The Waikato Times.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 666, 26 August 1876, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

Equal and exact justice to all men. Qi whatever state or penuuiun, r«ligioui or political • • • « • Here shall the Pren tho Peoflh's right maintain. Unawc<V hv influence and unbribcd br «nin.

SATURDAY AUQU6T26, 1576.

We promised oar constituents that, when the interests of the Waikato district were in peril, we should give warning, with no uncertain, sound. Those interests are now threatened, and we shall sound the trumpet of alarm. Every Waikato settler has noticed, with satisfaction, the gradual growth of settlements in the rich districts of Waitoa and Piako. The men who have gone forth to conquer the swamps, and wildernesses of tbo3e f portions of the country have been tent from us, and through us. Their' interests are identical with ours. Their sympathies and inclinations are with, and towards us. In any re-diatribution of the governing power of the Colony, they should be allied' with us. And the rich lauds at present unoccupied in their vicinity, which have been increased in value by the expenditure of their labour and capital, should be given to their district or county (or whatever name the new division of the Colony may ultimately be dignified with) as a means of raising a revenue for its improvement. .But, a gold, fields community is almost pro. verbiully acute, and, tlio Thames people, seeing the immense advantages the possession of such a country must confer upon them, have adopted the singular but effective course of sending two representatives to Wellington, to pick up the Thames Valley and make it their own. Mr MactJonald, the Mayor of the Thames, accompanied by Mr Brolie, is at present at the " seat of war," and a smarter man than the same Mayor was never despatched on a similar embassy. The telegram which we publish in another column informs us th t the " Thames delegates have arranged to interview Sir Douald McLean respecting the handing over to the public of the lands purchased from the natives in their district." It seeing innocent, and, to those unacquainted with the inner workings of the Thames political life, the deputation would appear to havo in view only the securing of the land immediately adjoining the town popularly known as the Thames Goldfjeld. But, we happen to know that the Thames people covet more than this. We are in possession of knowledge which enables us to assert authoiitatively "the good position as a county," mentioned in the telegrams as likely to be the lob of the Thames people, is to be attained by the absorption of all th* lands in the Thames, Waitoa, and Piako valleys into their county. The Thames people may succeed in getting the matter " fairly settled," but, we shall take care it is not so settled without a hard struggle in the interests of Waikato. Let I the Hauraki settlers take their fair share, let them hare Ohinerauri, and any contiguous country which immediately communicates with the goldfield the inhabitants of which, are by instinct and sympathy allied to those \rho follow miningpursuits. But where the nature and situation of the country indicate cleaily that agriculture and not mining will be the industry of settlers, let them not seek to drain its resources to foster the welfare of a purely mining comunity whose wants are oftentimes ao pressing that relief has to be sought at the feet of the Government of the Colony. What chance would there be for the expenditure of moneys in the fine valleys we have refered to, if another crisis oecured at the Thames, and every available sixpence was required to prevont an exodus of miners from Shortland and Grahamstown. Mining is precarious. Agriculture is slow, bat certain in its progress towards prosperity. If the Counties Bill should pass this Session, no effort should be spared to secure to Waikato and Piako au immunity from the disastrous effects of mining panics, and the other vicissitudes goldflelds life. Wo would suggest that meetings be called in the \arious centres of Waikato protesting against the attempt to deprive us of the advantages which the configuration of the country, the uuturo of the pursuits of its inhabitants, and the sympathy which these engender towards us all proclaim should be ours.

Just as we supposed, the " man in the street" has been the authority for the thousand-and-one telegraphic uatuu'ds forwarded from Wellington to our Auckland contemporaries in the matter of the political situation at the seat of Government, and the special position of the Auckland party. The rumours of ministerial changes which gave the Premiership to Mr Stafford, the office of Attor-ney-General to Mr Wlutaker, and which vaguely indicated the successor)} to other portfolios have been distinctly dimvowed from Wellington. As to the Auckland party itself, it is now said that it remains in exactly tht samo position as after

