The Waikato Times.

Waikato Times, Volume XIV, Issue 1227, 11 May 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, Unawcd by influence and unbribed by gain.

TUESDAY, MAX 11, 1880.

On Friday last Mr Reader Wood, the member for the district of WaHemata, addressed the Jforth Shdre. portion of his . constituents ; and, as might be supposed, his address was mainly an explanation of his conduct. in connection -with certain matters which took place during the last session of Parliament, and which has earned for Mr Wood the soubriquet of " rat." His reception, contrary to expectation,' was of a rather flattering character, the rowdy element, though making . itself heard, not being very numerous. We purpose giving a few extracts from the speech, premising that the case, made out is an apparently good one. Commencing at the period at which he was elected — eight months ago — he said he fully appreciated tlje honor conferred upon him, and was alive to a sense of the duties which such an honor imposed on him. "It would," he is reported to have said, " be wrong on the part of " any constituency to dictate what " its representative should do, or for " the representative to promise f * absolutely that he should act in a ,'*.' certain manner, for the conditions " of things were constantly varying, u and so should his action. They " had, therefore, to rely upon his . s \ integrity and -good judgment." ,iUter briefly sketching the Grey programme of last session, lie said he ''went to support Sir 7s< , &rey as a leader, and to obtaW that measure of justice for AwfcUfnd in the matter of public

"Tl lilijli ■ l*±i I ■!■ I I ■DM JiiM worlst to which ; ahe was fairly enjjstid. When he arrived in Wellinjjjjfcon he found parties as near as possible evenly balanced. The want of confidence motion followed and the Grey Ministry fell. At a caucus of the party held shortly afterwards he stated that, in his opinion, " their game was a waiting one," and they should form themselves into an organised Opposition. -This x suggestion was however not listened to, and as two of ;the ministerial supporters had come over it was determined to make an effort to unseat the Hall Cabinet, Mr Sheehan suggested that Mr Maoandrew should move the motion of no-confidence. That was the first inkling which he got that it was intended to throw over Sir George Grey. Mr Wood then goes on to desoribe the measures taken " by the Grey party, after the virtual deposition of the leader, with regard t;o the formation of the committee of ten and the committee of three, he was a member of the former, and when the confidence motion was brought up he said " he did not " see that such a motion should " be proposed before "the Govern- " ment had really time to initiate a " single measure or say a single u word. It was hardly a fair pro- " cedure on their part, and one " that was sure to be resented by " the other side." He had, he says, endeavored to persuade Sir George Grey not to relinquish the leadership, but without success. Sir George had allowed himself to be overruled by persons who wished to make him a stepping stone to power. He believed " that if Sir " George Grey had kept the po- " sition he would be Prime Minister "at this hour." Then follows an account of the negotiations between the two parties relative to ,the passing of supplies, the breakdown of which resulted in the deadlock. Subsequently, after much waste of time, the Government came down with their financial and .native statements, " and he thought " they would agree with him, that " that financial statement disclosed '" a state of affairs that nobody in " the- Colony had any idea of. It " showed a deficit greater than " anyone had contemplated. So " great was it, that even Sir George " Grey and the members of his " Government, who ought to have " known, declared that there was " no truth in the statement, and " that Major Atkinson had exagge- " rated, for the sake of party pur- " poses. Then they came to the " native statement on the Friday, <" made' by Mr Bryce, and that dis- ' " closed the wildest extravagance "in the management of native " affairs. They had often com- " plained of Sir Donald McLean " and his expensive flour and sugar " but that was a trifle to the way in " which Mr Sheehan managed the " affairs of his department — with " him it was not a flour and sugar " policy, but one of champagne and " jewellry." The narrative is then followed up to the 18th of October, ,on which day Mr Wood • was called from a caucus of the Auckland members to attend a meeting of the committee of ten, at which was discussed the question of bringing on the no-confidence motion on the following Tuesday, on which day the Government were supposed to bring forward the question of supply. He agreed with the motion, and this was the last occasion on which hia • advice was asked. On Monday they heard the. Government had no intention of allowing the 110confidence motion to come on. Seeing no prospect of an, end to the stagnation that prevailed, it was then that he consulted Mr Swanson, with a view to bring this state of matters to an end. It will not be necessary to follow the course of events very closely ; let it be sufficient to say that after much consideration Mr Wood says the four Auckland members waited on the Government Avith a view to see what means Gould be adopted to put a stop to the dead-lock — to see what concession would be made in favor of Auckland. "As far as Jie " coulcl remember these were the " points upon which he relied " (reading from paper) — (1) No " interference with the existing edu- " cational system. (2) Auckland "to be put on a par with the other l \ parts of the ' colony in respect to " school buildings. (3) The liberal " measures to be carried. (4) — -a " statement of the amount of ex- " penditure out of loans made to " Auckland as compared with the " other parts of the colony, and " that if a difference were shown cf some attempt should be made to " remove it. (5) That an Auckland " man should be appointed to the " ministry ; and (6) That in " event of a redistribution of " seats — Auckland should not "lose one of its member." It was not for sometime after this, and after he had obtained from Sir George Grey the definite information that he had resigned in favor of Mr Macandrew that the step was taken of going over. " They went over, and what " was the consequence ? On that " Friday the deadlock was removed " — supply was passed — no further " attempt was made by the party to " interfere with that supply — the " Treasury was opened — and the " country was at once relieved. If " it had not been for that action it " was impossible to say how long " the deadlock would have lasted." The result had been, he claimed, that all the Liberal measures which he had gone down to support, except

