Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News AND UPPER THAMES ADVOCATE.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 354, 27 March 1889, Page 2

Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News AND UPPER THAMES ADVOCATE.

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

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 1889.

Whilst during the past summer all the Australian Colonies have suffered from the groat drought, New South Wales has been particularly unfortunate ; its losses in live stock, apart altogether from indifferent crops, having been enormous. Its wheat crop has been quite a failure. The estimated yield was 1,537,000 bushels, being only about one third of the average yield for over twenty five years past. The total amount of wheat required for consumption by New South Wales amounts to about 7,500,000 bushels, add 500,000 required for seed and we find that the Colony will need some 5,000,000 bushel? of wheat, against which it i" estimated to actually have only about 1,537,000 bushels, leaving a deficiency to the extent of about 6,500,000 bushels. Some time aeo a good many persons in New Zealand expressed the, opinion that the price of whpafc would recede after harvest ; bat this prognosti cation has not yet come true ; nor, in the face of the foregoing facts, is it likely to do so for a considerable time to come. It was principally in consequence of the Australian requirements that the recent advance in prices occurred. The wheat crop in South Australia and Victoria has also been much below the average, and, after taking any it can obtain from these countries, New South Wales will probably provide a ready market for Now Zealand's surplus, and even then require to obtain further supplies from America. In spite of these facts, however, it would undoubtedly be a mistake for holders in New Zealand to attempt to force prices beyond legitimate values. To adopt such a line of j olicy might result in the loss of at least a portion of the benefit tlr's Colony would otherwise obtain, as California would no doubt promptly come to the rescue. It is sincerely to be hoped that care will be taken ly our farmers this season, as far as they possibly can, to avoid thrashing and marketing their wheat before it is seasoned. New Zealand's reputation, as a grain and producing country, has already suffered a good deal in consequence of farmers thrashing out and shipping their wheat, before it was sufficiently seasoned to stand a lengthy voyage. Now the prospects for farmers are beginning to improve, it is to be hoped they will endeavonr to send their produce to market in good condition, both for their own sakes, and for the credit of tha Colony. Beyond a doubt New Zealand has sustained heavy losses in the past tluough grain and other produce being shipped Home in a careless and unmarketable condition.

The long spell of dry weather seems to linve broken up fit length, and the weather within the piist few days has become quite cold and wintry, with heavy showers. Mr Howell, Superintendant Te Arolia S. and G. M. Company, invites tenders for the supply of horse feed for four months. Samples to accompany each tender. See advt. Mr J. W. Walker invites tenders for cutting two open water-races. The works nriy be tendered for in one contract, or in several section?. Tenders will be opened at the mine, Waihi, to-morrow, nt 6 p.m. See advt. Special attention is directed to the impoi taut sale of superior household f urni • lure, handsome piano, etc., etc., to be held In-day, at Rev. Jan. Marshall's by Mr J, Craig. A man named Maloney has been arrested in Auckland for wife de^Pition at Hie Wahi Koa settlement, Matamat-i, Maloney w;is one <?f the pioneer settlers, but cleared au.-iy recently from his family, who remain on the section, and a wairant h- is been out • for his arrest. Kp will he brought before f\ t e Bench at Te Ar^ia.

