The Waikato Times. "OMNE SOLUM FORTI PATRIA." SATURDAY, JUNE 12, 1875.

Waikato Times, Volume VIII, Issue 478, 12 June 1875, Page 2

The Waikato Times. " OMNE SOLUM FO RTI PA TRIA." SATURDAY , JUNE 12, 1875.

Year by year the beneficent influences of civilisation are becoming more apparent to the native mind. The blessings of peaceful industry are too manifold to escape their shrewd observation. They see on every hand progress, improvement, and the increase of material wealth amongst their European neighbours. They see the fern-wastes transformed into verdant pastures, the sombre forests disappearing before yellow cornfields, homesteads springing up in the erstwhile wilderness, roads, bridges, telegraphs, railways traversing the land like a net-work. These are practical arguments which appeal to the native mind with irresistible cogency and conclusiveness. The steady energy and indomitable perseverance of the Anglo-Saxon race; the sure, if slow, strides of the spade and the plough are more potent than the sword and the rifle ; and the victory, moiCtwWe, l!|pr&i^ori*ttis, jjind more enduring. It is thcNjiottyfyjrf inS^etfPn^wwer ; the triumph of modern sciencV^ver pfcaiudixje iasd brute force. No race, no nation, were T(^er really civilised by the sword. The arts and sciences of the Romans, their great roads, aqueducts, and permanent works have survived the ravages of time, while the history of their warlike deeds has faded into tradition and mythology. They won more by the pickaxe and tSnSflAjitlian \jr their weapons. The Maoris have le^neato^reatVid lasfciogjiesson during the past few y^ttrs. t All OVe 'imjf^ai^' e and warlike instincts of their raceNvere r^uSed infer activity by the first indications of encroaching civilization. They awoke from the rude slumber of the past, and dashed themselves desperately against the new huge element which they had not learned to understand, and whose^pc^scr they could not realize. They found it as n^enhfrabl'Njs a wall of iron. Bruised anT^lqedi^g tb^ymkU tiStek, benumbed and pamJyseq^t/h^my^teXj^ Jjqwcv which appeared to advance with~-fhe\trong overwhelming force of a, flood, and the inevitable inarch of destiny. They subsided into sullen isolation, suspicion, and vigilant jealousy. They laid by the musket, and

attempted to obstruct to thwart, and to repel civilization with its own weapons. European settlers, chafing under vexatious delays, and trammelled by obstacles to progress, clamoured for repression and war, but men more far-seeing, more experienced, and of sounder judgment than they patiently bided their time. And the inexorable logic of facts has proved them wise. The aspirations of the Maori for a distinct nationality were a rude barbaric dream,' j and have vanished as a dream. A semi-savage j isolation beside modern civilization cannot long exist, and the natives know it. They are awaking from their stupor and clearing the scales fiom their eyes ; but the sleep and quietude have done them good. They are awaking to a new life, in which the past will be remembered only as a dull nightmare of j ignorance and prejudice. They cannot ignore civili- 1 zation and live. They must either die a slow in. sidious death, or adapt themselves to the new life around them. The Maori mind is shrewd, and it will adopt the latter course. The interview of Tawhiao with the Native Minister, the disposition to open Mokau, the journey of Rewi to the East Coast, his conduct at Alexandra, and his language to Major Mair, reported in another column, are all indications significantof change ' which is coming o^^^^l^ n^xnje^uiuind. The long interval of ]tea^N^ ooqe\l\work. We have learned a lessoV of forbearance and patience, while the natives have had leisure and quiet for reflection and observation. The king's power is waning, and the last and most formidable obstacle to ]\ew Zealand's final prosperity is crumbling away. The genial dews of peace have softened the prejudices of the most obstinate enemies of civilization and settlement. The clouds are breaking, the silvei lining appears, and the day may not be far off when the sun of permanent peace and prosperity will shine.

