has hitherto existed between them. Some evil effects are certain to follow the present strained relations between employers and employed, but those evils will best be reduced to a minimum by a frank admission being promptly made that the whole thing has arisen from an error or a mistake on the part of the mine owners, and the prompt setting to work of the men to make up for the valuable time lost, which it is of extreme importance should be utilised to the fullest extent if Te Aroha is this year to take that rank as a gold producer which its capabilities, if wisely and spiritedly developed, entitle it to assume.

Professor Herbert, a remarkab'y clever illusionist, gave an entertainment at tho Public Hall last evening. Many of hip tricks are new and they are executed with a deftness that would not discredit Heller himself. The performance will be repeated this evening. The Golden Hill claim from which the excellent yield of 11 ounces per ton has been obtained is situated behind Te Aroha town, on the site of the ;old rush. D. K. Gellion and Co. will hold a sale of cattle at Paeroa on Wednesday. The opening celebration of an Orange lodge takes place here on the 17th. The successful floating of the City of Auckland loan is annouced in our cablegrams. The danger to which innocent people are not infrequently exposed, through the laying of false charges has been well exampled by the larceny case, recently heard here, in which Mr Walter Walker was defendant. The informant seems to have penchant for "going on the bur <t," and ''knocking down his cheques," and the manner in which he gave his evidence, showed that he was by no means clear, as to his goings ana womings during the previous three or few days. The evidence conclusively showed that Mr Walker had come by the cheque in a legitimate manner, and ho was discharged without a stain on his character, to tho ' great satisfaction of a large crowd of friends, who were in Court during tho hearing of the ca«e. Some time ago, aTe Aroha native, hud a horse stolen from him. It wa.s found in possession of a Waiorongomai miner, who it transpired had purchased from a person who bought it utßuck'atuPs sale, at Cambridge. The police ure investigating the matter. The doctors here say they have all the}' can do to make a living. One medico has had five cases in three months. Though this state of things is doubtless the reverse or agreeable to the doctors, it must be a cause of considerable gratification to the residents in this district. Te Aroha is quite as healthy Its the fabled Cdlifornian villiage, where "they had to kill a man to start their graveyard." The construction of the railway bridge is being pushed on rapidly. Tho driving of the piles on which the concrete piers will rest is the present work, and as thtj contractor desires to take advantage of the piesent low state of the river for tins work he bus two shifts working. In another column tenders are invited for carting 200 yards oi shingle to the bridge, tenders receivable up to Thursday next. Harvesting operations were commenced at Mr Smith's station, Wuitoa, during' the current week, and next week tlio getting in of the crops will be generally commenced. There is but little wheat, but what there is of it looks well. The oats will produce an exceptionally heavy yield. Members of the Library Committee are | reminded that the usual monthly meeting takes place this evening in the Reading Room. A rumour wus current in Te Aroha lu^t evening that a number of men employed at MutuuiuU have stiuck for higher w;i#c. If this should prove correct it will be a somewhat serious matter us the harvest time is just commencing. The tramway locomotive is now at the battery, and it was intended to send it up the hill next week.

The. fortnightly meeting 1 of the Ta Aroha Bnnd of Hope will be held on fylondny evening at (he Wesleynn Church/ The sum of £100, voted to 'the Piako County Council is to bo expended immediately by the W.titoi K">ad Board, for the repair of the Waitoa portion of the Hamilton-Te Arohu road. Ten thousand persons paid admission to the great walking match in Auckland. v The lowest tender for the now Auckland Docks, is £156,000. The Engineer has estimated it at £120,000, and the Harbour Board have been making matters sultry for him. A serious accident happened at Messrs John Gibbons and Son's bush, Te Aroha, on Monday last, under the following circumstances. A man named Thomas Dodd, felled a tree which in its descent, struck " the branches of another tree, causing it to bound and strtee Dodd on the leg. Dr, Cooper who w«s summoned, found Dodd's principal injury to be a fracture of the leg above the ankle. The doctor set the limb, and on Tuesday the unfortunate man was taken to the Thames Hospital. At the last meeting of the Piako County Council, the Chairman reported that Mr Wells had informed him that ho had interviewed Col. Fraser, chairman of the Thames High School Endowment Board, on the subject of this road and that that gentleman had stated that the Board was prepared to contribute a sum of money towards the construction of the .road'' if- carried between sees. 7 anj.l 12. "The Board had previously refueled tjo^, assist the Council in this matter. The matter was left in the hands of the Chairman to arrange. As there is a probability a team of Auckland cricketers visiting the Waikato during this season, we would suggest to our local knights of the willow, that arrangements might be made with the Aucklanders, to extend their tour and give us a taste of their quality. TJiis district poesesses some excellent players, and a most interesting match might result from the acceptance of the suggestion. The good people of Tauranga are very anxious to get a goldfield. They have equipped two prospecting associations, and have raised £500 as a reward for auiiferious discoveries. Tt is estimated by the Sydney Morning Herald thatuf the eighty-eight million sterling advances of the whole of the banks of Australasia, lifty-tive have been lent to graziers, from 10 to fifteen million to agriculturists and about twenty million to the mercantile community. A lodge of the Independent Order of Oddfellows, M.U., will be opened at Warren's Hotel this evening ; Mr L. J. Bagnall, P. P. G. M., acting is installing officers. At the Auckland Summer Race Meeting about £18,000 went through the totalizator in three days, and on the last day ono bookmaker m-ide £700 fieldin.S And still they say money is scarce. J. B. Mason, Relieving Officer nt the Thames, was fined £10 and costß for the assault committed at the Thames racecourse. The Triumph enquiry terminated on Monday. The captain's ce-tificate was suspended for three years and the first mate's for six months. A Russian newspaper, published at the town of Ekaterinoslav, says that twenty two nuggets were recently found in the s Ural Mountains, four of which, taken together, weighed upwards of five pounds. A Russian pound is nine tenths of an English pound. Some of the nuggets are partly made up of beautiful crystals, pyramidal, with eight sides. There is in the Cheinese camp at Maryborough, in Victoria, a most extraordinary Bpecimen os female humanity in the person of Mrs Wi Fook, the European wife of a Chinese resident in the camp. This interesting person is about the obese female in the colony. She turns the scale at 26 stone, or 3cwt 2qrs., and the veight is such that no chair can be found in tne cainq capable of supporting her. A brickwork btructnre has been erected for Mrs Wi Fook to repose upon. S!ie is a women of medium height, but extraordinary width. Two yeirs ago the Goverme.it discon tinued the practice of providing the prisoners in Lyttelton Goal with a Christmas dinner. Last j'ear the spread- was provided by means nfprivat* liberality, but thisy >ar preparations were put a stop to by a peremptory telegram from Wellington to the eifect that no Christmas dinner was to be allowed inthegaol. Sixteen hundred trains a day run over the Clapham Junction in London. The railß lie together like the wires of a piano There is no shrieking of whistles or clanging of bells; the signals are kept for their officials, and trespassers expose themselves at their own peril. A tunnel-way for passengers connects the whole, so that no one iw allowed to cross the rails except the employes who grow reckless and occasionally come to On an average, one man is killed on the crossing every six weeks.