the reading of bis memorandum at Monday's meeting, by Sir George Grey, published in onr laat, which, to nse the words of a "Cross" telegraph correspondent "i» certainly not a conditionofconstructior»."SirGeorge Grey, bpeaks out unmistakeably for himself and doubtless like Widrington in the ballad, ' <x " Won't yield to doletal -dntnpi, '-But when heioaft* bt h hi» lejs Will fi^tat upon hit •fump?." ' How soon he will be brought to this point is a question y>t J hndecided. One of his legs,, the Otagkn one, is very shaky if it has hot already yet gone from under him. How the Auckland one intends to shape remains to be seen when the next party division is called on in the House. From the telegram respecting Mr Tonka, it would seem that that gentleman will not accept the mere position of delegate to the Auckland Central Committee, and meekly b.>vr to itf mandate which exercises go potent ao in- , fuence over other Aackland cumbers. Mr Tonks, at any rate, seems ] inclined to act as a representative nnd to intend to think fot himself. What, however, will be the ultimate | outcome of thelate disruption —whether or no, as Mr Swanson stated the Opposition would attempt to do, they succeed in rehabilitating the party again, the next division, as we have said, will show. Our own opinion is, and we flatter ourselves we call see as far through a political milestone as any one, that " Hutnpty Dumptjr who want to the wall "At Monday's rauoui Lai had a area' Ml ; "And all th« King's honca and ail the King's men " Will n«T«r let op Hnmpty Duinpty iga n. "

Wi ar« to eonfideut that a uniting policy is the great e-sential to the welfare of the Waikato district, that at the risk of appearing tedious we mint refer to another instance of i!s efficacy in tie pacific ition of oar Maori neighbours. Dm ing thn la*t week there haa been completed' the renovation of a flour mill which has for many yean been in disuse in tLo Mm.nj.it»uUri di-trict. The mill bu been practically almost re-construct-ed under the superintendence of Mr Reid, of Tmnahere, and the whole expense has been borne by the nit ire* out of their own private monies. The mil), which i 1i 1 worked by water power, u capub'e of grinding and dres-injj all th > wheat wh cli ;an be grown iv tho district. Already •■oi.e lainpUs oi bran hkto b»en exhibited for B>'o in C»mbnd^i<, and mo c may shortly be expected in a few days. We are informed by a gentleman, who his recent y been to Maungatautari that double the quantity of grim hus been •own curing the preient kensou. Tho nine -eutlcinan tells us that tho natif* in e»*ry pvrtof tlie count ly are eigerly enrju n q for ate 1 flour mills, which aru wo kid bj i. .ad, and that a windmill is in course of erctmn iii the Kinj; country vrhicli ia intrn Jed to proride the motive power for milling' To tucse steel mills ivi attached diVMing Diachmos, which will treat thres kind* of flour. There cannot be a doubt that the native* must be thoroughly in enniost in their picifija t ry docLuati ms if ther start penuunu:>t works of ttu* diucriptio", and th.it thn impetus which the .Nutive Minister lm-t giren to th ir desiree to ponses* the rcsn ts of peaceful labour is beginuiuj; to ur^e tbeui to return to ihe pooition us producers which th-y occupied before the Waikato war.

Nok-ueuvcrt 'V Paper— We hare coinp'»inl« i om Raglan, dated the 22nd mat, that none of our papers had been n'Cfived fcbere rnce the T.iur«dij we«< proceeding. We can «ssi«r« our Raglan and Aotea tubtcribera that Iho opiea of the sevcal issues haTe been re^uls.ly (o--warded in th# usuil ivhj from th<s oflior, and that we ftiiaM make inquiries as to the came of the de'ay with feu« object of prerentiog it* recurrence.

I Daiut Phodccb.- Our What* Wliata 1 c >rre*p indent • lettrr to-dtj paint* to a verj ctiriou» nnomoly in Watk^to farming, I lie absence of fnsli butter, often fur weeks together, in a purely agriculture, and pastoral di*i «-ict. Wlmta Wbuta in not pecu'iar in this rerp-ct as many Hamilton people are piinfullj aware. Auckland peop'e am actu »l y able to procure nearJy nil kind* o d'»'r_y produce, including !j'»in» and bacon ut Iran tlmn two thirds the price and of a better qudli'y tii»n c<*u the people who lite in the tains of the Wa-kuto towathipa. Tbit this m «o, th <w* Hiorw it a icrew luo»e iomo.vhore in our domeitio economy.

