Untitled

Waikato Argus, Volume VI, Issue 426, 25 April 1899, Page 2

The Minister for Railways and Mines is in Auckland.

The annual meetings of the Franklin and Waikito Licensing Committees will be held on June 3rd and 7th respectively. We remind the members of the Waikato Farmers' Club that the monthly meeting will be held this evening at Cambridge. The annual soiree in connection with the Waikato We3t Presbyterian Church takes place in the Te Awamutu Town Hall this evening. A very large attendance is expected from all parts of the district.

In Messrs McNicol and Co.'s column this morning will be found full particulars of their annual sale of turnip catt'e, to be held at Ohaupo on Tuesday, May 9th. Upwards of 600 head of choice well-bred cattle are already entered, and further entries arc solicited.

On Saturday next at the Hamilton Auction Mart Mr John Knox will hold a clearing sale of household furniture and effects on account of a settler who is leaving the district. As the sale will be a large one, it will commence at 1.30 p.m. Particulars will be given in Thursday's issue.

The Maori meeting at Tauwhare for which extensive preparations have been made, will open to day. There is to be a great feast to which everyone is invited. No charge will be made ; but contributions will be thankfully received towards a fund for a similar gathering to be held in the vicinity of Taupiri a little later on. -

The Wellington City Council is complaining of the heavy burden upon the rates entailed by increased expenditure for hospitals and charitable aid This year the Council will have to pay £3075 towards tho maintenance of the Wellington Hospital, and £2441 towards charitable aid, an increase of nearly £SOO over the amount last year. It has been decided to hold meetings in St. Andrew's Sunday school, Cambridge, every fortnight, commencing to-morrow (Wednesday) evening, at 7.30 p.m., for the encouragement and practice of part-singing. The pieces to be put in rehearsal will consist of choruses from the oratorios and anthems, part songs, glees, etc. It is hoped the idea will be taken up heartily, and that, all interested iu part-singing will attend

Four members of the Cambridge Polo Club passed through Hamilton on Sunday, on their way to Waingaro, where a polo is to be held, commencing today The ponies were taken through by road on Saturday afternoon. The Cambridge representatives are Messrs N. Banks, R. Hannon, C. Buckland and M. Wells. To-day a game between Cambridge and Waingaro will be played. Tomorrow will be devoted to a sports meeting, and the visiting team will play the crack Rata team on Wednesday, returning home the following day.

On Sunday afternoon Mr R. T. Gilmour tied his horse and dogcart to a tree near a barbed wire fence on the River Road, Claudelands. He had only left them a few minutes when some boys out rabbiting startled the horse (a very quiet one and accustomed to being tied up), causing it to plunge forward on to the wires, which threw him down, breaking one of the shafts of the trap. Fortunately the rope with which the airmail was tied was a strong one and prevented any struggling. With the assistance of one or two neighbours the animal was quickly detached from the trap and got up when it was found that he had escaped with a few slight abrasions.

This season has beea a phenomenal one for potatoes, and if the price of them had kept up to the same figure as last year, many of our farmers would have made small fortuues. We have heard numerous complaints of the tubers being hollow, but a sample we inspected at Cambridge the other day could not be excelled both for size and quality. They were grown by Mr T. W- Hicks, of I'ukekura, the varieties b. ing White American and flobart Town, and he stated he thought he had fully 20 tons to the acre. At our request he furnished us with the measurement of the land on which the crop had been grown and the number of bags he had gathered from it, and we find it pans out at just 21 tons to the acre. Not a bad return, at even the low price of iii per ton.

The Hamilton Band played a number of selections on Sydney Square, on Sunday afternoon last. The afternoon was a perfect one, and a large number of people were tempted out to hear the music, which was thoroughly appreciated. Mr Gilruth, Government bacteriologist, left Hamilton on Saturday morning en route for Wellington. During his stay in Rotorua Mr Gilruth interested himself in tiie malady, known as " bush disease," which for some time has been most prevalent in the vicinity ol Mamuku and Arawhiri. We sincerely hope that, now Mr Gilruth has taken the matter up in earnest, some light will be thrown upon a disease which has undoubtedly gone a long way towards retarding settlement in those localities. Pievious to his departure, Mr Gilruth,accompanied by Inspector Ross, visited Te Rore in order to enquire into the unusual mortality amongst the calves in that district. After a careful post mortem examination, the trouble was found to be due to a parasitic invasion of the lungs and stomach.

Notwithstanding the frequent reports that have been circulated of late regarding the fate of the Waikato Hunt Club, sportsmen who love a good day's hunting, will learn with pleasure that arrangements for prolonging the life of the popular little club for at least another three years have been satisfactorily settled. A suitable piece of land in the vicinity of Cambridge has been secured, two enthusiastic sportsmen, Messrs N. Banks and A. R. Hine, guaranteering the rent £25 per annum for a term of three years, and on this, we learn, kennels will be erected as soon as possible. We are exceedingly glad to know that such is the case, and hope that the day when the hounds will be disbanded may be long deferred. The pack is getting into good trim, and the season will open in the course of a week or two.

