The Waikato Times. SATURDAY, JUKE 21, 1879.

Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1091, 21 June 1879, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

SATURDAY, JUKE 21, 1879.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political.. Here shall the Press the People's right maintain, Unawed by influence and unbribed by gain. *

We have received, for publication, a letter from a correspondent, giving his name as a member of the Armed Constabulary force, and dating from Opunake. The tenor of the letter is to urge upon the Government the desirability of sending the whole of the Constabulary in this and other districts to Taranaki, in lieu of the newly recruited men which Colonel Reader is forwarding from Wellington, and which our correspondent likens to the members of FalstafFs ragged array. Our correspondent's letter is inadmissabb iuasmuch as there runs throughout it a strain of unmerited reproach levelled at the Commanding Officer of this district than whom no man less deserves the appellation of a carpet soldier. We cannot think, moreover, that the Government was acting uuwisely or without due consideration in leaving the.Officer Commanding with some thirty or forty of the force still in Waikato. On the contrary, we know that at one time recently, a somewhat strong feeling existed in the minds of Waikato settlers that they had erred in the other direction, and that the district was left .too sparingly provided for—that three or four men jtationed at Alexandra for instance, was simply absurd, and worse almost than no garrison at all, and that the Government should have thrown less difficulty in the way of recruiting than it did by imposing such a standard of hight Our correspondent complains that at the front they (the drilled men) aie " mixed up with a hastily recruited rabble' of Lieut.-Col. Evaders, who, as sure as we go to battle, will bolt at the first shot," and asks for tried and rliaaplined levies such as the men left in tne Waikato, (t who would be better employed iu scouring the bush in the neighbourhood of j'arahaka thau in i:-couriug

the pots and pans of their offioers, in whoso employ as servants they have no business. The number left in the Waikato are too small for any papose of offence or defence but would be worth a con pie of hundred of Col. Readers' rubbish at this place." Very excellent forces, our correspondent seems to forget, i are manufactured out of quite as queer material as any of the awkward squads, that have been sent from Wellington or elsewhere. Men by all accounts have offered in plenty, and when the Government has been able to fix the standard of height at such a high rate as five feet ten inches it must have been just as able and doubtlo3S took the precaution to be similarly exacting in all other qualifications. "It is currently reported here, continues o«u* correspondent, that Major Atkinson, if he comes into power, will send all this hastily collected rubbish wfth Col. Reader back to the purlieus they came from and bring up the sinew and energy of the colony in the I shape of levies of Volunteers, (I mean thase organised and drilled) which would come to a man if asked, any where between the North Cape and the Bluff." Major Atkinson must know that New Plymouth is not New Zealand, and that other parts of the North Island require protection quite as much. Even at the present time out-settlers at the Thames are not without anxiety, caused by the sullen and threatening attitude of the Kamata hapu, and the (irahamstown ' Evening Star' of Tuesday last has anything but an assuring article on the bearing of these particular natives. One of the worst possible mistakes the Government could have made, would have been ,by concentrating a Btrong force in Taranaki, to have left other exposed distriets in the North Island a temptation for attack. a

Owing" to pressure on our space, the letters of several correspondents, a leader on the Ngaruawahia lands and other matter, are unavoidably held over.

A itne specimen of fat beef is to be seen in the butcher's shop of Mr It. Salmon, Hamilton. The animal in question, a full grown steer, was fed by Mr Cowley, and the meat is as fine as wo have seen for some time past. A joint of it formed part of the luncheon partaken of by His Excellency, yesterday, at the Commercial Hotel.

Sale op Fruit, Fobest Tbees, &o.— Mr J. S. Buckland will hold a very extensive sale, at Ohaupo, on Tuesday next, of first-class well grown trees of afl. kinds, from the nursery of Mr George Mason, of Hamilton. The present is an excellent season for planting, and no settler can, at less outlay, put as muoh value on his property as by the planting out of trees which grow while he sleeps, give shelter to his cattle, and a cheerful homely appearance to his property.

