The Waikato Times.

Waikato Times, Volume XIV, Issue 1187, 5 February 1880, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

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

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1880.

The speech ot the member for Waipa to his constituents last Saturday afternoon, a very fall report of which we published iv last issue, was characteristic of the deliversr, and possessed a ring of genuineness somewhat uncommon in the3e days of llatitndes. We think there can hardly be a doubt on the mind of any elector of Waipn as to the thorough way in which Mr F. A. Whitaker has worked for the electoiate. We happeu to be in a position to testify from personal observation to the zealous, selfsicrificing manner in which he attended tbo sittings of the BToaSe. Never or "hardly ever " absent from his seat behind the Treasury Benches ; indefatigable on Committees, which in themselves occupied the major portion of his time inside the House, and at all hours of the twenty-four ready to lend an ear to any and all of whatever political creed who "wanted 'to know, don't you know," and their name is in Wellington during the session legion. " The proof of the pudding is in the eating" or as Mr Whitaker more elegantly puts it " deeds speak louder than words," and taking into consideration that mainly through his persistent advocacy, and personal exertion, such work as the Thames- Waikato Railway is under way, and the Hamilton iron railway bridge ordered from England, and the Cambridge and Rotorua Road to be at once proceeded with, the Waipa bridge fop which tho sum of £4000 is voted at Whatawhata to be com. menced so soon as the placs can be got ready, together with many other minor works throughout the electorate; taking all these things into consideration, it seoins to us that no young member during his first session could have done more. And in this opinion we believe the constituency coincides.

The compulsory clauses of the Education Act, 1877, are being but gradually brought into force in Waikato, and it would be well if School Committees, in the real interests of the parents, would face the question of compulsory education. The State, anxious to educate the people up to the responsible privileges which so liberal a Constitution as that of New Zealand confers upon them, expends a very large annual sum iv providing free education for the children of all, even of the very poorest ; and it is the duty as well as the privilege of all parents to avail themselves of these advantages for their children. Many, however, neglect to do so — some from carelessness, but more, perhaps, on account of the usefulness or money value of their children's time between the ages of seven and fourteen. With suoh persons it is useless to reason that the present gain is far more than balanced by the losb to the children in their future lives, and the only argument to apply is the provision contained in the compulsory clauses of the Act. We are glad, therefore, to see that the Kihikihi School Committee, following the example of those of Hamilton and Cambridge, have; at a meeting held on the 26th nit., brought the compulsory clauses of the Aot, from clause 89 to 93 inclusive, into force within the district, and notified to parents and guardians in our advertising columns that such regulations will be btringently enforced.

In the matter of public works the Cambridge settlers are a long suffering race, but fortunately for them they are blessed with a spirit which rises superior to all reverses of fortune, and are endowed with an amount of energy which will assuredly in the end achieve the desired result. The object, in the direotion of which their present efforts are directed, involves however a work which, so far from being of only local, is of the greatest colonial importance. The firm attitude assumed by those who took part in Tuesday's meeting, gives warrant to the belief that the Rotorua road will, before the lapse of many months, be un fait accompli. The arguments used iv favor of the construction of the road are of great potency, namely, that whether as an efficient means of settling the Native difficulty or the establishing of direct communication between Auckland and the Lake distriot, the construction of the road must be regarded as a question of the first importance. There has been quite enough shilly-shallying about the matter, and it is gratifying to find that the settlers and their representatives iv Parliament have at length roused themselveb and are expressing a determination to put faith in promises only when they hare been fulfilled.

The question of erecting pounds for West and East Hamilton cropped up at the Borough Council meeting on Monday night. The pounds at present are in unsuitable places, and sadly out of repair ; indeed, it is extremely doubtful whether they would hold any but the quietest of cattle. Meantime, good streets have been made and footpaths formed, not only in the centre, but in some portion of the outskirts of the borough, and the footpaths are being continually broken up and rendered as dirty as the roadway in wet weather by the trampling of stray cattle. One of the rea&ons that the new pouudn have not been erected is the exreusi); but wiu'elr ifc would bo butter to b.uild them thau to *>cc expensive wovka iv

various parts of the town impaired, as is now the case; to say nothing of the dangar to travellers at night, both in carriages and pedestrians in coming suddenly on horses and cattle lying down on the roads and paths, or jumping suddenly from the ditches on to the footpaths in front of pedestrians. We counted no less than eighteen head of cattle the other day straying about between the Post-office and the Union Bank One of the new bye-laws adopted on Monday night provides that the police shall take in charge all cattle or horses found straying within a radius of 25 chains of the Post-offices on either side of the river. If the distance had been 40 ohains instead of 25, it would have done no more than have protected some of the new footpaths formed and the gardens and safety of the residents. It may not be generally known, but under the Public Works Act any person may impound cattle at large on any road that is fenced on both sides ; so that after all people have the repression of the oattle nuisance very much in their own hands.

