"OMNE SOLUM FORTI PATRIA." THURSDAY, JULY 31, 1873.

Waikato Times, Volume IV, Issue 191, 31 July 1873, Page 2

"OMNE SOLUM FORTI PATRIA." THURSDAY, JULY 31, 1873.

r l in (lijt'- f <>L' t'no iitn'KMal statement which we publ.-h "i nn'.llier oolirrm, i:onye\s nothing startling. '*-> has been the case or late yi-ais. We are informed that ihe total indebtedness of the colony is £G,851,201, £3.448,475 of that sum being composed of provincial debts The above is undoubtedly a large satn to be owed by 300.000 people, yet we believe that the elasticity of the finances of the colony will prore sufficient to enable us to meet our liabilities as they become duo, and vet go on and prosper. It is gniliijmg to find that £15,000 of the deficit from lsr»S)-7<» has been paid off out of eunent revenue. The revenue for the yoar has exceeded by .£43,100 that cstimited, and the gross revenue by i. 11 1, 1 '87 thaf r>f la-t yuav. A balance at t 1 c end of June remains of £3,530. The question naturally suggests itself .1" the revenue ha-s exceeded the pstirnatps by A' 43,400, « hat hns become of the thirly-nine thousand pounds od<l. This is probably capal'le of exp'in vtion, but, we *houkl have thought that the Tre.isurer woul > liav« considered it worth his \<hile to liHVf allmled to tins item. As regards the boi 'O'\iiti.j po^e h pio;>r>serl to bo given to provin p-> bemg as it is an admittt'd fact that the tern tr <>f the Hon-n «vid the people aro opp ised to the doing away w irh provincial institutions, there is nn r.thpr ineajis than »hnt of borrowing to cm t\ on U.o './usini s-v o( Iho emintiy. The absolute refiti iftioTi of provincial borrowinq 1 powers is a whp

precaution, otherwise it would be impossible to calculate the amount that provincial eccentricities would render us liable for in our day of bankruptcy, fortunately those who borrow will have to pay interest, and give some portion of their estate or cm rent revenue as direct security. Mr Vogel proposes to borrow duiing the current year £1, 500,000, J one million to be applied to the construction of railways, and the balauce to the purchase of land fiora natives in the Noith Island; two-thirds of the lain! so purchased to be set apart for guarantees for railways. The most gratifying feature in the speech is the intimation that the Government will ask for power to immediately extend the Waikato railway from Mercer to the frontier. No more useful or probable reproductive work has ever been proposed to the Heuse. Jt must be remembered that the making of a railway by the Government should not be contingent upon its immediately yielding a profit, as should be the case with a company. A country gains by the accession to its population, the addition to its producing power, and consequent increase of material wealth. There is a leason beyond those that should influence the House to consent to Mr V'ogel's proposition. Immediately the railway commences a large addition will necessarily be made to the population, and every able bodied man brought in proximity to the frontier reduces the chance of native disturbances. It is to be sincerely hoped that the power to extend the railway beyond the frontier will be granted, and that within the very shortest period possible that portion of the line will be commenced. We feel tolerably confident if this course should be adopted that we should meet with little opposition. The natives are aware that their game is nearly played out ; probably a man or two would be shot, but where that man falls the land in the immediate neighbourhood should he confiscated — the greater quantity decided upon the better. If the propositions of the Go\enimetit are acceded to the end of imtive troubles is at hand £50,000 it is proposed to set asde for the subsidizing of Eoad Boards; this sum, of course, is as a mere drop to the ocean, yet it is sufficient to keep the Boards together. The money, however, will prove of comparatively small benefit unless the restrictions in the taxing powers of the Boards be removed. In addition, no Government money should be allowed to be expended except under the direction of a competent engineer ; he would bo able to work on a system in place of as at present — e.icli Board doing a little patchwork on its own account. It is proposed to alter the tariff of Custom's duty ; the Colonial Treasurer tells us that the alteration is not to be made f u the sake of adding to the lvve-uie-. Ivit in order Lhal taxation may be more jusily distiibut.d Is r o doubt ad vaioiem duties are the mosi equitable >>s reg.sivb the general public, but unfonuuat"ly tlu-v open the door for all sorts of swindlers to enter in. The Custom-house is rendered liable to become the pawn shop of any unprincipled trader who happens to have a stock on hand of unsaleable goods. We will presume that he is pressed for cash'; he theu ships to a New Zealand port his nearly useless goods ; he puts an exceedingly low value upon them . the Customs seizo and pay the amount of his valuation immediately. The Customs then sell the goods by auction, in most cases at a lo>s. The statement as regards our present position, and the sketch given of the future intentions of the Government, are of a sat.sfactory character ; our revenue for the year has exceeded that of last by a considerable amount, although no extra taxation has been imposed. Public works are progressing, not so rapidly as could be wished perhaps, but it must be remembered that the staff lof officials on whom progress depends is new to harness ; in fact many of our engineers have only been a few months in the colony. We are pleased to observe that Mr Vo^el feels himself sufficiently secure in his position to speak of firm opposition to any proposals for the construction of railways that are not portion of the main scheme of connecting- the north of each island with the south. We believe if the Government are honestly supported, that the good effects of the policy initiated by its head will be more apparent at the termination of the present financial year than at one time only the ,most sanguine ventured to predict.

