The Waikato Times. "OMNE SOLUM FORTI PATRIA." TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1873.

Waikato Times, Volume IV, Issue 241, 25 November 1873, Page 2

The Waikato Times. "OMNE SOLUM FORTI PATRIA." TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1873.

One of the principal objections to representative government is the necessity of holding- elections. In past times when the voting was open, many men were enemies fop life on account of the manner in which they recorded their votes. Gieat apathy, as regards oar election, w«s di played till the l» h t minute, although frequently warned by 113 to look out for fit and proper men to tepresent them ; with one exception, the electots omitted to think »s to whom they should cull upon till a few days before the election. Like all work driven off till tLe last minute, our electoral work h.is been veiy imperfectly done. One gentleman has been returned who has never come forward, neither has he been asked, to tell those who were to elect him what his opinions were on any question that affects their interests Another gentleman avoided addressing a meeting 1 , and simply contented himself with writing a letter to be read at the meeting by another person. ]ti the letter lie did not express a single opiuian on any political question ; we are consequently left in doul.l as to whether he is possessed of one or not. The third gentleman elected did certainly on the day of nomination, and during' the forfy-eighfc hours that intervened before the election, give us his opinion on various matters. Until greater interest in the management of their own affairs is taken by the peop'e this colony will continue to dr.fr. We do not for ovio moment say that it is the case in our district; but we do say thie, that unless electors take the trouble to sift to the bottom the opinions of tho*e who offer themselves for e'ection, th.»t they will cont-nue to be, as they have hitherto been to a very great extent, the victims of unprincipled men who enter our different political arenas with the object principally if not solely, of gawiing their own ends. Jt must be remembered also that a, man may be a very good man, an honest man indeed, yet if he be a political heretic he cannot fail to prove worse than useless to his constituency. Ho may also be a good firmer, yet unfitted for political life We carefully avoided expressing any opinion as to the caudidutes lately competing, for the simple reason that before tbev c.ime forward we explained ptetly clearly tlie opinions that should be Held by a fit man. It is matter for Bincere regret tlmt the men best fitted to be representatives will not come forward. It is the duty of the people to put pr«Huro upon sue ! i so that they cannot longer neglect those duties that devolve upon e^ery citizen possessed of ability and integrity beyond his fellows.

Ox Saturday two protests weie entered bv persons entitled to vote, although omitted from the Ideal electoral roll. We »re not po-iti\ely aware on whom rests the blame, but the compilation of the district ro'ls from llio "■eneral is simply disgraceful ; and the officer wlnso duty it was to Beo the work correcMy done— if not t o do it himself— should at the very leash receive as severe a reprimand as can be conveyed in official language. In several cases the names are correctly spelt in the original roll and incorrectly in those compiled from it ; suver.d are omitttd altogether ; in fact the whole affair is a disgrace to everybody connected with it. Had notice been given that there was an intention of compiling local rolls, some blame might rest with the settlers themselves for not having tout in their names at the proper time, and to the proper ufficrr We, iv the name of the people, demand that an in. vestig-ation shall take place. As regurds our two districts, the result of the e'ections has not been altered ; but had the \oting- been within two vote-*, we believe that the grosa misconduct of hi.s business, by some official, would have put the country to the expense of another polling*.

