THE AROHA NEWS AND UPPER THAMES ADVOCATE.

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 48, 3 May 1884, Page 2

THE AROHA NEWS AND UPPER THAMES ADVOCATE.

'Thi° abovp all — to thine own-self be tru A.nd it must follow as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.' — Shakespeare.

SATURDAY, MA.V 3. 1884.

It. is with mwch regret; we notice that Mr Firth lias decided upon discharging ihn greater nnmher of the workmen now engaged on his Matamata estate. This announcement was made by Mr Firth himself at the recent Harvest Home given at Matamata, a brief report of which will be found in another column, the reason given being that cropping does not pay at present, low prices obtainable fur farm produce. On the

; Matamnta estate everything has br>en done that science, conld suggest <wd | money procure to save manual labour, which forms such nn expensive item for the. colonial farmer to meet •, everything that could be done by machinery appears tj have been so done; and yet we are told cropping does not pay, even on such valuable la«f! a 1 * that cultivated on the estate referred to. With regard to the men discharged, they will, no doubt, quickly find suitable opening? elsewhere at good wages. But it, is a very serious matter to the whole provincial i district that such a step as that now rej ferred to should be found absolutely necessary by a man of sucli indomitable energy aud perseverance as Mr Firth. Afler conquering so many difficulties, and overcoming so many obstacles that very few men would have attempted under similar circumstances ; after changing the wilderness of fern and titree into large securely fenced paddocks, well cultivated, and producing excellent crops, now to have to almost suspend operations for the reason that the returns do not warrant a continuance of such a course is indeed a matter of regret and serious contemplation. We rejoice to see the snug homes, high wages, and independence obtainable by the farm labourer in New Zealand. Here, for eight hours' work ho will receive as much money per day as he could obtain in many parts of Ireland per week. To the farm labourer New Zealand must indeed prove a regular elysium and surpass his brightest expectation?, and many years Must elapse before wages are likely to be 1 educed to any very great extent. 'Large numbers of immigrants liave arrived of late, and .yet we see all able and willing to work engaged at high wages within a few hours after their arrival. But in the face ol all this the fact remains, that farming is not paying as it should in New Zealand, and .just now the cost of labour in many instances is greater than the returns warrant. In his recent speech at Hawera Major Atkinson alluded 1o the fall in the price of wool as one of the causes of the depression am] deficiency in the revenue. He sot down the lo** to the colony from this source during the financial year at £400,000. The price of wool is a matter of juimary importance to New Zealand, seeing that it is such a staple export of the -colony, tl>e average value of which for past five years has been considerably over £'0,000, 000. A diminution of the silm coining into the country in exchange for i\,i< commodity amounts to the same thing as so much money lost or being sent out of the colony as interest on <Jebts. The low price of wool is a serious matter for the farmers of New Zealand, of couise, more especially for the Southerners, o n whom it has pressed very heavely. A low price for wool of necessity uie.ms for them scarcity of cash, anil consequent depression. We very sincerely hope that the lowest, point has been reached botli for wool and farm produce geneially, that brigher days arc at hand for the farmers of New Zealand, and the time not far distant, when Mr Firth will again be able to find amplo and remunerative employment for those work-, men he is now of necessity obliged to discharge, as well as for many more.

On Thursday next Mr J. S. Auckland will hold a sale of fat and stoic cattle and sheep, dairy cows hoisos, farming implements, etc., at Waitoa and Waihon .sh)--yards. A large number of entries have already been made. The conti actors, Messrs White and Byrne, Imvc commenced the or 'Cti'>,i of a superior six-roomed house for Mr Kdward Peel, close by his iErated Water and Cordinl Factory. The sovority of tlie sentence oF Captain Corhett, of Cambridge, on the throe men — Hompenstall, Brown, and Harry Dunn — three months at Mount Eden, for being found sleeping in the h.iyloi t of n Cambridge hotel, has been severely commented on. The hist-numed, who bus been sent to gaol as a vagrant for three months, is a working man, well known in Hamilton for the last sixteen years, nnd is the owner of two valuable acres in tlip borough, and of a iifty-acre section in the neighbourhood. A memorial is being sent to the Minister of Justice representing the hardship of the casse. This season appears to have been a most extraordinarily i'avomable one to the growth of potatoes in Waiknfo. A crop lias been grown by Captain Runciman, of Tamahere, on a square chain, exactly onetfnth of an acre, in a clover paddock, which three years ago wa-« unreclaimed land, was dug up and planted with o'Olbs of Suttons FlonrballK. The result ha^ been 26 fulJ-sized sown up sacks of eatable potatoes, and some 2 bushels over ; or as 12 sacks go to a ton, i'uliy 22 tons to the acre. At Wanganui on Tuesday last, an accident of n peculiar nature happened at the boiling-down establishment of the Wanganui Meut Company, situated about a mile from town, on the south railway line. A vat of boilirtg fat exploded, and blew , the roof of the building off. The top of the vat was sent about 80 yarcK No injury was done to anyone beyond two men who were wome yarda fi'om the building, 'and who got covered with fat, and were

