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Waikato Times, Volume XI, Issue 891, 9 March 1878, Page 2

Tenders for splitting 2,000 posts are called for by Mr Brunskill, of Cambridge. A notice appears m our advertising* columns that a third and final dividend of seyenpence m the pound, m the estate of J. L. Longbottom, will be paid on application to Mr Geo. Edgecumbe, the trustee. Me W. Sloane, who is about to have erected a six roomed verandah cottage at Te Awamutu, calls for separate tenders for labor, and for materials, which will bo received up to noon of Wednesday the 20th inst. The Potato Croi' is being got m, m Waikato, and, from the price at which potatoes are being offered on the .ground by Mr Mandeno, and, also, delivered at Te Awamutu, it would seem that the crop is a plentiful one. I The Rev. J. Buttle will preach m the Wesleyau Chapel, Cambridge, to-morrow, at 11 a.m., and m the Wesleyan Chapel' Hamili on, at 6.30 p.m. Mr F. G. EwnW ton will preach m the Wesleyan Chapel Cambridge, at 6.30. p.m. ' Te Aavamutu Church Services.— The Rev Alfred Penny will officiate and preach m St. John's Church, Te Awamutu, tomorrow at 11 a.m., and also m the evening at 7 p.m. ° The Taupiei Concert m aid of the building fund of the Catholic Church at that settlement will take place on Thursday next the 14th inst. Wo mention the date the more especially as by a mistake the cards were printed Tueschv the 14th instead of Thursday. Bridgk at the Mangaone Creek — Tha Tamahere Highway Board are calling for tenders for the erection of a brid^ over the Mangaone oreek, at Crawfoid's crossing place, which will be received by the Chairman, Mr P. Leslie, up to the i 2Osh mst. Plans and specifications ni-iv be -seen on applying to Mr Reid of Wooded©, Hautapu,

Tonders for the erection of a cottage at Paterangi, for Mr Li^ertwood, will be received by Mr T. H. White, architect, on or before Monday the 18th inst.

Tiiames-Waikato Road. — Captain Eraser returned to G-rahainstown from To Aroha on Thursday, where he has been for two days past arranging with the natives for the land to be taken for the new road, connecting the Aroha with the Waikato and Piako Road. He has succeeded m his object.

Volunteer Prize Firing (Hamilton Contingent).— The firing for the district prizes by the Hamilton Contingent will take place, on their own ground, on Wednesday Dext, at 10 a.m., sharp. The prize-firing for the same prizes by the Cambridge and Te Awainutu corps takes place on the same day.

Census Papers.— According to regulation, Captain Eraser, the Census Enumerator for. the Thames, Uoromandel, and Piako Counties, notifies that heads of households, who, through accidental omission, have not received census papers, would oblige by at once communicating with Mm.

A cobrespondent, signing- himself "A Good Templer," writes to us complainingthat the Hamilton police are over zealous m taking m charge persons m the streets under the influence of liquor, but capable of making their way home without injury to themselves and annoyance to their neighbors. He goes on to narrate an instance which he says came under his observation lately where a man with his boy, the former sli s htly. under the influence of liquor, when proceeding quietly down the punt road were pounced upon by two constables, and the man flung down into the gutter, handeuii'ed, and walked oft' to the police station. A long experience with complaints of this kind against the police led us to make enquiries into the matter before giving publication to a "Good Templer's " letter, and we find that the police, so far from acting harshly, showed every leinency. The man, on coming out of Mr Potter's butchers shop, m Victoria Street, fell on the pathway, lying across it. Surely it was time for the police to interfere then. The Sergeant came up, but was unable to move him without assistance. When he returned with a constable the man had staggered down the street as far as Nettle's stables, and was then noisily endeavoring to enter a tradesman's shop against the wish of the latter. His struggles with the police were the cause of his falling m the gutter, and of the necessity for the use of handcuffs. In the latter part of his letter our correspondent says :— " Is there really no way of getting at the publicans who supply these poor "inebriates with this cursed liquor ? Why should the poor man have to bear all the brunt? Cannot the policeman stay the publican's hand before these poor men get too much, instead of waiting outsjule the door to carry them away to durance vile j 1 "