Major JVlair, the .Returning Olficer for the Wai pa district, officially declared the state of the Poll for members of the Provincial Council yesterday, at N«aruawahia. He stated that two votes hiid been found bad for both Mr Byron and Mr Koebe, two voters having recorded their votes at two polling places. The number of votes loi each candidate wa3, Byron, 130 s Knox, 4l> ; tfocbe, 104 • Mabm, 1. The Returning Officer explained that it was well known before the election that Mr Mabm had retired from the contest, but not, having giien the required notice, he could not he officially withdrawn He concluded by deck) ing Messrs Henry Byron and Hungerford Eocho duly elacted. Mr .Byron was the only candidate present. He came forward and spoke -»s foll'wa • Mrßetuniing Officer, and gentlemen, I d«,iie to thank you for the compliment you have conferred upon me by placing me at the he-id or the poll. I desire specially to thank those gentlemen who interested themselves to secure my return, more particularly those who scunred suj.port for me in those places where I am personally known to but few. In Hamilton, also, I, found some staunch allies I told you when 1 addr- ssed you before that you should return the best man ; 1 think you have d»ue so. At any late, it will be my earnest desiie to advance the interests jof the community. In conclusion. I have to request that any settler who thinks of anything that 1 can do for the good of the W aikato, will be kind euo^h to write me on the ; subject, and the matter will have my earnest atteii-ion Before concluding, 1 «ij, to move a vote of thanks to the Kotuining Othcer for the courteous and able manner m which he lias poi formed his duties. The vote of thanks was earned l.y acclamation. Thiee dieeis were given for Mr Byion, and the ceremony teiniinated. In reference to an enor that occurred 'in the report of the meeting of candidates held at Hamilton on FiLlay evening, it may be remembered we sated that a vote of conficenee in Messrs hymn and Kocl.o was pns»od, in ph.co our offlee till h»lf-pa«t one, >t «as in coHM-qu,™ .et up very limricdlj. We did ad m our power to amend the imalak'c by Mc»rnphinp to every limnahip; i>, fact, with thecswntim, of H,,,,Hltoii. wliero the fno •of the ca l 0 wore known, our correction aimed before the paper. r?* }*V' Q i* e( ' n a ... Mm 11 J c "f tie lore tuurd cut at ihe \ll it I f , Ma "f 11 "' . an ' 1 - k i 3 "" W " 21 l8t;i1 »'»»>«. l fact that it ia nearly if rot quite a* durablr, and can of cou,«e r l.e sup J,«l «t a mu.h lower rate. We trust that every settler will rtf we to purchase any ropo hut that mnnnfac.n/ed In the district. 1 The, e is al.ca. v too much money WiDg the Waikaio in pa, ment for B eei«Ses? ,liAt I , MC 'r aiJv eitiseraenr that Mr Vwlou has Wear. .t a wanfwlii,.l, has lot.« been Mt i ? about to W«- haxe jiirf ip.-eivcd |}, c ] nst num bcrof the National -JW.and *onld remind our reader that that per.odu-a ma; lebid of our «gent 8 throughout tins di.iri.-t. It has c..rfaii )y wuchnoptowA both i» lta matter and iHuslmtions. \\ c lope i hat it innvoblain the rirenj«t.oii in tin. dMrict it to we I itMTw There are times when a comic p«p e • i eminently iiccful. ' ' Mr Hay has bocn rrtnniMl to represent Iheoleetoral district of Papakura in the Pm»mwd Council hv 205 rotes Hi? opvmvut pulltd 6*. ' I

