The Waikato Times.

Waikato Times, Volume XIV, Issue 1213, 8 April 1880, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

Equal ami exact justice to' all men, : Ot« wmtfevetf- state or persuasion, religions or political. Here shall the Press the People's right maintain, Unawcd by influence and unbribed by gain.

THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 1880.

We have received from a most trustworthy source some important particulars of what transpired at the last gathering of Kingites at Kopua and Hikurangi. The meetings—'for there were several — are just over. The intention of Tafwhiao and his advisers was to have held one large gathering for the discussion of. the, various matters in wßfi&h they 'now take an interest, but the absence of ! Te Wah&nui at Wanganuj, on Tawhiao's business led' to' the,,'. postponement 01 the general gathering. , Nevertheless, as seyeraj jj4iftie£,of , visitors arrived from time to time meetings were held .and^discttfisions took r place. Parliament, sq tp was opened by commission: .Tawhiao was not present, nor was Te Kgakau. The latter appears to be undergoing a

sentence of riwticatlSn atf Kawhia, iii con«equen*?eof thS wanjb of tac.fc with which hVhancfted the'busiuesi at the last meeting? with Grey and Sheehan. Rewi and a number of important people were present. It j is not nec3ssary to trouble our readers with details of speeches made, but the following may be accepted as the result, in rough, of what our correspondent saw and heard. Tawhiao and his advisers do not sympathise with Te Whiti and the West Coast natives. An invitation was sent to Te Whiti to attend this meeting ; but he did not come, or answer either. The King party are in great alarm lest war should arise, and by some itnpru : dent act of their young men they j should be drawn into it. They have determined to abandon physical force, and to rely upon Tawhiao's power of interceding with the Divine Being to avert any trouble which may arise. No armed resistance will be offered to roads, railways, and bridges, but protests of the usual kind will be made. With a view to consolidating his authority, and of keeping his people under such control as will avoid conflict with the Government, Tawhiao has been engaged for some time past in collecting his tribes into a few large settlements. All his own people are being concentrated at Kawhia, where all the indications of a large and permanent settlement are presenting themselves. Rewi and his people are being pressed to settle at Hikurangi, so as to remove the old chief from a place like Puniuj so easily accessible to European influences. A large number of Ngatituwharetoa have already arrived from the south side of Taupo, with the intention of settling in the King country, at Tawhiao's request. The absence of Te Wahanui arises from the fact that he is engaged in trying to induce the Upper Wanganui people to come into this scheme, and to form themselves into one or two large settlements. Rewi is a quiet observer of what is going on. He is said to be determined not to retreat from his present position, and will return to Puniu unless assured of peaceful intentions, and sensible conduct on the part of the Kiugites. Many of the people talk freely about surveys, leases, and sales of lands, and it needs but one or two powerful men to take the lead, and then there would be a rush to open up the country for settlement. On the whole, we may regard the position of native matters in the King country as satisfactory and reassuring.

In another column will be found a petition from a large number of settlers in Lower Waikato praying the Waipa County Council to establish a ferry over the Waipa Hirer at Ngaruawahia. The unfortunate accident to thejate Mr Jukes has aroused the settlers to the neoessity of determined action in this matter. The settlers living on the west bank of the Waipa and Waikato Rivers in order to reajh the delta must cross one or other river. Mr Jukes, living on the west side, had crossed the river for this purpose, with the intention of riding up the east tide and recrossing at the Ngaruawahia bridge above the Waipa. Between Taupiri and the Bluenose a number of settlers have been located for the last 15 years, and all of them are left without any means of crossing the river, save swimming it, to get to the Upper Waikato country. During all that period not more than £10 has been expended by the Government in opening up the roads in that district. It is not surprising, therefore, that the unfortunate occurrence of last week has induced them to petition the local authorities to take their case in hand and place a ferry over the Waipa at Ngaruawahia. This should be erected just below the old gaol, near the junction of the streams, where the current is sluggish, being backed up by the Waikato River. The ferry at Te Rore, we believe, would suit excellently for the purpose, and it would evidently be to the interest of the Ngaruawahia Town Board to maintain the ferry, for it would attract considerable business to the township. To make the ferry as useful as it might be a further wnrk is required: that of making the track along the west bank of the river from the Bluenose to Taupiri more practicable than at present. The settlers do not ask that a dray road should be formed ; but they are certainly entitled to a road which would be passable for sleighs. A bridge would be needed at Firewood Creek, and this would probably be the most expensive part of the work, costing: probably some £200. We trust the Waipa County Council will give the application of the petitioners a careful consideration, and see their way to do something substantial in this nutter, the more especially as the settlers interested ftre quite willing to do their share of the work.