We understan 1 that tho ton ler of Mcs-r^G. Lovejrrnvo ami Son, for painting the Mnrrin-<viile school honso his b;en ■icoopted, the amount being 1 £6 ss. The following are. the receipts an 1 expenditure oE the Waiorongom.ii Sunday School Anniveisary recently held :—: — Receipts: Sunday collections, £2 6* Id ; cash at door, £3 Is 01 ; sale of tickets, JCS 17s ; subscriptions, £5 IGs Gl ; sale, of cnke, 5s 6d ; total £17 Oh 7d. Expenditure : £8 3s 4tl ; oe.tt proceeds, £9 3s 3d. The Committee desire to tender their hearty thanks to all friends whoso kindly assisted them. We understand that a Minstrel troupe and brass band is to be formpd composed of persons from theTuiand Waiorongoinai. After a short time allowed for practice it is the intention of the troupe to give an entertainment of mnsic, sinking, and dancing. An} T one desirous ofc joining the minstrels are rcquestad to apply to Mr W. Cornoß, Te Arohn. A meeting was held at Mr Biggs shop on Saturday last, by a number of young men interested in football, a club was foimed, and about twenty five members enrolled. The following officers were appointed :—: — President, Mr Gr. I'-bert ; Vice-President, Mr C. A. Comes ; Captain, Mr J. Chirking; Vice-Captain, Mr J. Lynch ; Secretary, J. F. Cocks ; Treasurer, W, Hyde. The tone of tho meeting was strongly in favour of commencing practice as soon as possible, and the Secretary was instructed to take immediate steps to proem e balls and uniforms, so as to be ready to try conclusions with any other Club who may feel inclined to meet them. We notice by an advertisement in the Thames Ad verrtiser of Saturday last, Messrs J, Roberts, J. Lavery, W. Hetheiin^ton, of Te Aroha ; and W. H. Buckley of Thames, have made application f->r a licensed holding, to be called the " Mermaid," situated at Tar ant Creek, Thames. Should the claim turn out equal to the specimens shown in Te Aroha on Fiiday List, there is no doubt but that the applicants will be amply rewarded for theii trouble. The specimens shown were very rich ones, and should yield well. We publish in our columns to-day a letter from Mr Geo. Smith, contradicting in a very emphatic manner th<» report which appeared in our issue of this day week, re Moninsville School Committee, and the action of certain members of that Committee in connection with the school chi'dren's picnic that had been arranged to be held at Annandale as usual on £l. Patrick's Day, but did not come off, We know all about what has taken place with respect to the affair, and the upsetting of the picnic — quite oput from our "Own Correspondents report." — and shall probably have something more to say on tlu> subject at an early date. Meantime we will give >c Our own Correspondent" an opportunity to reply to Mr Smith's letter, should he care to do so. The mail steamer, Alameda, for San Francisco, which sailed from Auckland on Monday, was crowded with passengers from Australia and New Zealand, many from Sydney, being American and other tourists, returning from the Melbourne Exhibition. Amongst the passen«rer<3 from Auckland for England were MrT. Peacock, M.H.R., and Mrs Peacock ; Mr H. Brett (proprietor " Auckland Evening Star," "N.Z. Farmer," etc, etc.), Mrs Brett and several members of their family. Mr j Peacock intends to include in his trip a visit to the well-known mining regions of Colorado, where he will see in operation the best methods and systems in the world for smelting refractory ores. Mr Brett purposes to pay an extended visit to the Paris Exhibition, and he hns consented to do what he can to assist in securing a good display of the mineral exhibits sent from this colony, and in i'tirtheiance of that object has been appointed one of the Honary Commit>sionejs for the New Zealand Court. We extract tho following from the Maik Lane Express :— A valuable paper by Dr Fieam on " The Herbage of Old Grass Lands," forms one of the many useful and attractive papers in the current number of the Journal of the Royal Airrieullural Society. Pr Fream describes an elaborate nnd careful in vestiur.it ion into the botanical composition of the herbage of old grass lands, the chief result ariived at being that rye-grass and white clover are tho most important ingredients in the horbnge of many of our finest old pasture*. Turfs of two feet square and nine inches deep have been obtained from some five-and-twenty pastures in the very best grazing dfctiicts of England and Ireland, nnd these were planted in tho botanical garden of ths Downton Colletreof Agriculture, from these Dr Fream has made exhaustive botanical analyses of the grow* irq plants, with the mean result allu led to. In concluding the report, Dr Fream says: — When it is remembered that these turfs were drawn from twelve English and seven Iri<h counties, when it is borne in mind that they were selected by men of sound agricultural experience as repre tentative of the best old grassland of their respective districts, and when it is recol lected also thnt each turf continued to grow upon its own soil, then it cannot but be admitted that the prenoral result should be trustworthy. And if there is one fact which, more clearly than any other, is demonstrated in the results obtained, it is the position taken by rye-grasss and white clover, which appear to constitute the backbone — if I may so express it — of many of our finest and best grass lands.