slightly soilded. The concussion was heard a long distance nv/ay. '„ I On to-morrow Mr St<*phen««on will conduct tho morning service »\t the Weslcvttn Church, and in the evening Rev. T. J. Wills will preach same place. Onn of the most cowardly and mnlicion 5 ! actions which we Imve had for a length of time to chioniole was perpetrated, on the tramway early on Tue^lay morning last. Whether i( was done from a mere wunton love of mischief or to gratify some feeling of revenge matters not, for in either ease the crime is a moat serious one, and is deserving of the severest punishment. On the morning mentioned, as one of the employees was proceeding to dut}* along the line, he chanced to discern something wrong with tho wire rope on the selfacting grade at the Fern Spnr, unct on examining 1 it found that two of the strands had been cut or hammered in two with some blunt instrument, the marks of which were observable on the iron rail alongside which had evidently been used as an anvil, it is needless to speculate on the possible consequences had the injury not been discovered in time. The sound portion of the rope bom«- unequal to the strain put upon it by a loaded way^n would have parted, and truck and contents I would have gone rushing down the incline and been smashed to pieces, and it would only have been by something little short of a miracle if the men at the bottom of the grade saved their lives. The line is there hemmed in between two high banks, and in the dense fog that prevailed i oa Tuesday morning, escape would have boon almost impossible. It is difficult to find language sufficiently strong to condemn such a dastardly outrage, and we are sorry to think that there aie amongst us men who could be guilty of this crime. We lisive not yet heard of i\ny reward being offered, but we are assured that no i effort will be spared to discover the miscreant, to whom iC found we trust no mercy will be shown. Several men are now engaged erecting the telephone posts between Morrinsville and "Wuihou. The resident engincei, who has the I supervision of the railway works, visited this part of the district in the beginning of the week and inspected the new bridge and things connected therewith. The coffer d.im for tlieouterpierli.nl then been cleared out, and a good bottom obtained. Prepatatiu-is are now being made for filling in the concrete, and the actual constructioh of the piVr will beshonly commenced. Messrs Hunt ;>nd White are making a good use of the line weather in the earthwork formation. Much of it is completed, a con^ider.i ble stretch of it from this end having now been dressed. A meeting of the committee of the Public Library was held in the Readingroom on Monday evening, Mi Cull", vicepresident, in the chair. Some accounts were passed for payment and other bnsint\ss transacted chiefly oL" a routine nature. The secietary presented a statement showing the hnun.-ial position of the institution, which is still in a healthy state, the recent Government grant of £34 4.s 9<l having swelled the funds. It was decided to procure a number of new works for the Library as soon as catalogues have been received from Auckland. Measures were also devised ior making the Reading) oom as attractive as possible during the winter months. Messrs Peel and Mills were elected members of committee, and a vote oi thriuLs was accorded to James Craig, Jwj. for another donation of books. Although there is now a considerable sum of lHiniey in hand, the drain upoa the funds is very heavy, and «he committee earnestly !e<pic-t all those who desire, to see the use1 nlncss of the institution maintained and extended will have there names, if not already enrolled, added to the list of subscribers. The iipw bath at the northern hot springs is now almost finished, and will in a few d.i>s. be ready for use* The construction is very substantial, and the arrangements though simple are exceedingly commodious. We trust the Domain Bo # »rd will see their way to appoint some person to look after the different baths a« coon a* the improvements in hand ire completed. If this is not done the larrikin element ; will iLyiin assume control, and things will very soon be in us bad a state as l>efoi,>. It lunds are wanted we feel sine that few persons would grudge to pay a small fee. if by doing so they could secure the comi'oit and privacy which, for females i especially, has heretofore been obtainable ! only on rare occasions Te Aioha Band of Hope hold their next meeting in the Wesleyan Church on Tuesday evening, commencing at 7 o'clock. Rev. T. J, Wills will preside and give an arldiess; several Waiorongomai friends or the movement are expected to take pai t, and an interesting meeting is anticipated. It is stilted that the profits of the Sydney Morning tleiald amount to £50,000 uyear. The sale of Mr G. S. O'lLiilnran's furniture commenced on Saturday, and was resumed and completed on Mond ty. On both occasions there was a large atten dance, and on tho whole the sale was a /nost successful one for the vendor ; prices ruling high throughout, arid in several instances equalling first cost. Mr William Carpenter, from Thames, officiated a.s auctioneer. The advertisement which appears in another column shows plainly that the ladies committee of the Gospel Temperance Mission, who exercised Mich a great influence on the occasion of the recent elections of Licensing Commissioners for Auckland, # are determined not to rest upon their ohj.s, or remain satisfied with what has been already accomplished They have issued a large number of circulars similar to those now referred to, and distributed them all over the colony. For the reason t»jut it is women and children who chiefly and most severely suffer through drunkenness, they desire that a Local Option Extension Act may be passed, giving- to all women of mature age the right to vote on the occasion of electing Licensing Committees. A meeting wiis convened for Monday evening last in the "Wesleyan Church, specially to consult as to what steps had best be taken for the furtherance of temperance in this district ; Rev. T. J. Wills in the chair. Tho matter was fully discussed, tho circulars referred to were read, und a committee of ladies was formed to canvas* the whole electoral district for signatures to a, petition, having for its object the granting to women the aforesaid privilege. On Thursday night another meeting was held, when two ladies were deputed to oauvu&s

