CORRESPONDENCE.

Waikato Times, Volume IV, Issue 227, 23 October 1873, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

[Wo do not necessarily endorse tha opinions expressed by our correspondents.]

(To the Editor of the Waikato Times.) Sic, — Are any stops being taken towards forming a Ngaruawabia Cricket Club ? From what I know of the capabilities of the place, we ought to muster a very fair team, and as all the other settlements hare their clubs, the Metropolis of the Waikato ought not to be behind hand.— l am, yours, &c, Enquires.

To the Editor of the Waikato Times. Sir,— lii your issue of the 14th you publish a latter from Mr Leslie, written in support of Mr Mackay. It appears from it that he dissents from the views expressed by you regarding the continued employment of that gentleman, and claims for him the credit of having averted the war. His two propositions appear to me to be somewhat antagonistic. Consequent on the murder of Sullivan difficulties were anticipated with the Maoris ; and Mr Mackay, being believed to bi the man best qualified to cope with them, received the appointment of General Government Agent. According to Mr Leslie he has succeeded—' he has averted the war which seemed imminent.' What remains then for him to do ? How in the same breath can Mr Leslie commend him for having finished his work, and yet plead the necessity for his continued employment ? He tells us we are out of the wood, yet he forbids us to halloo. You, Mr Editor, takes the usual sensible course in the circumstances—the work being done, you would settle with the workman and let him go away. But this is precisely what Mr Leslio objects to do. Such a course, he says, 4 would be attended by anything but good results.' One looks in vain in his letter for any reasons justifying so unusual a view ; be only expresses regret that you should hold a different opinion. He says : • I much regret to find that you hold the opinion that the time has passed when the presence of a General Government Agent in this district is necessary.' Why regret? Mr Leslie affirms that the war is averted, and your opinion coincides with hit affirmation. Is the holding by you the opinion that peace is re-established a matter for regret ? and would it be mutter for congratulation that you should hold the opinion that the war was not averted, that we were in a aea of troubles, and that shipwreck would ensue unless we put Mr Mackay at tho helm to pilot us through the storm ? I would have 'been for reversing the process ; I would have been for congratulating you for taking a hopeful view of our affairs ; while I would have much regretted had I found your soul dark within you, in a fit of the dismal, »nd preparing with sundry wry faces to swallow another'dose of Maokay. Mr Leslie asserts that war has been averted by Mr Mackay'a knowledge of Maori character. If this be true, it will form matter of lasting regret that so much money has been unnecessarily wasted on what is facetiously called our * Defence Force,' white and black. But leaving such rodomontade assertions on one side, what tangible or appreciable results has Mr Mackays actions produced? Has his knowledge of Maori character induced the King party to waive or modify their claims to the Waikato lands, or to give up the murderers ? To gain the latter object was popularly believed to be bis special mission. Se has not succeeded in it ; he is not able to succcd in it. The whole thing is a sham and a scandal, producing only disgust in the minds of Europeans, and contempt in those of Maoris ; and the sooner the curtain falls on the ridiculous farce at the Front, the better for all parties. Mr Leslie is mistaken, I think, in fancying people complaining of Mr Mackays want of communicativehes, as. to his object in going hither and thither. Can't he leave the Maoris alone ? Why, it is this eternal fussing and fidgeting oil the part of the Native Department which produces most of the mischief. Years ago the Legislature, backed by public opinion, enunciated the 'Let alone policy,' but this blessed Native Department make it their peculiar business to fly in the face of it. From McLean down to the humblest touter of the establishment they are, one and all, continually worrying and badgeriug the natives, Hying about hither and thither, indefinitely postponing the settlement of a question which, if they would just leave it alone, would settle of itself. My opinion of Mr Mackay, and of all the other native officials to boot, ia that the retention of them in the service of the colony is attended by anything but good results. My main object in writing tbis J«it*r, however, was to protest against Mr Leslie's assumption that public opinion in the W aikato is with him on tbis subject, rather than with you. My experience is all the other way. I thought indeed we were unanimous in this matter until 1 read a letter which appeared in your paper of the 9th, and Mr Leslie's letter. But to the letter of the 9th I paid little attention, as it appeared to me remarkable mainly for its incoherence. The writer referred to the 'eaily stages of Sullivan's murder,' whenever that may have been, and announced as a fact that Mr Mackay had orders to attack if the Maoris fired another shot. It did not seem to have occurred to him that if these were Mackaj's instructions, he lays him open to the chaige of having systematically ignored them ; for he hastened to bounce when he, should waited to strike. I fancj, therefore, from the osnfnsed and contradictory character of both these epistles, that if the respective writers were to review their conclusions, as resting on their own premises, very little reflection would lead them to adopt the same opinions which you have expressed in your paper on this important subject. — I am, &c. Pakeha.

