The Waikato Times. UNKNOWN.

Waikato Times, Volume III, Issue 137, 25 March 1873, Page 2

The Waikato Times. UNKNOWN.

TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 1873.

Tur. withdrawal of Mr. Webbs Btearaers from the Sun Francisco line cannot by any process of reason, ing bo looked upon as injurious to this colony. New Zealand has, borne nearly the whole cost of the service; she ha 3 not received the support from the other colonies that she might fairly have looked for had the service been carried on in a manner to command the confidence of any Government. When the Governments of Victoria and New South Wales saw the class of boat employed in the service, they naturally objected, contrary to what Mr. Voxel's sanguine temperament led him to believe would be the ease, to bear their fair proportion of the expense, IN'ew Zealand consequently was saddled with £'00,01)0 ]er annum as subsidy to the worst mail service that has ever been carried on in modern times. In addition, we learn that tl/je unfa vonrablerepoit of thep.isi- cngers by the Nebraska reached America in time t> tiuu the scale of votes against subsidising the route. We feel confident that h.ul bteumfTS of a reliable character been erap'oxed, the service, instead of having entailed loss un the contractors, would at any iate, with the subsidy it recei\ed, have at least paid expenses. We ♦ rust that now the service has broken down, ]\ew Zealand w ill not be too ready to reinstate it at an unfair cost to herself. Victoria ami New South Wales, badly as the service has been conducted, have learned that it has added considerably to their commercial prosperity. Through its means, woolbuyers from America were induced to visit their ports and make large purchases of the staple product of the colonies, in place of, as hitherto, buying through London. High prices were thereby obtained by the grower. Again, American produce was brought into their markets to the advantage of the consumer. The service has, at any rate, done ♦ his for them : it has established intimate commercial relations between the most western city of the moußter republic and Australia. The service, like many other ephemeral undertakings, has done its uoik, and like them, has died in the effort. We feel confident thnt if New Zealand only stands out long enough, the proportion of the subsidy to the new line, which is certain to be established, will not bear oppi essively on her resources. We do not want a direct service ; a branch steamer from Fiji is all that we require. The cost <«f this to the colony should be considerably less than £60,000 per annum, The stoppage of Hip service will prove only a temporary evil out of which go id will doubtless spring. Tin: expressed determination of Mr Fox to resign tlio position of Premier immediately after the arrival of Mr Vojol at the soat of Go\ eminent, to the nninit : ated, implies that the former gentleman has great confidence in the latter. To some extent, no doubt this is the case, but it must not be forgotten that the etiquetto which prevails in matters political leaves no other course open to him. Mr Vogol foiuml the Ministry, an I in the ordinary course of events would have assumed the nominal as well as the no'uu.il leadership. The public, however, had insufficient confidence in his discretion. They appreciated his ability, but fe.ired his sanguine, speculative tempoiiiuiuat. Mr Wuterhou&u was the man pointed to by all as the Gt and proper person to check his ardjur and prevent his be-in r carried away by opinions lnistily coneeivtd and us impei fectly thought out. Mi V\ hUm house in fact was huppo-*u'l to uot as damper to the too-fast burning mind of the Colonial TreatiUier. Tlio firo appovr-. to havo been too htioDg for the animated damp' i, and he took the most ungraceful ninurer of luliring from the position that could possibly h wv •.urges ted itself to the unu'l of any niau — in Io say bhtte&mau. We

have, however, to consider tlie political situation as it is, not as it might have been under more propitious circumstances. Mr Fox cannot possibly continue to hold the Premiership ; etiquette and personal inclination demand his retirement. The House will meet in another two months, and the question wo have to consider is who shall bo the head of the ministry in the meantime. Although we share with the public a want of supreme confidence in Mr Vogel, wo can see no other course open than that he should assume the leadership. We believe that his contract mania, it not actually suppressed, is at any rate under sufficient command by this time for it to be perfectly safe to entrust him until the House meet". It will then, in all probability, be necessary to have a reconstiuction of the ministry. There are men in the country and in the House who have proved that they have a sufficient knowledge of politic il economy, and sufficiently strong mind to act as a check on Mr Vogel if put in the posiii in.