The threatened law suit against the Hamilton $oroagh Council for injury done by the Bridge approaches to property belonging to Mr T. 9. Seddon, and for which he claimed £400 has been settled by the purchase of the allotment in questien. Ors. Vialou and Price, instructed, as appears in our report of the Council proceedings, by the Council on Tuesday evening, proceeded to Knighton, and had an interview with Mr Seddon, concluding the arrangement by the purchase of the allotment on behalf of the Borough, for the sum of £375, to be paid in twelve months, bearing 9 per centj, interest on the term. ' The township of Ngaruawahia is certainly more lively than in has been for gome time past, and business has considerably improved. Indeed, during the last week or two, there has' been quite a migration to Ngaruawahia from Hamilton. A lodal tinsmith, a watchmaker, , and a saddler, all of Hamilton, having cast in their lot with the fortunes of the premier settlement of Waikato. ' The Trustees of the Kirikiriroa Highway District held their monthly meeting yesterday; Pressure on dur", space pre«

vents our living of the proceedings to-dayjrivhicfij C however, shall appear in pur next** , ; x T^eie subject of inoculation for Pleuropneutoonia ia otte upon which any information 'from persona practically experienced in the matter is gladly received at the present momeut, for there is no knowing li»w soon the work of inoculation may become a general necessity. A gentleman who has had considerable experience in the actual operation of this remedy in Australia, informs us that to prevent the tail rotting off it should be well looked to the third .day. , If the swelling is great, and extending up to the root of the tail it is a sign *that the incision for the deposit of toe virus has been made too deep, and the remedy is to slit the tail on the outside from tip to root, and dress it with, Venus turpentine. In procuring the vims it should always, if possible, be taken from a virgin heifer. *• „ MriWaliLlB the proprietor' of the New Zealand Punch which is now published in Auckland, has just arrived m Hamilton and will during his sojourn in the Waikato not only seek support from advertisers and subscribers, but will sketch some of the leading men; he will also "take notes, " and print them too, Mr Wallis was at the Thames recently, and will most probably have something to say about the recent review. The Secretary to the Treasury has written to the chairmen of local bodies an important but anything but satisfactory letter, in which, after asking for the information annually required under section 32 of the Financial Arrangements Aot, he goes on to say, " At the same time I am to bring under your notice the intention expressed by Government last session to discontinue the payment of subsidies after the expiration of the financial period — a proposal whioh met with the approval of Parliament — While, therefore, a form is sent to you as here* tofore, to enable you to supply the information required by law to be furnished to the Treasury, it is not to be taken as an indication that provision will be made during tbe approaching session for the payment of any subsidy to your Board." A meeting of the Hamilton Domain Board was held on Tuesday eveninsr. Present — Messrs Jones (chairman), Peat, Davis, Price, and McGarrigle. Several accounts were brought forward and con* sidered. — Kingsley, account for labour, fencing railway approaches, was passed. The Surveyors balance of account £60 was laid on the table. The Secretary stated there were no funds at the credit of the Board. The examination of the account was deferred to another meeting. Sydney Square:. — It is time that the Recreation Committee who obtained from the Borough Council, under the promise that they would carry out certain improvements in the reclamation of the square, a sjim of £40, went on with and completed the work. It will take another £30 to complete the proposed improve* ments, and if this atnouut is not obtainable in money from those who promised to assist the Recreation Committee it would doubtless be available in some form of labor necessary for carrying out the project. The mounds upon the ground have yet to be levelled, and the land sown and fenced. Badly as the country in many parts of the Waikato, and especially about Hamilton, is suffering from the continued dry weather, other parts of the country are in a far more deplorable condition. All the | way to the Thames, members of the Cavalry who lately passed along the route inform us, the country presents a dry and parched-up appearance. Nearer to Auckland the effects of the long drought are even more evident. The feed is literally gone, and between Waikato and the city a large number of settlers are reduced to the necessity of feeding stock as in tha

