Untitled

Waikato Argus, Volume V, Issue 322, 2 August 1898, Page 2

In this week's Supplement we shall print an interesting paper read at the meeting of the Waikato Fanners' Club last evening by Mr Joseph Barugh, " Gleanings on a journey from Canterbury to New Plymouth." The Waikato hounds will meet at the Kennels, Bruntwood, to-morrow (Wednesday), and at Newstead and Gwyunelands on Saturday, 6th and 13th, respectively. The annual meeting of milk suppliers and contributors to the Wliatawhata Butter Factory will be held at the creamery on Saturday next, 6th August, at 10.30 a.m. Several cases of interest will be heard at the Cambridge Magistrate's Court on Friday. In one a farmer and a merchant have fallen out over a transaction in chaff. A number of witnesses have been subpooned. We understand the Mayor of Cambridge has been asked to call a public meeting some day this week, to discuss the advisability of petitioning the House to have the Bible read in the public schools. If the Mayor consents, the meeting will probably take place on Friday. An old resident of Waikato, in the person of Mr Forbes Gordon, died at the Old Men's Refuge, .Hamilton, on Sunday morning. Deceased was for many years Clerk to the Kihikihi Town Board, but being overtaken by blindness, he had to resign from his office, and for some time, past has been an inmate of the above institution. Considerable astonishment (writes oik Te Awamutu correspondent) was felt here by all the milk suppliers to the creamery re the report which appeared in the Auckland Star that a move was on foot to form a co-operative dairy business in the Te Awamutu district. At the meeting on Saturday none of the suppliers appeared to know anything about the matter. At their Cambridge sale on Saturday next, Messrs McNicol and Co. will offer a nnmber of good draught mares and geldings and several farming implements, in addition to the usual draft of cattle and pigs. They will also offer, if not sold privately, Mr li. J. Neal's shop and allotment in Duke-street, Cambridge A large number of fruit trees and shrubs will also be offered from the well-known nursery of Mr John Sharp. Mr John Kerr, who has been connected with the Stock Department in this district for some time past, has received " marching orders," being transferror! to the Wauarapa district. Mr Kerr has, in the discharge of bis duties, visited most parts of Waikato, and in every place his sterling qualities have won him mauy friends, who will be sorry to hear he is leaving, but the knowledge that he is obtaining promotion will be gratifying. Mr Kerr will be succeeded by a Mr McUullough. Mr J. R. E, Hatrick intends buildiug a shop and dwelling-house on the vacant allotment adjoining his shop in Hood street, Hamilton. The premises will be occupied by Miss Redmond, who was unfortunately burnt out in the late fire in Victoria-street. Mr Young, surgeon dentist, we understand, intends building a surgery in this portion of the town. What with the re-erection of the buildings in the main street and others in various parts of the Borough, there promises to be a boom in the building trade in Hamilton for the next six months. Mr Herbert Nixow, eldest son of Mr Thos. Nixon, of Cambridge, has purchased Mr Simon Barker's jewellery business in Victoria-street, Cambridge, together with the premises lately purchased by Mr Harker and since renovated. They are now the two best looking shops in the town. Mr Nixon served eight years at the trade in Auckland, and is thoroughly well up in all its branches. We wisli him success in his new undertaking, and congratulate Mr Harker on having found a customer with so little trouble. We understand that on Friday night a robbery was perpetrated at the ploughmen's camp on the old racecourse at Rukuhia. The men left the camp about seven o'clock to attend to their horses, and were not absent more than half an hour, but on their return they found some one had visited the camp ami ransacked all their belongings, appropriating anything of value that was at hand, a silver watch and over thirty shillings in money, as well as other articles being mising. There is no clue as to the culprits, but they must have had an intimate knowledge of the movements of the occupants of the camp, as they had very little time to carry out their work. It is co be hoped they may be discovered and adequately punished. The shooting season for IS9B closed on Saturday last, and from what we can learn it has been one of the moat smcotssful for some years, pheasants having beeu more plentiful than for some seasons past, but this is not saying that they are numerous. The license issued by the Acclimatisation Society, we are afraid, acts very little as a check on poaching, as, so far as we know, there is never a ranger or any other ollicer of the Society in our district to take any steps to prosecute those shooting without a license, and their name is lection, At the beginning of the season there was some talk of the rigid enforcement that was to be made of the law this year, but, beyond a few prosecutions around Auckland, nothing lias been done, whereas, if there had been any real desire on the part of the Society to atop the poaching tlere would have been little difficulty in securing plenty of cases in Waikato, where licensed sportsmen are the exception. The adoption of a gun license of i'l would, we think, meet the case better than the existing arrangement, and we trust that the Society may sec their way to endeavour to have the law amended in this direction

