The Waikato Times, HAMILTON.

Waikato Times, Volume 1230, Issue XIV, 18 May 1880, Page 2

The Waikato Times, HAMILTON.

Equal and Cxactjustice to all men, Of whatever state or persuasion, religious or ' ! political. Here shall the Press the People's right maintain, Unawed by influence and uhbribed by gain.

TUESDAY, MAY 18, 1880. ;

Can anybody tell us who it is that is responsible for the stupid blunders which the Departmental officials of tho. Government are continually perpetrating 1 Corporations, we are tol4 nave neither, bodies to be kicked nor souls to, be damned, and we Suppose the class \v;e are finding fault with are to be placed in the same category. In any case remonstrance and invective are alike thrown away on the whole Tite Barnacle family of New Zealand. Despite every thing that may be urged the system of letting contracts has always under every Government been managed in a fearful and wonderful manner, , without the slightest regard to the| interests of local contractors. Wej are led to say thus much by noticing; a couple of Government notices] which appear in our business! columns and which relate to public works in this district, namely, -thei bridges over the Waipa at Whata.whata and Te Rore. Plans and specifications for these works may be seen, it is stated, at the Public Works Offices, Auckland, Grahamstow, and Wellington, and at tjje Railway Manager's Office, Napier, so that notwithstanding the fact that we have a Public Works Office in Waikato, local contractors will, have to pay a visit to one of these four places before they can put themselves in possession of the data necessary to enable them to estimate the value of the work. And yeo how considerate the Government are to the bridge-builders of Hawke's Bay, where etc., can be seen at tJie Railway Manager's office ; and how kindly is the feeling they .evince towards our Thames neighbors in considering the interests of the contractors in that locality. There is a smack of unfairness and favoritism about the matter, however, at which our brethren in the South Island may very justly take utnbrage. _Why^.Jbhe^ might say,. are not copies of the plans and specifications for this important work, of magnitude far beyond the capacity of the enterprising Waikato people to undertake, not deposited in the centres of Nelson, Canterbury, Otago, and Southland? and, indeed, we see no reason why they should not, seeing the " Railway Manager" of Napier has been impressed into the service. Really there is a most grotesque appearance about the whole thing that rather inclines us to laugh than to be angry. Had Mr Oliver issued the notice we could, seeing that he is an Otagan, have overlooked his ignorance in presuming that the Waipa bridges were of more moment to the trade of Napier than of Waikato, but for Mr Blackett to display such a want of knowledge is simply lamentable. For Ms future guidance we will inform him that Whatawhata and Te Rore, and indeed all the European settlements on the Waipa, are in the Waikato district ; the nearest Public Works Office is situate at Hamilton ; and that all these places besides being in the North Island are in the Provincial District of Auckland. We feel called upon to say what we have in the interests of the building trade of the Waikato, and we trust that our members will see fit to bring the matter of giving local contractors a fair chance before the Government, which we are sure is all that requires to be done in order to prevent a recurrence of a mistake so silly in itself and so much opposed to local interests.

The Banks are well represented in Waikato just now. Mr Murdoch, General Manager of the Bank of New Zealand, Mr Burton, Auckland Manager of the Colonial Bank, Mr Pound, (Auckland Manager of the Union Bank of Australia), and Mr Young, Visiting Inspector of the National Bank of New Zealand are, or were yesterday, in Waikato.

We are glad to notice that our old friend Mr James Martin, tailor, is about to re-open in his old premises, next to the Waikato Times Office. The shop has undergone several alterations, and will be opened with a new and varied stock of cloths, tweeds, and all tailoring materials.

The man Flood, who created such excitement in Mr Martin's shop on Friday last, was brought up at the K.M. Court on Saturday, charged with resisting the police. Sergeant McGovern applied for a remand till Wednesday, which was granted.

The Cambridge Town Board inspected the recent improvements in Victoria-street on Saturday last, and decided that gravel should be laid on at once, the work to be pushed forward as rapidly as possible.

