The Waikato Times.

Waikato Times, Volume IX, Issue 502, 7 August 1875, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

-Ei'vl *n\ ex\"t jti<l'c» fc"» all m>n. .01 whve er state or iwmmvoh r lig'oiso' oolik'Ml; * * a * # lie c thall thp rre»7ths Pk"Pi,«'s right mvi it»ia. tn .w-d by lnft tonca iq 1 u biib Ji by gnl i.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 7 Til, 1873.

The Abolition and Local Government Bills are now before the country. Bjtli appear to have been drafted with consummate skill. If, as the report goes, Mr Travers is the father of the new Bills, the t l bairister of colonial exporienca" is not such a myth after all, as was sujiposed. Rumour hath it that Mr Stafford assiste I at the natal ceremonies, which ushered jn both measures, and we think his fine Roman hand is discernible in tho drafts. The Bills before us are devoid of that heavy array of legal technicalities, involutions, and verbosity, which have so encumJ>f red all measiues introduced in the past. Terseness and plain unmistakable terms raretheir characteristic features. In comparatively few clauses the existing nine .Provinces arc abolished, the formidable ujLiphernaHa of Superintendent sand petty

iV'lt (junii.*: consigned '-to oblivion, and P"j vision is made for a more efficient and *'O')uomicil administration in their stead. 'Hie Local Government Bill provides for the continuance of existing Highway districts under the name of " original districts," for the creation of new districts in compliance with' petitions signed by " inhabitants" possessing property to half the value of the rateable property in the proposed district, Avhich petition • may be rejected "on the representations of a counter one bearing an equal or greater number of signatures, and districts may be altered or amalgamated on petition. These provisions have been devised with great tact. -They are practically of a permissive nature, allowing the fullest freedom to the ratepayers themselves in the formation of districts. Any other plan would probably have imperilled the satisfactory operation of the measures. No Government can be so capable of understanding the various local circumstances and conflicting interests of neighbouring districts, as those who live in them ; and the Bill, therefore, wisely leaves the choice of boundaries to the ratepayers themselves. The cbiuses providing for annual subsidies to Road Boards will meet with unqualified approval in the out districts. While we are anxious to see the present btate of things remedied, we are not of that class who would abolish constitutions by a mere stroke of the pen. Wearefreetoad'mitthatthereare faults in the Abolition and Local Government Bills which will need amendment in Committee. Indeed, as nothing hnman is absolutely perfect, it is difficult to see how the new Bills could have been altogether free from blemishes. Amongst those which are most noticeable, it is evident that in the clanse relating to the formation of new districts the word " inhabitants" has been used instead of " ratepayeis." But the weakest part of the Abolition Bill, is that dealing with the Land Fund. It is proposed to appropriate the Land Fund raised within each Province for various local purposes, and where it falls short of actual requirements to supply the deficiency by means of Treasury Bills, issued on the security of Land revenue. In this province the receipts under that head are practically insignificant, notexceeding some ,£B,OOO clear of all charges. It is evident that borrowing on such a security, not only means a doubtfully successful financial operation, but the getting deeper and deeper into debt, with the possibility of a speedy crisis in our affairs. On this point and some others it will be incumbent upon the Government to develop their future plans, when the Bill goes into Committee. Bu 1 -, with all their defects, there need be no doubt as to the opinions entertained in the Waikato respecting the new measures. Nothing 1 could be worse than the systematic neglect and indifference from which these districts hive languished while under the Provincial regime. It would be almost impossible to devise a change which would not bo a benefit. Therefore, the Government and the House need not wonder if the people of the Waikato dq. not thiuk it necessary to express their opinions by passing resolutions at public meetings. Their disgust of Provincialism has been expressed ovor and nvor again m despairing appeals for justice, and in sullen silence when it became apparent than all appeals would be vain. The condition of the district speaks more eloquently that volumes of resolutions could do. The wonder would be if there conld be found one individual in the Waikato so forgetful of the past and so blind to the future as to prefer a continuance of the existing state of things. All the querelous', appeals and ingenious sophistry of the Provincialists can never alter the inexorable logic of facts. The Ephesians may cry out in the market-place when their craft is in danger, but here the people are for speedy and effectual demolition of the old usele&s idols that have so long been blindly worshipped. Sir George Grey m-iy telegraph craving a little more grace to prepare for political execution, but the fiat has gone forth. From neglected and isolated districts, from settlers floundering in qung-niir3 roads, from parents whose children are starved of mental food, from hundreds who have never seen aught of Provincial Government but its tax-collector, from every long-suffering settler the cry will resound in one mighty volume. " Cut it clown, this deadly upas f tree, why curnbereth ifc the ground !" lv vain will despairing Provincia lists ask where the funds are to come from, — the answer is, " From your own dispoiled maws, from the sweeping away of useless offices, from the abolition of mock Parliaments and farcial little toy Governments." In vain too will wily Superintendents turn to us and say " Wo could have done this ourselves" — the answer is —"Then why did you not doit?" The people of thi3 district will refuse to be beguiled by the voice of the charmer, charm he never so wisely.

