SATURDAY, MAY 20, 1876. THE VISIT OF THE DEFENCE MINISTER. The Waikato Times.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 624, 20 May 1876, Page 2

SATURDAY, MAY 20, 1876. THE VISIT OF THE DEFENCE MINISTER.

The Waikato Times.

IIer« cliall the Pm« the People's right maintain, Unwed by influence and unlmboil by c ;a.in.

'/ ESTEitDAY afternoon "\ve received a tologr.un frocj Auckland announcing that Sir .Donald McLean, tho Nativo Minister, would leave Auckland by tho 4 io'clook train afc Mercor, and proceed to Hamilton today by stoamor. The letter of an Alexandra correspondent; also informod us that tho Nativo Minister was exported by tho natives to leave Auckland yostorda-y with the intention of verting the princi pal chiefs and arranging for a subsequent meeting between them and the Governor. Lato last night tho following telegram was recoivod by us froui a Special Correspondent at Metcer, which, explains tho whole niatlcr : — " Mercer, 8 p.m. Sir Donald McLean has just arrived, with a small staff, accompanied "by Hone to One. It is understood llifto it is Sir Donald MuLoan'n desire not to Juvo n j general meeting of* tho natives, but simply a conference with Tawhiao. 'The visit is j made on Tawhi&o's invitation. Thop-irty proceed to Hamilton 10-mDrrow (Saturday). Tho visit will only be allying one." From this it is clear that the letter of our Alexandra Correspondent, which appears elscwhoro, represents the nativo fueling on tho matter, and the fact that onr (JorrcHpondvnt wa3 hwai'C of tho visit earlier ovgk tliau v;e ftrcre oiu'selvas, 'is a suOicicufc refutation to the sneering 1 allu sions as to the valno of auch correspondence mudo by "Colonial," "Anti-Hum-bug," and other writers of the same Btamw. The visit of Sir Donald McLean, and tho invitation from which it proceeds, are an unanswerable- contradiction to such statement as that of the Alexandra correspondent of an Auckland journal, allndod to in our other editorial of to-day, but of which at tho time of writing it we wete, of course, unaware,

If tho fctrenglu of a political party is to bo measured by {lt©<lo«p«*ato iia-Uire of its tactics, and tho depths of meannoes to wliich it will 'descend in order to carry out its objocte, tho Opposition to tho Now Zealand Government which is to be found in this Province, ,must bo weak indeed. It is, however, moro than v/oafc j it io positively wickod. We do not allado in the prcsent.in&tande to the silly Taporinga, treasonable though they often are, to bo found in tho floril speeches and sjnsntional memoranda of its leader, so much as to the attempts mado to strike tho miniitry . through tho natives. To keep tho latter in a state of chronic irritation and to render imposeible that cordial drawing togolhor of tho two races whioh tho great bulk of tbo natives nro at the present' moment most desirous to assist in bringing about, and the settlers aro as anxiously looking for, eeoms to be tho trump card, in the hand* of tho Northern Opposition party. To rob the Miniatry of the power of meeting tho Asocmbly with tho acceptable tidings that the way had boon oponcl to a permanent peaceful understanding between tho Europeans aud the natives Soath of Auckland, similar to that which exists botweon tho former and the Nerthorn tribes, must bo accomplished it any price, oven at that of endangering llu peace of tho country itself. At tho proseaii moment a feeling of tlissatisfaotion is being fostered amongst the natives by discreditable oiuissarics *n tho pay of tho Op-, position party, who have oven, though vainly, sought to make this journal the vehicle of disseminating Oicir untruthful reports. Tin mischiof those persons do amongst the naf ivo-j is very great. From a private letter received from -tho frontier, wo loam, that tho most groaaly untruthful reports of tho position of political affairs gonoraily, and tho grayost ami most unfounded adminiitrativo scandals refleotiDg onlho character aud crodit of tho native ,tninister and his department, and ovou of the ultimate intentions of tho prjtcnt government itsulf towards the naU-vos, aro freoly disseminated by one' or two discharged emjjloyes of tho nativo dopartmontj with the view to preventing, if possible, a friendly meoting between the natives and the Defence Minister. Tho omissarios of the Opposition, are equally busy in misleading tho minds of tho Europeans. WliaS shall bo said of suoh. a tisiMQ of falsehood as tho following, whioh'was only on Wednesday last palmed oil from an Alexandra correspondent on a respectable Auckland journal; — "Tho Maori King has no wißh to sco tho Go* vemor or Sir Donald McLean, noithor have tho nativco as a bodj . The King oays distinctly that Sir George Groy is tho only pewon thoy will troat with ; that ho mado tho war, aud ho alouo shall mako tho pence. Munuhiri and other noted Hauhau chidfs havo told-mo tho aamo." There is not ono word of truth in tho above ofcatement, as thoso on tbo spot well know, but such statements aro road aud rccoivod by Auckland peoplo as authoritative, and in many oaseu doubLlos» offoct the purposo for whioh thoy wera'writton. Wore it not contrary to all nowspapor etiquette to dv so, we would publish tho name of the correspondent in question, and leave our oivn and tho Auckland readers of that journal in which tho paragraph appoared to draw their own conclusions as to its value. Its ftuthorihip would at onco otamp it. It would be too much,' perhaps, in colonial politics, to expect that the tactics of any Opposition should bo marked nololy by straightforward honesty of purpose— that tho means of striking a blow at the Government, which would bo dt£~ elidible if uuCid by oue individual against uuri'ia iii private life should bo indig-