Mr G. E. Alderton, the editor of that most successful of illustrated works, " The Resources of New Zealand," is now engaged getting out an illustrated work entitled " The Spas and Health Resorts of New Zealand, with medical notes on the nature and remedial effects of the thermal and mineral waters." The work will be profusely illustrated, and the fact of Mr Alderton publishing it is a sure guarantee that it will be an elegant production. It is intended to describe in this work the whole of the known springs of the North Island, and the promised medical notes (by eminent medical men) will be something quite new and just what is wanted. Mr Alderton will visit Cambridge and Hamilton in connection with this work next week, with a view of writing up the district as one of the colony's health resorts, and while here be will secure views of the district for reproduction.

We beg to draw our readers attention to Mr E. Jones' new advertisement in reference to a great improvement in horse covers, for which he has just taken out a pateat. This cover is an improvement on the old style by doing away with the crupper dock, which has always been a great drawback to horse covers. Besides this improvement, he claims it to be a perfect boon to the horse when turned out grazing, as it gives and takes with the motions of his neck when either feeding with his head to the ground or standing with his head erect, the pressure being no greater upon any particular part of his neck or chest, whatever position he may be standing or feeding in. This improvement also covers a considerable portion of the horse's neck, and therefore covers the collar mark, which has been a great fault with all other covers, as that portion of the shoulder has always been left uncovered. This patent cover has no breast strap in front, but works by means of a pulley on each aide of the horse's neck, and acts very similarly to the patent Argosy brace with rollers, etc. Mr Jones claims for his cover that it will allow a horse to be turned out from week to week without being attended to, and thereby save a lot of trouble. He is also making the patent Acme covers with the portion of his new patent added to do away with the crupper dock, which is worth intending purchaser's while to inspect before placing their orders elsewhere. Our readers are aware that Mr Thomas Wells, of Cambridge, had a large number of chrysanthemum blooms destroyed on the Saturday night previous to the show, and we regret to say that many unkind remarks have been made about the matter, some even £oing the length of stating that the blooms were destroyed by members of the family, while others contend that they had been forced too much and suddenly rotted away. We have carefully looked into this matter, and have not the slightest hesitation in averring that Mr Wells lost, at the very least, 400 specimen blooms, and that is making an allowance of 250 being decayed ; and, further, that it was the work of some one who had a grudge against the owner for some fancied grievance in connection with chrysanthemums. We are pleased to know that Mr Wells has received a large number of letters of sympathy from friends all over the colony, regretting the dastardly outrage. One regretted that the old-fashioned stocks were dispensed with and said he would make a long journey to plant a stale egg in the eye of the culprit if he could be caught and " stocked." Another concluded his letter as follows :— *' I trust that the pain which this outrage has given you will be effaced by the implicit sympathy of all your friends." It is sometimes well to sutler a little adversity, for you then know who are your real friends.

A large congregation assembled at the Hamilton Presbyterian Church on Sunday evening to hear the Rev. J. M. Mitchell's "Word to Wives." In premising his remarks, the preacher said in these days of women's rights, women's conventions, etc., he would be lacking in his duty as a Christian minister if he failed to set forth the Scriptural teaching with regard to marriage. He also remarked that the use of the word "obey " in the marriage service was not justified by any teaching of St. Paul, the " subjection " advised by the Apostle being that rendered by an equal to an equal. No right minded man could expect his wife to obey him in all things. At the same time it was ordained that the husband should be the head of the household even as Christ was the Head of the Church. " Petticoat government was not a success either in the household or in the nation," for he would have them remember that Queen Victoria, " the most level headed woman that ever walked," did not really direct the destinies ot the nation. There could be no true happine&a in those homes where the husband was ordered about like a little boy. If a man and his wife could not agree there was nothing in Scripture to compel them to continue under the same roof, and it would be far better for them to agree to separate ; but this he knew could not always be done. Those wives who make a point of publishing their husband's shortcomings to the world were most severely dealt with. In those cases, the preacher added, where the marriage relationship was conducted on proper lines and the spirit of the courting days animated the duties of the home, the wife was never seen on a public platfo in advocating women's rights or the " wife's economical independence in the home." He counselled wives to bear with their husbands' faults, to make the most of their virtues, and to do their utmost to reach the ideal of married life given in Holy Writ. The sermon, which was aa interesting and plain-spoken one, was attentively followed. Lest any husband should feel inclined to avail himself of the foregoing in order to taunt his " better half," we may add that the preacher advised all such to "have patience for a week." Evidently there is " a rod in pickle " for the " Lords of Creation."