It has lately been discovered that British trade murks have been for.jed wholesale in Egypt, and vast quantities of hardware goods sold as British manufacture which really came from Belgium and Germany. Three hundred cities and towns in the United States have adopted the curfew boll, sending children home at 8 o'clock in winter and 0 in summer, and all the placestluU have tried it. are immensely pleased with the effect in reducing larnkinism and juvenile crime. Although the evening was not at. all propitious, the Cinderella dance held in the Oddfellows' Hall at Cambridge on Friday was well attended, amongst those present being a number from Hamilton. The debutante of the evening was Miss Kmpson, daughter of the postmaster of Cambridge, who looked charming in a white tilk dress, and carried a beautiful spray bouquet of white (lowers. This was also the first appearance of Miss Reynolds at a Cambridge dance, but she made her debut in England when visiting her friends there She was dressed in white and was much admired. A severe westerly gale prevailed throughout the colony on Sunday last, and as a coifscquencc the telegraphic communication has been upset. Yesterday at the Hamilton office only urgnnts were received, and so far no news has been received from further South than Wakapuaka. Locally the eifeets of the storm were confined to the uprooting of trees, overthrow of sheds and outbuildings, and the blowing down of telegraph poles. The weather was very co'd, the gale being accompanied by showers of sleet and hail, and at Poro-o-tarao. yesterday morning there was a heavy fall of snow. The President of an American bank is reported'to have recently made an extraordinary use of thfe long-dis-tance telephone." While at Minneapolis, Minnesota, he presided over a meeting of the bank Directors at Lowell, Massachusetts, using for the purpose the long-distance wires. The President called the meeting to order over the telephone, and transacted the business in the usual fashion. It is said thai he readily recognised the voice of each director, when one spoke into the instrument. The line was made up of eight copper metallic circuits, and was over 1500 miles in length. This is believed to be the first business meeting ever held by the use of a telephone over ao great a length. On Saturday last the Ohinemuri Gas Company commenced the supply of gas in Paoroa, and four hotels and a large number of business and private houses were lit up, the installation being everything that could be desired. The works have been erected under the supervision of Mr Hy. Atkiimon, late manager of the Auckland Gas Works, and Mr A. H. Atkinson, manager of the new company, and the whole of the work has been carried out in a most efficient and expeditious manxer' The people of Paeroa have caught on to the advance and numerous fittings have been in for some time, awaiting the laying of the mains. The incandescent lamps are being lamely used, no less than seventy being already in use. At the request of a number of the inhabitants of Cambridge, Mr Hood, the Secretary of the Auckland Co-operative Terminating Building Society, paid that town a visit on Friday last to explain the working of the Society. In the evening a meeting was held in the Public Hall, at which about 50 were present, and Mr Hood fully explained matters connected with the Society, which is worked on similar terms to the StarBowkett system, which has proved so successful in the Old Country. The Mayor occupied the chair, and, in introducing Mr Hood, His Worship referred to the excellent work that had been done by similar Societies in England. He said he knew many in that country who were their own landlords through having joined bnilding Societies conducted on the Star Bowkett system, who would otherwise, most probably, never have had a freehold of their own. After giving the address Mr Hood answered a number of questions relating to the working of the system, and before the meeting closed about thirty shares were applied for. It is not only a good thing for those who want to build, but is also a, very good investment; indeed, the number of shares that are allotted to one individual is limited to five, to prevent speculators using the Society. The shares are £2OO each, and only lately one individual who drew two shares sold them for £BO to someone that urgently needed the money for building purposes. We recommend those who think of buiUliug to. make enquiries re this matter. Mr Hunter, member for Waipavva, in speaking to the Address-in-Reply in reference to a challenge thrown out to give a single instance of " Tammany," said he. could give several in the district he represented. "Tammany'' was not in embryo, as stated the member for