THE AROHA NEWS AND UPPER THAMES ADVOCATE.

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 34, 26 January 1884, Page 2

THE AROHA NEWS AND UPPER THAMES ADVOCATE.

'This above all— to thine own-self bo truo And it must follow us tho night the day, Thou cunst not then bo false to any man.' — Shakespeare

SATURDAY, JANUARY. 20, 1884.

On Monday evening the householders, parents, and guardians of Te Aroha and Waiorongomai will be called upon to elect a Committee to take the management of the Te Aroha Goklfield Educational District for a period of twelve months. The district is a large ami important one, and it behoves those entitled to vote to elect the most suitable persons to supervise that what should be one of the things most dear to them, the education of their children. The Committee, whose term of office expires on Monday next, have done much in furthering the cause of education in the district, in providing for the requirements of the schools under their charge, and they deserve the best thanks of the parents. Mistakes doubtless have been made, but the Committee have shown themselves worthy of the trust reposed in them by rectifying in a manly way any errors that may have been committed. When the Committee was elected last year the number on the roll at the Te Aroha School was 07. The school roll now shows over IU9 scholars, with an average daily attendance of 76.59. The school previously had been held in the Wesleyan Church, which was too small and not in any way adapted for school purposes. The Committee strongly represented to the Board of Education the need of aschoolhouse, and the outcome of these representations was that in July last the present commodious and handsome building was erected. An excellent teacher's residence was also erected adjacent to the school. A school was also commenced at Waiorongomai in the Public Hall in August last, and it has been attended with a fair measure of success. The number at present on the roll is 70, and the average attendance is about 4f5. The Committee has a second time exerted itself in the direction of providing •school buildings, and they have been successful inasmuch as a new building, that will be a crvdit to the district is now in course of erection, and it is expected that it will be ready for occupation in the course of a couple of months. Highly qualified teachers have been provided for both the schools, and altogether the committee seem to have left nothing undone. It is therefore advisable that men with at least as much energy should be elected to fill their places. We understand that several members of the out-going committee, including its chairman, Mr Lavery, have intimated that tlvey do not intend to seek re-election, but as it is understood that such men as essrs Wells, Cuff, and Ahier will be brought forward, there should be no difficulty in filling the vacancies. We trust that those entitled to vote will discountenance anything in the shape of " ticket voting," but that they will vote '•' straight" for the men whom from their known principles and common sense they consider most worthy of support. We may add the names of the out-going committee are : — Messrs Lavery (chairman), Ilott (secretary), R. Mackie, J. F Cocks, T. Lawless, J. Allen, and D. J. Frazer- The meeting ai which the election will take place, will be held at the Te Aroha school, at 7 p.m. o\\ Monday. The code of proceedings as defined by the Act is as follows : — After the appointment of chairman, the committee for the preceding year shall proceed to elect by ballot seven qualified persons to serve as the new committee. The electors are householders residing in the district. These are also qualified to serve on the Committee except such as are bankrupts, persons attainted of treason, etc., or persons of unsound mind. The term " householder" is defined to mean every adult male or fema]e person, who, as owner or tenant, lessee or occupier, occupies, uses or resides in any dwelling-house, shop, warehouse or other building ; or every parent or guardian who is liable to maintain, or has the actual custody of any child. The mmr.'b of the can li-

dates having been proposed the election must he by biillot. Every elector is entitled to seven votes, and may give all 3iich votos to one candidate, or distribute them among the candidates as he thinks fit. The Chairman of the meeting having a deliberative vote shall also have a casting vote. In case of a dispute arising as to the validity of the proceedings at the election the matter in dispute shall be submitted to the judgment of the Board of Education;

