THE Waikato Times

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 542, 9 November 1875, Page 2

THE Waikato Times

Bqual and exact justice to all men, Of whaterer state or persuasion, religious or political "• ' «»i • • • * • # Here shall the Press the People's right maintain, Unawed by influence and unbribed by gain.

TUESDA Y t . NO VEMBER 9, 1875. .

A* -Pstitioh to the Minister of ]?nlblicV Works, df the settlers, "graziers, country butcher?, and -.cattle 'dealers, has been Forwarded to us by the' secreWry of the Nenr Zealand •Agricultufa'l Sbcjety/ for the pu^pbse of obtaining Iftie signatures of setfcle*rs...,lt runs as follow^-: — *.• "TO THE HONtiUR"4BLi;TH.E MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS.

THE OF THE "SEPtLEKS, GRAZIERS, , COUNTBY BUTCHERB, . CATTLE DEALERS, -AND OTHERS, HUMPLY SHJffWETH : ' ' That your Petitioneriijontemplat* witli profound disapprobation the persistent -attempts being made to remove the Auckland Public Slighter* house to Onebunga.' , " „* 7 .-„! That jour Petitioner! condemn as, wasteful in thejextreme the action taken by the late Prorincial Executive in that direction, namely, the purchase -. •of a aite at the cost of over £2,000 (for which payment has not yet been made) in direot opposition to the recommendation of a Committee . appointed by the Provincial Council to raport upon a rite. That if the newly purchased lite at Onehnuga 'be adoptei a farther outlay estimated at £3000 will be required to place the Slaughterhouse in < railtrny communication with Auckland. - That taking into consideration the financial '• position of this Province it is not to be expected ' lhatto large a sum will be forthcoming for suoh - a pui pose for some years, and that this delay will necessitate the coniinuanct of carting the 'meat supply from a distant part of Or'ehunga. That tlie railway transit of meat must com- ' mend itself to the Auckland publio as preferable to the use of open carte, in which' it is exposed to the sun andduit-of summer and the rain and -mud of w nter. T4frt an excellent aite, already the property of l tb* Province, exist* a* Ann's Bridge, replete with «v»ry rsju.iita, winding, of Course, an tfbundant Aupplyv<'f *> od water, near fine accommodation padnoo, -\ fitlte'g upon the main lint of railway, nnd th^i«u *>.;» site was originally recommended by the sitfcjT&nfmUtee. " "That'll im's .Bridge is «ituated on the Great Sooth jfwul. r even u^es from Auckland, and is nearly from the Eatt Tamaki Heads and Oncliunga at which place "ship cattle" are gencnt'ly lanJeJ. , That rroTiu- cl fed itoek fronr the Bay of I«lan<Js, the Ka»t C<wt and elsewhere are landed j «t TatpuVi k n a?e, *n£ Stock imported into the Province *«t Onel>unga, l*ene* tfce injustice of | fpt-nding Trovincial money forth* greater aixrom- : irodi'ion of,-suargera, and to the detriment of our own iuteretfts. That lie ttdoj iio»- <tf ifce Ann*« Bridge tite •wruid fcefcn equitable compromise acceptable to all. . c , * j Tbtf a!) ,manii«s and Vhvvghterhouie refuse wouM be eogfrlj foucht.aftor and utilized on the I <a'm«ifi the immediate neighbourhood of Ann's i hriHge, which in ihe -«ase of- (Onelwmga would probably be allowedrto rot in Jfche eun or fl^at oo to the beach, to the great annoyance of^thttt | Ihiek'y populated district. That if the Ann's .Bridge ute be adopted, the j Sale Yards will also " be removed thither, in which case fat stock sent from the Waikato and other grazing districts by rail or road will be met thereby the butchers, purchased, slaughtered, and sent on to Auckland by railway. That the proponed plan will lead to the extended use of the railway, in which all are interested. That notwithstanding the arguments here set forth in favour of Ann's Bridge, yt ur Petitioners are aware that the butchers of Auckland strongly' adrocate the retention of the Slaughterhouse at its present site (Newmarket) ; from that contre* \erey your Petitioners desire to stand aloof, but that they humbly pray that if it is thought necessary to remove that ' establishment from New* market it may be brought to Ann's Bridge and and sot taken to Onehungn, and Your Petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray. The petition appears to us to be founded on reasons, and the result proposed to be j obtained by ifc, calculated to promote the interests of this District. Large quantities of cattle pass each autumn •• frofli Waikato to the Auckland market and the most economical method of transporting them cannot fail to be a matter of interest to our settlers. It is reasonable to' supi pose that as the management of the Auckknd and Mercer "Hallway* becomes perfected and the rates of cavrfage are lowered the line will be largely used by persons taking cattle to town. - If the Slaughter