In the House on Tuesday nii*ht, Sir George Grey announced the formation of an organized Opposition under his leadership. At the meeting at which the party was established t.wenty-onc members attended as follow: J. 0. Bro*n, lirandon Bunny, Curtis, Di^n-in, Fitzherberfc, Marandrew, Montgomery, Murray, O'Rorke, -Reeves, Rolleston, Ji»'id, Sh^ehan, iSwanson. T'ikamouna, Thomson, Yon d*r Ueyde, Wood, Ward, and Sir G. Grey. Mr Caret's withdrew after, sta'-iuif that the Government proposals met with his approval. The party includes some of the best speaker-* in the House. Hi m^h weak in point of numbers it possesses very large debating power*. Halt' at least of the twenty aiv oratorical " big ijuns "of the Hou-,e. Ttiis compact band of Adulamites avow their intention of resorting to every permissible Parliamentary form md exp-di^nt with the object of delaying, if not of defeating the Local Govrn ne.st a»»'l Ibolition Btlis." Talking against etime " isi the most desper/»te dernier resort, which they are prepared to rely upon. Sir George Grey rightly characterised it as an ''extraordinary measure." Jfc resembles the despairing action of drowning m^n, who clutch at strawg, The Opposition leader brands the Government party wiih the name of "revojE;tionist^." His own will henceforth be known as " obstructjoaists." The Opposition, if driven to desperation will, no doubt, bo able to seriously hamper and harrass the Gorcrnment. Almost all its mombers are iodividuaily good for a speech of many hours duration. Me Fitzhecbert is at auy time, prepared to talk for days. Witness bis Jong dreary areaaderiog speech on Mr Stafford's Waat

