The Waikato Times . "OMNE SOLUM FORTI PATRIA." THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1874.

Waikato Times, Volume VII, Issue 399, 3 December 1874, Page 2

The Waikato Times . "OMNE SOLUM FORTI PATRIA." THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1874.

It seems that thpre is not to bo a bridge at Hamilton. As will be remembered, a petition, adopted at p. most influential meeting of Waikato settlers, was jorwqyded- **>"><> trm©- ahice~to ~TmVX3ovef riinent, asking that the extensive district lying on the East pde of the Horotiu river should be connected with .the line of railway running through the J)elta. The .answer to that petition we publish in another ( column. We are told that the Government cannot pee its way to comply with the request of the petitioners, but that the punt now in use at Nga-j-uawahia shall in due time be forwarded to Hamil- i .ton to meet the requirements between the various referred to in the .petition. Surely this Js adding insult to injury. This is asking for bread and receiving a stone with vengeance. How comes jt that the Government fails to see its way to make a success of one of the few payable lines they have undertaken, when the method of that success is clearly pointed out to them by men, whose knowledge of the district enables them to speak with confidence upon the matter ? How did they " see .their way" to construct a line of railway from JVelson to Foxhill I or, in spite of the unconquerable difficulties of the ranges between Wellington and Jthe Waimrapa plains to bring those two places into railway communication? How is it that lines, which cannot pay expenses, are in process of formation all over the country, while the one thing necessary to make the present route through the Waikato accessible to large numbers of the settlers is denied .them ? Perhaps it may be that we have only one vote to dispose of; perhaps the Government "saw way " in reference to its unprofitable undertakings all over the colony, through the representations of persons possessed of more political influence Jhan our petitioners. We are not in a position tp account for this anomalous state of affairs, but of this we arc certain, that the request is most reasonable. There are nearly two hundred thousand acres of available gopd country lying on the East fcide of the river which would be developed by direct communication with Auckland. Thp Tania- ' here, Cambridge, and Piako districts, and the large tract of country now being chained by the Swamp pompnny, which will, ere long, bo tit for occupation, will together form a source from wliicl) can be drawn a supply of produce .sufficient of itself to make the Waikato Kail way a payable lino. $i}t a punt,, whether it bo the small one now in use at Hamilton or the " gigantic structure " plying at Newcastle, will never permit the settlers of these different djstricta to forward their catfclo and grain across ♦-he river to be put on the railway for passage to Auckland. We can understand the wisdonj of choosing a route for tho lino which will lead it through the heart of the King country — the ultimate saving to tho settlors in native expenditure will be considerable, and we, so far, fully indorse the action of the Government ; but why the settlers on the feast side of the river should bo practically debarred from participating in the advantages of direct railroad communication with Auckland, we are at a loss to compreheud. We trust that the matter will kjb\ tl f'°l\ fttKl *j lflt our I ; c P^?cntativo will

take the oppoitimity next session of still further urging upon the Government tho necessity of a bridge at Hamilton.

J> will bo remembered that on the occasion of his visit to the Waikalo, the Superintendent slated to a deputation which waited upon him, that the General Government had promised to - employ a portion of the proceeds arising from the sale of land in the district in keeping tho main 'highways in order. We are glad to be in a position to state that the accounts of the land sales have been now made up, and that they show the amount realised to be £12,000. Of this sum, the General Government purpose to retain £6000, or half of tho total receipts • the balance of the money will bo distributed as follows:— The Provincial Government will bo allowed to .make use of £3000 ; a sum of £1500 is devoted to tho repairs of the roads between Nganrawahia and Hamilton, and the first-mentioned township and Alexandra; the balance of the money will be distributed between the different Road Boards of the district. We learn that the Kirikiriroa Road Board will receive the lion's share of this grant. We are not informed on what grounds they are thus favored, but we presume it is because they have considerable unfinished works in hand. j The total sum available for the purpose of forming and keeping in repair the roads of the district, is not very large, but it is at all events satisfactory to know that half of it is devoted to keeping the different highways in repair, and thus leaving a comparatively small sum to be played with by the different Boards. It is a pity that the General Government could not have seen its way to sissumo | entire control of the whole expenditure. The various Boards resemble component parts of a large "puzzle," which it is n task of great difficulty to fit together. They have no engineer or person of practical experience to guide them in expending their resources— and the result has hitherto been, and must continue to be, a complete failure. It would surely be advantageous to the district to have some cotnpptpnt man appointed to superintend the whole of the operations of tho road-making, and to lay out the funds in the manner which his matured judgment should point out to him as the most useful and economical. However, this course is not at present open, and we can therefore only hopo that the different Boards will take care to get the best advice they can as to the best method of using the means now placed under their -control.