hpuse were -removed from Newmarket to Onehunga, extra expense would be incurred besides the delay of shifting the trucks. , Then again as stated in the petitidn the proposed plan will lead to the extended itse^ Qf } the railway. And this is no small advantage. The present high rates on th^lip* are ruinous to trade .in tliis Districfyand in proportion as traffic increases, so may we look for a reduction in the price of cahHage. ' On more enlarged public grounds also the petition seems worthy pf support. - At Sfc Ann's bridge the proposed site is the property of the ProviUce whilst a site at Onehunga is to cost no less than £2,000 which as the petition properly sets forth, we can ill afford at the present juncture, and a further outlay of £3,000 appears to be necessary before entirely satisfactory ai rangements can be made for the transit of meat to market. Taking all these matters into consideration we thirik the petition is well worthy the consideration and support of the settlers of Waikato. It lies for signatures at our office.

The case against the Kirikiriroa Highway Board, heard on Saturday last, which 15 reported in another column, is, we believe, the first time Unit the ' question of the correct principle of rating has been tangibly r.iised in the Waikato. The practice which has hitherto prevailed has been that of striking a general uniform rate for an entire District, irrespective of the varying value of the lands rated. Forinstance, a Board meet, and alter discus-., sian, an agreement is made • that* all the rateable lands shall be considered of the value of, say*£2. By this principle a settler who owns an estate 4 worth £10 ai\ acre, contributes no more to the common fund than another whose land is worth perhaps from £5 to £7. Now it is quite clear that the vai idus Highways' Acts never intended that any such a course should be adopted. The 3rd section of the ** Highway Boards Empowering Act" expressly declares that all rates u shall be levied either upon the annual value of any land and buildings, or upon their value for sale." And the 42nd clause of the " Highway Act, 1874" following out the same idea, provides that the assessment list shall set forth (inter alia) tfie estimated value to sell or the net annual value of the lands or tenements rated. Now a board is not rating lands on their value to sell nor. does the assessment list set forth their estimated value, if the rate be struck in the manner above referred to. In the case in point, the magistrate took the same view, and although it was shewn that other swamps in the Kirikiriroa District were rated at the same figure as the property in question he decided that the , evidence given of the "value to sell" was the proper guide for him in assessing the rate payable, and reduced it accordingly from j£l to 12s 6d per acre. We are not prepared to say that under present circumstances it would be easy to follow the provisions of the Highway Acts, and carry out a correct system of rating. Members of Highway Boards cannot be expected to personally inspect and value the whole pf the land • cblitadned in a large district, and, as a rule no individual Board can afford to ( pay a Competent valuer. As it iS more than probable that very shortly these bodies will be Invested with largely increased powers, and as the principle of rating will continue to be the " value to sell or let," the question seems to us of no' slight importance, and in any Bill legis-' la ting on the subject, it should be 'plainly dealt with. The remedy appears to be this : The government should be empowered to appoint a competent paid valuer for a group of contiguous Highway Districts and deduct from the monies payable to the various Boards a pro rata sum to defray his salary. This plan would render such an officer entirely out of the reach of any pressure by the local bodies, would obviate the difficulties which must arise if it were left to Boards to voluntarily amalgamate for the purpose, and save a vast deal of expense in appeals. One thing is certain — that nothing but dissatisfaction can arise from a continuation of the present system, and this dissatisfaction would increase if larger powers of rating were con- ] ferred upon the governing bodies of Highway Districts. We commend the matter to the consideration of the Government.