i To Aroha for signatures to this petitirin, ' , which will he presented to the Hou««j on re-asspmblinti ; also for Blue Uibhnn pledges. We understand ammcpiuenfa are being mode for canvassing cither portion« of the district. The members of Masonic fraternity, of whom thove nre n e<>nMirb i r»ble number resident in the two townships «nd adjoining 1 districts, have for mmj time past had it in contemplation to form a lodge here, and the matter has now assumed a definite shape. A warrant has been applied foe from the Grand Lodge of Scotland, ami the necessary dispensation procured. A building .suitable for lodge purposes has also been obtained, and the " erection" and consecration will tnko place on Tuesday, the 13th inst., when there will be a numerous gathering of: the brethren to take part in the proceeding. Dignatarios from the Provincial Grand Lodge, S.G., Auckland, will conduct the ceremonies, which \\"'ll be of a most interesting an I imprvswivo character. A number of brethren from the Thames and eisewhero are also expected, and from the interest manifested in the event by tho biotherhood generally, it is hoped that a strong lodge will be formed. It sfieins thnt all hope of seeing the Excelsior Buttery #one on with iniy now be abandoned, but we are pleased to learn that efforts are still being made to procure additional crushing power for the Held, and that there is a strong probability that these efforts will prove successful. A meeting of persons interested in an important mine on the hill was held during the week, and a proposal was submitted for the erection oL' a ID-stamper battery. Negotiations arc now in progress for the election oi! ihe same, and if these can be satisfactorily concluded the project will shortly be an accomplished fact, as it is intended to proceed with the wink .<s soon a-> term-3 have been aruiuged, and if possible to have it completed hutorts the worst of the winter sets in. The owners of the mine referied to will not have a monopoly of the battery, which is intended for public use. The\ will, however, in the event of their accepting the proposal submitted, ha/c a lirsc right to a ceitain number of stampers, but it is not sxpeeled that these will be kepi steadily going, and there will consequents be ample opportunity for other claim-! to crush. We ;ire not aware whether a site has been fixed upon, but believe it will be somewhere in the neighbourhood of the fnvcruess Phoenix, Waiorongomai, and other chums. Should the proposed undertaking be cairicd out, the cost of treating Ooth quartz and tailings will, we believe, bo considerably less than the present rate oL' chiiigo.N at the works off the flatten (Jo. We sincerely trust that in this case the matter will be brought to a yuccessfni /'-sue. A special meeting of the Presbyterian Church committee was hold on Thursday evening to receive the resignation of their lespectul minister, the ftev. Mr Fergus •son, who will shortly leave this district. In tending his resignation, Mr Fergusson expressed hit> sincei'e regret on having to sever bis connection with the committee and coiigj-e^ation, from wlnm he had at all tunes received the warmest s^-mpath) and support in the discharge of his duties, but his services were jequirod in another sphere of labour, and he telt it to be his duty to accept thu appointment that had been offered to him by the managers of St. Andrew's Church, Auckland. The committee, after giving the matter their serious coiisideiatum, felt themselves bound, though regretLully, to accept the resignation, being persuaded that the change would be greatly to the advantage of Mr Feigusson, who would leave the di&tnct with the hearty goodwill, not only of themselves, but of the whole of the Presbyterian body residing in the district. The reverend gentleman will, we believe, proceed to his new charge in the course ot two or three weeks. Nothing has \et been done in the way of procuring another ministei, but it is not probable that the Auckland Presbytery or the Church Extension Committee will allow the vacant charge to remain long unoccupied.