The openinawrfthe laufeiy to Mercer, and the frequency of c3>^W»^tea!lte^Ajffiunication with all parts of th^^kSjo^aflW oj^c^ut facilities to tourists and invars desirous o£ visiting the famed healing springs of Ttyipo and RotSrua. By this course they avoid all the delays, uncertainty of communication, expense, and bad roads of the route via the East Coast. At present the majority of the tourists and invalids come by wayyof Auckland, whence they take passage to Tauranga or Napier, steamer fare alone costing more than the total expense of the trip via the Waikato. The advantages of the latter route over the former in point of time, facilities for : comfortable travelling, and the attractions of the " scenery, are very great. Indeed, with a knowledge of the capabilities of the respective routes, it is ; difficult to conceive how any tourist could prefer I'that via the East Coast. The fact that they coni tinue to travel by the latter way is only attributable to the absence of information on the subject, and the want of a suitable guide-book, a desideratum which we hope to supply at an early date. The tourist coming via, tke-Waikato passes through a thriving agricultural and pastoral district to Alerter in a few hours, and here he can choose his furthev^oute up either the Waipa or the Waikato river by^teamer, witiltoiews of picturesque scenery and agr^blF qr>j£fc Messrs Quick's coach to liW^to^fcii^^aiy^J^evVjhence there is a good horse-roatt to^Te \f hitu,^na many interesting places to be viewed try the way. Sixteen miles from Cambridge are the grand Waikato rapids, where the whole body of the river rushes through a- narrow gorge with immense velocity, the spray forming all the beautiful and varied hues of the rainbow, after which it is named by the natives "Aniwaniwa." By way of To Waoutu, the tourist sees magnificent forests of totara, and at Niho-o-te-Kiori^similar rapids. On the road to Rotorua is the famous J^orohoro mountain, which rises for several miles with the I'oad like a wall cove^SflwitjHa be^utirai^blia^e, which contrasts strikuW^Buth the^rß&pitous grey rock, rising" to a heTvnfc thousand Tkefc. Another advantage is that the tourist has the choice of two roads at Te Whitu, to Taiipo\r Kotorua- Mr Domet, in his poem " Ranolf and A.mohta, a South Sea Day Dream," thus exquisitely describes Rotomahana, — A cataract carved in Parian stone, Or any purer substance known.

Each step becomes a terrace broad, — Each terrace a wide basin brimmed With water, briluJtot, yet in hue The tei^Shqt^JehcaV^, blue, Deepenfl^tojriolet ! s •%T • v «~.> • \^^ The topmoatStep the pair surmount, And 10, the cause of all 1 Look where upshoots a fuming fount, — Up through a blue and boiliug pool Perennial, -a great sapphire steaming In that coralline crater gleaming. Unwelling ever, amethystal, Ebullient comes the bubbling crystal ! Still growing cooler and more cool, As down, the porcelain stairway slips The fluid flint, and slovWL drips, And ISflg»^<^b'islWs ciiH^pg lips With c^ujit^TSTtnge OT^eh $\snv increases ThickprtSan sne^t^for^Leri Qeccea; More close, and resular thj^rows, Long rows of snowy trutnperolowers, Some day to hang in garden bowers, When strangers ehallt!'ese wilds enclose.

I Provincial institutions in most of the provinces, like O'Callaghan of immortal memory, are on their " Last Legs." Canterbury, with its enormous Land Fund, cannot make both ends meet. Wellington, the sturdy fotgßD", j&N|ly keptalive by a system of ingenious finaocrW adctalu&nEtS^liich tho patient's life is often desp^rrecrwaf* \JWtnw province clings to life with the* tenacity ofVn\eld reprobate who has lived a fast life and desires to disappoint an anxiously expectant heir. Its Superintendent contrives to bolster up the patient by hypothecating everything it possesses on the earth, and in the waters under the carth — sometimes two or three times over. Taranusfkr*waats tho local expenditure and the JU£Q li4jtle\pickincrs of a big breakwater. Mai*lborougr^fcss*a noWe^mrrWf martyrs, with all the paraphernmift' 4lf a |pt sxme on a few thousands a yeai\ Auckland ifa unable to scrape together sufficient money to {ray its officials, and there will shortly be weeping sore and grievous amongst a few hundreds of indigent official paupers, whose souls are already harrowed at the signs of early dissolution. Should any benighted country, Fiji or New Guinea, for instance, be badly in want of a few thousands of smart Tite Barnacles, we shall be in a position to supply them cheap. Poot Auckland is reduced to the miserable^j^dicament of a spendthrift who has ex baustecnys^ysik a%d^whose pap^r is despised and rejectecr^£ di^ttmteH^^- J3by interest. The inexorable Daniel Pollen, Xikfe a boa constrictor, has drawn his folds still tighter round the province, and tho struggles of the viotim only hasten its inevitable doom. There is just now sore tribulation amongst the noble army of official martyrs. The Provincial Treasurer forwarded a bill against the General Government for a little matter of J2700, no doubt urging that if it were not promptly met | there was danger V universal smash, with a horde of playful w^ra. a^jl cVmi^ils ranging about the country, nofejtriSmiM^k tn^rod and heait-rending picture of another hoi\e of unsatisfied officials besieging the provincial. Treasury with unpaid