"AUCKLAND THANKS YOU." The fickleness of the populace has been from time immemorial subject for wonder :to sages and philosophers. , The hero of a.revolution to-day, the man whom all fall down and .warshjji, is to-morrow brought to the scaffold. Alcibiades, Julius Caesar, Robespierre, and Sir George ,sreft form some of the most notable instances in history of this tendency of public opinion. It may be a matter, ot doubt as to the respectn o greatness of these leaders of the.people, but the latter is the man with ■ whorn^ most of our readers are most familiar, and perhaps it will be well to point our moral with him. . Our f latest telegrams furnish us with some interesting matter for reflection on that phase of human nature in connection with that gentleman. When the " upper ten "of Auckland, supported by masses of the Slower five," presented General Cameron with a splendid sword in token of their immense respect for the stand he had taken against the temporizing policy of Sir George Grey,— the latter, the hero of the present hour, was almost hunted by the populace from his position of Governor of this colony. Nothing then was too severe, no abuse too harsh, no vituperation too bitter, for him, who it was alleged had ruined the prospects of this province by his determined opposition to the extension of the confiscated boundary to a proper limit, and whose intense predilection for the Maori race was said to have caused the loss of the fruits of many a, nard-earned victory at Orakau, and other Maori strongholds. He was declared selfish, unpatriotic, and imbued with an 'unconquerable spirit of self -aggrandiseinent at any cost to others. Yet, lo ! a few short years roll past, and the same man pabses under triumphaiarches inscribed with "Auckland thanks you." Is it tie people or the people's hero that havo charged bo mar-

vellously? We canitot" < but think that when the same voioes winch then cried •' down with him " nojy- shout " Long live Sir George Grey," the man himself, the cold calculating- dipl<Jmati6t'\viirsi6t)iave really altered. His aim— self-aggrandisement — will still be^he"sahie N as .it^was'.ten years ago; it will ••'be th 6 people- wHo fail to recognise under a different gapb what theythen cried shame on, who are adding one more testimony to the trutlv- tha£- fickle^-' n£Bs id the pre-eminent characteristics of the « people!" '"' " •""""

The bifid extension of settlement and the increasing importance of public events in the Waikato have forced another necessary improvement upon our attention, by effecting which we will lie- enabled to collect intelligence with greater rapidity and certainty than hitherto. Very shortly >c ahnlL'be* in a position to use carrier pigeons for the speedy obtaining of important. news from those places in the district which "atfe not within reach by the telegraph wires. - When we say that well-trained carrier pigeons will convey messages over short dia tan cesMft Jess time than is ordinarily taken by theelecttic wire when the telegrams are sent iV^h'eir regular ord^r, our reader will perceive^ what fin advantage the change wiU ri fe6WBfV During the forthcoming general cle^iofi'W^ shall avail ourselves of oar faithful jieSffed iC gers to the utmost, and upon all occasions of general interest and importance Qnr.,A^£w£r.p carriers will be made to render prompt^n^, efficient service to ourselves and <?urj££faerj^ The birds will be regularly. flofrnlrpjp^l.flift, parts of the district and from, gaf^ak Hp^, King country, at least three lioies^i w^j^^o* as to bring the latest news on toe,'£*£n,uigbefore publication, and a trustworthy- sipiFpfL correspondents will be specially engajspg ift?i tHe various townships whose duty ill will^bft; to compile the messages. It mayt inl*re % stij our renders to learn that carrier pigeons ha*«M j frequently performed a distance ol 500 tttilea ! ; in leas than 36 hours. ' X "-'*.'' - 1