one, had passed. He therefore claimed that the four were thoroughly justified in their action and had done all that their constituents sent them to do, A number of questions, chiefly referring to the pledges alleged he had given to support the Grey party were asked, and all were more or less parried with great adroitness. We could have wished that our space had allowed of our publishing the hon. gentleman's remarks in extemoy but we hope we have quoted sufficient to show the _ line of argument adopted by Mr ' Wood in defence of what, notwithstanding the plausible. character of his statements, will continue to be regarded as a piece of political knavery. We cannot help thinking that Mr and his confederates' action, per se, has resulted in the conferring of the greatest benefit to the Colony at large, because had the deadlock continued for any length of time, as under the circumstances it most assuredly would, the .consequences would have been most disastrous, and had it been removed by the elevation of the Macandrew section to power Auckland would most assuredly have been the sufferer. Still believing this, we cannot school ourselves into admiration for a man who, after all, wantonly deserted his party. The tone of his speech would seem to indicate that in his own mind Mr Wood is convinced of the purity of the course which he followed,— -and we hope he is ; but friends and opponents will, nevertheless, unite in regarding with a certain amount of distrust a man who has exhibited so little of those sterling qualities of stability and consistency which are a politician's brightest ornaments.

At the meeting of the South Auckland Cattle Board held on Saturday it was resolved to remove the restrictions from the "Waipa county, with the -exception of those portions comprised within the limits of the Pukekura Highway District and the farms of Messrs Burke and McNicol, Much regret was expressed that the restrictions could not be removed from the last-named place; but, in the absence of any evidence of a contrary nature — Mr McNicol having neglected to forward a report of Tuesday's proceedings, which we published in extenso, with the doctors' certificate— the Board was bound to accept the opinion of their veterinary surgeon. The intelligence of the removal of the restrictions in other parts will be welcome to the settlers of the Lower Waipa, many of whom have been put to much inconvenience and loss.

"Burgess" wri^t^to us a letter which appears in,Tjjjyrr column, drawing attention to the "dangerous state of that portion of the footpath in Victoriastreet, between the Waikato Times Office and Mr Vialou's premises. We have already^j»id our say on this subject, and will content ourselves by endorsing the statements of " Burgess." and expressing the hop 5 that the Borough Council will to-night authorise the necessary filling in— a mere bagatelle. '- '

Sir William Pox (Ministerialist) lias been returned for Rangitikei, by a majority of 109 over the opposition candinate Mr D. Fraser.

