The Aroha News AND UPPER THAMES ADVOCATE.

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 36, 9 February 1884, Page 2

The Aroha News AND UPPER THAMES ADVOCATE.

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

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1884.

It is currently reported and generally believed liere that Messrs Firth and Clark, the owners of the Waiorongomai Battery, have bought Messrs Stacey and Coniiskey's battery site at the foot of Butler's Spur, and the water-right appertaining thereto. We siiicerely 4iope that the report is not correct. The succession of unpleasantnesses and misunderstandings that have resulted from .the connection of those gentlemen with the field, renders it impossible for those who have the interest of the place at heart to look with equanimity on an increase of their interest and influence. To

take the most charitable view of their conduct, it has been a ense of " moan well but don't know how," as Dick Dead eye tritely puts it. And quite apart from all other considerations we conceive that the fact of one syndicate possessing the only two available waterrighis on the field — assuming the report to be true — cannot but fail to bo detrimental to our best interests. At any rate the circumstance contains a rampant element of danger. Competition is a good thing in all classes of business and in none more so than in battery owning, and we had hoped that the erection o£ a battery by independent persons would have been proceeded with, and that the interests of the field would have been advanced by the introduction of the healthy competition engendered thereby. Should the hard logic of fact prove that our fears are not grouudless we will have to make the best of a bad job, and in this connection we will not fail to urge the Mining Inspector to apply the mining regulations with the greatest stringency. That official — and he has not been remiss in his duty heretofore — should at once give the owners of the water-right to understand that, unless the erection of a battery is commenced forthwith, the right will be forfeited. He will not be deserving of the character he possesses for impartiality and probity, if, for a day longer than the law permits, he allows the interests of the whole community to be dallied with for the occult purposes of speculators orphilanthropists, for in onr degenerate days these two widely different terms seem to have become synonymous. In the meantime, we anxiously await the receipt of an unqualified denial of the statement that Messrs Firth and Clark have purchased the upper water-right

The immortal Charles Dickens in one of his charming stories — Little Dorritt we think — has. handed down to posterity some account of the internal economy of the " red tape and circumlocution office." Had the great novelist resided in our day, in our model colony of New Zealand, and had he experienced the; additional privilege of observing the manner in which our Public Departments are worked, he might have made his .satire on officialdom even more effectively pungent. The colonial Tito ' Barnacles have assuredly brought the ciicumlocution sjstem to its highest stage of development. The great Palace of Red Tape at Wellington swarms with priests of the order, and we have grave suspicions that ninny of the delays and inconveniences to which the public are put when transacting business with head-quarters are the clearly traceable effects of an over-grown civil service. To find work for these hordes of subordinates the heads of departments resort to circumlocution, and the unfortunate taxpayer has to p.iy the piper. These subordinates labour from early morn (i.e., 10 a.m.) to dewy eve (-1 p.m.) manufacturing on infinitessimal number of useless returns, which having been cursorily scanned by the irreproachably attired Under-Secrctaries ate consigned to the eternal limbo of a musty {.igeon-liole. In the midst of the reeking mass of officialdom the Public Works Department stands out prominently as the most accomplished exponents of the art of '' how not to do it." The regulations they impose on contractors are so absurdly stringent that it has become a by-word that persons tendering for Government works stick on just five and twenty percent to compensate them for the unnecessary inconvenience put on them by the public works officials. And then after the work is completed the unfortunate contractor has frequently to wait for two or three months for his dv«. He is paying interest on the money he has spent on material, wages, etc., and in addition his deposit is lying in the Government coffers, and not paying him a penny of interest. In the face of these facts it is rather a matter for surprise than otherwise that the Government get responsible men to tender for their works at all. The Premier has promised a scheme for the complete reorganisation of the Civil Service next session. We trust that so far as the* i Public Works Department is concerned that it will be a very complete re-organ-isation.

The scheme of nationalisation of the the land propounded by Mr Henry George, the American economist, attracted considerable attention in this colony, indeed in Otago people are still in a state of ecstatic admiration of the wonderful plan that is to secure the happiness of the whole human race. Mr Fawcetfc, the blind PostmasterGeneral of England, has just published

a bonk showing how utterly fallacious are Mr George's deductions, and completely demolishes his scheme. For the agricultural land in England alone the annual rental amounts to £00,000,000, which at 30 years' purchase would demand no less than two thousand millions sterling, a sum which even Great Britain with all its wealth could not raise. By the same method of calculation it would be easy to show that what Great Britain could not do, New Zealand could never hope to accomplish. The land nationalisation scheme will have to be relegated to the shelf among the thousand and one impracticable theories of wellmeaning reformers,