Constbuctiok o*» a Vzw Road. —WOe&rnijUaij it is the intention of the Government to ,'cpa , •truet a road from the Maori townjhipabofljjj; to be formed at Tawari to Cambridge. jThe ro^df will probably run along .the bate of (the „tylw passing close under Pukimnrimmvavoi liug taji| •wamps, with the exception of. two imall o^tL, and joining the Mangawakawa Roa 4, _f »^W, (Usance from Cambritge. When it is c,omp||tad r it will be of great use to Cambridge setfpn journeying from that district to the Piakb^'iirt. will shorten the distance to be trav§rsia<i J^ry.' comiderab'.y. Seme progress has already^j* made with the necessary surveys. ' ';'_ **V^ _

Cbicket. — A member of the JLmlnnfoa Cricket Club has called at our office and informed us that the practice ground of £b«j Club is on Mr Kllison ■ farm, and not on thel. reserve opposite Burkes, ts stated, by. vi in our last issue. The adrertisement relating to the matter referred to " the " cricket ground witheut specifying any localitj-r"JV> were therefore under the impression ; raa| what has hitherto been used as a Rroatid'v}z t the reserre was the one indicated. We Were also informed that the Club are comuitncip* practice in earnest, and hope before live elos#, of tie ieason to be in a po9it)on to meet aome* of the riral clubs in a friendly gam«. -• i ..

Improvements, etc. — We clip the follow* ing from the " Star "of Saturday evening s"< — " A gentlemen who has just returned frtfftv the Waikato, .»od *w.ho paid* visit to-the Piako sirarap'^un.the property of-'Mesdfti KuefeU, Taylor, Th&s. MorNir, MurcUfc&^Dff/ others, -speaks very highly of the enierpril|£ shown by the purchasers in the exieni|vo^ improvements; buildings; &L 6., A'cJ .WWu. have been steadily going on there dorriYi#*tHW last 18 months. The day our correspondent left 150 head of splendid bullocks arrived on Mr Thomas'Morrin's portion of the £un. It is expected that in the course of a few years the whole provincial market can be supplied^, with -fat buHbekt from -there.' T$P fgntf seems to be well suited ' for /grazitf^ty^iev' and when we recollect the ukfensiT^re^/tft the run, we can fairly'^ndorse the' gj^lu^w^ of our* correspondent: There are HgY&a* other large holdings talcen up. ia- th^ iURr: rounding portion of the disirict^ftiid-aU©^ gether this portion of the provinqe is doßfcineH/c ere long to become not only importaut 'bat prosperous. Several of the new aarieali, wfio proceeded to the Waikato a few weeks-'backv* and who have gone to the Piako, J bare 'atf found employment at draining, ditching afad ' fencing. __ , _ ' ':).

IO(1T Ngabttawahia.— • ThU body met the •choolroom, Ngiruawabia, on Saturday eton- 01 ing last, for the installation of officers for the ensuing quarter. Drother C O Mont rote, Special District Deputy, assisted by Bro C Lenity bottom, AWGfM, and Bro J Browne, A W G 9 t 't> performed the ceremony of installation. The following are the names of the officers installed. Bro Jarretr, WC T ; Bro Slwehy, WV T ; Bro Salmon, WP 0 T } Bro Fitzpatrick, W S ; Bro Soper, W C ; Bro Teith, W T ; Bro Wolfl&o W F S ; Bro Taylor, W M ; Bro Bell, W I tf *, Bro Blair, W O G : Bro O Neil, WDM; Bw J Salmon, WAS. The returns shewed -th 4 lodge to be progressing favourably. It htd only been formed a month ag« with fourteen mem* bers ;it now numbered thirty-nine. Fire ne# members, including one sister, were installed o* Saturday erening, and sereral others were prd«* po»ed, After the installation, a Oommittre vrsi formed to prepare an address to be presented toBro Montrose on his leaving the district. It was decided that the address should be presented in Hamilton at the lame time as that by the Hamilton members — probably on Thursday nelt- add' a large number of the Ifgaruawahia order sigrii* fied their intention of coming > to Hamiltdn f ti%^. that occasion. Upon the conclusion oi the lod]{£" business a degree meeting was held in whien . 4ome seren or eight Brothers ntif raiaed ,Ix> tficb rank of third degree members. - . -^:a