Wellington city, but is in full operation. At the last election a Gentleman took an active part against him ; he was rewarded by a position in the railway service being created for him. He was placed as Inspector over the heads of men who had been in the service for years. He was appointed at a remunerative salary, but he so misused his position that even the Liberal Government could not tolerate him, and he had to be dismissed. Another instance a gentleman was placed in charge of the cooperative labourers, and he was found unfit for the position, but in place of discharging him the Government placed him in a position which now gives him greater power in regard to the employment- of co-operative labourers. That same gentleman gave it as his opinion that the Opposition members should be shot. Recently a case was brought under my notice of a person in the railway service beimr dismissed and told by the ganger that this was to make room for a married man. He was the only man iu the gang who was known to be a supporter of the Opposition party. These are instances of what is known as "Tammany." This is not so much " Spoils to the .Victors," but it is a policy of punishment to the vanquished. Mr Thomas Mackenzie, representative of the New Zealand Farmers' Cooperative Association, sends the following extract from a London paper : "'While the City Corporation is busy with scandals in other directions the old abuses in connection with the Central Meat Market, which we have exposed, still go on. It may be remembered that we called attention from time to time to the payment of large sums by a firm of salesmen, who were charged with "cooking " their accounts. We gave the corporation every opportunity to deal with this case and to meet the abuses. We withheld the fuller exposure of the scandals, but we regret that the corporation shirked its responsibility. Of this we shall probably have more to say on another occasion. In the meantime wc would point out that actions are being brought against other salesmen. This time it is the colonial importers who allege that they are defrauded. Only one payment has been made so far. A New Zealand importer sent a consignment of about 10,000 sheep to a salesman at the meat market, and disputed the account when it was received. He had taken the precaution of listening to some of the sales, and was certain that the prices stated to have been received were not the actual amounts. The salesman pleaded that he had equalised the payments. He demanded an explanation, and threatened proceedings. He presented the alternative to the salesman of paying him £7OO or showing his hooks. The salesman paid the money. Another case has been raised against the same salesman by an importer of Australian mutton."

A deputation (writes the Wellington correspondent of the Herald) of well-known Southern millers desired to w»it on the Premier on Saturday, with the object of furthering negotiations for the purchase of the Northern Roiler Millis, in Auckland, now in the hands of the Assets Realisation Pnard. An offer has bec-n made, and is now under consideration. The tender affection of Mrs Gladstone for the dead statesman was characterised hy implicit faith and reverent devotion. An Enchsh bishop was a guest at Httwardeu Castle, and joined in a conversation with Mrs Gladstone and others concerning the Armenian atrocities. "There is one above who knows," piously concluded the bishop. "Yes," replied Mrs Gladstone; "he'll be down in a minute or two. He's upstairs washing his bands just now." '• It is a good job insurance companies print their conditions of insurance very small, otherwise many people would never insure," remarked Mr Justice Edwards in the course of an insurance case in the Wellington Supreme Court (reports the Post). "No one would insure his life if he read the conditions," added counsel ; " certainly no man in his senses would insure against accident. ' His Honor said generally the conditions were such as to leave it to companies to say whether they would pay or not. Capt. Russell made a rather amusing mistake recently. When he went to England he failed to leave his nomination paper for re-election to the Hawke's Bay Education Board, and in his abseuce a new member was elected iu his place. Unaware that he was no longer a member he took his seat at the Board meeting as usual. A broad smile passed over the countenances of all the members. Capt. Russell -lid not realise his position until Mr Tanner whispered into his ear, " You're not a member now," and shortly after he wished the Board " Good morning." M. Tourgnol, who was recently elected deputy for the second circumscription of Lirnojies, mado some remarkable promises to the electors in the course of his campaign. He pledged himself that all the membors of his committees in every commune should receive an annual pension of 400 fr, mid that their houses should be kept iu repair free of charge. He also promised to give every elector in the constituency a packet of tobacco every week gratis, and undertook at a public meeting in Aixe that any voter who should distinguish himself by stopping a