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Waikato Times, Volume XIV, Issue 1201, 9 March 1880, Page 2

The Premier arrived m Auckland yesterday afternoon m the Arawata. He will be present at the celebration of the opening of the navigation of the Upper Thames, at Mr J. C. Firth's Matamata estate on Thursday. Two members of the Cabinet, Messrs Hall and Rolleston, are expected m Waikato to-morrow. The Chief Inspector, Mr F. C. Lewis, has been appointed Inspector of Cattle vice Mr Rust. The Hamilton Light Infantry Company, though a " ragged regiment," having as yet no uniform, and armed with disused rifles for the present, have nevertheless improved m their drill, under Sergeant Warren's instruction. A drill meeting of the company was held yesterday evening, preparatory to the parade which will take place at East Hamilton before Colonel Leckie, at six o'clock. THe bachelors of Cambridge are giving a dance and supper m the Public Hall to the settlers round about, on Wednesday next. About 150 invitations have been issued. The Cambridge band have been engaged and no trouble or expense spared to make every arrangement successful, and a pleasant evening's enjoyment may be looked forward to, it not being a dress ball. Monster Potatoes. — We have been favoured by Mr R. H. D. Fergusson with a sample of potatoes grown on his estate, Gorton, near Cambridge. The potatoes, six m number, are the largest we remember having seen, and weigh eight pounds one and a-half ounces ; three of them weigh four pounds six and a-half ounces ; and one, the largest of the sample, weighs one pound 13{ ounces. They can evidently grow potatoes at Gorton ! At the R.M. Court, Cambridge, on Friday last, before H. W. Northcroft, Esq., R.M. several cases brought under the Land Tax Act were heard and determined, judgment m all cases being given for the Government. Mr B. Maclean attended on behalf of the Government. A number of debt cases were also disposed of. Large crops of potatoes would seem to be prevalent m all parts of the district. We have heard of as many as 19 tons to the acre having been obtained m one instance up country ; but even m parts of the district which have not the reputation enjoyed by the lands of Pukenmu and Te Awamutu the crops are excellent. Half-way between Hamilton and Ngaruawaliia land is comparatively cheap and less thought of than m many parts of Waikato, yet at Pukete Mr Hall has a seven or eight acre paddock m potatoes, which will plough m no part less than 12, and m most parts of it 15, tons of potatoes to the acre. Octr Te Awamutu correspondent writes : — At a meeting of the Te Awamutu Race Committee, held on Friday night, tho Secretary showed a balance of i'<» (>H tf«J jn hand from last year. It was

resolved to hold the annual races on the 24th May as usual. It is expected the railway will be opened to Te Awamutu on that date, and the Cavalry Volunteers will conclude their half yearly training on the same date, so if the day be fine a large gathering may be expected. The committee have found out that making the entrance money low for each event brings double the number of entries, as witness the large fields last year. They trust to be m a position to add even more liberal stakes than last races. There will be two jumping events, handicap hurdles and handicap steeplechase, and five flat races. The programme will be out by the Ist of next month. The Te Awamutu troop paraded on Saturday. As soon as Colonel Leckie appeared on the ground he was received with a general salute. The troop then marched past by squadrons, ranked past by sections, galloped past by squadrons, charged past by squadrons, performed pursuing practice, and then post practice ; they then rode a quarter of a mile at speed, over two hurdles, and concluded with rapidity ball practice. We give the Borough oredit for a very sensible resolution passed last night, that of substituting a pair of gates for the chain bar at present used at the East end of the bridge. Two of the members of the Kirikiriroa Highway Board will proceed, probably to-morrow, on a visit to the lower part of this district, towards Taupiri, to make arrangements for certain necessary works m that direction. It seems that a question has arisen m dispute between the toll collector at the Hamilton bridge and the public. Persons, other than the drivers, riding m vehicles have protested against paying the toll levied on foot passengers, and the collector, who stated the non-payment vould entail a loss of £100 per annum, has asked the Borough Council for an opinion. It has been decided that such persons are not liable to the toll. This includes pereons riding m both private and public vehicles. Any person taking up foot