The Waikato Times.

Waikato Times, Volume XIV, Issue 1193, 19 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, Unawed by influence'and unbribed by gam.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY Id, 1880.

A FIRE would bo a very terrible calamity in Hamilton, where no means for staying its progress, ranch less extinguishing it, exists. The present hot, dry veather has drawn our attention to the utterly unprotected state of the town in ca»e of fire, and it is a condition in which it should not longer be suffered to remain. It u somewhat remarkable that a Borough which has been in existence over two years should yei be unprovide.l with any apparatus for tire extinguishing, .and it says little for the foresight of ihe 0 >unc Uors. Tbe Hamilton B«»rough Ouncil has, we reqr«t to Biy, acq-ired an unsavonrv repuia>i>n for it.sel', by reason of the a»>om nable pei son.) i ies indulged in by Councillor-, nnd th > ge .er*l low tone of its proceedings. Councillors, i* would appear, go to thd Council Chamber primed with hatted, -.dlice, smti all unenuii'ahWess toward-, each o r her, and with the express -et purpose of "showing up" the real or imaginary peccadilloes of their colleagues. It <s extraordinary that in an intelligent community like that of the Boi'oagh ot Hamilton the b|i geases sh..uld have suffered tl?is ?fe6rit.inued-exhibuiou-of rosnlyism on the pan. of their representatives in the Council. We can Only attribute thi-i leniency on the part of the hur-get-sea to • love of long-suffering, and to the indulgence of a chmiiable fyoba |hat .'h ; .i:gs w/ould »roend soon, ans work (alee tV place of personal abuse in the Council Chamber. We enntess we see no sign of improvement in ,the tone of the proceedings of tbe Touncil j and' it seems to us that for the swoie reason that oil and water will not amalgamate, so will not the existing persond of the B >rou^ S Coonoil. It appears a question cf the •' Ins " and the "Ouis" — in oiher words, of which Councillor, or set of Councillors, succeeds in obtainiog a majgrity.

Pop example, take the^igotiqu qp t>uncUlor Jozies which Mroes off *t feting : r#y» h y w sip b $ c {Jmnottis asl^ed to cancel ua| former jjlfecisidft on certain matters^tirought -|bW<irc| hy Counoillor-Knox, and instead of corrlcmnina; a Oxinoillor to apologise to him. Tt is quite evident that the Councillors either acted in an unwarrantable manner I towards a Councillor on a former ' occasion — which we believe them quite oipable of doing, —or else that they are now on the eve of stultifying 1 themselves completely : it is evident that on ' the occasion of th« first motion the Knox party were " In," and the Jones party " Oaf," aDd that the tables hare since turned and the Jones pWy^ rules the roost. We have beeu led into this digiessi>n from !ihe opaningf remarks of this article, because to what' we have shewn to be the fafon dt fain of the Borough Cooucil is to be attributed the utter neglect of the real interests, of the burgesses, for nothing cari be of more importance to a community than the possession of proper mea^hs for 'the extinguishing of fires in tne town. Nothing very elaborate noed be gone in for Vfhat is known in America as a " Hook and Ladder Company " would answer all requirements for some time to come. The hooks arein the shape of boat hooks, and uf about the same length, and are used for dea tioving 1 fences! .between Houses, <fee. The ladders a\e lon^ enough to reach the eaves of one story baildings. light and easily transported. Hotnlkee ets, storekeepers, and householders generally residing in a block of buildings shodld be required to keep fire backets suspended under their verandahs. Were a few ordinary inexpensive precautions of ihi-* nature adopted in Hamilton, the risk of fire would be decreased twenty fold. The Insurance office^ wonl ', we have no doubt, assist in the purchase of a baud maohine, an* 4 on* young men, who have but little pastime, we believe would be very s;lad indeed to form themselves into a tire brigade, and have recognise I eyenin^s for practice. The New Zaaltnd Insurance Company, some years ago, on the formation of a fire brigide in Taurang.* presented (he inhabitants, through the Town Board with a hand machine, ami would doubtless be prepared to issist us herp handsomely as is its wont. Will Councillors condescend to give this matter some of their attention? and with a sum of money for the purchase of the requisite small plant, the formation of a fire >rigadrt would bo sure to follow. It may c >et them a psm^ to drop abusing 1 each other for a meeting or two, but, they fihoul i practice a little self denial occasion?!! «, pro borio publico.