We were shown yesterday at the Hamilton Hotel a remarkably fine specimen of the pie melon tribe. It was grown in Mr GUvyime's garden, anil weighs 541bs.

We notice that the Borough Council have erected gates at the east cml of the Hamilton Bridge, in the place of the chain .which formerly did duty. The change is a most desirable one, and will tend to reduce very much the probability of accidents.

Mr Saunders, M.H.R., Mr T. Kelly, M.H.R., andMrPharazyn, members of the Civil Service Commission, arrived in Waiktao on Saturday. On Sunday they drove around the district, returning to Auckland yesterday morning.

The new Electoral Rolls, compiled under the Registration of Electors' Act, 1879, ' are now completed. The number of names on the old roll, for the district of Waipa, was 1015. Of these 107 names have been struck off, and 254 new names inserted, making the total on the new roll 1162. On the old roll for Waikato the number was 577, and of these 90 were expunged. The number of names added was ISO, making a total of 668. The rolls appear to have been prepared with great care, and may be considered as being very correct.

A Special meeting of the Borough Council is called for this evening at 7 o'clock ii_ accordance with the Municipal Corpo - rations Act, for the purpose of passing the annual accounts, after having been duly audited.

The Trustees of the Cambridge Cemetery have just had the ground surveyed and pegged out into allotments, and the clergymen of the district have very kindly volunteered to canvass for subscriptions to defray the cost of the work. The allotments will shortly be open for selection at a nominal charge.

The Committee of the Cambridge Coursing Club are actively engaged in making the necessary preparations for the events to come off next week. It is expected that there will be a large muster of dogs to compete for the handsome cup presented by Mr E. Hewett, of the Criterion Hotel. Application is to be made to Mr E. Maclean for the use of his paddocks at Broad Meadows, and there is little doubt that it will be granted. Entries for the events close on the 24th (Monday week).

At a meeting of the members of the Comus Dramatic Club, held on Saturday evening, the following gentlemen were appointed a committee to make the neoeasary arrangements for the forthcoming performance, viz. : — Messrs Park, A. Swarbrick, and S. E. Smith. The committee subsequently met and disoussed the questions of stage scenery, &c, and it is expected that in the course of a week the necessary fittings will be erected in tho hall. The members are actively rehearsing, and tho performance of the 21st inst., promises to be a very successful affair, and one which will amply sustain the high reputation the Club has always held.

At the Police Court, yesterday, before H. W. Northoroft, Esq., R.M., Peter McKearnoy pleaded guilty to a

chiirgS of di*iip,lcenness, his first offence, and ,yras ftn^d^s and cost 4 , in 'default 48 hours.' ' -f<

We were yesterday shown the very handsome album presented by Mr E. Wayte, stationer, to the morabers of the Hamilton Cavalry Contingent, and which was fired for on Saturday. The album, which cost about £2 10s, is very beautifully bound and illustrated with floral designs around the spaces for the photographs. A number of the drawings are highly finished and colored with great taste and fidelity to nature. The excellent example set by Mr Wayte is, we are glad to know, aUout to be followed by others, one Hamilton tradesman having offered for "coittpetition a suit of clothes. We would impress upon those who have the Volunteer cause at heart that the hearty co-operation of the public, in contributing prizes and in other ways, is highly necessary in securing the efficiency of the force. We hope too that the giving of these prizes will aot as an incentive to the younger members of the corps to regularly attend their drills and rifle practices. In this respect, however, the Hamilton men are before their brethren in aims in other parts of tin Waikato ; but there is no reason why they should be, and the sooner a disposition to go in thoroughly for practice is manifested throughout the whole brigade the better.

At the R.M. Court, Cambridge, on Friday, befor«ED, W. Northoroft, Esq., R.M., Charles Hitchmon and Frederick Taylor charged with fighting in a pulio place, pleaded guilty, and were each fined 10s and costs, in default to go to gaol for 14 days. The following civil suits were decided : — John Houghton t\ John Coyle, claim, £4 8s ll|d ; judgment for, full amount and cost; Isaac Bates v Godfrey Collins, claim 17s 6d: judgment for 12s 6d and costs : Robt. McVeagh v. Edward Mason, claim £5 Us lOd, judgment for full amount and costs.