runaway horse should be set up as a tobacconist at his expense. On another occasion he promised several voters to have their children educated at his cost in a high school. A report recently received compares the harbours of Port Arthur and Wei-hai-wei as follows :—" There is but one berth in Port Arthur Harbour of any value, while Wei-hai-wei offers much greater possibilities of making a good liaval station because there is better anchorage, and it is more capable of improvement. Port Arthur would never hold a vessel like H.M.S. Powerful, for example, though, of course, it is at present more advanced than Wei-hai-wei, having its own docks already. Wei-hai-wei will bo much the better station, and will afford anchorage for any vessel. In that respect its value as a port for shipping is incomparably the better." A Chinese witness, giving evidence in the Wellington Magistrate's Court before Justices, said he was in constaut fear of being killed, as the defendant, who was a very vicious and excitable man—he, too, was a Chinamanhad threatened to shoot and stab him. The witness (says the Post) went on to explain that the Chinese in Wellington were divided into different tribes, and he said chat what were practically wars on a small scale, consisting mostly of wordy warfare and wicked threats, were continually going on. The witness happened to belong to a tribe whose numbers were comparatively small, and he was then seeking the protection of the Court, A strange experience is related of the late Captain Fairchild's mother on the way to Prince Edward Island before she was married. The brig in whieh she took passage was dismasted in a gale and capsized. The passengers and crow managed to scramble on the bottom of the upturned vessel, where, being without food or water, they were finally reduced to such straits that they decided to cast lots as to who should die to save the others from starvation. The lot fell to the future Mrs Fairchild, but a young fellow wiio was then her sweetheart offered himself as a substitute and was sacrificed. Shortly afterwards the unfortunate people were picked up by a passing vessel and carried on to their destination. —Exchange. An exchange writing on the spirit in Canada says:--" Even should the British navy lose command of the sea and a foreign army make its way to our coast, Britons would meet it on the shore. We arc only a million men, but we are not ot the sort that is cheaply subdued. The only country that has a chance to attack us at all is the United States herself. Canada has at all times welcomed the closest relations with the United States ; but if that country wants closer political relations with Canada she must find them in an Anglo-Saxon Federation, including the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, and the rest of the world-wfde empire, of which Cauada is proud to be a part," Some candid criticism on Scddonian labour and other legislation was given by busmess men of the " right colour " at the Industrial Conference at Wellington. Mr .John Ross (Sargood, Sou and Ewcn), who is ranked among the Government supporters, said that the whole trer.d of the labour legislation of late years had been inimical to the best interests of the colony and was destructive of the individual liberty of the subject. "It doesn't matter," continued the speaker, " whether we are supporters of the Go/eminent or not, it behoves us to speak our minds in the interests of the colony and its industries." (Applause). Mr Ross was quite certain that if a poll were taken of the working men in the colony, and they were allowed to vote conscientiously, their decision would be that all this vexatious labour legislation should be consigned to the waste paper basket. The Hon. John McKenzie attempting a joke suggests an unskilled hand experimentine with the boomerang (writes "Civic" in the Otago Daily News). The missile not only returns to the owner, but clouts him on his own head. Replying in the House to a question—apparently a " bogus " question— on the Order Paper about the desirability of introducing a Branding Bill, the Hon. John said that such a Bill might be useful for various purposes, which purposes he proceeded to set forth—barbed, each of them with spiteful insinuation or malicious inuendo and amongst them this:—"lt might also be useful to enable immaculate statesmen to brand as criminals energetic colonists on vague insinuations and without trial by judge or jury," This is lovely. An enemy saying it would be thought to be righteously rough on the Hon. John ; Nemesis has contrived that the Hon. John says it with his own mouth. " Immaculate statesmen " (irony this) who " brand as criminals energetic colonists on vague insinuations and without trial by judge or jury." Balaam's case was less tragic thaity this. Balaam only blessed whom he came to curse ; it is not written that Balaam satirised himself—painted his own portrait and held it up to universal ridicule. This comes of joking by a man wdio only jokes " wi' deeficulty." The Hon. John must really be more careful. Some day. attempting levity, he will hurt himself seriously.

