The Waikato Times.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 652, 25 July 1876, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

Equal nnd exact justice to ail men. 01 svhbtevei Rtute 01 peitiaasiou, idigioiuor polltKUl « # # • # Here sliall tho Preti the Pkopi-k's right maintain. United bv influence and unhnbeil bv pain.

JUHSUAY JULY To I&7G.

Once moro, and we trust for the last time for many a year, there has been a change in the proprietary of this journ.il. "The third time lucky," ii a very old xaying, and experience of cjuntry newspapers ■enables us to assert that, iv that direction, at all events, there i$ a vast deal of truth in tho ndd^e. Jt is verj seldom that tho first spirited projectors of an enterprise of this discretion reap the lowai'l of their labours. Tbe energy, the lime, and the capital necessary to successfully establish a journal in a scattered country district, in tbo vast majority of case* fail, ere the vonture has beeo ne a financial success, and others htap in nnd reap the fruits whicla were aiinofit witlun the grasp of tho origi nalors of t»he scheme. While deploring t-ie fact, which we cannot, however, ignore, we sincerely triut that as tho third proprietary of the; Timks ■we shall realise the good fortune prophesied by the proverb. Wo ■cannot disguise from ourselves the fact that we have a difficult task to perform. Tho large extent and Bcalteredn itnre of our constituency, the conflicting- local interests ami the multiplicity of shades of political opinion render it a no easy undertaking to give satisfaction to all. We should indeed shrink from the difficulties in this direction, which may be said to be the rocks upon which our predecessors have splil, were it not for a firm conviction that the interests of every portion of the Waikato district are on all cardinal points absolutely identical and that ull that is required to ensure tuccesb into acquire a more intimate knowledge af the local wants of the different centres and to press them in the proper quarters with vigour and determination, undeterred by any slavish lear of consequences — and this course we are determined to pursa«. Waikato as & district is widely and favourably known throughout the Colony, and its opinions are certain to co in maud respect if urged by the unanimous voice of the inhabitants. Upon the other hand, a want which may be severely felt in a particular centre can never command the attention it may merit if the request for rectification be pressed forward only by the people of a solitary Kettlement. Unanimity is what is wanted, and this it will be our duty and dcaiie to advocate and promote. Quite recently this journal baa laboured under an imputation of subserviency to the present Deftnce Ministei. Some have even gone to the extent of stigmatising it as a paid organ of that gentleman. What ever may be oar opinion pa that matter, (and we are afraid that we should have to differ wiih the detractors of the Times if we expressed it) we cm only spetk as to our own position, and the course we intend to follow in relation to native mattuns. We are, then, in favour of a peaoe policy towauls the natives. We an.* of opinion that it is less expenshe, and at the same time, moie humane to conciliate, r.ither than to exterminate, the remnants of the Maori race. We cannot follow those who believe that the ' dignity of the British Empire etc,' (',> quote a favourite phrase of the antipacific party) can suffer from any act Oi"a handful of savages. We are >o incomparably the stronger of the tyro people*, that we cannot really be insulted by our coloured fellow-s ib| -cts ; as well say that a blow fr >ia a petulant dn d dnJivwed on the bt aided facu of ■ fuM

grown m.m is an insult that must he wiped oat in blood, or tli.it the snapping of a toy tenier at, a mastiff must be avenged by the destruction of the former, er^ the dignity of the latter can be vindicated. We are so immeasurably stronger that we can afford to coax into submission without in the lejist lowering ourselves in the eyes of the world. Rut whilst we believe that by all legitimate miMns we should try to kill the rntives with kindness, there 19 one s*tave mistakes which may be made in that direction, and to which we must now refi-r. We alludo to th<! return of land to the erstwhile rebel Maoris. Nothing more conducive to the destruction of a cordi il feeling between the two races, nothing more hopelessly subversive of our presage, untiling Diuru calculated to eventually cause the extermination of the aboriginal race can be imagined than this course. Flosr and sugar, and ploughs and harrows, everything th.it will tendtooMiciliate aud civilize the Maoris let thorn have, but, not mi acre of laud. We shall oppose to the Isst such a proceeding. Any land that may have been awarded bvr the commission of 1864 and 1865 c.innot of course be withheld from thoin, but there must be no<fte«h cession. We shall advocate the abolition of the Piovineial system, and one land fund, and one purse for the, whole Colony. It on these questions we diffar with ma'iy of our constituents they mty at all events rely that argument and not recrimination will be the weapon, we shall use, and th.it they will have every opportunity nffmled th«m foe the expression of their opinions, in our columns. To came to matters of detail, we h.'oe made arrangements to sn iply our subscribers with a larger amount of interesting reading matter, our correspondents will furnish us with more cqpioua accounts of the doiu»s of the 6©ttler« in the various ceutina of the distrioc, sporting 1 articles will be furnished vi by one of the bt^t authorities in such matters in the province, and during the present session of Parliament, wa shall bo in leceipt of interesting chit-chat letters upon the various measures from time to time engrossing the attention ef the Hous- 1 . We also hope if the people of Waikato sup pirt us in such a manner as to justify the step, to recall to life the {Saturday supplement. In conclusion wj cm only point to the motto which heads our leading column. Jf we follow the spirit that breathes in those hues wo feel CGMtidftnt of success. " Equil and ex.icf justice to all mou" is the sutest method of commanding respect mid support, ; Jind this at loasf, we can promise, sh.ill be faithfully and assiduously carried out iv the columns of this jtiunidl.