passengers for the purpose of enabling them to evade the toll would bring them speoially under another provision of the Act, and render themselves liable to punishment. Value of Wool. — The recent large advance of from 10 to 25 per cent, on the value of wool m the late London sales, and its effect upon the relative present price obtainable, will be better understood by the following short tabulated statement which we find m the columns of an Otago contemporary: — " February-March series, 1579, a decline of 5 to 10 per cent, on November-December, 1878. May- June series, a decline of 5 to 10 per cent, on February - March. August - September series a decline of 10 to 15 per cent, on May- June." These declines were on washed, scoured, greasy, crossbreds, and Leicesters, the finer sorts suffering the smaller decline, and the coarser sorts depreciating m value to the enormous extent of 35 per cent. Merino wools suffered all round from 5 to 10 per cent., and, , m some instances, 15 per cent. From this it will be seen that the present securing of 25 per cent, does not yet bring up those wools which suffered most to within 10 per cent., as at first sight appears, of the value of wool m December, 1878, for the advance has taken place on the reduced value, which leaves them thus some 17£ to 20 per cent, to recover to be on a par with December, 1878. How far the decline m wool affects even us m Waikato may be estimated from the fact that last year the number of sheep m the district decreased by 27,000, a circumstance more attributable to the fall m wool than other cause.

The chairman of the Newcastle District Board, Mr T. H. W. Morris, and the chairman of the Hamilton District Board, Mr S. Steele, met the Member for Waipa, Mr F. A. Whitaker, on Saturday last, to arrange how the money (£600) voted by the Assembly, for the Hamilton-Whata-whata road should be expended. Mr Whitaker said that at Wellington he was told £600 was the amount required for the bridge, subsequently Mr Stewart's estimato £3000 was telegraphed to Government, who stated that they could not alter the vote. He had since ascertained that Mr Palmer's estimate was £1200. Mr Whitaker then represented that the Government should give £1000 and hand the amount to the Highway Boards to go on with the work. The Government replied that they would consider the matter, but could not see how the original vote could be exceeded. Mr Morris said that he had heard from Mr Palmer, that during the late administration a sum of £600 had been banked by the Native Minister for this work, but that, at the time, the natives not having been paid for their work on the RaglanWaipa road would not commence work. He wanted to know what had become of this money. Mr Whitaker asked if he could succeed m getting £1000, would the two Boards undertake to carry out the work? Messrs Morris and Steele then arranged to visit the ground on the Bth instant, and give Mr Whitaker their answer to-day as to what their respective Boards would undertake to do m the matter. A meeting of the Hamilton District Highway Board was held on Saturday afternoon, at the office of the Board, Waikato Times Buildings. Present: the chairman, and Messrs W. Hunt and Geo. Edgecumbe. The minutes of preceeding meeting having been read and confirmed, a letter was read from the Colonial Secretary, stating that the Governor would be recommended to abolish the present Highway District, and to reconstitute it with amended boundaries, so that a portion of land now included m the Hamilton District may be added to the Tuhikaramea district. The letter also requested that a suitable person (Mr John Atkinson was recommended) be named to act as chairman of the first meeting of ratepayers. The object of the alteration is to enable the Tuhikaramea people to have the making of a road from their district to the railway, The following letter was then read: — " Frankton, March 6th, 1880. To the Chairman Hamilton Highway District Board. Dear Sir, — I shall esteem it a great favor if you will inform me whether your Board was represented at the late Assessment Court or not. It is true Mr Whitaker was there, but I take it he appeared on behalf of the valuer. I cannot think for a moment it was the desire of yourself or any of my fellow settlers that a just objection should be thrown out on such a trivial informality as mine. I have carefully watched the proceedings of Assessment Courts, m other districts, and I have invariably found the Board represented, and objections allowed by the representative of Board to be heard m spite of certain informalities. In Eden District I read that the Conrt lapsed on account of the nonrepresentation of the Board, and Mr Bsrstow, the Judge, ruled that an Order m Council would be necessary to hold a new Court, and m the mean time the rates for current would be lost. Ido not wish to evade paying my fair proportion of the rates, but I do protest against being imposed on, and the result of Mr Hill's ana Captain McPherson's valuation is a proof that Mr Kuox made an excessive rate on my property. A .leply from you, on behalf of the Board, will much oblige. Yours truly, Tho.s. Jolly." The Secretary was instructed to reply, stating the Board had no power to interfere with the judgment of the Assessment Court. It was slated that" Mr Hunt 'was