of i Confidence resolutions in 1872, when he monopolised the time of the House for three mortal days with what might hare been said in an hour. Under such a leader as Sir George Grey an Opposition may be beneficial to the country , It may critically examins the vitally important Government measures before the House.anditnposewholesoniffoheeke aud restrictions upon a strong and possibly overbearing in tjority. But talking against time is noi likely to result in any benefit, either to the House or the country at large. It is an expedient which often recoils upon those who use it, exciting disgust and driving sensible moderate-minded men into the opposing ranks, Caucusses appear to have been the fashion. i)r Pollen held one on Saturday last, at which the following attended :—: — Messrs Andrew, \tkinson, Bal lance, Bluett, Bowen, Bradshaw, J. C. Brown, Bryce, Buckland, Carnngton, Cuthberston, Gibbs, Inglis Jackson, Johnson, Kelly, W. Kenny, Luckie, May, McGillivray, McGlashan, G. McLean, Sir D. McLean, Mervyn, Munro, O'Conor, O'JMeill, Ormond, Parker. 0. P*rker, G. P Pearce, Pyke, Rey nolds, Richardson, Richmond, T L* Shepherd, Steward. Stafford, Wake Geld, Wales, Webb, Williams, Wilson, and Wood. Mr Reader Wood, however, withdrew, after condemning the Abolition Bill on the ground of its illegality, and the unsatisfactory mode it proposes for dealing with the Land Fuud. Messrs Creighton, Bradshaw, Pyke, Buckland, May, Hill, and Johnson, coupled their adhesion to immediate abolition with such reservations as render it difficult to foresee what action they may takfe on the third reading. But even deducting them, from the 44 members who attended the Pre-* mier'sj Caucus, and crediting them to the Opposition, the Government have still a majority ot eight members. The Opposition," however, are said to be disunited, with dissensions in their camp, and sooth to say it could hardly be otherwise Sir George Grey's views respecting the Land Fund must have undergone considerable modification if they chime in with those of Macandrew or Rollestjon, and there are other equally sharp and clearly defined lines of variance. There can be no doubt that the Government is strong enough to carry its measures through this session. The voice of the country is almost unanimously * ith them. Fro n all points come approving resolutions, passed at public meetings, ami thejavorable opinions of the Press, 1 to Wellington. The following from the correspondent of the '• -oulhern Cross " shows the positions of the two great parties at the present -ime : — "The "New Zealand Times" has telegrams from north and south, east and west, this morning, of the Pre3s and public views on the great proposals re abolition Tuere is a singular uuanimity of approval of the principles ot the inea> sures, and for the securing of thesa there seema a desire not to be too p irticular as resuects a few short-comings in detail. From Christchurch, the " Times " and tiie Press speak well of the measures. The " Times," " Q-uardian," and "titar" of Dunedin, are warm in their approbation. The "Times," and " Star " of flokitika, and the "Argus" of G-rey mouth, echo similar sentiments. At Nelson and Westport, the abolition policy is strongly favoured, while there seems e?idence of a coming concurrence of the Press of Auckland on the subject. I question if in one journal before a hero was such a nvirked unanimity of contemporary opinion from all quarters of the colony as appeared in the "Times" this moruing, which must, to a largj extent, represent public op'inon. The "Tribune" of this evening hasth? following : — Thero are 78 memherd in the House of Representatives divided as follows: — 45 in favour of immoiliite constitutional changes, 23 in opposition, and $ doubtful ; one member is absent and one seat ia vacinb. Suppose we make a present of bhe eight doubtftil* to the opposition (and this is more than the^ will q« j t if perad venture they get any of them), these would Bwell their number to 31, leaving the (jrovernmeaD with a clear mijorifcy of 14 votes."