. Baciwg — The following remarks on the. jß.u;b-a j<?ct of permitting first class racing circs to leave the colony, appeared in the " Otago Times " :-r " That Mr Watt fhduld hare allowed the belt* racing blood to leave New Zealand muit always be regretted. We know that at Horns powerful opposition is being directed to the exportation of well-bred stock ;, and wbea the Duke of W«*t> minster gives £13,000 for Doncaster, the Derby winner, to keep it from unhallowed soilj and the Prince of Wales, Lord Falmouth, and others, form a protective alliance to keftp our ' four-footed princes from Franc*, Prussia, and Yankee-land, it may be worth the consideration of colonists whether property in horseflesh has not its duties as well a« its rights. W/tien tUe owner of the famous Touchstone - was- * great r many years ago interviewed by a would-be bujr- '< ing Yankee, he answered in reply to wh»t hp, would take fpr Tuohstoao — ' The United States 4 . The Duke of Westminster remembered that' when he bought Doncaster. The sale of that horse is remarkable, because it fetched the highest recorded price. Mr Merry sold it to his t amor for £10,000. The Cobh&in Stud Company offered tht buyer,Mr Peok, £8,000 for three weeks' hire ; and the Duke, fearing England would lose the horse, told Mr Peck to name his price. Your Otago horse, King Philip, teems to have retired from the 'Victorian arena. Before it was known that he had apologised /or the Melbourne Gup there was amongst Victorian turfites a lurking distrust about him, and I beliere he might have been worked into notice. I" rejoice, however, that he Las not given manipulators, a, ohance. Lurhne's owner, Mr G-ardiner, is a true • gentleman and a sport, and if anything can console New Zealand for the loss of Manuka, Lurline, Calumny, and lteiwood, it may be found in the fact that their pr<i»nt own'rs are wo.Lii\ of '■ > i _'i*i '. " "> *■' ' '•

Elictoiul Koixg. — Tlw electoral rolls fur the Waikftto »od Wtipa Dilf rifts have been compiled And art in the hnn/ii of the print*™. We •appofr ihat it will not be lon* before the writg for the election of the new Aftsembly will by tstned. • , , . ■

KtfftltlTlL— By tome ncotdeot the^ n*rae of Mf'W. ii Gray/b^roeitffaftbel.jW » letter Wring on the coming otindidatei for the Waip» District. It »roea from' there being* - knother letter bearing th»t gentleman's signature, on a different subject— which appears in our issue" to-day — om our table with the first nientioned epistle. " " " v

• ENT£gTAiNKBNT — We p*roeir« that the Hamilton Entertainment Committee will hold one of their monthly rimiom to-morrow evening.- An unusnallj attraotiva programme ,hai b*e"ri arranged', and ihould the vreath'or prore propitious W9 anticipate a large attendance of the general public, to enjoy the treat prepared for them.

Thb Alexikdsa Pw Feat.— Kenarney, the [ man who has been backed for the aura of £50 to emulate the feat recently performed by Mr Dan vein, by walking 112 miles in 50 hours, carrying 661bs, is doing »troug work at Alexandra. He is traiuing under his full weight, and gets through 15 or 16 miles daily by way of gentle exercise. His friends and backers are confident pf bis success and betting is about leVel: He will make a start on- Thursday.