n-mtly spuriu-il a1)a 1 ) umvojll.y ol tlio cause or of 111 13 party using it; but :v lino must be drawn a'jjiii where. ' At oue time the Gouiian knot of political opposition was not unfrequcntly ctifc Unovgli with tho dagger, or by other (similar moans, but political aoaa.mationohaveco.no to I <o looked upoii now with horror end indigmtum, ci.A would only bring ruiu to tho best of causes. \ol wo would pau3o to ask those who atlompt to ilnko the Government through the natives and iho Nclivo Mmistor, .whether aftor -all they are not guilty of a crime equally as great, — nny, even ■gicalcr? They aro not seeking to gam their end by the immolation of one life, but by that of inauy. Tho price of the peace of tho colony, of burning homesteads, of elaughtored women and cliil'ircn, and the ultimate extermination, as a consequence, of tho raoo whosecause they pretend to esyonae, ii not considered too great o d&lc for tho possession of oGco and power. Ilowovor usoful a weapon tho crsation of the native di faculty may appear to those who use it, and, however lightly thoy may look upon its use, out of Auckland the public regards with just roprobation such unscrupulous practices ; iv Watknto with feelings of deep indignation. -Wo have aot fergolteu what this part of tho country was when Sir Donald McLean assutnod oflico ; what it has now -become under his administration of native affairs. Now, tho settlor goes about his >work as secure &om molestation as in the jfiettlcd districts abonfc Auckland ; then, with his rifle in. his hand, uncertain how long he might bo able to hold his own, even by that precarious tenure. Sir Donald McLean had hia faults, we suppose, like other men, and tho Native Office Dcpartmont, from tho very nature of its transaction?, must be at all times opon to mii-con*truction by thoso whose immediate interest it may bo to attach blamo to it ; but tho latter is, neverthloee, and for somo timo will contiuuo to >ka, an oxigeucy 0/ good government it! Now Zealand, and it would puzzle the country to find another man so capable iv every respect of holding untangled tho skein of native affuirs as the present Defeuco Minister, under whose Administration the Waikato and Enst Const districts enjoy their ptesont immannity from war and its diDastro-us rc3ulla. When Sir Donald McLean toak office, the mismanagement ■of native ftffain was costing tho colony ucnrly half a milhon etcrlingpor annum. Let the oneraics of tho Government oontrasfc the preeont cost of native management, wilh that of tho jnsfc — the present ■socuvity of tho out-ssttlcrs with tho ruinous panics and destruction of life and proporfy of a timo now happily parsing away, and then conscientiously say whether tho policy of the Native Minister his been a failure, or tho cost of is a tnat'.er to bo begrudged.

