FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 551, 30 November 1875, Page 2

FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE.

T»E $>ot and mouth disease in cattle nnd •»h«»ep inlaying great havock with st-»ck •t home and -causing no little alarm in this colony. Prompt measures have beer, taken by the Superintendent of dago for the quarantining of cattle and sheep nrriviug from the mother country, and tlie ship Calypso haring arrived during the earlier part of the month wifti sheep it has been thought necessary to pUce them under a three months period of qnurantine. Other shipments of sheep and catMe are dqe about the present time and will b# similarly treated. The disease prevails not only in Great 3iifcin but generally on the continwfc of

Europe, and js comraj|jJ&2 frightful ravage* Rnitono'sf^il fcirittS oF-i*toai:. The " New Zealand Gazette " of the l§th inst, just to hanfi, contains a$ exkr^ot from the " London Tiiaes " of tb» 16th : of September, giving the account/ of it* spread in th* rural aist)ricta of ( the mother country, pigs and horses apparently suffering from the attack equally With sheep and horned cattle. In some parts of the country as many as three-fourths of the entire itock were reported as being nffected, while in •flowHMjotmties the Hfseaseiiad iidt appeared * atall. A southern telegram informs nsthat ►in Otago a deputation from Taeri asked the Superintendent to »t onoe take .pse-. cautionary measure!*, and in reply to a question >asked 'by him expressed an opinion that it would be better for a £ime to prohfbit all importation. "Meantirneall' •offttle and stock arriving is to be quarantined for three months. 'Our readers will remember the havoc this disease made a fevr years ago with cattle in the neigh, bouring colony of Victoria, having been introduced through the medium of cattle imported from the mother country, and however great the inconvenience to breeders prohibitory measures might be, we cannot but agree with the people of Otago that it is better to be sure than sorry, and to suffer temporary inconvenience than run the risk of importing disease which if it once took hold .of ..the 3tock;in the colony, would greatly reduce its number and .prove vthe utter ruin of many individual owners.

THI WaIKATO AOBICtTtTTTRAIi ASSOCIATION, — It is satisfactory to find the tettlers of the various districts of W*ikat» putting aside local jealousies and declaring in favour of forming a Central 'Waikato Pastoral and Agricultural Society for.the whole of Watkito to bo held amvually at Ohaupo, ing'etd of making it a peripatetic arrangement held one time at one settlement at one tune at another. Ohaupo has 4>e«n unanimously fixed upon as the most eentril position. One question remains yefc undecided, whether Waikato shall join with Auckland »io holdiug a Provincial Exhibition to be held al»e-nntely- at EilersHe and Waikato, but suet arrangements as were yesterday made at the meeting at Qhaupo-will not preclude the further consideration of the proposal united Agricultural Exhibition for the Province as a whole. For the matter of that, indeed, we do not see why the Waiknto Association should not bold its own animal show independently 6f and in udtition to the Grand Provincial Show of which it woald form a part, timeing it bo as to make a ha!f»yearly exhibition. The next meeting of the coDimittee wfll be held in M*rch when rulee will be pre Dared and submitted to a public meeting to be afterward* called lor the punpo*e of definitely forming the Association. Tbe full report of the meeting of yesterday "will appear in our next. Thb Wbatt^kb.— The Stormy we?tther we have experienced last week has not been confined to Wai^ato. The sun has been scarcely Been in Auckland during the week, an-1 from Wellington we learn, by telegnm received on Saturday, that B'ich severe weather as has bee© ft- It in that province during the pist week had never been fcno wn at this season of the year s nee the settle nent. Provin "inlists attribute the return of the winter into the early summer months as the result of the passing ci the Aboliti n mea«ure, but other?, and with perhaps more reason think that the Hooting no th waich of la,'i;e bodies of ice, which have been me' with l>y passing ship*, in much higher latitudes 't an usual, has had something to do wi'h the late coW rains and wiuterly weather One thing is very certain, and especially or our more op a n and sandy soils liable to drouth, if the weather will only reconsider the matter and take up at once, as it gay- promise yeste* •the 'late spring, and*o a nice harvest will fo"day mornins of doing, and broke ih in thr afternoon, the crops will be ail the betterfor low a (n)ice sprine. Interchange o? Productions.