The usual monthly inspection parade of the Waikato Jlitle Volunteers, under the command of Lieut McDonald, took place in Sydney Squaie, Hamilton, on Saturday Jabt There was a good muster. After inspection, the company went through seme light infantry drill in a creditable manner. Lieut McDonald read a letter from the Hon the Defence Minister thanking the members of the Volunteer Band for their pleasing sen ices during tho late visit of His Excellency to Ngaruawahia We aio glad to learn that the ranks of the corps have been comideiably stiengthened. We w ish that the Volunteer movement was better suppoi ted in the Waikato than at present. We hoped that the Rifb Asssciation wouM have done something towards bringing the movement into notice ; a number of people put their names down aa members and paid a subscription, and have heard nothing of the association, since. The success of the Thames men at the late Coloni.il Prize Firing is doubtless owing in a great measure to the encouragement given by the people to the volunteeis ; nearly everybody, if not an active volunteer, has dove something by eontubuting to the funds raised for the purchase of puzes, &c. The encouragement thus afforded put the shootiug mea on their metal. We have some good shots la the Waikato, — but where the encouragement to practice ! Without practice no man can hope to bhow creditably at any contest. The acorees iifaulo a.t thtt list I hbtuiet l'ri/c Firing on the 10th inst go far to prove the truth of the abo\ c statement, as the scores were the lowest in the provinceThe establishment of a Musical Society is now occupying the attention of tho musical people of Waiiato. The object U a good one, and, wo should think, would not be difficult of accomplishment. We would suggest that Hamilton be the headqjiwifters of the society,and after the pieces to be produced are decided upon b) a general meeting of members, rehearsals be held in as man} of the settlements as are desirous of joining tho society for the purpose of acquiring as much efficiency as possible ; the 6aid practice* to be under the condurtorship of those acknowledged to excel in the science. It would onl) be necessary to ha\e two or three general rehearhfth before giving a concert. We hope before the expiration of mauy days to. be in, a position to announce that tho formation of " The Waikato Choral Society" is an established fact. Forty-one meriwo rams,, the pvoperly of Mr Walker, of Maungatuutari, which left here in November la«t for Christchiuirch, brought fotxn three guineas fro ,Ci>o per head at the mm fair held in that city. This is satisfactory, as it proves beyond doubt that the grazing capabilities of the Waikato arc second to none iv. the colon.y. We hope that this circuniftancc niaj encourage our graziers, and. that the day is not far distant, when the export of li\c stock from our district will be one of our principal mum-stats. At the present tune the Waikato appears to possess considerable attraction for Ihnd speculators and others. We have been rehablj informed that a number of southern capitalists arc about to visit us wilh the view of buying land a* a speculation, and others with the object of becoming bona fide settler^. It ii encouraging to observe that keen men of business loot upon the Waikato as a good Held for the investment of their capital. Great complaints nre being mnde by many of our contemporaries at the mrfficiencv of some of flic telegraph officials No doubt the complaint is justifiable, but none of those who ha\e written on tho subject appear to have looked at the question from a proper light. In the first plnee the majority of those who send and rccei\e telegrams are boys; this no doubt is done for economy Further, the adults of the department are worse paid than a linen-draper's assistant. Tfgood 6cr\ ants arc to be secured they must be adequately paid. The old Barrack wall is being demolished with such rapidity Vint it is believed tk.it j. month hence nothing of the wall vv ill be left standingbut the gate pillars, which are to be held sacred Jrotn tfic prcJt and crowbar of the labourer, and preserved as a relic of the past. There is not the slightest probability that Maoris will ever enter the city of Auckland with hostile intentions, so that the grim-looking wall is not likely to be needed as a defence, and the inhabitants will soon forget the time v\ hen they looked upon it as a place ]of lefuge in the event of an alarm being given* — N. Z Uerald. An. inspection of the arm* of No. 3 Company of Waikato Militia took place on Monday, tho 21th instant, by Major Clare. There was a yen good muster, and the inspecting officer seemed quite satisfied with the appearance of the company and arms. It is believed that the Luna will leave the Manukau on Saturday next for Wellington, autlthat Sir (i. Arney, and Messrs. Vogel and M'Lean vull be passengers by her. We are indebted to our contcmpoiary, the N. Z. Herald, for the report of tbe ceremony that took place atjthe Bay of Islands on the departure of nis Excellency the Governor. The country Hing between the Waikato Heads and Raglan lias lately been purchased bv Messrs Miles & Co., of Christchurch, whose intention is to stock it without delay.

ExrEßiMEMru in ConronK* Vili — A singular murder ib reported to have been committed at Dover (Delaware), fn the United States Professor West, of that town, has been for some time experimenting with a new and peculiar kind of gas, which lie believed would cure consumption. On the sth ult a dicadful explosion occurred in hi* laboratory, .and •when the- smoke cleared oil* the remains of Profensor West, as it was supposed, were found on the floor, the head, feet and hands being missing, and the skin entirely gone from the body. Shreds of clothing were also found on the disj figured trunk, winch the professor's w lfe identified as belonging to her unfortunate husband. An examination of the remains indicated, however, that the head, feet, and hands hi>d been cut from tho body by a sharp instrument, and that the blvlh had been peeled from every portion of it. This excited suspicion, which was incrensrri by the fact coming to 1 light that tho professor's- life* had been recently n»ured for $25,000 dollars, and that a colomed man whom ho hud hired a few dnyi before the explosion was a!«o mining. The citizens at once jumped to the conclusion that the coloured man had killed the professor, and resolutely determined to eiitch him. Instead, howoYer, of catching the coloured man they caught the professor, who, it seem*, had himself killed t lie coloured man, cut him to bits, xktnned him, dremed him in his ow n clothes, and then blown him up. His explanation of the all'air is that the coloured man attempted to> rob him, and that he tho professor merely netetl in belf-ile-fenc*. On being a>«kcd why he thought it necessary to mutilate and blowup the body of the deceased, and then abscond, the professor replied, " You ne\er had a dead nigger on your hands, and do not know wh.it jou would have done under the circumstances" Tim argument certainly appears unnmwpiable, and one theory in circulation ib that the professor was simply tc-fting his gnu on hi* wivant, and lost his norvo when he witnessed the unfavourable rcMilt of hib experiment. — Pall Mall Gazette TrXF<iKAi"in.- -Mr Fklcn, iu-door engnuer in the'Kdinhurgh Ttlegiapb otfice, him invented a system by v. hich, with the ousting instruments, it has been found practicable to send nicss.itres from both endsj of a single wiie simultaucoußly. 'J'l c invention has been tested between, Kilmbuigh ninl <;i;i"gow, nnd it has hztu fuuii'l thnb oi c wiie 1-3 en pa) ilc <A doing double uoik.