CINTBAE WAIKATO AOEICUtTUBATj ASSOCIATION. — The Annual meeting of tho Sooioiy will be lieM on the SGthinst at Te Awamuhu. Fat CATTii^.-^Soms tliirty head of fafc cattle, from tho farm of Up Ramsay, of Rnngiaohia, pasßocl through Hamilton yooterday en louto for AuokUnd.

Tnß WliArnßß. — Heavy gales lmvo bcou experienced yesterday Sou*h of Auckland. Telegraphic communication with tho South has been in'orrupted end the lino is nob working. OrMiNG o* A New Orvvgc Lodge at CamBRIDdB — Lodge No 21, "William Johnstons," LOi, will bo opened this ovening by tho Wor6hi|]ful Master of No 9, Sona of tfletcr, and brethren attending.

Improved Plough. —Mr Fro lorick Lows Jolftoat, of Wiuchondon, Saddle Hill, Province of Otago, has m ide npplication for Icttca patent for two rww inveutions of his, one for improvemrnt in plou^bin^ and cutting a tiiangular pioce off Iho land eide and producing ft loz»ngr»-Blnpod sod, &a'l an inventloM for grabbing or sub-soiling •iraultancoualy witbplougluDg, by ineaus of an adjustable prubber, to> bo attached to any dosoription of plough. Objection* aro to bo heara on tho 11 nli August.

RuuucTloN OV OFFICIALS. —As an instano of tho uiu>:h uioro economical manner in which with only ono government, the businos3 of thft country may be managed, wo in \y iofer to a change just made in the immigration dopirlment of this Province. Notice" hau boon givon hy tho Gencr.il Government to Mr £llw, Immigration O flloor aL Aneklaud, Mr Tunl?3. Immigration Oilicor, r.t Taurßncja, aud Mr Kacdonuld, Immigration Officer at tho Thamos, thnt ihoir ssrrics will lio dispensed with ofc tho ond of throe months. Tho business at present undortakon nt Auckland by Mr Ellin will bo ndded to tho duties of Miijnr Green, and probably iv Tvuraiiga and at the Tbjnnea v* ill also bo arailgamated with that of Boaio otb.ee ofScial to the saving of tho publio pursol

Tirs OoTtanaoiiTovAX'Cinjitcn Muffin woeet AND Concbut. — Wo understand that a very attractive programme of ftleo 1 , duota, and eolos hnvo been fixed upon for tlio concsrt to take placa on the owning of tha Queen's birthday .iflor tbo anniversary soirco of tha Ilamilcon Coni^ragational Churchj »nd that pains aro being t ikon by the sov«ral performojs to b<s porfoet in (.heir parts, musical criticism in' Hamilton baviDg bf oonio a Hfctlo mor««x«ofcingof lato tbanlierotofore. Wo hate been Mqueatod to atuto that the musical portion of the Boiroo will not commence before 8 pm, to* and church business occupying the previous porb of the ovening A tea iv«d cutertuinmont ff ill also bo provided for the Enst Sabbath Bchool children on Thursday evening, the 251h instant.