Now that the use of lime is beginning to excite very general attention among {armors, we are glad to see that the limestone quarriei on thu Waipa are about to be utilised, but the price at which the lime is sold will have to be very considerably reduced before the Waipa lime will be placed within tho reach of settlers for ordinary agricultural purposes. Tb.ii, however, the proprietor, as stated in his advertisement contemplates doing ; but excn at the p esent time there should be a considerable demand for thin lime for building purposos, aud it is not so donr but that settlers with a view to feeling their way to its further nse <might experimentalise to some little extent with it, at tho reduced price alluded to. To now and virgia soil, such of course as we have to do with ia New Zealand, tho value of lim< 1 can scarcely ba over estimated There is, however, a very mistaken idea abroad afl to its character, many persons dis^iu^ it as a manure ami believing that it convoys to the soil a considerable amount of food for plants. This except in the iu->tance j of such limestones as contain when burnt mote or leas phosphate of li.ue, is not the case. Lime as a rule introduces little or no extraneous element or fertility into tho si'il. any more than tho secretions of thy liver, as such, import nutriment to the body. As, h 'wever, the latter act upon the food in the stomach and prepare it for absorption into tho Hystem so does the hnij when placed in the soil act upon the foo 1 of flints ■ilready there and fit it for thoir assimilation, deeompoMiig the organic and inorganic mutters in tho soil, and probably causing the fonuatioa of a small quantity of nitrate of Jirae, a salt of some value as a manure. Lt it this action of lime upon the soil which either* renders it valuable or destructive according as it is used. The action of lime being to render solub c and flfin for tho u^e of planli tho various fertilising constituents 01 of the soil previously insoluble, 't follows that tliu mori> freq ently and the larger the quantity in which lime is used the sooner will the soil become impoverished, andheneeexuept ia soils rich in humus and vegetable matter, lime can be continued to be used wnh profit, only in conjunction with manure. When large doses of lime are applied and repeated the elfect will be simply disastrous, for tho salts in the boil being set free »in larger quantises than they can bo assimilated or taken up by the plants will becomo volatalised by tho atmosphere or earned away by tho rains. Hence it is that the practice of farmers at home during late years, in the use of luu>\ has largely altered. Wlien il/# writer wan a boy the dose was som.five tons to the acre, repeatod on clay farms every five years at furthest. The more modern plan, and that which adapts itself chem cally to the action of lime upon tho soil, is to repeat the dose m >ro often, and in smaller quantities- In fact to free only so much »>f the heretofore i'ifoluble fertilising constituents of the soil as th>* growing crop can take up or assimilate. The qudlny of the Waipa lime ttone is valuable for

agricultural purposes. The presont obstacle to its use is simply that of cost, but this, doubtless, will bo overcome, for the stono is convpneint, we believe, to the wood for burning it, and to the water for carriage. Ai will be seen by the anah si-t it eon«iats largely of carbonate of lime, and has but small trace jf carbonate of magnesia. This is in its favour, for limestones which consist merely of carbonate of lime, yield pure caustic lime when burnt, while tho^e winch contain a portion of carbonate of magnesia, yield, when burnt, a mixture of caustic lime and magnesia, which, as th<* mmnesia has a tendency to remain caustic for a lonir time, absorbing carbolic acid but slowly from the air. renders such lira • l^s valuable for agricultural purposes. Thi* grand question, however, is one of cost, and this is the difficulty which the settler and the lime burner have to solve before lime can be as largely introduced into general use, and especially on clay and swamp soili, as it ouijbt to be. One kiln of the Whata Whata lirae has already been ounied and between 400 and 500 bushels of lima are ready for delivery at once.