A complete change in the procedure of registering electors has taken place under the Act passed during the late session. Heretofore, persons qualified to vote for members of the tfou-.e ot Represent itives were re. quire 1 to send in to the Registration officer, during the months ot January, February, and March, claims ac 'ording to a certain printed form which were attested by an elector of the district or a Justice of the Peace. Under the new Ace a person qualified to vote may register at any time during the year. So too in the case of objections. Under the old Acfc, objections could only be received during tLe month of April, and the vote, once printed, stood good uutil the next year's roll came into force. Any one whose name appeared on the roll, though he might have ceased to be duly quali6ed to vote oould nevertheless demand to do so. The fact that hid name wa9 there was sufficient proof, and it could not be removed until the next year's rolls were made up. Now the Registrar will be able to amend the roll from day to day, but no name can be removed f rotn any roll either by the Registrar, on hi> own authority, or by the request ptf the elector desiring his name to be removed after the issue of a writ for the election of » member for such (list riot until the completion of such election. The case referred to of electors dasirinj* to havA their own names removed is where a voter, registered under presidential clause haves the district; in which he is enrolled for some other. Now residence would bar his power to vote m the district «ie b»d left, and he is | therefor* allowed to transfer his name to the roll of the district to wUich he changes hss residence. The Regular is to be h paid officer, •nd clearly cannot as heretofore bf the R.'S'deni Magistrate of the distinct, tor in cases of disputes between <sl tinwnts to vote or objpetors and the Resist tar it is to th<> R sident Magistrates Court the appeal is made. It will be the Registrars 1 riuty in the first instance to pr pare the now rolls from any in existence, and to make them as complete as p SsiWle, but it will rest with the public themselves to ensure that their names are placed upon the roll by applying in the form or to the effect ser. forth in the second schedu eof the A.ct. Such claim an.i declaration to be dcliv. red to the Registrar or sent to hia through the post. The provision confined in the Electoral Bill as originally drafted by the late Government requiring personal attendance, and fixing a fee of two shillings for such registration was abandoned by the present Government when they took up the measure of their predecessors. On receiving an application from a claimant to have his name p aced on the roll, the Registrar must, within fifteen days, make enquiries as to the truth of the particulars of such

claim, and, if satisfied of their correctness, at the end of tbe fifteen diys add the applicants name to tUe^ roll If oi» the other hand he con*. aiders proof of the correctness?; of the particulars necessary hi must j^ive notice to the claimant in writ in/, .setting forth the particulars of which proof is required. If the claimant aatis'y the RegiBtr.tr as to proof, his name is to be added to the roll, bu* if otherwise, and the claimant d.>es hat, within ten days withdraw his claim, then the Registrar shall apply for a pummon-, and lliB isase shall be heard by n resident Magistrate. Parties may be heird bv counsel or agent, and in the case of uou-appearanoe of either, the verdict will be given against the absentee, but if the case proceed the onus of proof will lie on the claimant, and tno Court may, at its discretion, award costs to either party. ObjHotions m-ty be made either by the Registrar or by an elector, and if the party objected to do»s not within fifteen days cause bis name to be erased from the roll, the case shall be bi ought by the Registrar before the Resident Magistrate's Couit for adjudication, a deposit of one po"nd as security for costs being made by the objector when other than the Registrar. Four months after the roll of any district i$ formed it is to be priuted and kept for inspectioQ two days in the week, at convenient office in tbe district, and the names from timo to time subsequently added, are to be in-er-tetl in alphabetical order. The roll will only be re-i»rinted when not less than one hundred nam«s have Loon added to it, and then only if it has not been re-printed within the proceeding twelve months-