vouchers. But Daniel Pollen is nob the man to bo alarmed by any such terrors as theae. His Government has decreed the death of Provincialism, and die it must, in spite of all its hysterical appeals for pity, and its wrigglings on the gibbet.- Daniel replies that the little item of £700 capitation allowance has been absorbed by the interest on railways, and that the Commissioners of Audit refuse to pass the sum. Thereupon, the organs of the moribund old sinner Provincialism indulge in a long loud wail of agony, and see the end of all things nigh. For decency's sake let us have a speedy end. of these miserable pauper appeals, these shifts and dodges and expedients to patch up a diseased and shaky constitution. Let the provinces make their wills and die respectably, and let us have all the mourning afterwards. We are naturally sympathetic, and can spare a few* tears after the funeral ; and if more be wanted we would give our mite towards the erection of a memorial inscribed, " He that dies pays all debtsJ!

We learn that llfc^Vt t&p been instructed by the Mifl(|tesoft'uWi<S^j#ks to make a preliminary surveyoKa siteHaira brW^eL&cross the Waikato at Harailton.^ffhe Resident>Engineer has been engaged in the wark during tHe past fewdays, but, of course, nothing definite will be made public on the subject until Parliament meets. That there is urgent need for a bridge in this locality cannot be doubted for a moment, and it appears to be equally clear that the work would be productive in a financial aspect. Indeed, had the district not been weighed down by the incubus of Provincial Government, the necessity for a bridge would long ago have enforced attention, and an extensive and a fertile district would have been opened up for profitable settlement. At a rough estimate the of a substantial and permanent >ai|jtee w<mil<^be from ,£7,000 to £12,000. The recek^sS^r'tjiie puraLaye where near £1 a day, I^l inXjje case^of l^^re^^would in \ short time tVxlouble"d. AXs|^Der ceVt the income would paj\the interest on coat, and leave a handsome margin for working expenses. But the immense advantages which would accrue from the construction of a bridge can hardly be estimated. Communication wit'i the Upper Thames would be opened up, a profitable market for the Waikato brought within a practicable distance, and a large intervening tract of splendid country thrown open for settlement. Sheep-farmers and cattle owners at Cambridge, Matamata, Tamahere, and other districts would hail the construction of a bridge as a real boon, enabling them to get their stock more cheaply, and^expediiiDusly to market, without the existing riflra^y^^ct the would be a stimulus to plbggbs^in UnL P^r^^oyjfoe Waikato, that would speedily prorfuc^tne^nostTO^ficial and permanent results, and w\ trust the General Government will place a sum on the estimates for the purpose during the approaching session of the General Assembly.