The ratepayers of the Mangapiko Highway District held their annual meeting in the Court House, .Alexandra, on Friday, the 25th instant. A rate of Id in the £on the value to soil, and a universal value of £2 per acre, was adopted. The following is a copy of the statement made by the retiring Board :— Receipts : To balance in hand from last year, £135 Os 6d ; rates collected, £237 15s ]Id ; received from Colonial Government, £238 13s 11; total, £612 9i 9d. Expenditure : By forming roads, £196 3, 9d ; bridges and culvert 3, £368 18s 6d ; collecting rates, £11 13s 9d j sundries, £25 0= Gd ; balance in hand, £10 4s 3d ; total, £612 9a 9d. The statement was adopted. The ratepayers then proceeded to eloet trustees for the following year, and, after the usual little struggle for office, the following gentlemen were appjinted : — Messrs J. D. Hill, G. Y. Tisdall, F. C Germann, 11. Roche, and W. Iligginson. Mr Hill was sippoinlel e'launmn. Mr A. W Gubbini and Mr J. Aubin were appointed auditors for the ensuing year. The annual meeting of ratepayers of the Harapipi District was held in the Blockhouse, ILirapipi, on Saturday, 26th instant, Mr John Morrison, chairman. The chairman read the statement of accounts for the past year, and they were passed. The mcoting then proceeded to the business of levying a rate for the ensuing year. A rate of one penny in the pound was proposed and carried, valuing all the land alike, at one pound per aero, Same trouble w is found in electing trustees for the new board, as nearly half the meeting (the whole number present being ten), wero contractors working for the Board. Three new trustees were elected, and otMeral others proposed, but as they were not present, it is not know n whether they will stand or not, so in the meantime there is no Board, and the meeting of trustees to elect a chairman could not be hold, but is put off until the 30th. So little interest or public spirit is felt by the settlers in this district that it was a 1om,» 'v'ule b-foiv* fiev 011 M musler onou<;li nite ( iivt'iN to h,,n 1 ] r\\ un I. ,14 Tlii> trustees elected .uv Ue-»rs A C li 1.-nli jhik^lj, J. 11. Thompson, and James Sherrutl The annual meeting of the ratepayer or the lle\iudii Highway District took place in the Cojrt Houso it Ales. andra, on Saturday, the 2Gth iust. The abatement paasod by the auditors, aud adopted by the meeting, w.is as follows: — Receipts: Grants from the General and Provincial Governments, and rates collected, £131 9s 4d Expenditure: R,oa,d forming, £67118 7id ; bridges and culverts, £40 Is lljd ; printing, &c, £6 2s 0.1 ; sundries, £7 8s B<l— £l2l 4s 91 ; cash in hand, £10 4s 7d 5 total, £131 93 4d. A rate of Id In the £on the value to sell was e.m-ied. Mcssr» J. D. Hill, J. Aubin, W. Sloane, J. Boon ,%ml J. Sage were appointed trustees for the ensuing year, and M<>*sr«s Grant and Perry auditor".

The dread penalty oi tlio law was carried out at the Mount Eden Gaol jesterday morning at eight o'clock on j the unfortunate Eppnght, convicted of the murder of j Garnty at the Bay of Islands. The execution took place in the presence of the gaol officials and representatives of the preas. A number of morbidly curious persons, including women and children, had assembled on the heights overlooking the prison in the hope of obtaining a sight of the ghastly procee4ings. The condemned man was accompanied to the scatfbld by the Revs Messrs Cornford and Walhs. Some hitch occurred m the machinery after the rojio had been adjusted which added to the horrors of the situation of the wretched man. The condemned man made a ejeech or confession, in which ho exonerated his necesaory Fisher, as regards the ownership of the knife. Ho admitted the justice of the sentence, but itati'd that the deed was committod in a drunken row. His demeanour throughout was subdued. Eppnght was a nativo of Philadelphia, and fought through the American war as a Federalist. Subsequently he took to fie sea, had boon wrecked in the Arctic Ocean, and afterwards joined tho ship Rainbow, in which vessel ho had been foui* years up to the time of his committal of the crime for which he has suU'cred. Our contemporary the Herald has thought fit to doubt our statement in reference to tho printing of telegraph forms in London. We can onh , in reply, state that a form is before us with the imprint of Messrs Waterlow, of London. Instructions (uays the Napier Telegraph), havo been sent to Collectors of Customs throughout the Colony to prevent the exportation coastwise, except as dusiable goods, of all the small pieces of iron punched out of boiler plates, the authorities having reason to suppose that disaffected natives are collecting them in lieu of bullets for rilles. We have to thank the Ooveinuient fur their eouitjsy in having telegraphed to us tae Financial Sind menb, also a notice of the proposed alterations in the tanli', whicu we have not pubhshe 1, but have alluded to in anotuer column. Tho work must has c been very severe on I tie telegraphists thioughout the colony, more particularly so when only one ofliccr is stationed. We have again to record our thanks to Mr Kayner, the officer in charge ut -N^uruauulna, for his courtesy and precision. Two trial surveys for the Waikato railway are being proceeded with. One starts at Taupin along the east bank of the WaiLato, and the other is being conducted on the presumption that the line has crossed the river at Ngaruawalua It is expected that six weeks will complete the full work.