Thk " InU'ligeut Vagrant " writ M:—M :—:—: — Not a bad story oome« fr><m the lobbies Mr Keel, vrbue teudeooy to open hit mouth ?hJ talk on %!l poi»ib!« occniom in well ki own, b»d jmt returned froai hi* trip to Auckland. Mettiuf the member for Gadabout, who aupporte the M n'stry, Mr Heon aaid tobm, "Ah, now, I think I'to don« it pretty wall th's time. Male a »p?*uh in Auckland that ha* fixed ih i e'cotioo for City West, p!aye<t a name of football, aud g»t bauk m tim«> for tba rtal fi^bt of tho neaitton." Kauli^d the member for Gadabout, " Played football, did you ! I'm sorry 'o tee you htve g>t both foot and mouth dt«eace."

North Island Teunk Road.— Er«ry attempt to discover a m<ia trunk linej of road down the Wei-t Oast of the North IsMnd tbr>>ugh the Tarannki country tiM hitherto pioved a fa-.iure. We now lwkrn that h* U«t xttein.it mi^e has been equally umuccottfull. O»pta<n Bk<j<-», Guvcrameut »ur»eyor, h«i retur»«l ti> N«v Plymouth from an oxpe fi'ion <o fiod a practical line from Tw»naki mt < the W^ikato oonutry. After an abi^nra of -ixty>threej days in the forest, thirty t >r«« of which * «rtt wi 4, f abated ff Jtn a * cti<m of bi« par y deprive I of MankeU an-i trmi no salary too'i he hat, after enduring much hanlship an I jri»ati«n, returned without aocomplisbin^ hi«obj^ot.

Thi Cattw wthanci.— *lfver»l letters hara lately appeared in our columns protesting ng-in»b the practice of allowing cattle an I horses to run at targe in the *treets and bye«rond< of Hamilton Weit and one or two in favour of it. > Th# bulk of ti« coTPßpjnden.e is certainly Agtiiutt tlie p'sctice. Therein no d >übt hot that thtiee cattle arc an >ntolentbl« nuM>ace to the owne iof girdeni. It t« only on Tliuriday t'i«t Mr M«ion planted with orntmO'ital tree* the acre allotment at tht> corner of Victoria antTHoo.l Mreoti, in the centre o H .milt on Township, belongUi: to the Bt.,k of N-w Z-alind, and though (he I>t if nbstantitlly ft*nc«l n number ofowi got in or were l*t in the rave night and comm neN'd th«tJ nyrtiion intii*«efof tbtie y mng tre«t, which, if alloifei to gro», will bt an ortumeal and

beauty »o ths future city. Only iomo dajs since a gentleman a-ked v-< to druvr attention— we bi'K pardon for hiving till now overlooked doing m> — to the fact that in riding from Nga ua-vuhia to Hamilton after dark he wai within an nee of bting thrown from Im ho »o which fairly Btumbli d over a beust lying atleep in the centre of ths road.

Riteb incboachmbnts — The cemetery at What* What a, it nenu.U being eaten away v ecemeal by the Waipi r Ter. Iha case of this pifce of land is by no meini a solitary one at we huve before pointed out on rfihT branch of lh* rirer or along the nrnn stream itse f. The remedy it a •impie one an I w« are glad to ccc time people wi 1 h nenw enough to retort to it. that of planting one or othrr of the s-ve-ral »peci« of willows nlong tbe bink«. The townsbip of Hamilton ou eit'ier side haa been coi tiJerably encroached upon durint; the lait twelre montlia by th» •tream. not to much by flood* as by the waih of the river it«%ineri. Land owners along tbe banks should f >U>w tbe exsmp<e of Mr Cumming of Hamilton East whe has thus necurred the (rootage of hU property from future attacks. Now is *• good • lima as any for planting willow stakes :ia jtorh situations, but Iho sooner the work i* prooeeded wltt tbo bttter.