Messrs. Hunt and White turned the first sod of the No 1 section, Hamilton end, of the lhames Waikato Railway, yesterday, and will commenoe upon the earthworks on Friday. Till then they will require very few hands, but on Friday a number may expect to be taken on. There are, however, many applicants for the work. An accident, which but for the prompt action taken by those present might have ended in very serious results, occurred at Kihikihi on Tuesday to a man named Baker working in Mr Breakell's survey party. While cutting a bush line his axe slipped in falling a tree, and inflicted a deep gash three inches in length on the left instep. Two settlers — Mr Moncrief and Mr Cowan— were present, and as medical attendance was not available they made an extempore tourniquet, stopped the hemorrhage, and bound up the wound in the blood, and had the man carried in a litter to a neighboring house. Having & good constitution, and being of temperate habits. Baker is doing as well as can be expected, the wound being a very severe one. There seemed to be a sort of fatality about th© work in hand, for on Mr Qualtrough taking up the axe and essaying to fall the tree at which Baker met his accident, the tool slipped, and swinging round inflicted a nasty wound on the leg of a man standing by.

NoARUAWAHii. Holt Trinity. Sunday Scs >ol — Last night a short service for children was held, with an addrei* by the •cv William Calder, incumbent. This was followed by the annual distribution of prizes for attendance and lessons. The Vga. ruawahia Church people are indebted to Mr Taylor and Mrs Gard for their untiring exertions in teaching the children, and they deserve the sympathy and co-oper-ation of the parents. A dubious instance of the increasing value of land is to be found in a case which has just occurred in the Cambridge diatrict. Some twelve years ago Mr Martyn took as payment for ploughing up and grassing 40 acres of land a piece of ground containing 180 acres. This section he has just sold to Mr J. A. Douglas for £9 per acre.

Councillor Cumjuno has given notice of motion for the next meeting of the Borough Counoil — " That henceforth the meetings of the Counoil instead of being held fortnightly, at 4 p.m. as heretofore, be held on the first Monday of each and every month, at 2 p.m." There is very little doubt but that if Councillors would leave personalties Alone, and attend striotlyto business, the work of the Council might be easily got through in a sitting ef say three hours monthly, instead of as now occupying several hours on alternate nights, with innumerable adjournments. The Works Committee can always deal with any cases requiring immediate attention that may arise.

Tendbbs for repairing and gravelling the road from Smith's to Morgan's corner; clearing', deepening, and widening a drain through Selby'a property, about sixteen chains, and for raising and repairing the road opposite Lang's will be reoeived by the Uhairman of the Cambridge Highway Board up to the 17th instant. Specifications may be seen at the office of the (engineer to the -Board, Mr Geo. F. Hoaking.

Hamilton Bobough By-laws, —In another column will be found a copy of several new by-laws for the Borough of Hamilton, which were approved by the Council on Monday evening, and having been published for general information will be further considered at a special meeting of the Counoil to be had on Thursday next at 7 o'clock.

WiiPi. County Council. — Special meeting of the Waipa County Council will be held on Tuesday, the 10th instant, at 9.45 a.m., when the proposed alteration of roads in the Pukerimu district, in oompliance with the 93rd section of the Public Works Aot, will be taken into deliberation.

The dry weather is scorching up vegetation and necessitating the use of great care against dangers from bush fires. On Monday, some men were engaged in clearing the U-overnment allotments, newly purchased by Mr Corboy, at Te Awamutu and in burning off the fire got too strong for them, and before it burned out destroyed a considerable amount of fencing, and very nearly Bet fire to the house of a neighbouring settler.