On Thursday hist a resident was rushing frantically round the township looking for a broker to transact some business for him. But not one was to be found, all j the fraternity being away on pleasure bent. On Friday, when the brokers heard : of it, they were as disconsolate as if; they had stood for school cominitteeineii and been " licked." The adjourned annual meeting of the shareholder* of the Public Hall Co will be held on the 12th inst. What is probably the smallest newspaper in the world is issued at Matatnata. Ft is called " The Burwood Evening Twinkler." The number before us is six inches long and four inches broad, and contains just three paragraphs of news. The first informs us that the s.s. Kotuku ran on to the New Find reef ; the second states that some of Mr L.'s milk has been assayed and found to contain three pounds of chalk to a gallon of water ; while the third gravely announces that the Doric has ai rived at Stanley, with a cargo of bumble bees i'or the apiary. We are authorised to state that the Mining Inspector's Uepaitment will commence immediately, the issue of notices of forfeiture in respect of mines on which no work has been done. Twenty notices are now ready for issue. One of the most crying wants of this rapidly increasing district is additional ; police protection. Sergeant Emerson is expected, single-handed, to supervise a district 40 miles long by 20 miles broad, and containing a population of 4000 souls. That he can properly attend to the duties of his position is utteily impossible. We trust that this matter will be brought under the notice of the Minister of Ju-tice without delny, and that he will at once station u mounted constable in our midst. At the last meeting of the Piako County Council the engineer reported on the Lower County Road, Waiorongomai, which he stated was in a condition urgently wanting repair. — It was agreed on the motion of Cr. J. C. Firth to spend ii sum of .C 75 on the road, and also that as soon as more mone}' is available it be devoted to that purpose. 'V The famous — or infamous — chief tan, To Kooti, arrived at Te Aroha from P.ieroa on Sunday morning last, attended by a cavalcade of mfii, women, and children. The equipment of the roving squadron w.is as motley as that of John F-aKtan"* celebrated contingent. 2V few wore the primitive blanket, but the majority appeared to have been rigged out at a second-hand clothes shop. Te Kooti, who insisted in thrusting his delicate classic- hand towards every Kurope.m he nvt, wore a light-brown suit of fashionable cut, and a pair of patent leathei slippeis. Four or five stalwart natives formed his body-guard, and accompanied him with furtive glances cast around everywhere he went. After two or throe hours' rest here, the cavalcade lemounted and proceeded on its way to Wajkato. X" s YThe many of the Native names of places in this vicinity have most poetic me'inings. Waiorongomai for instance means " List to me, Oh ye waters." Ohinemuri may be freely translated into " The girl I left behind me," and Oliineroa " the stately good-looking girl." Waitetuna is " the water of the eels ;" Waihou, " fresh water ;" Wairere, '* falling water;" .and Waitoa, " strong water." At the Thames District Court an order of discharge was granted to C. M. C.Joy, of Te Aroha ; the liabilities were set d nvn at ,£545 11s Gd, and the assets at £135. The tiustec'b repoit in this matter was not entirely satisfactory, and the debtor was examined by the Court as to certain improvements effected on his son's property, and the purchase fiom his estate by his wife of some New Find Co.\s shares. Mr Campbell represented the debtor. The re w.i id for the discovery of a payable goldiield at Tauranga has been increased from £500 to £800. The Dart Company, Thames, has declared a dividend of is per share, and the Prince Imperial has declared one of 8-;. A good story comes fiom the mine", and we have reasons for believing that it has the additional merit of being true. A new chum recently stuck up the manager of the P. mine wi'li, " Kin ye give me a job o' work, sir ; I yore yer a-tikin' on men ?" " Yes," replied the manager, with that charming air of ensouciancc for which he is noted, " but you won't suit me. Better go down to Mr So-and-so (the mnnaj ger of a neighbouring mine), as he is taking on all sorts tlure." An advertisement in an Auckland paper reads : — "Wanted — A gentlemen to allow an apple to be shot off his head. Apply, etc." As instancing the advantages of travelling by the Union Co.'s s.s. Takapuna, a gentleman writes to the Otago Daily Times as follows: — "Just fancy, sir : I did a fair day's work on Saturday — delivering sheep, riding round giving orders, &c. — before leaving home (Pa, liners ton), up to 10.30, when I left by express train for Lytlelton, and here I am (Monday) going up the Mannkau Harbour, with every prospect of doing a reasormble afternoon's business in Auckland, thus bringing the two great centres of population in the Colony — 'Duucdin and Auckland — within one clear day of each oth>r." A Timaru woman has been sent to the Lunatic Asylum It is said that her insanity was occasioned through attending meetings of th« 3 Salvation Army. The Government have stopped Rewi's pension of £200 in consequence of his recent attitude with retipect tv surveys. '