, M|tLBO.URN» Cup.— We clip the following telegram from the Evening Star, which will be interesting to those whb hate drawn" hones in fhe Cambridge Bweep :-— "-The following are the BnaJ.^fGceptancef ,oi the Melbourne, Cup : : — Odd'atop 1 . Calumny, Kingibro', . Stiriihg^'Me*' bqnvqe, 'Imperial, Dante, k Ha^iftot, Seatimi^,W^lfwnai,, Benjiroo, Nimrod, Burwobd, Calabar, frboHpok, Wett Auitralian, GKoomi'Goe^ittte,3Ktngfi»her, Polidori, The Deer, M»id-Itf' ill Work, Iraiihoe, Richmond^ -Mohican, Dilke The tJMuLer, Kincrancbie, Sjur Grapei, (colt), Sjlvia (colt) . Loquacity. - . .

' ' £hi Findixo- or a Deid BoDT.^-Ii wUI be femembered that on the 10th of August , last. an unfortunate man fell from the steamer •j Waip* into th« Biver at Whata Whata, and wat.4rowned. . At thqt time the most dfliserit 3 seafcn wtts 'made for his bpdy but without ; suteeV*.' Fi'oin that time to T this no traces of I the corpse have been found. O« Saturday, : however, it was discovered floating in the river near the ipot where deceased fell in.' There ran be little doubt that it was detained at th* bottom of the river by a snag. It was at otn-e conveyed to Ngaruawahia, '. and Mr Searancke, B.M. took immediate steps to hold an inquest on ths, remain*. .Two witnesses, who "were .present at the time that th* accident occurred. have been summoned from -Point Buwell, and the inquest will take place at Ngaruawahia to : , - >jorrow. , - • _ "

CiHTiUL Ho»TtriTj.~<lt ,ir moated in * Ngaruawahia, that t ho old Hospital buildings, -* pttrtion bf which is now, used for a, school is- to ; t bo transformed Inito a' JKstriot .Hospital. This j . building Wai* formerly used as a hospital whan ths Maories wsre located at Ngaruawalua, but . .for sometime past has bean abandoned. It is I conveniently situated, Tery commodioun, and with somt little alteration and repair, will tqy •admirably adaptod for a Cintra! Hospital. We .are taiabl* to rouch for tho truth of the report, but we trust it is something more -tbati a mere report. " We hare referred on preTious occ%»ions to the suhjeot of a Central Hospital for the Wajkato Diitriot, but as it is a mutter of su-h urgent neoessity «r« make .go apology for again bHn^ing the subject to the ton. It is onlj hi continued beating that the iron is welded into •hape, 'titid we shall not allow thtt question entirely to drop till the establishment of a District •Hospital becomes an accomplice! fuct

Psdmtbianhx -As pedestrian fe*t* in the* now to be all the rage, it tn-tj not Jmj unfn'tftresting to detail the performances of a young JN rw Zealandsr of whom we have latelj tietrd. ,He i started from Auckland, in quest of * .friend tftHi Ihe^ ootnkr table, sum. of srift-n ■hitiings>nd sixpence, wherewith to prpTision.livn'jieltb'n Jus >o*d, ' Tbe'fir^ daj^het .madjiJHere >T*re, 'a distance of about fort j miles from Auob» ■ '■ land. hiro«elf, ««r^,jv>|t he raktlea'bn t'> What* Wh^U cvVeVing ;forty eight 'tnjlei. The following e*eoi^g4aw TiimVtconced inia friend's liou^e at Te Awamutu, he having walkel thrrt/ miles at thi« it retch. Here he re^tod for one dar, and then made tracks for R4glan. Hi* retch »d that TLlage, 42 miles dis Utotrth^t tiight,, an! at daj breathe turned h't h^head £ Wr J Waii*to Head«— a good 40 miles away. , $llt a^?ft*ed |all safe at tins point and took it ea*y i inekt tfiy ft W*iuka —15' milw. Fnm Waiuku : hoiwentb'aok to Auckliuid in one day a stretch '.*tf ttoont"^" miles. When we consider the coun* < 'tfj^ he .had in many portions of his route to -travel 'over, and that ho carried a " swag" of ; over 20 )bs. in weight, his performance seems to : say the least of it creditable.