The inquest on Copeland, the hank clerk, who was found drowned in the Wellington Harbour, elicited nothing to show how he got into the water, except that it was alleged he was somewhat under the influeuce of liquor. His jaw was not fractured The marks on the face, leading to this belief, were shown to have been caused by fish.

The Wellington directors of M<ssrs Sharlard and Co. (Limited), in their aunual report, etate that they assumed ofii e iu November, and found the affairs of the Auckland branch in an unsatisfactory position A profit of £1852 was shown at Wellington, hut a loss of £1291 at Auckland. The Auckland management was now reformed. The directors recommend writing down the Tauranea Acid Works from £3OOO to £ooo ; patent rights to £llOO, and plant at Auckland to £l4lO. To do this it is proposed to reduce capital by 5s per share, leaving 15a fully paidupj A cable message has been received by the Auckland Harbour Board from Mr J. M. Brigham, announcing that he had definitely settled with the English Treasury for a subsidy of £2950 per annum for 30 years, as previously arranged with the Admiralty, and had called for tenders for the necessary machinery and appliances for the equipment of Calliope Dock. The money required by the Harbour Board for the work (£60,000) has been obtained from the Auckland Savings Bank at 3J per cent, with very favourable conditions as to repayment, etc., the Board being allowed to redeem their debentures at any time.

" Phaeton," the sporting contributor to the New Zealand Herald, has" the following paragraph in his notes of Saturday last : —There is a whisper afloat that all is not in order with regard to the Waikato mare Moment. It is alleged that this mare came before the A.R.C. pony measurer, Mr G. Cutts, in December last under the name of Liberty, when she failed to pass. Mr Cutts entertains no doubt that Liberty and Moment are identical, but I am told that that point is disputed by the owner. It would be well if all doubts on the matter were set at rest, and as tending towards this end the authorities of the Avondale Jockey Club should make a request to the owner to make a statement.

If certain " scientific investigations into mundane anatomy " made by a Professor Rudolf Falb, of Vienna, are to be relied on, amongst other hilarious events which are to happen this year—and naturally the last one—is the following :—" November 13th : Our planet to come in contact with the comet known to astronomers as the comet of 1866 our planet to be, if not absolutely, partially destroyed.'' The Professor warned the European Press of the earthquake which happened at Zante, in 1893, and in a number of smaller affairs has predicted their occurrence with something that looks like deadly precision. Why, he once altered the date on which he was to deliver a lecture on earthquakes iu order to include the results of a "quake," which was due in those parts on the date originally fixed. The quake duly arrived.

The Post reports that a Porirua alleged assault case underwent an investigation of a kind in the Magistrate's Court, at Wellington, last Friday, when a young man was charged with having assaulted and beaten a middle-aged man, named Peckhani. " That closes my case," said Mr Wilford, after the evidence for the prosecution had been given, and the Chairman replied, almost immediately, " The case is dismissed." Mr Wilford (in surprise) : " But you haven't heard any defence offered, your Worship !" The Chairman : " Never mind ; we dismiss the case." Mr Wilford : " Why, the defendant hasn't even denied the charge yet, and surely the sworn testimony of a respectable man calls for some answer, whatever your decision may be then !" The Chairman : " We are quie satisfied." Mr Wilford (iu tones showing astonishment and disgust) ; " Well, so am I. I have seen a good many specimens of Justices' justice, but this, really !" Mr Jellicoe asked for costs, and £1 Is was allowed against Peckham, Mr Wilford protesting. The presiding Justices were the Rev. J. Crewes (chairman), and Messrs F. Kitto and E. Fraser Jones.

In a recent issue of The Lancet, Dr. W. Roger Williams points out that in England - four and a half times aa many people die now from cancer as half a century ago, and no other disease can show anything like such an enormous increase. "Probably," says the doctor, "no sirjgle factor is more potent in determining the outbreak of cancer in the predisposed than high feeding. There can be no doubt that the greed of food manifested by modem communities is altogether out of proportion to their present requirements. Many indications point, to the gluttonous consumption of meat, which is such a characteristic feature of this age, as likely to be especially harmful in this respect. Statistics show that the consumption of meat has for many years been increasing by leaps and bounds, till it now has reached the amazing total of one hundred and thirty-one pouuda per head per year, which is more than double what it was half a century ago, when the conditions of life were more compatible with high feeding. When excessive quantities of such highly stimulating forms of nutriment are ingested by persons whose cellular metabolism is defective, it seems probable that there may thus be excited in those parts of the body where vital processes are still active such excessive aud disorderly cellular proliferation as may eventuate in cancer. No doubt other factors cooperate, and among these I should be especially iucliued to name deficient exercise and probably also deficiency in fresh vegetable food."