To-day we present our readers with a supplement containing fourteen closely printed columns of reading matter selected for everybody and his wife. We are glad to hear that agriculture at Tatnahere s iias received an important aid from the flour mill ereHed in that dis^c^ome four years ago by Mr that tWa^i tleJ^til wetebuilt^yie£bw&^ld not remain in tne arsxricT^ am^Mr Reia acceded to their urgent appeals by erectingite present mill, which is driven by water power, ana is fitted with a single pair of stones. Mr Reids enterprise has had a most beneficial effect on the district. The natives have turned their attention to wheat-growing, and in the four years that have elapsed about 500 acres of land have been broken up, and brought under culture. The yield does not exceed 12 bushels per acre, but this is owing to the very primitive method of cultivation adopted by the natives. That wheat can be produced in abundance in the Waikato district is proved by the fact that Major Jackson garnered last harvest 30 to 35 bushels to the acre, and in a former year he reaped 50 bushels. The natives of Tamahere promise to cultivate more land next year, and we trust now that the railway has reduced the freight to Auckland, the European settlers will give a larger share of their attention to agriculture, and to tbe^reparation of land for cropping when to I^garuawahia and t Ohaupo is coHUjlete* J^ftehQ^ now having ! erected a commli^usSlwelln^nouse? at a cost of nearly £2,000. *\ * The many Waikato friends of Mr A. E. Whitaker i will be pleased to hear that he has made a most successful debut in Wellington. In his maiden case he was engaged for the complainant in the suit of Steward v. Steward. Opposed to him was Mr Brandon, and in fencing with this legal veteran Mr Whitaker exhibited some of that peculiar shrewdness which was highly characteristic of Whitaker the elder. Mr A. E. Whitaker, who had only recently arrived in Wellington from Auckland, is at present associated with Mr Moorhouse. Mr F. Win taker, senr., is probably the most skilful and experienced member of the New Zealand Bar, and he was once Attorney-General of the colony. Clever men, who have won their way to eminence in any profession, are rarely blessed with gifted sons, but it would appear that those of Mr Whitaker are destined to wear his mantle with honor, and emulate and perpetuate his fame in the future generations. There is urgent rfeed of a landing-place at Hamilton West tor the convenience of passengers land, ing" from steamers, and to facilitate the landing 1 of goods. Some times^go, tenders were invited for the wor_k, bnLlhose rhifii^d being too high were rejectWT^OJS^ trl^. that the Town Board jjtfotch ff«omft irSorder to have this highly nectesary "]subli<n^quirement supplied. If the work be\not comnuen^id shortly, the expense may be considerably increased, as the pile-driver will soon be sent down to the Waikato Heads. A new Janding'-place on the proposed site will possess the advantosfe of deep water in all seasons. Considerable doubt has hitherto existed as to the actual distance by road between Hamilton and Vgaruawahia, and a difference of opinion the other day, between a gentleman of the long robe and another local celebrity, resulted in a bet. A surveyor was employed to decide the matter, and ascertained the distance to be twelve miles all but a few chains. The Rangiriri was delayed at Ng-araawahia on Thursday morningtb^an obstruction in the river. A barge loSSl^rLth coVcr\teTor the abutment on the north bmbk^f the nler^auk during Wednesdiy night, bln^ingf^iJife cDannM. The contractor, however, used -etery effort G\ l^htea and remove it, and with great difficulty succeeded in drawing it out of the way, thus enabling the steamer to proceed on her trip. The barge had been overloaded, and was swamped during Wednesday night. We would again remind the able-bodied young men of Hamilton that to-day they Avill have an opportuni^£yL t&pmrinffjjheir powers as kickists in Mr M.irtnrepl^ocV a^lNye hope there will be a

'I he Wellington ."Tribune" professes to be informed as to the intentions of the Government regarding Constitutional reform. It says the j Government will approve of general abolition of 1 the Provincial system throughout tke colony if backed by a majority of the House, that the new system of local Government will be tentative, that the powers of local Boards will be extended, and a plan will be sketched out for amalgamating every two or more of them where advisable into a County Board, to which will be given license fees, and other miscellaneous receipts in the country. The new bill will be simple and formed on an elastio basis, so as to permit of the introduction of any change rendered necessary by circumstances. It is proposed to hold the following religious services in the Waikato to-morrow. Church of Englaud: I Cambridge, 11 a.m.; Hamilton, 6.30 p.m.; Ngaruawahia, 11 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. ; Te Awamutu, 1* a.m.; Ohaupo, 3 p.m.; Alexandra, 7 p.m. Roman Catholic: Alexandra, 11 a.m. Presbyterian: Hamilton, }1 a.m.; Cambridge, 3 p.m.; Alexandra, 11 a.m.; Paterangi, 3 p.m. Wesleyan Methodist: Cambridge, 0.30 pm.; Pukerimu, 3 p.m.; Hamilton, 11 a.m. and 6.30 p.m.; Kihikihi, 11 am. United Presbyterian and Congregational : Te Awamutu, 3 p.m.