(To the Editor of the Waikato Times.) Sir, — At the request of the Hon Colonel Whitmorc, late editor, I have undertaken to prepare a new edition of the New Zealand Herd Book, but, in order to carry out this object to n, successful issue, it is necessary that I shomld receive well-authenticated information from owners of stock throughout the colonies. I would therefore crave the indulgence of a small space in your valuable columns, to make my intention know n to those of your readers who are inteterested in these mutters, and to procure their assistance and cooperation, as well as to point out to them, and to others the imporUnce, in a commercial point of view, of a truthful record of the pedigrees of pure stock. Sir, it it well known that animals with undeniable pedigrees will sell for much larger sums of money than those whoso pedigrees cannot be depended upon, although, perhaps, a; good in any other respects. Moreover, it is almost impossible without some record of the kind for persons in the provinces of the Middle Island to know anything of the valuable stock which you in the North lilaud possess, and vice versa. To supply this want, then, I propose, during the month of October in each year to publish a small book similar to one published by Colonel Whitraore in 1870, containing pedigrees of all stock possessing at least four strains of pure blood, as well as the names and addresses of breeders and owners of pure stock, so that when anyone wants a first-class- bull or cow of any particular breed (I say of any particular breed because we have pure Herefords as well aa Devons in the colony, and I intend to find a space in the book for these valuable breeds) he may know where to go for them. Subscribers of one guinea per annum will, in addition to having their stock entered without further charge, be entitled to two copies of the New Zealand Herd Book. For any further copies subscribers will be charged two shillings and six pence each, non-subscribers, five shillings per copy. In conclusion, sir, allow me, in order to illustrate the importance, to *11 persons interested in stock, of such a book of reference as that which I have described, to give your readers one instance — and at the same time I would desire to congratulate your province, as well as the colony, on your possessing such valuable and fashionable blood as I am about to describe. On reading the Field of the 7th Juue, 1873, a few days ago, I came across a report of thn Bath and West of England Show, held at Plymouth, where the Ist prize short-horn bull is spoken of in the following terms : — " Mr George Game's Earl of Warwickshire, 2nd, bred by Mr Sheldon, of Brailes; is a grandson of the 7th Duke of York, from whom he, no doubt, derives his fine head, big neck, great bosom, and quality, which is excellent." I would here point out that this Earl of Warwickshire is nephew to 25th Baron Westbury, the properly of Messrs K. and E. McLean, of Fenrose, near Auckland. The Reviewer, after next alluding to the Ist prize young bull, expresses himself thus : — " Wo should ranch prefer, as likely to improve a herd, the Rev E. B. Kennard's Bates Duke, 4th ; a son of 2nd Duke of Tregunter, out of Gazelle, Bth, and a grandson of the 7th Duke of York, a straight stylish bull, ho was, however, comparatively in poor condition, whioh may have induced the judges in awarding to him high commendation only." Hero again, 'I desire to point out for the information of the publio that the above bull ii own brother to 9th Colonel Tregunter who, with his dam, the Gazelle cow, is also the property of Messrs R. and E. McLean, of Fenrose, Auckland. I find alsj that the judges at the above-named exhibition took for second place in this class a thick useful bull, the property of Mr W. H. Ifewrtt, the breeder of the lately imported cows, Countess of Tuunton, and Lady Eleanor, a prize taker in England ; Nellie, also of the sumo tribe, was a prize winner at the late Royal Show at Card if F, these cows are also the property of Messrs McLean, of Auckland. Weil, sir, I may say that without the assistance of various herd books I should not have been able to congratulate your province on piwessjng such very valuable dock aud 6uch enterprising men m, the Jie-srs R. aud E. McLean. — I am, <tc. W. J. G. Bluett, M.A., M.H.R.