A cubious phenomenon, strongly resembling the tail of a comet was observed in the heavens on Tuesday night. It was first observed extending considerably above the horizon between eight and nine o'clock, and disappeared about ten. If a comet, and it presented the peculiarly luminous appearance, though somewhat subdued, of those phenomena, the tail only was seen, the nucleus being apparently below the horizon line, and in part hidden by a low lying cloud. The atmosphere in the afternoon of the same day is said to have been very oppressive in some parts of the district.

Sotpobt Loan. Industry. — Bone Dust ia one of the surest and safest fertilizers we have, bnt there is a great difference in the value of different samples. A great deal of the bone dust and bone flour, especially that which is imported from America, is too much calcined to contain tha full fertilizing qualities. It is satisfactory, however, to fina that our locally prepared bone dust, at the steam mill of Mr. W. Camming, of East Hamilton, is not open to this objection. The bones are only slightly steamed te render them the more easily orushed. Mr A. Primrose, of East Hamilton, has just threshed the produce of eight acres of oats, manured with one ton of Cummings' bone dust, or at the rate of 2£ cwt. per acre, with a result of 42 bushels per acre, by far the best crop he has on any part of his farm or from even double the quantity of land. When bone dust of superior quality and at less price, by the cost of the frieght than Ocin be procured from Auckland, is to be grt in Hamilton, farmers should not be content with half crops to Have so small an extra outlay per acre. Mlssiw. Edw.vud3, Fitzpati* iok, Joh, Gilmuur, R. R. Hunt, Qgorgg Dicteona

and Hamilton Newell, are Gazetted Trustees of the Ngaruawaliia Cemetery.

Hamilton Continobnt Tb Awajcptu Oavaluy Voluntkbbs. — There was fair muster of members of the above corps on {•aturday evening 1 at the Victoria Uall, when the usual sword drill was gone through.' Afterwards the Volunteer* adjourned to the Hamilton Hotel, where the usual monthly meeting was held. Jhe Company voted a sum of £5 towards the fund for the relief of the widow and family of the late McDonald, shot while engragred as marker afc a rifle practice at Wellington. The names of those willing to go to Nelson at the forthcoming rifle matohesof the New Zealand Rifle Association were given in, when it was resolved that Lieutenant Johnson, Troop Sergt.Major Seddon, and Troopers F 0. Pilling, Wm. Coleman, and J. McXicol should represent the contingent. The election of a ' roop Sergt.- Major in place of the late Mr Peter Walker took place, Sergeant Samuel Seddon receiving the appointment. A ballot between Oorpmals llidler and Coombes was then taken for the vacant office of Sergeant, vhich resulted iv favor of Corporal Riddler, and Trooper James H. H. Wood was appointed Corporal, suhject to the approval of the oomtnanding officer, Major Jackson. A claim for £2 damages done to certain young trees, when the Contingent were practising rapidity firing and other evolutions in December, was received, and the Secretary was instructed to arrange the matter.

Odd Fellow's Hall, Hamuton.— ■ The^ brethren of the lodge will meet at the Odd Fellow's Hall, to-morrow morning at half-past ten o'clock, to assist in the opening of the hall. Visiting brethren are invited to be present.

Cambbidge Jockby Club. — A meeting of the members of the Uambidge JockeyClub will be held .this evening at eight o'clock.

Licensing Courts will be held at the Court House, Ngaruawahia, on the 2nd proximo, at noon, for the district of Newcastle, Whangape, Rangiriri; at the Court House, Hamilton on the 3rd proximo, at noon, for the districts of Kirikiiiroa and Hamilton ; at the Court House, Cambridge, at noon, on the 6th proximo, for the disf rict of Cambridge, and at the Court House, Te Awamutu, for the Bth proximo, for the districts of Rangiaohia and Mangapiko. Mr. Sheehan, M. H. E. and Mr. Grace, late Government Agent, visited Rewi at the runiu on Tuesday last. The old Chief is suffering from an injured arm, the effects of a fall he had from his horse, it will be remembered, when returning from the Cambridge Lands Courts some months ago. Messrs. Sheehan and Grace stayed at the Kihikihi Hotel on Sunday night, and on Monday morning early, Mr. sheehan left en route for Auckland : but is expected back again in the district during the week. The annual meeting of the members of the Cambridge Weuleyau Church will be held on the 17th of this month. The meeting will be followed by a tea meeting after which the usual addresses will be given. A powerful choir under the able management of Mr Mackintosh will also render their assistance.