AfILKKT at an Post.— lt mi only by •ending a mincnser on hornbook after the dray which left Hamilton Ea*t for Eiako on Thursday lttt that «* «crt rnablei- to tend out tfca paperl t6 oar Piako subscriber! that d»y. Od arriving at the Hamilton punt at 6 30 the ferryman and his assistant wero not at their poit, and our messenger after obtaining the handle took charge of the punt him telf, but found the punt, the punt rope, and a bane *o inextricably mix^d up on the E it «de the rirpr t hat he could not get further fian witl'in ten or fifteen > ards from the riita'iglrd barge in front <>t him. He threw the parcel of pnptri but it mimed its m<«rk by an inch or two md floated down streim. Nothing daunted he re. turned to the office got fresh paprrs and B*nt a mM»euger on hor«ob«ck to o?ertake th« dr»y which by then wa* lome milos or th« ro.id. Now tho ferryman* duty is to be at hit p >it from Bam, nud we att why at ti.3o h« wnt not there. We hare no wwh to preM uudu'y on any man, but he hat U'idei-tnk«n ocr sin duties and U punishable if ho fall* short in their performance* Wo thai tako other steps, if the thing occurs again, than simply ment'onin^thecircutnstanoesasnjw, which rr-ay be ltvs agreeablr.

Thi N. te Zbaiand Aamavmvnsh Abs iCiatios appeal s to ho in » Terr deplorab'e con i ion. Ii available fundt are not at re than about £30 itnd at an rxp es> meeting tpi'Ciully c tiled, not more than iw Ito mpinbcrj could bo got together on We>l lie -day. It was thrn re■oived not to hold a »li3W t us ye-r, but a motion for willing up the As»ociaU >u whs o»erru'.e»l, n»id very rightly »o we think. It certainly it not wery crcd tublo to th« riOTino<» as a whol- f it cannot maint.in an A-B'ciation of tlua kind. Tho N«w Ze.ilond Agncul ural AssociHiion li.ii done g^od «ervioo in Lhp pitt to ih» onuie of a^'iculmre and •tcclc breeding in ih'S i a'tof the colonr, Hnd we rogret extremely to ioa its pre-ent clocidenw. The fmlt, we believe. he> lorn with the country people about Auckland than whh the tiwn*ppople thoin«u.vei. It n to iht* inUrect of the latter filly «• much as to that of the former, that the Aa-ocution which hold* its annual exlubilijn cloio to the city ihould be aupported, but a* •trawi serve to point the direction of the wiud, we m»y •«• in this slight matter ho»v littU sympathy there if bjtwenn town uud couutry— how li* tie country o is' rids such, at ihif mi^ht look for at the hands of our great little wen if tli« form i f constitutional government adopted f.>r New Z<*.iland uliould \ei\vv the country di triet* at the mercy of the great local centre-.

R(COtt on "Satuudit Nioht"— Xothin.: cm kemorc p ovokiug than hiving a wmundru h which you fondlj suppose a* impenet »be ua iho Splii x unravelled by tbo first country yokel that c me* along. When a kmdlj queition of l hit sort i* proposed nine moa out often only w it bursting with desire to unburden themselves u. til their Tictim him gi»en it up. With nil the " pomp and cu-ci.in lanco" which usually surround* h cminciition cf in appuren lj initolultle rnigm*, iheßaitor of "Siturday Niglit" on tha 26 h ins', inform* us Bub«c.-ibers tlmtft hindiotnely bound Toiu<ne of that jiurnnl will be presented to tu* fi.>t of them wli) can giro a true soluton of th-i riddle propounded. It ihou dbo •* ess \y unravelled" nay* be, but of course li« novcr meant it. But a youth of an enqu'rmg turu of mind residing at flanmion, who^o ngfd Great- Aunt had !<-ft him in h r wi I a bo k of clap«iotl quotmiotn found tin 1 answer in fen ininuce* from iho timi> of de'iiery of the popular perioiiuMl. Uo imoietiirttel) forwarded the anawer to the office of " Saturday Nifelit" with the reg icst that; th« " liandno'iiely bouml volum-" inijht he left, at the rmdenteof hi* " Mttilda Jane" with hie oompli i en»s. That ri Idle, unlike most, coat a lot more trouble to put together than to take to p,eci>s. Who sura thy roast beef, tnrnipi, and country air don't beat Mark Twain* fresh h'ali remedy for producing phosphorus in the braiu !