Thr Public Works Statement sounds like a knell to our hopes of the Waikato and Thame railway. The Government have' determined to complete the railway works already undertaken before entering upon any new ones. Of this decision we see no reason to complain. It based upon prudence and careful calculations as to the capabilities of the ay ailable meaus. The^ Ministry has now fortunately arrived a that stage when it is strong enough to take a firm stand ag.unst he clamoro .3 demands and political pressure of the provinces After the lapse of t'i'it inte v.U of rest which the circumstances an I (inaueea of the colony appear to require, we may coufidrntily expect that each district will receive its f air sh ire of Ihe iuiuro expenditure on local works Concessions will no longer be wrung by promises of political support. The professional scramblers for public money will be like Othello, without an occupation, and the weaklings, whose fair claims have been hustled out, and trampled under foot will not rai»e thvir voices in vain. So far as this district is concerned, there h still a consolation in store The Public Works Statement is t'nged with the silver lining of promise. Iv two years hence, says Mr Richardson, it may be prudeut to undertake further lines, and if the funds now available bs ad minis fie red with ecouomy n> difficulty need be apprehended *in raising money for thS further development of settlement. Thus, at the worst, we may hope the Waikato and Thames railway W'll be one- of the first works projected when; those in progress shall have been completed But there is yei another way by which further Avorks may be constructed without going into the mmey market as borrowers. The Messrs, Brodgen are understood to be willing to undertakejihe construction of the Thames and Waikato railway in consideration of certain concessions, which do not appear to be unreasonable/ and possibly negociations would lead to some •irrangement. The only obsticle tothisis-the coolness which is said t » exist between the Ghv-, eminent and that nrin, but were un-inim'#us ap-' peal* made by the Thame3 and Waiknto for the line, and strenuous "exertions made by Mr ,£< O'Neill, Mijor Jackson, and oher Auckland; members, tne G-overnmeut, would we are cou-j viiued, entertain the proposal favorably. ; We see no reference in the Public Works j Statement to the bri.lge over the Waikato at ! Hamilton, though this is a work which is urently needed, and ought not to be longer de-, ayed. It is, mo-cover, one wmch in the interests of settlemeas may be euce^e I upon without risk We -hewed in a former article tnat; beyond doubt it would be a remunerative undertaking. It appeira to hs too much to hop 3 that tbe people of VVaikato will ever n>usj themselves to a clue aeuse of their rights and responsibilities as electors and taxpayers A deep and heavy pilicical slumber has fallen upon them Nothing short of th<j cractc of doom 13 likely to resuscitate the torpid corpse of the -lectorate. The Waikato bids fair to become the K-ttskill mountaius of New'Z /aland, and thosi 1 who suould bo the leaders of public opinion and the movers in matters of reform, are cont-ufc to sleep away fchsinUjs under their own vine^ and Hg tree* Were it not so, the voice of the people would long 'since have be n raised in a uuauiiamd remoustrinoe. Even now, at the eleveut'i hour, it is not too late. Will nut the people of Hamiltm and Cambri Is^e see to it that th"ir claims are forced upon the attention of the tiouse ?

We are in receipt of a batch of Parliamentary papers from ths printer fcj the General Cj-ov-ern meat. A New Zealand G-overauKmfc Gizit'eof July SJ9fcb, contiia3 a return of tlitj Cusfcoos ileveuue coJJected at the several ports of New Zealand during the quarter ending June 33fcb. The total amouufc wks 298 364/, a^imgt 28u>7&^, ia the co»rtspondiug"qviArtef 1874