We cannot but endorse to a grent extent the opinions expressed in the letter of our corespondent " Agncola" published in another column. We are brought by tho nature of our portion into contact with a large number of the settlers of tho district, and we ha\o invariably found that public opinion was directly in accordance with that of Agrieola. In fact tho gentleman wo arc unfortunately about to lose may be almost said to have, by his personal endeavours alone, pained a footing for the National Bank in the Waikato, and given it a home in a locality whero a rival bank seemed to have a hold that could never bo shaken off, But there is one matter which the writer of the letter referred to has omitted to touch upon, and relating to which we wish to sny a few words. This is— the extreme injustice done to gentlemen in the position of Mr Shiel by their sudden removal from agencies in which they maybe led to expect th*>y will be for some considerable titoo located. The expenses connected with furnishing and starting an establishment in a manner fitting to the position of a Bank Arent in a district like the Waikato arc very considerable, and any immediate removal entails very great loss. A country district such as this cannot be dealt with in the same fashion as lame commercial cities, or goldfields towns, where there is always a floating population, and where a chango of officers is scarcely noticed. The people here are as a rule stationary, and therefore naturally cling with great strength to old associations. Of course it is not for us to question the wisdom of the course the directors of the bnnk liave seen fit to take. But we can offer our opinion that the work done here for the National Bank will all have to be done over again, and flint flint in«titu<i<m will most cortainly be a great loser by removing a man who has been Here long enough to hare become thoroughly acquainted with the habits, tempers, and prospects of the settlers, and to make himself thoroughly popular and respected by all clashes of the community. We learn from a private source tha! Mr James Mackay jun , is expected to visit Cambridge during the present week His object is to transact both public jind private business. ±he Government have for some time past been purchasing land in the Cambridge district bv means of private person's' acting under Mr Mactay's direction. It is intended to hold a Native Lands Court there during the month of January next, and M> Mackay intends settling the various monetary transactions with the natives and making preparations for the parsing the various blocks through the " mill " He will also, during his stay, which will probably extend over a fortnight, visit his own properties in tho neighbour! ood A wan named Thomas Green was brought up on Tuesday, at Ngaruawah.a, charged with using indecent language in a public place to a female child of 8 yea.is of age. Tho child evidently not comprehending the responsibility of an oath the presiding justice refused to receive her sworn testimony As the girl was the only witnes 8 against the accused, with the exception of two or three little ones younerr than hersell, the man of course was discharged. This class of offence is one that is deserving of the most severe punishment The amount of injury done to the mind of a youu- child by listening to foul lnn-ua^e can n<>v,>r be ascerta.nod. The words linger in i>, mim i ]o ,„ af( ,,,. theyapear to be forgotten, and frequently form the m-. •'< lnf, P ? Vlt ;\ a " d < ; orpu P t : on 'X » ™Wn s those remarks we must not bo understood to wish it to be inferred that in the present Instance the man was utility of the mm- • a. hr as we can learn he ha* borne a very good character. But we wish to warn possible offenders that the law deal* pretty severely with offences of tho sort. H Jf he ,Ti Ctii> M ° f *!* new Court-house in Hamilton is being proceeded with with vigor under the superintendence of the wl Ibh ' 1 f n - P - Notwith,tnnd,ng tho short time which has elapsed since the bu.ld.ng wa, commenced, tV,e outMde already beg-ns to , how sign, of completion, the WMfhrr-bonrdinßand slunjrhng being nearly finiMied. When this building ,s completed .t will bo as hnndsome and >mposmg an edifice as. any yet erected in the Waikato, and will be a much more suitable place for the administration of justice than the miserable tumbledown shanty which is at present used for that purpose. The quest.op often Qceurs to me-What is the came of theeagern,s, of tho Auckland merchants to Be fc off their goods. Of course " push »in bu,ine,s is a most desirable iking, br,t when yqu ? eo twelve or fifteen agents bes.eg.ne the various stores with applications for custom, at the same time in a comparatively poor district like ours it meant something more, I fancy. Anything for •• paper " to melt *ec.n. tho order of the day/ and the temptation to smaller shopkeepers to trade beyond their means which ,sh,ld oat by the facility with which goods can be obtained, if they win only give their aeceptonces, is very great, . The foods are not and cannot with tho present limited demand, be disposed of when the bill matures, and then the merchant comes to the relief by placing the balance wanted to meet it to the credit of his customer. But what a regular collapse there would be amongst the small fry if three or four big town houses went at once ! Still the • travellers as I hare said are first rate company, and contrive to make lively every place in which they deem it worth while to exeniso their persuasive abilities. A correspondent writing from Hamilton complains of a Miis nee which he says exists in that touwship, v *„ that of allowing a number of horses to roam about at, hirge. He complains that the other day a mob of nbout 16 hones were galloping furiously up and down the principal street, chased inh«W?«t g 'H B , endaDgenng tliellves »nd limbs of the inhabitants Ho also points out specially the danger to young eluldren which is occasioned by thus allowingiatt le heatenTnn T '" th V^. md thiak » Jt » «•»• that the attention of the authority was called to this nuieance which he alleys ex.s.s. We entirely agree with hZ > ' wS'ato-lr 1 F* 1 LiCCDBing C ° m i9Bionc « f °* *«. Waikato district, under the Amendment Act of the present .^oar, was held ,„ Ilamilion on Tuesday last Messrs WN iSontb M " ?-^ ron ' and &B. Graham werejlcnt: a^nS'r f M f1 aiW r efol<e > 110 CC ° Urfc Was tho application for H n/r h/l ° hcen ? efo1 ' «» Hamilton Hotel from Mr JunSmn ITnM V mtor < to Ml> <*"J™< formerly of the Th 1?a ! ' Newniarkef - '-The transfer was granted, oould bo w^T Wto h ° lla ens y° f construction as ™Zth«J a v° :■ " nd , tb(>re ft PP enr9 t0 b0 Bom ° doubt as to whether app heationn for new licenses can be entertained at ell! 1Z fv™*™* °* °^ &t that to bo in June of untested PMBUme th ° q " C9^°° Will . r ™™. !o! on q