Taylor's Comedy and Concert Company, with little Mattie, make their first appearance in Waikato on Wednesday night next, at LeQuesne's Hall, appearing again at the same place on the succeeding evening, and at Cambridge on Friday, Saturday and Monday evenings. This Company, which has been playing at Aukland and the Thames, has been well patronised by the public of those plac&s.

The ordination of the Rev. James Bruce, by the Presbytery of Auckland, will take place at Te Awamutu, on Wednesday next, at 11 a.m.

Mr T. V. Fttzpatrick, land agent and valuer, of Ngaruawahia, offers, we, see, some excellent improved farms at Taupiri and Ngaruawahia for sale on easy terms.. All accounts against the Cambridge District Highway Board are to be sent in "for settlement on or before Friday next, or otherwise they will not be recognised. Money is not so plentiful, we should imagine, but that creditors of the Board will only be too happy. The annual meeting of ratepayers of the Hamilton Highway District will be held on Saturday, the sth July, at the Hamilton Hotel, to receive the report and balance-sheet, and appoint officers for the current year. . Hamilton. Public Hall.—What are the Hamilton Public and Volunteer Hall Committee about, is a question continually being asked. Beyond calling for tenders, and then delaying the acceptance of them till some new site or plan has been considered, nothing appears to have been done, yet the building should have been fairly under way before the end of the financial year. We understand that •lately an effort was made to get the committee together, but that a quorum could not be mustered.

The programme of the prizes at the forthcoming Ploughing Match, to be held at Cambridge on the 9th proximo, will be found in another column. Parties willing to give extra prizes are desired to communicate with the Secretary, stating how such prizes can be applied. Mb Robert Kiekwood takes over, to-day, the Duke of Cambridge Hotel, from Mr C. E. S. Rose.

On Thursday evening, Constable Hobson, who has been for some time stationed at Ngaruawahia, and has earned the confidence and respect of the large majority of the inhabitants, by his long and faithful services in that township, was entertained by several of the townspeople, at the Royal Mail Hotel. Constable Hobson, who left Ngaruawahia yesterday, for duty in Auckland, expressed himself highly gratified at this unlooked for mark of their appreciation of his services.

Sheep wobrying.—Mr Jolly, of Hamilton, has again had a portion of his flock worried by dogs, a greyhound and pointer. Three sheep were killed, and thirteen more or less injured.

On Wednesday, His Excellency, the Governor, the Native Minister, Rewi, and other chiefs met at the Government House. There was a long korero of a very important character, which, together with the first day's korero, was reduced to writing and transmitted to Ministers at Wellington. The debate is not available for publication, but the general tenor of tho talk is said to be satisfactory. At the wish of the uovernor, tho substance of Rewi's proposals are been transmitted to. paper, in order that His Excellency may acquaint himself with the exact nature of the negotiations, and to enable him to arrive at somo definite conclusion as to tho propriety of agreeing with the proposals. That night the Hon. Mr Sheehan devoted many hours with Rewi, to completing a clear and comprehensive basis of negociatkm. It was nearly raidnight when thoy ooased,

The Natives at Cambridge.—On Saturday, business, was resumed at the Land Court, and somo very hot talking was indulged in between Ngatihinerangi and Ngatiha.ua. Many of them had been drinking considerably, and a native, in the Masonic Hotel, assaulted a European. The Maories were then turned out of the house, and the quarrel merged into a tribal one. The Ngatihana ranged themselves on one side of Duke street, and the Ngatihinirangi onjthe other. The excitement was intense, and a fracas was imminent. But this was fortunately prevented by the Constabulary, seconded by Major Wilson and others, who endeavoured to induce the Maories to disperse. The hotels were immediately closed, and two constables stationed at each door, to see that no drink was supplied to any Maories or Europeans, duriug the evening. Small knots of natives were going to and fro from one hotel to the other, trying to get in, but the doors were locked. Before ten o' clock, however, the excitement had, in a measure,, subsided, and.the township was comparatively quiet. Great credit is due to Colonel Lyon and Major Wilson, for the prompt measures they caused to be taken to prevent a disturbance, as in the excited state the natives were-at the time, there is no knowing where they would have stopped, if they had been allowed to give vent to then* savage passions.