A Chapter op Accidents. — A vciy and fatality baa fallen on ono of the districts north of Auckland — namely, Northern Wairoa. A hoy named Woods, while running, fell down and broke his log. Tho next day a stokor employed at tho Aratapu Mills v/as severely injured, and ,h,ad to bo acr.l to tho Provincial Hospital. Tlia child of it snfctler named WoDds died suddenly, and a few dayß after tho child of another settler numccL Koitl diod in ormilsion*. Before the funom took place a Mr Drummcnd, of the Tokatoka Hold, fell down «nd broko his collur bono, contused tho bone* oj his loft hand, and otherwise injured himself. Tho funeral of Mi* Reids littlo girl t.ike 3 place on tho dny of tho last ac<Jdonfc, and in celebrating it her father and two settlers, including tho father of the firat child who d\cd, lose their lives. Tho funeral cortege wns returning after tin coremony on the other cidc 01 tho river in four boats ; ono of these upsot, and thrco of tho four occupants wero drowned. Railway Mismanagement. — Some tiinu aj;o it wu.3 announced that a chango would be nmde in the liinc-tablo of tho Auckland and Mercer Eailway, and it was thought that the doparture of. trains would bo iivocl ao aa to suit tho convenience of up-country settlers, aud especially of tlioso vmfcing Auckland from tho Waikato. Nothing of the Kinrl has, however, been dono. Tlio u 1)u 1 ) tram from Morojr, for instance, loavci that place for Auckland at 3 30 p m, . and consequently ariivoa in Auckland co late the s.nno evening that by no possibility can up-countrr settlor* t.vinsnct their business in Anoklaml tl.c sinic dny aud roturn by tho next mornihg'a train. Yet there is no reason why this should be. The two or three hours in the middle of tho day spoilt in kicking thoir lioela about Moicer, waiting for Iho afternoon's train, if made available at the end of their journey could onable many to return to tho Waikato tho day aftor leaving ifc, instead of boing detained thu'wholo of tho next day in Auckland. Both coach and bo.it cun, and frequently do, arrive in Morcor shortly aftor 1 p in, and if tho departure of tlio up-tiaiu were liiedatl.3O pra instead 0f«3.30pm aa now, a great convenience would bo conferred upon tho public. The eonvonienoo and interests of u lar^o jnd populous dia'riefc such as thut of the culirj Upper and lower W.iilhi'lu ought not t j bo boiicitli. tho consideration ot ovon bo grout i*n iiutov'rofc us Pasiiaow tk& ]?irst, limperor of aUtJio liallwayj,

HAAIiLTONCAVVL.ty VoWNTEE'ld.— Last ttlgll l ' the Jti anil ton OarJry Voluntecu ran tor, d strong rttlio GymuaF'um, and very creditVoly T>dr"crmD'l thoir drill which wi* g'ven 1)7 Srr^t G Non.le, and aflorw.irds fomi"d a meeting to rccorcl priv.ito ruVii for practices, ntt^udance, and otlia* meters.

To oi'fivAiivn Cheese factories.— Die letter of Mchto, which wo publish el«cwhore, 13 woU woithy ihe attention of tbo Cambridge settlors who o'pirar to bo anxio'islo practically interest ihcmsclrca in Iho establishment of a oheese faetoiy. DouhtJeßi Mr Janes Runciman purposely umlontod the profits likely to accrue from tho Obtrblisbmeat of such an institution, yet it cannot bo but satisfactory to find that oven though vrith tho figures given try him at iho Farmm'o Cluli a fnctorv would puy, and pay handsomely, bettor even might reasonably bo looked for, Mr JLluncimnn estimates Iho gro3s produce of oich cow at £0 123 G-l, Mento shows that bis gross pvodnco per cow for the year was nearly £10 ss, and as fully tho milk of one co\r out of timo wag uso<i for tho family ho shows tho gross produce to havo been worth (that is) acbuilly sold at wholesale pricas lo storekeepers — for wo havo the memorandum of each parcel i«old, with the px-ice and to whom sold — a' u £11 10 \ per cow. We say nothing of the calye» or tho time wasted ■while tho cows go dry m either caec, for Mcnto fed his calves as well, and his cows, wo suppose, went dry the same as other peoples after a time, Here is a year's actual oxperimeefe with nine head of oows andltho result is oxactlyjdouble that; of Mr Itunciman's gross estimate. This ought to bo cheering to those into«t«tcd in UlO establishment of achoeso factory> foy allowing thai Mr Runchnan's estimate of exponses is low, wo can affjrd to double it, and there will then bo douWo tho net estimated produce, or £7 instead of £3 10 per head, exclusire of tho calf. Another point also which Mento ha 3 overlooked is that his rccorel allows nothing for the vnluo of the wticy -which still further brings up hii average produce per cow.