We presenfcour readers fco-diy with another supplement, making together with tia ode pub-li-bed on Tuesday, twan|v-on« extra columns of reading nutter . issued this week. The*aupplement has been culled to suit a'l tasies. "The iTower of will be .interesting to historians. "A. Mao-i Love Story," original, is from the pen of a gentleman who ha-» contributed many valuable articles to New Zealand literature, and whose c* erienca of native cu-toms and habits is very large, '"A pique marriage" is for readers of romance. "The use of gullips' will enlighten some travellers who hava never yet been able to preceivo and appre»ita their varied beauties. "The points of a baby" (and whit baby ha* not some point, or other, if it be only its nose) will suit our fair friends. " Hold the forfc" and "Two preachers at once," will interest pious readers, of whom we are proud t> say, Hamilton p >sse,s3es many. " Farming and volrinary" tell th^ir own tale. ' here are "Bits of fun," and flashes of humour, telegraphic general and political news, in Bhort something for everybody and his wife. We have to express our regret at the irregularities in the delivery of the Times to sub scribers on the great South Road, at Rangiriri, Mercer, and. other places . These kitebes have been unavoidable in the pressure of busineis consequent on typographical and other changt-s which have kept the offcß fully occupie I. We hope soon to move into more convenient premises, when the arrangements connected with the delivery of the Times, and other c {uully important u.atters will engage our careful attention At the usual weekly lodije meeting of the Hope of Waittato Lou^e I 0 G.T , on Thtirsd ty evening, the oncers, whose names were published in our Thursday's issue, were installed. It is understood the Tawhiao has promised' t© compel tha native who stole ihe plough belonging to Mr Duffus to return it. The Auckland members hay« determine 1 to bring certain claims of the Province prominently under the notice of the Government It is sujposed that they will be able to forre'- out some more unpaid accounts due to the Province At a recent mooting of the Auckland Acclimatizition Society, the question of liberating partridges in the Waikato was discus- ed, and post, poned for the consideration of a future meeting On Tuesday lust Mr 0 O'Niell presented a petition to the House praying for the construction of a railway from Waikato to the Thames. It is rumoured that 'after the Abolition Bill lias become law* the Premiership will be olft'rad to Mr Stafford. At a meeting held at the Theatre Royal, Q-m-harastowu, to consider the Government measure*, a telegram from Sir George Grey was read requesting those preaeut to pause^ before adopting any suddon conclusion, as more liberal and advantageous meisures would be proposed Notwithstanding this, the meeting adapted resolutions approving the bolition and Local Government Bills, and urging the Government to p cs them through tue Assembly as early as possible, •i local Co niuitee was appoint -d to wati-h the progress of the bills, anu it wa 5 agraed th'tt th<* resolutions be telegraphed to tha Speakers of boh Houses. Forty d'Hja hire been malionusiy poisoned in Parueil. Tha cry is now "Oh where, and oh, wli3re is mine leedle dorg gone ?" Mr K. O'Oonor, Provincial Secretary of Nel on, is a o isc entious P -oviujulist. He goea ttraiaht for aboli ion, though by doing so he lose- aa office worth £500 a yeir. Oomplaiuts are inide that the Pre 38 3 8 Agency's telegrams ar* ti lged wi h >in opposition bias and no wonder. Capt. Holt, the mma^er of die Pre*s Agency, was formerly private Secretary to Sir George Grey, at" the K**»u. A man ndin'd J 'hi Braslia, after imbibing rather freely at theU lited Service Hot j l, walked straight through a Urge w ndow, *ina»hing the glass into a thoustnd fragment-*. Wh^n requested by two Justices to explain his. err 'nj; ways, he said the wjndow was so clean that he misiook it for airy space. We are informed on good authority that the new manager of the Hamilton brauch of the National Bank is now on his way up Iroin the South. - It will be seen from the - announcement in another column that the tee-tolal amateurs are up and doing in preparing for the forthcoming en* tertainment. Area ling rehearsal ia '* B irde'l v Pickwick. " i 3 fixed tor 7 p-m. this eveniuq, in the Court- house, Hamilton West The second reading of tho Deceased Wife's Sister's Marriage Bill was came A by 29 to 25. Yesterday was the centeniry anniversary of the birth of the great Dauiel O'Conneil. Mr D. Gardiner wutes to us as follows : — Sir, it having been stated at one of the meetings of the Hamilton West Towa Board that the accounts of the Hamilton East Town Board were not audited previous to the annual meeting being held, I bag to state that (being one of the auditors on thit occasion) the acceunts were examined before the meeting took place. Soiie time ago the Auckland journals contains some highly complimentary notices of Fish's coiopially manufactured Siiraspanlla, which has been pronounced quite equal to the imported article, if not superior to much that is introduced frqm abroad The article has already grown in pubic estimation, so that Mr Fish has been obliged to make considerable additions to his plant, &c. A detailed statement of the accounts of the Auckland and Mercer railway for the year ending June 3J'.h, shews that tha totil expenditure am Hinted to 8,704£ 10* The total receipts ainouuted to 10.853/ I^3 Id. The Chief Justice, in reply to a communication from the Minister of Justice, denies having ever expressed any opinion while Attorney- General, adverse to the legal power of the General Assembly to abolish tUe provinces. Mr Bavtlect, the Auolilan i Photographer, wa* seized with an epileptic fit in Quecn-s reec the other day. It is stated that Mr. Jamos Innis of Ngaruawahia is about to start a new brewery at Te Awamutu.