— At the dinner wh'ch followed the Christchurch Agricultural -Show in the early p*rt of the month His Excel lency the Governor, who was present spoke warmly of the good that agricultural shows had done at home and must do here In alluding to his former corv«3 ion with (j^upensland, his Lordship procei-ue < to say, *• that there were -no two colonies he knew of which had -so many interchangeable commodities as Queensland and New Zealand. He believed that Queensland would -take all New Zrttland's sur- • plus wheat, buter, t-heese, and bacon. The distance from thp North Cape to Queensland was shorter teanfrom the North Ckpe to Sydney. ■ He hoped, therefore, to see a regular trade established 'between the two Oolongs, in the welfare and prosperity of which he felt deep'y interested. Queensland could supply New Zealand with sugar, which waa an article of daily consumption in-.every bouHehold. He believed that if this interchange of commodities were established, the result would be one of great ''benefit to the farmers of the Colony. Hohticttltubal Socibty —Auckland, we see, is no longer able to support a Hortioul ural Society, At a meeting of the Committee of the society, held on Friday last, after the Show it was resolved -to breok up tbe Association. It would appear that florists wrll not-come forward and exhibit, and th*t the public generally do not, enre sufficiently for •flowers to attend the allow. Bud management on the part of thd committee appears to have had something t:> do ■ with 'the matter, exhibitors of. ten 'being unable to get back their exhibits. Of course when exhibits become few<»r there -is less attraction to t^e pub'ie, and knowing well the taste of the Auckland public we thould advise a future committee, should the society be resuscitated, to introduce some attraction in connection with the 'Ho tifultural Exhibition such hs footneing, an address from Sir George 'Grey, a Punch and Judy chow, or the like. Pedbstria-n 'Peat —An instance of equime sagacify ha« late'y been brought t» our notice. A hose bred by Major Jackson at Te Awamutu wa*. for sometime k«"pt in his brother's pi.Mocks at I{emuer&, and breaking fence, strayed upon the run. The loss was duly advertised by th»> Major in the Waik-ato Time?, and thn face having come to its knowledge— for that animal* do c mmunicate wi h-each o her by gome language not known to or understood by us humans, there is uo doubt whatever — and not caring to return to Remur*, the animal determined to set his former owners mind at rest and strange to M,y travelled straingt up to the Major's farm and duly reported itself, The above shows the -value of advertising, for how else could th- pojr bea-«t have known that it would have been welcomed at its oia home. Sic Donald McLean.— A parliament without Sir Donald McLean would be the play of Hamlet with the part of Hamlet left out It is therefore satisfactory to learn from reliuble sources that Sir Donald's election is perfectly pecure, and th-»t tbe statements to the c >ntrary are the mere canarde of the opposition press. AccrDKHT— We regret to sttte that Mr V under*, jirir, met. with an nccident yesterday afternoon, h^out a mile fro n fhe residence o> his father, by falling off a c»rt and braking hta left leg c ose to the ancle. 'Dr iJfale w*g prOE\ptiy in attendance an 4 sttthe broken limb. Mk\pYoubW ts— Wo drew th« attention of the Authorities to the piemen* dis^racef il and daneerous state of the Ohuti Bridge on the Wl.ati Whata and Hamilton Road; unless it lis repai i e\ without delay we fear somefeeriou* a^eid^nt will oocur. ! A BrsAK Thrpmitno MiCHieiF ffa the latest, and improved principle will, we are informed, •hoi-tly be introduced into tins district and will doubt en be a great boon to agri ul uralist* an<l a profiUble iove»tnoeot to in euterprisina rro jin«ftor. r • *