Mr C. Gould, father of the Mc^pin Gould of Waitoa, has presented a 4-oared outrigger as a prize for the Tnterprovincial Champion 4-oared race at Christoliurch. Our Thames correspondent forwards ns a full account of the nuptials of Mr G. A. Burgess, the deservedly popular agent of the To Aroha branch of the Bank of New Zealand. Mr Burgess has not an enemy in the. place, and we feel sure that all our residents will join with us in wishing- him long' life and prosperity in the capacity of benedict. Mr Burgess will be absent from Te Aroha for a month, his place in the meantime being 1 rilled by Mr Mitford, from the head-office. Mr John Hunt, Returning Officer for the Licensing Districts of Te Aroha and Waitoa, intimates in our advertising columns that the election oC LicensingCommittees for these districts will talce place on the 23 id inst. The Te Arolm election will lake place at tho Court House and that of W.iitoa at the School House, i Nominations are due before the 16th inst. Tho names of the members of the present Committees are — Te Aroha : Messrs Stafford, Lavery, Lipsey, H. H. Adams, and Roach. Waitoa : Messrs Ghepmell, T. Macdonnell, R. Parr, Tnrnbull, and F. Strange. The total number of miners' rights taken up in Te Aroha during* last year was 245. " lloo's the thribbet paying-, Sandy ?" said one Thames Scotchman to another. " licuch ! She's not paying enough to pay the per-eentage," was the reply. Such g-ood progress has been with the railway bridge since the holidays that the contractor expects to be able to commence erection of the central concrete pier in tho course of a day or two. A pile formation has been made for the pier, and a coffer dam has been erected round it. It is probable that tho bridge will be finished in the course of four months. In our issue to-day tenders are invited for tho timber contract in connection with the Auckland Passenger Station. The Thames people talk of establishing a tannery and boot factory. Some festive Waiorongomite yesterday endeavoured to hoax us with a bogus advertisement, the purport of! which was that Mr Louis Kalman, of 'that place, was the father of twins. Now, we knew at once that tho affair was a diabolical swindle, as we felt certain that if Mr Kalman had " pulled off the double " lie would have \\ aited on us personally , .md invited u.s to drink the healths of the interesting little strangers. A fortnight ago Mr John Wood reaped 25 tons of clover hay from hi- paddock in Te Aroha West, and already in places the clover is nine inches high. The following tenders have been received by the Waitoa Road Bo.nd. Mace's outfall drain and Kershaw's road, deterred pa}'ment block, Te Aroha. Collins and Co. — Drain, 9s lOd per chain ; forming, 2s 6d per chain ; timber, 23s per 100 ft ; iron, 4^d per lb ; earth, 7d per yd ; pipes, piTset, 4(is, 54s 100s. Bridge over I J iako River (two 25 feet spans), nea/ Pinko railway station. Joseph ILcathcotc. — Biidgc, £119; culvtMt, £18; earth, Is per )d ; timber for bridge, 3,^ per IOOL't ; for culvoit, 29s ; iron, (id. Piako-iti road l'tom Wrights to J. lines' and Patterson's. Patei -ion and Shaw. — Face cuttings, Is per }d ; sioitms, 8d p.-r \d ; diain, Hd per \<\ ; tinibor, 22s per IOOL't ; ii.m, Gil per lb ; fascines, 40s. Cutting and embankment "it Wnihekau Hill, mam road. M. O'DonoAhuc— E.irth, lHd per yd ; timber, 22.s Ud per luOt't. Bivuinei's cutting, gorge road. — James Shaw, Is per 3 aid. At tho last meeting of the Thames High School Boctid ol Governors the following business of interest to Waiorongomai leaders was transacted : — The Chairman of the Piako County Council wrote that, having been informed that the Board was willing to spend some money in metalling Kilgour-strcct, Waiorongomai, the Council was willing to assist in the work. — Resolved that the Council be informed that the Board has no further funds at its disposal for the work, and that the Chairman must have been misinformed. In reply to a letter firm thu Warden's dep.utmeut, recommending that a portion of the bush land on the endowment, between the buck reef and the Waiorongomai crook, should be surveyed, and roads laid oil', so as to suit it for resilience sites for the miners, it was resolved that the matter be left in Mr Bagnall's hands to report on. lie the recommendation of the old Board that the lessees of sections at Te Aroha be compelled to cultivate their land, it was resolved to consult the solicitor and sec what the Board's poweis were. Lord lloseborry, during his stay in Australia, is evidently determined to see the most that he can in the time at his disposal. He has been fiyinj backwards and forwards between Sydney and Melbourne, in order to approach as closely as possible to Sir Boyle Roches ideal bird, which could be in two places at once. He had given his promise to attend ar.ice meeting at Randwick, ana thought little of travelling the 1000 miles of the overland journey to keep his word. To-day he was at the b'leminigton course, so that on his return to England he will be able to speak with some degree of authority on how we manage turf affairs in Australia, lie has visited Sandhurst and Ballarat, has seen station life on Sir Patrick Jennings Waibrecan Estate, near Deniliquin, has presided at the speech day meeting of the Scotch College, and has won golden opinions all around for his affability and evident appreciation of the best side of Colonial life— Sydney Exchange. An old lady from the country recently visited the metropolis, and attending a theatre one night, complained in one oi the scenes that the light was too dim to see the acting properly. " Won't you try this glass ?" asked a gentleman next her, handing her his lorgnette. Hastily covering the suspicious-looking object with her handkerchief, she placed it to her lips, took a long pull, and then handed it back in great disgust, saying, " Why, there ain't a drop in it." .At the dinner on board the Aorangi at Wellington on Monday night, Mr G. S. Coopor pointed out a singular coincidence that the meaning of " Aorangi " was " the first dawn of day." The first immigrant ship which arrived in Wellington forty- | four years ago was called the Aurora, which meant exactly tho same ; while the French frigate which was so near planting the French flag at Akaroa was called l'Aube, another synonym