We hope we are incapable of "kicking a uian when ho is doWD," bub we feel it a duty as public journtlists, and in such cap>city, guardian of the public weal, to draw the attention of the authorities to the landing in New Zealand of twenty-five Fiench convicts. By this occurrence the c >lonv has received an insult, which ia the good old days, when the Tories were a recognised power, would have been expuujfsd ooiy aud solely by blooJ ; when France woul < have answered at the cannon's month for this monstrous iusult, this miking a convenience of a fnir British Colony. We do siacerely hope that the Government will not quietly stand by and see these scums hese offrcnirings of the sewers of French centres, distribute themselves over the length and breadth of New Zealand, contaminating the atmosphere with their presence. Were the Imperial Government to export, convicts here, what a bowl there would be! What a howl there was when the Imperial Government, exported convicts to the Cape of Good Hope and to Victoria. Will we colonists, residents in the provincial d strict in which these people have landed, quietly submit to the tntr)ductioo of this plague? Is 'hero not already, alas, too much crime in our midst ; can our wive-, and daughters now walk about unmolested ? Recent, aud daily recuriiug ewnts answer no : then let the Government be up and doing: not squeamish as to the means em ployed, not straining at gnats and swallowing camels, bat having in view " the greatest good to the greatest number."

About the middle of November last, an Intercolonial Meteorological Conference was held in Sydney, at the invitation of the Government of New Sonth Wales, and on the suggestion of the Government Astronomer, MrH. C. Russell. The conference was as small in numbers as it was great in importance, consisting only of Messrs. Hector (New Zealand), Todd (S. Australia), Ellery (Victoria t, and Russell (New South Wales). The three lastnamed gentlemen are the Government Astronomers of their respective colonies, and Dr Hector holds the position of Inspector of Meteorological Stations in New Zealand. Each of them is an enthusiast in science, and it is gratifying to find all of them moved by the ambition to make every possible practical application of their knowledge of the wonderful butlaw-oon-tr "lied processes of nature for the benefit of their less learned neighbours Queensland and Tasmania did not respond to the invitation, and apparently poor Western Australia was not honoured with an invitation at all. Possibly it was deemed that until Perth is brought within the circle of telegraphic communication no meteorological information of any value is likely to be derived from that quarter. Meteorology, however, is a science which connot confer its richest boons on society unleas its facts are exhaustively collected ; in other words, in this Southern world, it is much to be desired that, at a not very far distant period, the data from which experts will seek to draw practical conclusions—conclusions which will take the form of weather predictions of incalculable worth to sailors, nquatters, and agriculturists, and, through them, to all other classes of the population— will be industriously and accurately gathered not only from all parts of \ustralia, Tasmania, and New Zealand, but also from j the most important island- centres in tha Pacific. The beginning* of meteorological observations in the South Sea groups hare already been made by missionaries, explorers, and others ; and no doubt the thirst for this kind of knowledge will intensify as the vast importance of its benefits become more visible. To the uninitiated, meteorological phenomena are a tangled mans of uncertainties; nature appears to be governed in this sphere of her operation^ by, an endless succession of capricious impulses; the wind bloweth where it listeth : we hear the sound thereof, but cannot tell whence it cometh

or whither itlgoeth; and drought and flood are seemingly as ungoverned by rig|d r law as is the wind ; but all this is "only baffling unreality, and brave, patient, ! Jceeu $avestigfcsors are opening eyes of worfdjr upon, vrhat is not a chaos but a coiftaoS. The~ooloniei may bongratulate themselves that they possess a few men who have unselfishly and laboriously devoted themselves to the solution of the weather problems of this part of the world. Work of the kind they are doing is the noblest form of philanthropy, as is all the unflagging reaearoh which has for its object the plaoiag of man in a more intelligent relation to nature.