On Saturday last we had the pleasure of inspecting the very handsome cup presented by Mr E. Hewitt, of the Criterion Hotel, Cambridge, for competition at the forthcoming coursing match. The cup, which is valued at ten guineas, is of sterling silver, and stands nearly 10 inches high. The embossing around the rim and at the vase of the bowl is of an exceedingly chaste design, Around tteh c

cup are several- plain shields upon which Mr Hewitt' intends to have engraved se.veral piqtures of dogs and hares, together with the name of the winner and owner, with the date of the match, Sec. It is to be hoped that the good example thus set by Mr Hewitt will be followed by others.

We have heard of several complaints of 1- te as to owners of cattle allowiug thorn to stray about tho streets at night, and causing considerable damage to gardens. Yesterday morning Mr Davis, of Collingwood-street, discovered a cow in his garden and at once drove it off to the pound, but not before it had destroyed his crop of oats and eaten off all his young plants. This is very annoying to property-holders' Who take a pride in their gardens.

A gentleman who had been " seeing life" last evening made his appearance at the '.choral practice during the praotioe of " H. M.S. Pinafore." A ;member present asked him i( he ever got drunk, to which he replied, "Hardly ever," and made his exit.

There were no less than eight prisoners in the lock-up last night. Mr Northcroft, R.M., will held a levee tomorrow morning.

The decision of Judge Fenton on Saturday last with regard to the Mangapouvi block is said by those well versed in Maori lore and matters to be a sound and just one, and' 'should be hailed by all interested in native affairs as one of the best strokes inacted for a very long time.

At the riieeting of the South Auckland Cattle Board on the 6th of April, Mr Naden said that it had never been proved to him that inoculation was a specific for the disease of pleuropneumonia. He, however, was quite open to correction, and was willing to make the experiment on, say, 10 or 12 head of cattle, He would isolate them first and then inoculate them ; afterwards repeating the operation on some of them, with a view of seeing whether the virus would take effect a second time ; afterwards he would turn a few diseased cattle among them and mark the result. Such information remarked Mr Naden would be very valuable. We were impressed at the time with the value of the suggestion, and are therefore pleased to hear that an effort is being made to carry it out. The cost would not be great as Mr Naden hag undertaken the experiment on the papment of his actual expenses, and there only remains to be obtained a few head of cattle, and a suitable place to carry on the operations. Perhaps Mie Swamp Company would agree to set apart a piece of land for the purpose. People of opposite opinions have been so dogmatic upon this subject that the discovery of something tangible one way or the other would be of incalculable value and would go more towards convincing thoae in error, on whichever side — than all the theorising in the world.

The privileges of the Cambridge Athletic Club's sports on the Queen's Birthday were submitted to auction by Mr S. Bright on Saturday. The prices realised were as follows : — Gates, £20 ; publican's booth, £4 ; temperance booth, £2 15s.

A human skeleton was discovered by a native at Huntley lying in the fern on Saturday last.

A man named Bowden. a fireman on the Railway, met with an accident at Ohanpo on Saturday, by which two of the fingers of his left hand were crushed. Dr Sandes attended him, and expressed the opinion that both fiugera would have to be amputated. Bowden expiessed a desire that the operation should be performed in Auckland, where his friends reside, and Dr Sandes therefore bandaged •op the WOUnds_§9_&B to enable him to do so. Helef fclfor town the same day.

At the B.M. Court, Alexandra, on Friday last, before Major Mair, R.M., the case of Maunder (collector for the Mangapiko Highway Board) v. the owner of lots 112, 113, 114, and 115, for £10 17s 6d rates was determined. The constable proved the service of the summons on the allotment, and judgment was given for plaintiff for full amount and costs.

In another column we publish the programme for the forthcoming entertainment of the Comus Dramatio Club. The stage appurtenances are nearly completed, and the scene painting is being rapidly pushed forward. There is every prospect of a very successful performance.

A rather cool robbery was effected by a man named Thomas Rawlinson, alias Thomas Jones, at Waitetuna, on the 4th or sth of this month. It appears that Jones had been working for a farmer named John Douglas, who resides in the Waitetuna Valley, the two men living together in a whare. On the 29th of April Douglas told Jones he had no further use for him and paid him off, giving him at the same time permission to remain in the whare till he could find other employment. Douglas left a day or two afterwards for Okete, and upon returning on the 9th of this month discovered that the prisoner had vanished, and had taken with him a blanket, a shirt, a vest, a towel, a billy, a pannikin, and a knife, all the property of Douglas. He madt enquiries of a neighbor named Hamilton, who told him that the supposed offender had called at his house on the morning of the sth inst., and that he was carrying a swag, which, from the noise, he thought contained some tin vessels, Jones told him he was going to Hamilton to obtain work. Douglas at once put the matter in the hands of the police at Raglan, who communicated with Hamilton, and Jones, who gave his name as Rawlinson, was arrested on Sunday. All the stolen property, with the exception of the billy and pannikin, was found in his possession. The prisoner was brought before E. M. Edgcumbe, Esq., J.P., yesterday morning, and, on the application of Sergt. McGovern, was remanded till to-morrow, the regular Court day.