Nuw ]jiroßTATn>'3 —Wo loam from a San Francisco exchango tint a novel shipment will shortly bo made to New Zoaland. Sonntag and Co., of Sen Francisco, recently sent; an order to a firm in Council Bluffs, lowa, to ship as early as practicable one hundred pairs of prairie chicken", ten pairs of wild fcurkeyß, and ton pairs of wild gPC3a to a house in Auckland for breeding purposol. Arrangements havo boon made to capture the bird", which is dono by trapping the chickens i and turkeys. The uiodo of catching the prairie cbiokon is thus flesenbed : A pit 23 dug in the* ground, fay three foot deep and five or six foot long, near where the grain is BtoreJ, and the opening is corerod by a light board, renting only at tho contre. It in held in position by moans of weights suspended underneath. Grain is then scattered on tin's trap, which 13 disguised. by corn-shuck*, straw, or brush. Tho uueuspecting • chicken Bteps upon tho treacherous board and ij procfpitatcd into the pit. The manner of catching wild turkeys is more simple. It; is well kuown that a turkey will not seek to escape from an enclosure by crawling nndcr onytiling, but it struts around with held erect,, 1 joking for an opening above. A pan is con* struclecl of mils placod far enough apart to pormittlio head of the turkey to piss through, but not its bo*iy. The pen is usually placed on the »lope» of a lull, and in the lower side an opsning is kfiri lanro enough for ths turkey to pass through , frso'y. iGrain is then scattered' in a train leading lo the hole. The turkoy will follow the groin until it walks unsuspai'tint»ly into tho trap. Once within the enclosure tho simple bird wa ks to the uppor sido and looks in vnin for a chance to etcftpe until taken out by a trapper. Wild gc^se are usually wounded in the winjj by a skilful hunter, and it ii not a difficult matter then to bag tho gnra<>.

A new Tax— -A recent Dunedin tolcgram sfcntM that the Acclimatisation Society of that Province has hinted or is about to invite tho 'coopoiatioo. of other similar locietiaa in tho colony to ioduoo tho GoTernmont to impose an annual tnv of 203 on the owner of every gun, whan ta'«m of? hi« own land, tho tax to -go to tho locU So.iety'd fundi. The propoial of the Dunodin Soewfcr Trill fitiil but liitl? favour with public o biuion h to, whatever may b« the determination arrived nt by tho members cf tb.3 Auckland Acclimatisation Society, Tho majority of settlers will bo inclined to ihmk that tue~o societies havj already tjo inu -h power, which v§ often osorcisod in a miscl)icvou3 direction, ami certainly H »»y such step ai tint r>.fi'j'-*ed t > ra seriously contemplated, it will bo the duty of our representatives in tho Accmbly to iutorfero in behalf of one righto us individual*. A writer in an Auckland piper alluding to this muttor s^iys : " Tho proposal of thi Ounodin Acc'imatisation Society, if fjiven eff?cl to, would ontail a lasting hardship upou the poor so'tlors who should in tho future attain pt to carvo out a homo for themselves in tho bubh. In oourso of time each settlor lo«\n3 Ihat it is chopper to grow pork than, to hunt fjr it in the bush 5 t but when ono first ee'itlob down in Iho primfvul forest, and htive to do 113 1 hivo liad to do, not only 'hump' all the food required by tho family, but even the Held teeda, not excluding the seed pota- x toes, for milra along a narrow surveyor'! lino ov*r a ron^h country, he generally finds lhat tho wild biuh pig is tho only animal food withm hia reach for tho lint two or threa yoirs of i-etlloniont. It cannot bo oxneotod that each settler wiil obtain a full supply of such food upou hw own form, and tho pleaßuro cren of a wild pig ckaoe w oonaidorably tueroased by a few neifjhoonr* joining and forming a huutin? party.In such a case one or other of the party would be beyond the boundary of his own firm, and would thus be liable to be prosecuted as a poacher. Giving effect to tho proposed enactI menfc would bo to hindicap settlement in this province far more than it has yet been, evon by the neglect of th« Provincial Q-overameut in making road 3 to tho sovcral sottlaments, and would bo tho meau3 of making more failure in. the futuro than there has beon iv tho past."