The Government revenue statistics for the last quarter of the year 1883 have just been issued, and they bear evidence to tlio fact that our provincial metropolis and the province generally are as yet unaffected by the wave of depression at present ruthlessly sleeping over the Southern portion of the Colony. Of course we all greatly deplore the mercantile depression in the South, but we cannot help thinking that it is a sort of judgment on the provincial districts of Otago and Canterbury, who being powerful during the golden age of Vogelism, unjustly stole, we use the word advisedly, more than their equitable share of the borrowed millions. The North, ruthlessly robbed by the Southern spoilers, felt the sharp pinch of adversity, but out of evil came forth good, as her people learned from necessity to practise personal and public economy, to develop, fo far as lay in their power, their natural resources, and to do without the wholesale expenditure of public money. On the other hand, the people of the South became absolutely demoralised with the plethora of borrowed wealth poured with unstinting hand on the plains of Canterbury and the straths of Otago. Believing the golden shower would bo perennial, they plunged into all kinds of extravagance, and their newspapers not infrequently hurled Ct'ucl jibes at poverty-stricken Auckland ! But " the whirligig of time brought its own revenges." The Southerner* woke from their ecstatic golden dream to find themselves on the verge of bankruptcy — with few exceptions the farms were niortgigod and the journal^ of the day teemed with noticeof assignment and declarations of insolvency. In a word most of fie coe'eatoos had burst while endeavouring to inflate themselves into squatter — a parallel of the fate of t.ie frog in fie ruble of "The Frog and the Ox." Schooled to economy, A nek and had learned to live, though it had basked not in t\\o binile of Ministerial favour, and while retrogression was the or lor of the day south of Tongariro, " excelsior" was the motto of the north. And we have gone onward — ever onward — t!ie giant stride of Progress lengthening every year, till Auckland has at last taken its proper position with respect to f lie other colonial centres— nulli secundus. The telegraphic revenue of fie Colony for last quarter was £22,1 G4, Auckland heading the list with £3949 Us lid. Dunedin contributed £3455 13s 7d ; Wefliugton, £2987 10s 4d ; and Christchurch £2781 4s. In Postal revenue Dimcdin stands first with £5541 10s lOd, Auckland contributing about £200 less. The total revenue of the department is £38,184 8s Bd, as against £37,477 9s collected during the correspon ling quarter of the previous year. The money orders issued during the quarter totalled £144,052, Auckland heading the list with £20,697 9s lid. The statistics of the Post Office Saving Banks are the most interesting, as they are a reflex of the financial condition of the labouring class. The total amount of deposits in the Post Office Savings Bank during the quarter was £267,200 12s 6d, and the withdrawals amounted to £280,105 Is 2d — a fact which is proof positive that even the most prorident of the workingclasses are living on their savings. In Christchurch t.he deposits amount to £54,000, and the withdrawals to £60,000. In Dunedin the deposits were £45,000, and the withdrawals £52,000. But in Auckland we are pleased to see that the deposits exceeded the withdrawals by several thousands of pounds. Long may Auckland lead the van in progress and prosperity, is our earnest prayer.

All the leading mines are in a good financial position. The New Find lias a credit balance of between £600 and £700, the Premier £400, and the Colonist £300. Besides this these mines have several hundred tons of' tailings at the battery, which the battery manager estimates will produce on the aggregate 500 ounces of gold. We have no hesitation in expressing our belief that when regular crushing is again resumed, all these mines will be in a Jivklend paying position.

The celebrated miners 1 strike is at last showing signs of dissolution. Fully half the minors cleared out during (.he first ten days of the dispute, and of those left here there are not more than 20 out of work. A considerable number of the men have been absorbed by the contract? in the New Find, Colonist, Alphabet, etc., and a number of men are just waiting tlio acceptance of the tenders in connection with the now battery to resume operations. A good number of the strikers have quietly gone to work at eight shillings per diem, and now that the thin edge of the wedge has been got in, it docs not require a Jeremiah to prophesy that eight shillings will soon become ihe ruling wage.