>. linjuiiAX Cohdoqt.— o»e of the most das 1 Jvitfjr, cites of cowardice or of hardened in- * • difference which hu ever be^n heard of is given f in in American sporting newspaper. A member • .of the "New fork Athletic Club, a man of great •strength and activity, but no swimmer., b tb«d • ;ift the Haarlem Bifer. lie imagined swimming ■ -to be easier thin it is, and ventured out of his depth. The poor follow, it teems, came up four times; afy«* he Bret sank, ret all that was done to veiicue him was to reach out to him the han3 lie of a cane. jDn the bank, watch in? bis dying * iltr.tggjes", Was' Mr X%. B. Cuniu, described as the strongest man iathe worlti," aud a famous swimmer. A. Mr J. H^, Cone, the *' champion swimmer)" and Mr J. ,H..sfcand,.auother expert in the w^ter, stood by Mr Curtis'* tile, and J -sose by them a;a ; n were 12 more members of 4he club, all likewise admirab'e swimmers and divers. A friend who' was-'bathmg as' the same time tried to save the drowning man, but grew frightened and swam ashore. No one else «ren entdrtd the water, and thus ha tnet .wfth his /death " within reach, of. tbv string hjuVds of 20 toed who would swim 50 times the icquired dis-, lance for » 25-doliar cuy."^-Australasian. ><v '

r „ statistical report prepaied for circulation' by the Government of Fiji snoVc* that the European population of the 1 islands U approximately £50 miles. 270 females, and 530 ',c>lldren, .or a total of 1,650 souls: ' The entqrpri^se of the settler* haa during the last ten ' years adraneed the ralue of Fijian exports by iiJtqptttJ increments of £10,000. la 1871 8} ■^fh.tps, of a tonnage of 9,732 tons, entered the > 4 psrt of^Levuk*. '£he exports from the group for fait year amounted to £110,003 of which £9^594 « Were -shipped f roufi r £evuka. The exports cbnt fist fchieffy of cotton, copra, ceche*de-mer t maize, ml cocoanut oil. The great difficulty wtich, i. -ii»s extsi«d up to the present moment in Fiji is the difficulty of transit and intercommunication. Cases of eggs, ' and ' crates of fowl*, tons of maize, aodhundr.ds of pounds' worth of oranges and other tropical fruits annually go to waste because there are no means of regular and ■p«edy coinmuication with* Levuka, and still lese frequent opportunities of communicating with the neighbouring colonies of New Zealand or New South Wales, — Australasian.

Ratheb W abic. —The following, clipped from the icolumni of the "Australasian." it rather w«rm for our contemporary the "Cross." We wonder #the Jatter will take up the gauntlet thrown down io the ]att«r part of the paragraph :— '• To be quoted by aewtpapers at a diatance I have always esteemed as an e*pecial compliment I was, howerer, a little puzzled to recognise an old paragraph of mine on Tuesday last in a. Melbourne paptr, acknowledged at from the •• Daily Southern Cross " of Auckland. I had the curiosity to look orer a file of th*t journal for the month of September, and found that the pillage was not accidental, but systematic. Following the leading articles, and appearing as original, were the following, without any reference to >( The Australaiian " . Sept I— One paragraph, unacknowledged „ 4 — Four paragraph!, do „ 18— Three paragraphs, d» „ 11 — One paragraph, ackaowledged as from a ' Melbourne paper ' „ 25—One do. do „ 30— One do unacknowledged. The ' Southern Cross* I lee hat been established since 1543, and its editor ought to better appreciate the etiqoitte of journalism. Will he have the minlinecs te quote th t para^riph — \.th or without acknowledgement / "