Our readers should look anxiously foi Saturday's i-sue it "ill in nil probability contain a lull and particular account oi a ternnc combat between two rival editors well known to literary lame. Our information, obtained from an authentic source leads us to b'ehovo that the duel will liavo taken pliwe last night, and from the determined chnaeter of both /( tueso men of the pen a desperate encounter may be expected. We are pleaded to le.i.n that 60.n0 of Me«sra R. and Maclean s splendid cattle arc being gradually purchased by our Auckland i.irmors. It would be a matter of regret if they were allowed to be sent out of the province. Wo are informed that Mr Reynold*, of Cambridge, in eoiyiintion with Mr Clarke of the same district, have purchased (hot noblo-looking Shorthorn bull, 25th Baron YVnHtherbv, for 400 guineas, and have taken him up to tbo WaiUto.— lTcrald. ' It will yerj likely be in the remembranco of most of our readers that last years crop of fruit was a failure in most districts in the province of Auckland owing to the heavy winds which prevailed in the spring, but judging from present appearances, we should be inclined to think that this season thero will be an abundant supply, as on most of the trees tho fruit has already set and is now sufficiently strong to withstand any gales which wo aro likely to experience", lno reason has been much later tins season than last but tlui is probably an advantage rather than otherwise, as it lessens tho probability of a recurrence of the. disastrous storms of last season. A friend of ours was out boating tho other day. He had in his company two or three ladies, one of whom, a female ot considerable antiquity, but who had every desire to preserve at least an appearance of youth, was In the habit of wearing false nair. A miniature typhon springing up seized uolcl of her capillary appendage, and lifting it from its resting place on her cranium bore it far away to leeward It was certainly an awkward predicament, but our friend was not a man to bo daunted by trifles. Ho exerted all the power of Ins lungs, and shouted in u voice heard above the roaring of the gale, '• Hold fast your teeth, Madam, the wind is rising." The old lady never forgavo him. A correspondent writes :"— Commercial travellers are sh arming in tho district just now. Every second man you meet in the various townships is a." Traveller." Once in e\ery three months appears to bo the time for their invasion of the Waikato. And they all come at the same time racing for the cream of the plunder. If Mr J— 's traveller catches Bight of Mr H-' 8 young man starting off many particular direction, ho is after him like n Miot. They aro bad companions however, and seem to have a peculiar bul derided preference for " little bill 8 " over hard cash. Skpllie, tho pedestrian, accomplished five miles within the half-hour, and had 1 rnnute and 30 seconds to spare at Dcinedin lnst week. — Herald. '