depth of winter. We are glad to see, in travelling along the railway line, that that most civil and obliging guard Mr Such has been enabled to return to his duties, from, which he was temporarily incapacitated by the accident by which he lost two of the fingers of one of his hands. . Tuesday's Star says : — A respectablydressed young married woman was found unconsciously drunk on Saturday night in Drake-street by Constable Jones literally gasping for breath, and foaming at the mouth . The constable procured assistance, and with difficulty carried her to safe quarters. The young person denied that she was intoxicated ; she merely tumbled down from weakness, and could not get up. Evidence was given, however, beyond dispute, that this young married woman, the wife of a well-to-do farmer in the Waikato, was really and helplessly drunk. His Worship expressed his regret at seeing a person respectably circumstanced in the box, and hoped that she would not pursue a course which must sooner or later lead to her ruin. We have received the first number of the New Zealand Muse, published weekly in Auckland, and edited by Mr F. O. Cailliau, Professor of Music, and member of the Academy of Music, Paris. The journal contains eight pages, four of printed matter aad four of music. The pubhoatiom is a useful one ; but we would recommend greater attention on the part of the Editor to proof-reading, the copy under notice containing many typographical errors. Sidney Beetham, for breaking and enteriug Mr Martin's store, Hamilton, has been sentenced to six months imprisonment. The Judge, in passing sentence, said: — "Prisoner, Sydney Beetham — The offence to which you have pleaded guilty is a very serious one, and yet I am going to pass upon you a very lenient sentence for such an offence, i may tell you at once that your term of imprisopment will be six months. I have had great difficulty with your case because for an offence of the character under notice the sentence is undoubtedly a very mild one. I give it however because it is not inconsistent with the pttblic interests. You have committed a great crime against society, and I have in consequence to consider the public interests more than your own, and while I think there is a better chance of reformation for you if I sentence you only to six months' imprisonment I do not see that the public interests will be harmed thereby. Still it will go harder with you if you should again appear before a Court on a criminal charge. This punishment may serve as a preliminary warning, and I hope that it will prove effectual. It seems that you have enjoyed whatever educational facilities this country can offer, but they have failed to keep you from criminal courses. It is a lamentable thing to see that no sense of duty-towards God or man appears to have had a restraining effect upon you, while that gentlemanly feeling of honour, which often romains when deeper regards have disappeared has not manifested itself. I trust, however, that when you come out of gaol, your relations will be able to do something for you, and that you will be enabled' to correct this unfortunate beginning in life.

Cattle-owners arc invited to attend a meeting of the. South Auckland Cattle Board, to be held on Saturday next, at 10 o'clock in the forenoon. An Order-in-Council, regarding the Diseased - Cattle Act, 1871, appears in our advertising columns. , • . > A. meeting of ratepayers in the Tuhikaramea District is convened at the School-house, Ngahinipouri, on Saturday, the 24th instant, at 3 P.m. • A meeting of ratepayers in the Hamilton Highway District is convened >at James' Ha.ilway Hotel, Franktoh, on Saturday, 24th instant, at 3 p.m.

A\£A)CAt>s of the Hamilton Liglfta Infantry VolurtWp^rs offlered for tonight at Joe Oddipllows'Hi|l>, Hamilton Eabt^thali-pw^ o'clock. Captaijt-' Dawspn) 'commanding has at lasfclre* co'ucdjv notification from Government regarding unit'ormfor thto Cori) 1 ?, and if is therefore cspeci- , ally desiraWe tlivtt all members shdi^d attend^- , Thk Messrs llaker announce that oy particular request they purpose ghing a. grand farewell concert in Le Qucsnc's Hall, on Tuesday eveainjj next. At the entertainment given bv these {gentlemen on Monday c\cnpng the, audienpe, 4 though small, was an apprcciative'one, and evidently thoronphly enjoj-ed the excellent programme faithfully gone through. The execution of the songs rendered by Mr W. F. Baker was better than auything we have heard in the colonies, ,and any brio aspiring to be a solo iingcr would do well to copy liis style. We hope to sec a full hoHSc on Tuesday 1 evening.