The war may he said to have blotted out the United States mercantile marine so far as regards the Transatlantic trade. When the last mail left Loudon (June 10) not a single steamship Hying the American dag was employed in crossing the Atlantic, nor had been since the United States Government took over the steamers St. Paul, St. Louis, New York and Paris. Perhaps next to the death of Mr Gladstone, the matter uppermost in the public mind just now is the muchtalked of alliance between Great Britain ami America, and it is interesting, therefore, to note what the deceased statesman said on this subject at a luncheon at the American Exhibition in April, ISB7 : " I believe that sixty years ago there existed prejudice in America against England, and prejudice in England against America. I believe those prejudices have disappeared. . . God Alnvghty Ins made us kinsmen, and we ought to possess the affections of oue another. . . It is quite plain that as England has a wonderful past, and as the founding of the American State has been a part of that past, yon have a past committed to you, for it is possible that before another century has clapaul you will overshadow by the magnitude of your population as well as ot your territory every portion of the Anglo-Saxon race, and every other State and every other nation in the world." As things look in the light ot the events of the past few years, Mr Gladstone's prophecy seems likely to be realised long before the twentieth century has run its course, Oil 3 of the most remarkable seismic outbreaks recorded for several years in the islands of the New Hebrides group occurred last month. Mr A. Cronstcdt, a settler at Tongue, one of the Shepherd Islands, in a letter received in Sydney, says:—"We had a frightful experience here on June 3rd. A strong S.E. gale was blowing, with heavy rain squalls. At 3.20 p.m. darkness covered the earth. Then came the earthquakes of long duration. Our was as on wheels for an hour and a half—now yoing on smoothly, now joltiug as over stones. To the northward of us a horrible noise —now as the roaring of cannon, again as the stampede of a thousand wild bulls roaring in unison. Vivid lightning, thunder, and rain, and volcanic sand. The latter till to the extent of Boz to the square foot. The rain on the following morning measured 6'745in. for the iM hours During these terrible hours the natives rushed down to us from the village crying ' Pray for us.' My girls clung to their mother with fear and trembling ; the mother calmly telling them, 'We arc in the hands of our Creator.' The rain from May 28th to J une 3rd measured 22-405 in." Capt. Leah, of H.M.S. Mildura, reports that on June 3rd a heavy fall of volcanic dust took place at Dillon Way, Erromanga. The volcano of Lopevi again became alive, and continues so. For tiie first time in any war, dynamite guns were brought into actual play at Santiago. For a long time Lieutenant - Commander Pillsbury has been anxious to try the ellect of his guns on the fortifications. The hapless fort on the hill at the western entrance of the harbour, which the guns of the flee: could not silence, was selected as a test. Under the cover of dusk she steamed within half a mile of her prey, the searchlight of the Oregon meanwhile playing on the mark. Three shells each from her three guns were fired iu rapid succession. Every shell contained 2001 b of guncotton. There was no flash, there was no smoke, there was no noise. At first the pneumatic guns on the little cruiser did their work silently. The first shot exploded on the hillside below the battery, the second struck close to the Spanish position, the third load of guncotton was dropped on the very crest of the hill from which the battery was being fired the other day. After her last shot the Vesuvius went away at 16 knots. Two shells fell just beyond her as she was departing. A few seconds after the gun was fired there was a frightful convulsion on the land and the hill where the Spanish guns had withstood the missiles of the ordinary ships of war. Tons of rocky suil rose high in the air. Terrible echoes rolled around and around through shaken hills and mountains. The sea seemed to tremble with the awful shock. The dust grew into clouds and hid the scene of destruction. Then came silence, and next another frightful upheaval, and following it a third, so quickly that the results of the work of two mingled in mid-air.