The natives here are daily expecting 1 a visit from Te Kooti. By latest accounts he was at Whakatane. The first annual meeting' of subscribers to the To Aroha Public Library will be held in the Public Hall this evening. The Secretary of the Te Aroha Cricket Club has received communications from the Thames and Tauranga Cricket Clubs asking that irmtclies be arranged. No reply lias yet baen received from Cambrideg regarding the proposal that our cricketers should visit that township. The Kutikati Cheese Factory is to be opened with a dinner to-day. The poor editor of the Ilauraki Tribune is tit present suffering from a severe attack oi jealousy ai^.iinst Te Ai olia, superinduced it may be by bad run, or it may be by what Mrs Scioggins calls " the dyspepsy." In his last issue he calls this field a swindle, and says many of the companies do not intend to work their mines, us the stull % will not pay. We wonder if this sweet thing in editors is related to the gentleman who three years ago wrote to the Thames Adveitisor about a reef he knew of at Te Aroha worth " 200 ounces to the ton." The " widely circulated journal," of which he is the presiding genius, is read by two persons — the editor himself and a gentleman who has his copy addressed to u Asylum, Avond.ile, near Auckland." The Anglican people of Paeroa object to their district being tacked on to that of Te Aiolm. While on this matter we may mention that we were erroneously informal concerning Mr Davies stipend. At its la^t mooting tho Te Aroha vestry did not iucr.jaso its guarantee to £75. One of the fest.ve vestij'tnen supplied us with tho information u only for ;i 1 irk. 1 ' Tim sale of Kawhia township on Wedn'fcdav realised JCG49--4, bi'ing an advance of 100 per cent on the upset price. At Hunter and Nolans sale on Tuesd.iv lii<t, long wool in iirensp In ought frnm i>s to(s| pur lit, and loni^ wool wash -d 7£d. Mr Thomas 1! iwd »n. for >ni •!) of works to the Tiiames Borough Council, jmd one of the pioue •)•> of (hat dist;ict, w >s ioulid dvdd in h\^ ofiice, Thames, on Tue-d iy last, lleh-t'l h>en hereon a\i il,i 1 , <n 1 left for the Thames b\ Monday's co.i'.h. Th • ! d. cea-ed had been ailin; for M>me tim •, autlj|it i. 1 - supposed tl'at the jolting of th" Ci.ich hastened his d.;mi-.c. M: R.t\\d.>n w is tin enthusiastic M is.)i), a i;ood citizen, \uu\ wh.it is better, dn honest, upright, true man. In consequence of the Sund iy school treat there will be no meeting of the Te Aroha Hand of Hope next Tuesday evening. The next meeting will be hold on Feb. 1-Jth. A dance n ill be held at the To Aroha Pjblie Hall on Tuesday evening. The annual meting of members and adherents of the Picsln teiitin Chmch was held la.st evening, the 11 :v. Mr Ferguson in the chair. Office-beaiora fur the ensuing 3 oar having been appointed, the Chairman gave an account of his labours, and thanked the retiring committee for ! the help given to him. An entertainment, to commemorate the first anniversary of the the chinch, will be held at an early date. Up to a late hour last night no word had been received icgarding the tcuders for the works in connection with the new battery. At the Onehuuga Races, while Mr Seymour George, M.U.R., w.is " taking a shot " in a shooting gallery the small brass-barrelled gun burst, shattering several of his lingers. Mr William Carpenter has been ap pointed deputy to the oflicial Assignee in Bankruptcy for the Thames District. The whole number of Popes, from St. Peter to Leo XIII., is '258. Ot these 82 are venerated Saints, 33 have been martyred, 104 have been Humans and natives of other parts of Italy, 15 Fienclnuen, 9 Greeks, 7 Germans, 5 Asiatics, 3 Africans, 1 Tracian, 1 Dutchman, 1 Portuguese, 1 Candiota, and 1 Englishman. The Minister for Justice is determined to reform abuses in his department, lie has caused a circular to to issued to all R.Ms., Wardens, lteceiver.s of Gold Revenue, and Clerks of District, R.M.,aud Warden's Courts, forbidding their holding shares in any gold or other mining company. The results of the standard examinations held in the Te Aroha and Wniorongomni schools during the mouth of November last, have been handed to us for publication. At the T« Aroha school the number on the roll at the time of examination was 55 males anil 138 female/ ; 20 males and 27 females being examined. Of these 9 males and 15 females passed. At Waiorongomai school the number on the roll at the time of examination was 36 males and 91 females ; 9 males and 5 females being examined. Of these 2 males and no females passed. The sudden death is announced of Mr W. B. Langbridge, the well-known udvertising agent of Auckland. The deceased gentleman drew Martini- Henry in one of Adam Bede's sweeps on the last Melbourne Cup. The Rangitikei Advocate gravely announces that Mr Death, of Kiwi tea, has applied for a .slaughtering license. Can it be ?" Has the merciless old reaper who has for so many cwnturies mowed down the " bearded grain and tlie flowers that grow between," at last had the common decency to apply for a license to kill ? Is luwitou to be the geuuml abattoir of the