At the sitting of the General Synod ol the Church of England in New Zealand, held in Christchurch, just closed, the Bishop of Auckland moved — "That the Synod do adopt the recommendations of the committee appointed by the Synod to consider and report upon the memorial of the Native Church Board of the diocese of Auckland, viz : — * That the Synod receives with much pleasure the memorial of the Native Church Board of the diocese of Auckland for the appointment of a Suffragan Bishop of the Maori portion of the Church in the diocese, regarding it as a proof of the vitality of that portion of the Church ; but the Synod regrets that for want of funds it is unable to comply with their request. The Synod, therefore, urges them to exertion in the direction of raising an Endowment Fund for the support of a Suffragan Bishop. The Synod, is encouraged by the liberality of the Maoris in providing Endowment Funds for their native clergy, to hope that this object may be speedily obtained.' " The Bishop of Nelson proposed an amendment as follows :—": — " That the Synod, looking at the oneness that exists between the English and the Maori portions of the Church throughout New Zealand, and hoping that they will be still closer brought together in worship and church organisation, considers that the present proposal for the appointment of a Suffragan bishop would not be desirable, and is unable to comply with their request. " After discussion the amendment of the Bishop of Nelson was carried.

A meeting was held on Friday evening last at the Duke of Cambridge 4 Hotel, Cambridge, to consider the advisability of forming 1 a foot-ball club. Mr Moore occupied the chair, and after some discussion it was unanimously decided a club should be formed, and tint it be called " The Cambridge Foot-ball Club." The election of officers resulted in Mr Rhodes being appointed secretary and treasurer and Messrs Moore, and Kayle, Cotton, Mackintosh, and Martin, the committee. The uniform to be white jersey with blue breast hoops, and blue stockings. The committee met on Saturday evening to draw up a code of bylaAvs for the club's guidance, which will be submitted to a second general meeting to be held this (Tuesday) evening. The first practice came off on Saturday afternoon, when a good muster assembled, and with the recent acquisition to the neighbourhood every thing bids fair for a successful season.

A series of popular lecture entertainments have been arranged to come off at Cambridge during the winter months, the proceeds of which will be devoted to augmenting the funds of the Presbyterian Sunday School in that town. The first of 'the series will take place on the 19th of the present month by the Rev. William Evans. The title of the lecture with further particulars Avill be duly announced, but judging from the high estimation in which Mr Evans is held as a lecturer, the residents of Cambridge may look forward to something of an iinusually enjoyable character. Nothing can contribute so much to the establishment of a healthful moral tone in a community as entertainments of the kind proposed, more especially when they are of a nature fitted to attract all sections and all creeds, which we are assured will be the case in this instance. Cannot something of the same kind be got up in Hamilton and othr centres of population in the Waikato during the winter ?

Cambridge presented a more than nsually lively appearance on Saturday, great preparations were being made for the reception of the natives who will attend at the Laud Court. Buildings for their accommodation are in course of erection behind the offices of Messrs Whitaker and Nheehau, near the Post Office, and ojjposite the Duke of Cambridge Hotel. The storekeepei's and other business people were in the best possible frame of mind at the prospect of increased trade.

The Autumn Races, advertised to come off under the auspices of the Cambridge Jockey Club on the 27th instant, promise to be a great success. The course, at Mr Fanthams farm, is in splendid order, thanks to the timely ai'rival of the rain. As there will be a large accession to the population of Cambridge owing to the sitting of the Land Court, a good attendance and consequent augmentation of the funds of the club may be anticipated.

"Maria," observed Mr. Holcomb, as he was putting on his clothes, "thpre ain't no patch on the b eeches yet. " "I can't fix it now, no way. I'm too busy." •'Well, give me the patch, then, an' "l'll carry it around with me. I don't want people to think I can't afford tho cloth,"