Sergeant-Major Mason, who has for a long time been stationed in Auckland, has received instructions to proceed to Lyttleton, vice Sergeant-Major O'Grady, who comes to Auckland. Auckland people will regret the removal from their midst of so valued an officer.

A United Press Association telegram dated Wellington, Sunday evening* sa Y s * na * * ne Hinemoa left this evening for Opunake, where she lands a contingent of the Armed Constabulary. She takes the Railway Commissioners on board at New Plymouth on Tuesday, and then proceeds to Auckland, where it is probable she will wait for the members of both Houses. The Commissioners may be expected in Waikato at the end of the week, when we trust our Cambridge friends will " go for them."

We are informed that immediate proceedings will be taken against persons who have not paid the Land Tax, due and payable on the Ist April last. Those who have not already paid had better do so at once, if they wish to avoid legal expenses.

A famous nobleman once called on Dr Abernethy with reference ' to an inflamed eye. His Lordship, after waiting an hour for Abernethy to got through with a number of charity patients, whom he never left to attend upon the highest nobleman, began the conversation by saying 1 , "Doctor, I wish you would examine this eye ; I fear somo deadly mischief is at work here. " "If you will ait there in my patient's chair, and let me do the talking, I wiU soon find out what is the mat*

ter,witl» you. " A few sharp questions, and the doctor conoluded the interview with tjje' fpllo wing words :, *' Your difficulty ,I&nofc where you think it is, in your eyo, but" — pointing his finder at the patient's enormous stomach' — f ' It is there in your kitchen. Of course, when the kitchen is out of order the garret and ,all the other rooms in the house are liv ely to be more or less affected. Now all you need to do is to clear the kitchen, and the garret will require no special purification. Your Lordship must do as the famous Duke of "Wellington did on a well known occasion — cut ofl the supplies, and the enemy will disappear. The Sydney Daily Telegraph publishes the following" account from a correspondent at Denman (Now South Wale») of a plague of raico whio'i is at present causing much annoyance in that township. The writer says: — " Wft are suffering at present from a plague of mice. The fields are full of them, so that the horses' feet stick in the .burrowed ground. They are racing over the ground ia hundreds; 150 of a nig'it is nothing unusual to catch, but there is no sensible diminution. They eat into drawing-room furniture, mattrasses, &c. I cannot sleep at night because every now and again I have to drive them from my pillow. On awaking from an hour's sleep last night I saw no fewer than five on the bed- cover, and they jumped to the floor iji all directions when I moved. The plague has come down the country 50 miles, but has not yet extended to Musswellbrook, 15 miles from this. Cats are of no iise. They can eat half a dozen whenever they choose to take them. Some persons thiLk that, like a plague of locusts, they will pass on, but I cannot see it in that way. Is it not strange ? They will nibble your best bonnet, and do all manner of mischief. What is worse, they get into the pianos. One hundred and fifteen were caught in one night without aay proper appliances, and there is nothing special to attract them here."

Th\di rs are imited for the erection of lean-to at St. Peter's Church. M Dor w & Co., announce that they will open a new shop of drapery, millinery, fancy goods, &c, in premises lately occupied by Mn> Robbie, second door from Bank of New Zealand, Cambridge. Tkn'dhrs arc invited by Mr Robert Kirkwood, of Cambridge, for' 'the erection of a five-roomed cottage ; plans and -specifications may be seen at the Duke of Cambridge Hotel, Cambridge. A sllhct quadrille party will be held on her Majesty's Birthday, in the Oddfellows' Hall, Hamilton East. Anurkw Primrosk, Esq., Chairman Kirikiriroa, Highway District, declares certain roads in that district closed for ever.