The proportion of doctors to each 10,000 of population is said to be as follows:— France, 2.91 ; Gormanv, 3.21 ; Austria, 3.41 ; England, 6 ; Hungary, 6.10 ; Italy, li.lo : Switzerland, 7.06 ; United States, 16.24. The following paragraph from a Queensland paper called the Tovvnsvillo Bulletin shows both how South Sea Islanders get the arms which enables them to perpetrate such massacres as took place at the Gilbert Group the other day, and how Queenslandors look upon the matter :—: — The returned Kanakas brought down from the Johnstone and Herbert Kivers for transport to their homes in the New Hebrides by the schooner Flora are fully firmed with JSniders, Enh'elds, and other rifles, together with a full complement of! cartridges and ammunition for each weapon. These were all purchased in "•ootl i'aitli by these returned inlanders three months aero at the expiration of their "time service," that being long before the Prohibition Act came into force, which does not allow arms to be taken from Queensland. These recruits will, of course, treel annoyed at not being allowed to carry their purchases back to their homes as promised, and if actually taken from them, as the Government Agent of the Flora Ims done, prior to other instructions, it will be the means of prohibiting this fine c'a -s of labour from our sugar plantations. Not only that, but the bud faith shown m.iy lead to the massacre of more Queensland vessels' crews in the Inlands. The present prohibition seems absurd, as it severely handicaps our ships from taking trade guns, worth 5s to 9s each, which could not even shoot round a corner, while the Fijis, Samoan, Honolulu, German, and American vessels can with impunity recruit in the New Hebrides or Solomons and sell guns. An international prohibition would have been a fair thing. We nre often asked, says the Spectator, whore in the great Empire of China power really resides, and we believe the best «hort statement is this. Subject to certain immovable customs, the Emperor, in his capacity of Father of the people, can in theory give any order, and can in practice punish with decapitation or exile any official or person who disobeys it. lie is in all serious alVaiis, however, obliged to consult, though not to obey, a rather large group of princes of his dynasty and great Mandciiins, who divide the dcpaitment and the gi eat vice-royalties among themselves. The dynasty, moreover, being foreign, is compelled to respect the army to some extent, while the army is ior financial reasons so limited in number that it is difficult to garrison the empire, and impossible to hold it down for an hour. It is the tradition of the Court, therefore, never seriously to oifend either the army or the people in such a way as to provoke emeutes, more especially in Pekin. At present the Emperor is a boy, owly just twelve years of age, and all real authority belongs to a widow of the last full-grown Emperor— llien Fung, who is called the Empress-Mother, but is not the mother of Emperor —to Prince Kung, Li Hung Chang, the favourite of the native Chinese, and two or three less known high officials. They can send out any orders they please, and are obeyed, but they cannot afford to risk the insurrection which would follow any great aif'-ont to the pride of the people, such as the cession of fonquin would b<\ China, in fact, is a moie solid Turkey, with Sultan, Pa^hdb, army, and mob sharing power in unequal degiech. As in Tuike), coo, all four are bound in the chain of a law which cannot be modified.