Dr OAfcn. — It, will be seen from our" -advertiding columns that Dp Ctfrr the KleotrbbioKist, visits the various settlements in W*iksts> on a prtfeseional trio. Return of Mft A. Cox>*-W# have to >olco*e back to Hampton Mr A. Cox, who thrived in the Hawea from the South. Now that Mr Oox hat returned, and Mr MoMmn is fairly in the arid, we may look for a sharp election contest. Ma-.iri Fbawt.— About . twenty natives pained through Hamilton yeiterday on their way to Hiknrangi to be present at the feasV "being prepared by the K'nptes, to take place on the Bth of next month. The Maortes had with them a number of horse* laden with dried eel* and other provisions Jfyr the occasion. _, . " dkowiJßD ooT.~AlHiongh"weT\aT» puWished a' supplement to-day in order ( to dear off matter held over for .this last two issue*, w* have iitfJl t«-apob-gise to " Waikato," tl Old Identity," and other co-respondent^, and to hold over reports of Hamilton Sports Committee meeting, the Ohaupo meeting of delegates tor the formation of a Waikit" Central 1 Agricultural tnd Pastoral Association and other local matter till «ur next. Kamilt Bibles.— We notice by advertisement, that Mr .T. C. Hammond, of Hamilton, has been appointed sgent'for the sale of Messrs Thompson and Neven's Family Bible*. Mr Neven has himself ' been doing the rounds of Hamilton during the past week, anli has succeeded in .disposing of a large number of these book*. The Bibles are large family ] ones, co- taining raanv beautiful engravings, -and are sold at £5 each ; the terms being 10«. cash os. receipt of each book, and 10s. payable monthly. MuQutok'h Waikato Steakrk.— Wt ("New Zealanu Herald ") inspected, on Saturday last, at' Messrs Fraser and I inne's foundry, Stanley-street, the engine and boiler in coijrpn of *onatruetion for Mr Quick's Waikato river steamer. JThe boiler is of great strength. It is 6" feet in diameter, and 16 feet long. It ii a multitubular boier. The cylinders are 14 inches diameter, and 16 inches stroke. It is geared at 4 to 1. It is capable of exerting a pr's<ure equal to 140 horse-power, {The work is programing very rapidly. An endeavour is'bemg made to gee the whole enterprise complete by the Christmas holidays. There is a-peculiarity in this boiler. Tue framings for carrying the crank and paddle shafts are made of malleable <iron, aud are r. vetted on t« the boiler so as to combine strength with lightness. This promises to be one of the finest works ol the many turned out by this enterprising establishment StoOK *q MonEsr. — On the race course on Friday, a Vtle argument was got up wiihin our hearing ol the value or otherwise of a fkrgc family to a settler. Of course much depends on the use made of them, whether brought »up to the piano or the milk pail, the plough stilt* or the billiard cue. . We well remember hearing when a boy, a farmer's wife pleading for an extra fifty acres to her husbands holding that though h^r husbaud had no extra oapttal they had MRb.t -children and ''stock was money." But the best answer to those who argued against this side of tbe question on Friday is the following, which we yesterday clipped from a southern piper :— " An lowa fanner, who has five girla, takes each one in turn Sunday afternoon and rubs her teeth with an onion, and quutly remarks: 4 None of 'em has a beau a second time.'*" SUKBP SH3AKINO CONVBNI-ENOE.— • Just at the present season of the year the following which we extract from the Scientific American will be of mote h»n ordinary interest to* large number of our readers. The now arrangement, affjrdu a support for the hand while holding the shears wuioti ene>ble*«khn operator rto 'hare the free usi of his hands while the muscles are firmly braced, and tlui9 assist during the fatiguing labour. He ia thus enabled to exert greater strength, and may, at the same time, rest the ha«d without laving down tUo instrument, ffhedescription i» as follow :—": — " The attachment consists of strap* of leather, rubbet, or any other suitable material, which are secured to one of the shear handles. Rings or loop* are fastened to the other 'handle, and through these straps are passed, so as to form a cross over the back of thn hand, the ends being secured and th« length adjusted by suitable I ulton-holea and hooks. Elastic baoda are employe 1, in whu-h case the straps are riveted or otherwise permanently attached to tho handles of the shear." Watkito Elections.— Mr Patrick Leslie writes as follows respecting a letter which Htely apppared iv an Auckland paper: -"To the Kditor : Sir, —In the " Weekly News" of tbe2otti inst , a letter a'lpears headed 'The .Convin^ Elect ions, ' signed ' Country Elector, Ocahuhu,' in which the i jllowing passage occurs : 'Cannot Waikato find a loc il man ? Why are tthey ob'iged to t^end toAuek'and for a representative ? Are they cowards or tramm lied ? Mr Whitaker is above reproach, but let him stick to Auckland or the Tli 'mes.' Now, sir, with your permission I bog to inform 'Cjuutry Elector' that w« in Waikut) tare neither cowards nor trammelled, and we c «uld very easily find r. a sidinfc local men certainly tqtial to the average of Auckland down-country members, buc we are Dot quite conoeitftd enoHijh to suppose that we have Mr Whi taker's equal amongct us, and having our own interests and the intere-t o* the <colony at large in vie*, we feel very proud in requesting a man of Mr Wlutuker'a gr>-at ability, exper encc, and honesty, 1o represenr us, and we are simple enough to suppose Mr Whitaker to be (although not & resident) a very local man, the large stake he hold* in our d'stnet being ti material guarantee that our interests are his interests; and when we am,rapreiented in Parlitmrfnt by Mr Whi'eker, we feel assured that our member stands second to none in that Assembly in tal^nti, ia energy or in reputation ; and com mending to ' Country Elector ' the old proverb, • L«t. those hwgh who win.'— l am &o, Patrick Leslie, Waikat >." The IyTERPROYiKciAt. Pig*on Match. - little misapprehension we lear • exists ft« toth- meaning of the projec ed arran^- me'its for holding tbe forthcoming interprovincial pigeon match, which, as far as th* shooting of the Auckland team is con erned, will take p ace during the Christmas li >li lay week, at t>e Queen'B Redoubt The proposed plan of getting together an Auckland reptesen+ati^e te m of tjn, 19 to g-t tweutv-tive persons to subscribe tw () guineas each. The money tnu* raiae i will be expended in providing Auckland's (fourth shara of the cost of the priz"S, or £3). and tbe balance in cost, of bird* for boh mat hes and othe* necessary ezuensea The team to represent Auck and will be chosen from the*e twenty-five hubsccibers, and should »tbe Auckland te<*m win eit ,er of th* prizes — of which there are two, a cup va u^d at £7d and a cup valued et £45— the whole of>the twenty-five aubscrlbets will aho >t off for its indivi lual possession, each being handicapped according tt his known capabilities. The misnndt-ratandinjj -ci'ems to h»ve aiispn from the idea that tho final sbootine off for the pr ; ze, if won, w«u'd b« confin d to the ten only who were chosen as the r-ompe' ing teo, whereas each subscriber wijl have a chance. As the mMxfti will c«me off wi'hiu a month., it is to be hoped if Waikato means to tafee a leading part in ifc, which as a sportin r district it ouijht to io, that iuteading BubBC f iber» »o the sweep for such it really ia, wii! communicate their intention »t onr-e to Mr W. Mac^reiror Hay, who ia .'authorised to act for this district. i