AUCKLAND.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 5, Issue 274, 26 December 1861, Page 3

AUCKLAND.

Cattle Show.— The Annual Cattle Show, held at Newmarket on Nov. 20th, was a great success," far outstripping every previous exhibition of the kind, and affording lively promise of future energetic progression. The sum taken at the doors was 82/, showing that the Show had been visited by about 2000 persons. The cattle, horses, and sheep exhibited on Wednesday, would, as was. truly observed, have done credit to an old country much less to a youthful, colony. They were excellent in their respective classes. Prizes for Implements were awarded,— Ist, J. A. Hickson, for a chain harrow; 2nd, Cleghorn Gardner, for a ,Hanson’s potato-lifter ; 3rd, Jamies ‘Wallace, for a drill plough. Mr. Wallace was also highly commended for. a fem-root lifter.—Mr. 11. Graham was highly commended for an American horse rake ; and Mr. Wallace was highly commended for steel mould boards, &c. Mr. David Graham after dinnensaid he had been desirious to send out animals of breeds thatwere not already in the Colony. Qf Southdown sheep they had a superior

breed already, in others there was room for a little impro vement, and he was happy to say that with all exhibitions where sheep had been shown, he thought the class exhibited to day compared favourably with regard to. the long-wools,—-a class for which this countiy was particularly adapted.. He regretted much that a greater number- of thoroughbred mares had not been shown. He had sent out one that would have been a credit to himself and to the Province, but unfortunately it was lost oh the voyage* He hoped this Society would be liberally supported, for it was yet only on a small scale as compared with similar societies in England ; and such exhibitions as this, would lead parties in other Provinces to, select stock . here to, improve their breeds. Mr. James 'W’illiamsonreferred to, the flax exhibited, which he wasinfoimed had been in its green state the day previous, and now was worth .£35 per ton in the English market, its production here having cost £lO per ton.. The mode by which it had been prepared could be adapted to use on a small as well as a large scale. This was one of the most important things at the show to-day, because the surface of the conntry in many parts was covered with the raw material; five tons of which produced one ton of prepared flax. Here was what they wanted—an export. Without an export they could not succeed, and here was one for which there was an unlimited demand ; quite as much as for the wool of the sheep exhibited here, and he thought the attention of the public should be called- to the exertions made by the party who sent that specimen to the show—Rev. Mr. Purchase. ' If they would breed good stock, the first thing was to get good land. . Without that requisite the best stock -would not bring them a prize. " In the course of his speech Mr. Frith said that one problem to be solved was that of the best mode of bringing into, speedy and profitable cultivation their sour fern-soil. He knew perfectly well that •by a three-years’ fallow, the clayfern soil could be made productive. That •was too . long a process for a new comer to undertake; A man cannot afford to wait two or. three years for a return. He would therefore suggest that the matter should be submitted to a scientific man who would be able to say what was required, to. neutralize more speedily the aci’id matter which existed in such abundance in fern soils, —so that a new comer might be enabled, to occupy fern land with advantage. There was yet another problem without the solution of which all their labours would be in vain. That problem could only be solved by Sir George Grey. He referred to the adjustment of the Native Question with regard to the occupation of Native lands. (Cries of “politics.”) The time had come when the law relating to Europeans, dealing with Native land should be changed. TLe Natives should be empowered to sell or lease the land to the -Settlers ; of course through, the agency of the Government and in such away as would conduce to the true interests of both races. How that was to be done it was not foi him to say. Sir George Grey could settle that question for them. If the Governor succeeded in that, he would have removed the fundamental difficulty in regard to the Natives. Unless it wer e settled speedily, nothing could prevent the rapid diminution of the Maori race, whilst an effectual barrier would be raised against the further prosperity of northern settlers. (Hear.) They had come to this country to develope its resources, but hitherto their exertions had been curtailed by the authorities—perhaps wisely so. The time had come for a change. Let the Governor now be true to the colony and to the Queen, and he would receive the earnest support of every settler in Auckland. (Cheers.) They were not Ahabs. (Hear.) They wanted no man’s land, whether he wished to sell it or not; they only wanted to be allowed to buy in a lawful way if the natives were willing to sell; and they required Sir George Grey to tell them how they were to do that. If the Governor did not make some arrangement for them in that particular, he would probably soon { n l himself in a difficulty ; for a law could not be maintained in operation in one end of the land that was not enforced in the other. —New Zealander, Nov. 20.