anxious to have the exchange of roads through his property to the Narrows bridge settled ; and it was resolved to employ a surveyor at once to lay the road off, and value the two roads. An account of £31 12s Bd, from the contractors on the Whatawhata-Hamilton road was received, and handed over to Mr Breakell to be passed. An account from Mr P. Munro, of £5 10s, for mending No. 1 bridge and repairing road, was passed ! and ordered to be paid. This concluded the business. WE are requested to state, regarding the new arrangements between the railway and the W.S.N. Co., that goods can be delivered. either by rail or water at the option of the consignors. The parade of the Hamilton Contingent Te Awamutu Cavalry Volunteers will take place to-day m Mr Jolly's paddock at Frankton, at 3 p.m. The troop will parade at the Barracks at 2 p.m., and proceed m inarching order to Frankton. The programme set down for the days parade is as follows :-?-General salute, march past by squadron, rank past by files, rank past by sections, gallop past by squadron, charge past by squadron, perform pursuing practice at the halt, walk and gallop, post practice, skirmishing, riding quarter mile at speed, taking two fences and rapidity ball practice. It is, however, impossible that the whole of this programme could be got through between 3 p.m. and dark, more especially as the contingent would have to travel from Frankton to the butts m East Hamil- I ton to go through their rapidity ball j practice. The Te Awamutu Cavalry, on Saturday, paraded at 11 a.m., yet they appear to have missed some portion of the programme, namely the ranking past by files and the skirmishing. The contingent met for sword practice last night m the Odd Fellows' Hall. District Rifle Phizes.— The firing by the Waikato Cavalry for the district prizes, will take place to-morrow, at the buts of the respective troops, commencing at 10 a.m. The officer commanding the Cambridge troop will send two qualified members to Hamilton. The officer commanding the Hamilton Contingent, sends two to Te Awamutu, and two of the Te Awamutu troop are sent to Cambridge. One of each of these two men will remain m the marker's butt, and one at the firing point on each firing ground. At the meeting on Saturday night, at Hamilton, Troopers Pearson and Hinton volunteered to go to Te Awamutu tomorrow. The ranges this year have been altered to 300 yards 400 yards, and 500 yards, 'seven shots at each range. The minimum pull of trigger will be six pounds. The prizes are as follows : — Ist, £3 ; 2nd, £2 15s ; 3rd, £2 6s ; 4th, £1 15s j sth, £1 10s j 6th, £1 ; 7th, £17 6s. The position, any that can be assumed on a flat surface and all competitors must fire with the carbine issued to them. We are informed by the Chairman of the Pukete School Committee, that he has received an intimation from the Secretary of the Waipa County Council, that that body will place the Whatawhata punt m position at Pukete for the use of children attending school from the other side the river, so soon as it receives the punt lately m use at Hamilton, for service at Whatawhata. A new source of delay has, however, arisen. The Hamilton punt, which lies alongside the river bank, is considerably out of repair, and the Waipa County Council maintain that as the .Borough received it over from Ngaruawahia m good order, it should be handed to the County Council m similar condition. The Borough does not see it m the same light, and hence the fruitful source it is feared of further delay. We j trust, however, such will not be the case. The worst part of the road between Hamilton and Raglan is the crossing of the Waipa River, caused by the utter inadequacy of the punt at present working there. The horses have to be taken out of a vehicle and ferried over separately, and the punt temporarily enlarged with flaps to enable the latter to be put on it. For the sake of public convenience it is to be desired that the Borough and County Councils may come to some amicable arrangement without loss of time. The two punts at Whatawhata and Pukete ought to have been m working order since the commencement of the year.