We are glad to learn tli;it the crops at Wftitoa have nor suffered from the lain that fell on Monday find Tuesday. A preliminary meeting of lad ins and gentlemen of a musical turn of mind for the purpose of t iking- steps to form a Choral Society, was held at the Te Aroha Public Hull on Thursday evening. Mr Dobson presided. Jt was decided to form a Society, and the following were appointed a committee to draw up rules and anange other preliminaries : — Messrs Dobson. Burgess, Burke, and Whitchouse. Mr Do war, of Paeroa, whose enthusiasm and ability as a musician are too well known to require comment, will take the role. of conductor, and under his experienced leadership the movement, it is hoped, will shortly assume a tangible shapo. Few places of its size possess such an array of musical talent as To Aroha, and under the able guidance of Mr Dewar it may fairly be expected that the proposed society will ho flourish as to become a credit to the district, and a sou ice of pleasure to all those interested iv the cultivation of the ait divine. whole human race? And, oh ! what salary does the llangitikei County Council pay its inspector who was sufficiently persuasive — we take it for granted he used the suaiv'fer in mnrio and not the forltter inre— to induce the grizzly monarch to take out a license? The Martha Goldmining Company have purchased the Dulcibel License for £160 and 1000 shares. On Sunday last W. 11. Potts was accidentally bhot in the side while going from Thames to the Piako on a shooting expedition. While Mr PotU w.i.s leaninir over the side of the boat his gun exploded. The wounds are considered serious. A curious iclic has been added to Lady Brasseys case at the London Fisheries Exhibition, in the shape of a casket containing 84 guineas, which were in Lord Nelson's pocket at the time he leceived his fatal wound at Trafalgar. Lord Kosebery describes the squatter's existence as " the life of Abraham, tempered by free selection." The export of sheep from Te Aroha during the p.ist week has been considerable. Mr Pair sent 155, Messrs Gould Brothers KJ9, and the Auckland Agricultural Company i'2o to the Thames and Auckland markets. These were despatched by the Thames Steam Navigation Company's hteamers ; 155 were for Auckland, and the balance for the Thames. On Monday last the Messrs Guild brought 50 head of cattle to the western bank of the river, opposite Te Aroha, but, owing to the flood, only a portion of the mob got across, and th.it after the stockmen had spent six solid hours in an exhibition of frontier eloquence. The completion of the bridge will increase our export of cattle, and decrease blasphemy. The Matamata hay crop is estimated to amount to 200 tons. Full insti notions from the Kew Zeal ml G >vernment t<> the A^ent-Ci n mml in London relative to the I'auranga-liotorua and X ist C<>a t IJailwa) were forwarded hv tlie s.s. J'inic, which anivod i.i London o , «Januar\ Gth (three da^s jifi>r tlied-pai-ture of the San Fianciseo in lil). — Bay of Plent\ Tim. -8. A'luding t<» tin 1 ito exceptionally bad weather, the llawkiV P.ay Herald ba,\.s : — Jt, is ten years sin:e the hirve-t a\ is so late. Even on the Ahuriri Plains ft hid of the h iy is not \et cut, and much of that down lias be .in damaged b\ lain. The London omnibuses, it i* said, tiavel in the a ear ujtwaids of lift. -en million miles, and carr> in ue than iifty million-, of passen^er^. In an article entitlud "Horrible Londun," Mr Ueorye I\. ISiin^ rjlutos the following anecdote iv support of fie theory that in many in^taiieeb it wouid be well to sepaiate children from their parents and guardians :— A little child of nine came one day to a Bjurd school iv the Mint with a pair of boots on. This attracted the attention of the teacher, for, th >ugh the child had been at school ior two years, ! this was the h'r&t time she had not appeared with naked feet. "Why, Annie." said the teacher, " where did you get your boots from V" " Please, teacher." was the answer made before the Avholo school, '• one ol in) 1 fathers gave 'em to me — the one what's at home this week." The annual treat of the children attending the Te Aroha, Te Aroha West, and \Vaioron»omai Sunday Schools \ ill take place on Tuesday next at Long's paddock, Waiorongom.ii. Mr Boyes', the contractor for the erection of the Waiorongomai school, is making excellent progress. The building, which is to cost £50G, will amply meet the requirements of this rising township.