:i t i- t,} c Usnalrj <mli, »t Te Awamutu, on In day, there 1 «er> smne hone races We eij«cct it full report /o r next j »s o The result of the races was &a follows — Mr Higgin••n'-* mare won the Cavalry flat race. Mr Eav's Costello, i t'if S'eeplwhase. ,Mr Higgiriion'Jririare, the All Coiners Male*. The amusement* wouncfi up with, a number of snafc'i mutches. j Wo learn that ltem has asked $ftjor Mair to rilit him. Tne (l.v))-c to establish communication between the officers of tjio Government may bo taken as a -good; W. N. Sfarnncke, E->q , the ttetirnlng Officer for thto, Wjika»o district, declared the poil for tint district vested day. Graham, 58 ; Farrell, 44, Neither candidates addressed the electors. The Agent-General hn* sent A telegram tothe Government, under dnte thr* 6th of November, stilting that 123 souU left London in thf> Lminerdale in Oetolvr hut From Tnupo we (Qtago Guardian) hare the jfojlo wing telegram: — u Air Davis cautions persons not to enter into negotiations :n the Arawa district for the purchase of land, unless appnvel by the tribe generally. Malicious letters have been emulated a-uongsc t lie natives generally to upset the Government scheme."- We dare my this caution is needed. 'J he North Island is over-run bv " land shark*," vrlio make advances to Maoris, .without much consideration an fo whether they are the rightful owners of the. property tor which they are in treaty, and so complicate the title, and render it nearly impossible for the Government to acquire land for settlement purpose*. The circulation of " malicious letters to upset t lie Government, scheme," is no'ijevr deuce It is a system that has long b»en practised ; the employment of tlie lowest of the pakeha- .Maoris to go inuongtt Hie natives and '• He against the Government" is another (nek of the | land-grabbing fratcnity. Now, we hold that very strong measures should be taken to put an end to tins stuto of things There must be something radically w long, when men v> ithoiil iiny priinte means have been able to acquire thousands u,joii thousands of the most fertile lands m tue North Island from f he navives through the l-nnd Court, resulting invariably in ruin to the natives, shutting up the country to settlement, and creating a bad feeling between the tw«, races ill uncultivated lands acquired in this way' by purchase from the natives shou'd be taxed for State purpo->e<>. If speculators will absorb the waste lanis of the ountry wholes ile, an I trade upon the nrce^eit e< of t!ie nutitrs (or raontn, and of settlers for land, t ey should be compelled to contribute to the revenue directly what their " operations" have resulted in keeping indirectly out of the Treasury. Moreover, tli»re is all the more nvess tj for some such measure as this being | adopted, because landless Maoris are invariably turbulent, and become a heavy charge upon the public funds to keep them quiet. 'The tax-piyers of Otago have a direct interest, in this question, and should speak out with no uncertain sound. Legitimate speculation m land, which is in t''.e open market, is one thing ; but the piracy of Maori lands', winch has become a system in the North Island is a totally different fiing. In this connection, we read a telegram from Napier \\hich appeared in Saturday's issuer — "The Maoris have leased 18Q.0C0 acres of Ilrnd in the Waiioa district to Mr K. Aianey " Is Mr Maney a Government officer ?„ We believinot. iNTow, this Wa iron district is the most fertile agricultural disiriei in the prevmee of H-uvke's Buy. It is on the boundary line between Hiwke's Biy and ' Auckland, and already has become a large pro luring country. It has a ""•nil craft harbour, and the Wairoa is the seat of a considerable local tra-le. Why should this fine district be locked up apainst European settlement, with its accompanying eontiibution tothe general revenue, and future guarantees of p ace ? If .Mr Maney has leased this block of 180,000 iicres lor t'-ie Government, well and good ; if net, the law should b» so altered as t6 impose upon him, and other persons t>im larly ciivum^t.inced, an acre.i^e tax for fie benefit, not of the province, but of the colony as a whole, which they are injuring. Writing in reference to the Canterbury Agricultural S'iow the Lyttelton Timet cays:— " Jhis and s.milar exhibitions' are not, so far as we are m a | osition to ju Ige, organised wi.'i a view of giving A, ai d B, nn.l C, and the rest, an opportunity of displaying the results of their superior Lnowledjre, their greater wealth, or their more marked sticees* m 'some particular direction. But even ifthiy uere, wus'iould still be of opinion that they are meful, and that, the whole community deiives advantage in • vanou3 ways fiom the peiiodical gathering! whicii they promote. We lwk at those exhibit ioiif from an entirely educational point of v e«\ and are prepared to eonfe d that thi- is — orousjhtto be— their main n^ji ct. Tale, for illustration, the eilnb tion which is lo be 1 eld to-day, and which we are gr tilled to hear proin^es lo be eminently successful. Brown, and Jones, and Robinson, and a ost of others, will bring what they believe to be tlieir best, sleep. or cuttle, or horse?, or p gs— and so on — at.d all the oilier Browns, Joneses, and Itub.nsons, who have no "b.'st'' to exhibit, who are perhaps in doubt as to what, is really good in its class, will have an opportunity not | only of forming a coriect opinion but of comparing tlieir j own with their neighbours' ellorls in stock breeding, or whatever el*o they may take an interest in. They will co what the judges — selected because they are believed to hnr« moat knowle Ige in their several department*, ami because they Will vivo award* without fear or favour — 'iave considered I the most deairung of distinction, and t'ns wll advance tlieir education if they are disposed to profit by the oppor I unit)."