• Sale op Cambridge Township Lots.— The sale of allotments (Nos. 122 and 128) at Cambridge West, and the unexpired lease oi : halt" an acre, at Morrinsville, m the estate of George Mann, will be offered for sale by Messrs J. D. & K. Hill on Saturday next, the 16th instant, at their mart, Victoria-street, Hamilton. Lot 5i7, Cambridge East, a valuable township allotment, will be offered for sale by the same firm, at the National Hotel, Cambridge, on Saturday, the, 6th April. The Upper Thames Lands. — The Herald of Thursday says-— "ln yesterday's paper we referred to the fact that the land negotiations m the Thames district, m respect to which the late Government was so severely blamed, were not being vigorously pushed on by the present Ministry. We learn now that the delay does not occur through any hitch with,Mr Mackay, that a sum of £8000 was agreed to be paid to him, and that within the last few days, a part of the sum has been paid to him. There is, therefore, no cause of delay on his part. On the more important subject of continuing and completing the arrangements, the Ministry do not appear to have as yec made effective arrangements. Mr J. W. Preeee has been doing something, but apparently he has not yet been regularly appointed, and, so far as the main part of cue work is concerned, it is not yet touched, and unless some steps are taken to expedite matters, the position of affairs will become rapidly worse. It was stated a few weeks ago that a petition was m course of signature at the Thames, asking that Captain Fraser should be appointed, with Mr Puckey or Mr Preece, to complete the negotiations at the earliest possible time. Wo do not urge the appointment of any particular agent. That is a subject on which Ministers should be themselves the best judges; but at all events something should be done at once. To have the country opened is the question of questions for Auckland. All other issues raised are comparatively trivial to us. Manhood suffrage, even incidence of taxation really sink into insignificance by the side of this."

The Case op Geoege Thompson of Waitoa. — Our readers Avail remember the account, given m our issue of the 21st ult., of the committel at Hamilton of two destitute children to the Industrial School m Auckland. The evidence then showed that they were turned out of the house by their father and dared not return home, that the boy had been ill-used, of which the state of his back, covered with bruises, afforded ample testimony. The father now writes as follows to the * Herald ' : — ".On thursday, the 14th inst., at about 3 p.m., I missed my children, a boy and a girl. The same night I walked to Piako and saw Mr Wood, the publican, who promised to detain them if he saw them. The next morning I sent a messenger on towards Messrs Mackay's and Campbell's station, on towards the Waitou and Thames rivers, but Avithout hearing anything about them. On Tnesday morning I started on foot (thirty miles) to Hamilton, and, on my arrival there m the afternoon, judge of my astonishment to find that the police had apprehended them at 11 o'clock the day previous, and that at 1 p.m. they Avere m the train en route for Auckland, our worthy magistrate having committed them both to the Industrial School for five years. The police kneAV where I was working as Avell as I did myself, yet there was no remand, no attempt to obtain their father's evidence, no chance given him. Such a case of summary injustice I don't think has ever occurred since there has been a Magistrate's Court m the "Waikato. It has been stated my children Avere nearly I naked. The boy took away money to the amount of 28s. 1 coat, Avaiscoat, pair boots, 2 paii- socks, felt hat ; the girl, pair boots, 2 frocks, 4 pairs cotton stockings, 1 chemise, pair drawers, 1 hat, jacket, and cloak. All the above articles Avere . good and new, being purchased last Christmas. If you will give the above insertion m your valuable paper, you Avill greatly oblige their heart-broken father.— l urn, &c, G-eorge Thompson, Blacksmith, Messrs J. and C. Gould's Station, Waitoa, < Tiako. The above case is one which if inquired into Avill shoAV that the Hamilton police have only done their duty. The statement that the children took Avith them money and clothes is scarcely borne out, for Avhen picked up on their way to Hamilton by a settler, they were compara- • trvely destitute of covering. They were m a frightfully dirty condition, the dirt being iau-ly engrained into the skin, and removable only by scrubbing, and their appeal both to the police and the Kesidenb Magistrate not to return them to their

father was pitiable to hear. We may state that two elder boys have previously rim away from the father' and that m conversation with the police Thompson stated he wished the boy was m Hell, but wished to have the girl back again. Their hard case when living with their father appears also to have been well knoAvn to the Piako settlers, and this may account for his having written to the Auckland papers only. On one occasion the two children were left for a month m a hut with nothing but a bag- of flour, while their father was away m the bush. Altogether, from what we can learn, the Resident Magistrate would have been guilty almost of cruelty to have allowed the children to have been sent back to the state of misery from which they had escaped.