The Waikato Times.

Waikato Times, Volume XV, Issue 1260, 27 July 1880, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

£uual and exact justice to all men, Of whatcxer state or persuabion, religious or poiitir.il. Uere shall the Press the People's right maintain Hnawed by influence and unbribed by gain.

TUESDAY, JULY 27, 1880.

It will be remembered that His Worship the Mayor took advantage of the large attendance at the meeting held on Saturday week to express sympathy with Messrs. Cochrane and Swarm, to introduce a subject in which he has taken much interest, namely, that of a Fire Brigade for Hamilton. The idea of organising a local corps for the extinguishment of fires does not lack favor in Hamilton ; the only question, so far as we know remaining undecided, being that of the basis upon which the Brigade shall rest. The Mayor at the meeting referred to moved a resolution, which was carried, affirming the desirableness of establishing a Fire Brigade or salvage corps in conjunction with the local Volunteer Corps or otherwise. This was done rather in deference to the feeling of the meeting than for any other reason. The Mayor's own opinion was that the Brigade should be under the direction of the Borough Council. We are not at all sure that this would not be the best arrangement. If the Brigade is to be efficiently maintained the direction of it should be vested in some responsible body,and none other would so well answer the purpose. A Bill has been introduced into Parliament by Mr Stevens to reorganise the whole system. The Bill entails the duty of extinguishing fires and protecting life and property upon City or Municipal Councils, and thpy may provide and maintain a force of fire men, or may agree with any Volunteer Fire Brigade or other persons to provide the necessary labour for the extinguishing of fires, and for the payment to any such Brigade or other persons out of the general account of the Borough funds or by a rate. The Council may provide all the necessary appliances for the working of the Brigade, which appliances are to become the absolute property of such Council. Every Brigade is to be under the command of the inspector appointed under the hand of the Mayor, and in case of fire the inspector is to have the full and sole control of the operations. "He may take " the command of any Fire Brigade, " fire police, salvage corps, or other " persons who by previous arrange- " ment with the Council have placed " their services at the disposal of the " Council or who for the time place " themselves at his disposal. He " may order any fireman, fire " police officer, or police constable "to remove any persons who, by " their presence or otherwise howso- " ever, interfere with or impede the " labors of the Fire Brigade or other " persons in extinguishing the fire. " He may take any measures he " thinks best for the protection of " life and property. He may, with •' any assistance he requires, break " into, take possession of, or pull " down, any premises for preventing "the spread of fire, doing, however, " as little damage as posible thereby. " He may interfere with the supply " of water in water- works or else- " where as he thinks fit, in order to " get a greater supply or pressure in " neighborhood of the fire, and no " penalty, damage, or claim for com- " pensation shall be recoverable by " or against any person in conse- " quence of any act done under the " authority of this action." Any damage done to property by any inspector under this Act shall be deemed to be done by fire within the meaning of any insurance policy. The Bill provides penalties for obstructing the Fire Brigade, and for damaging any of the Brigade's property. The Bill also provides for fire police and salvage corps, both of which, in cases of fire, shall be under the command, in common with the Fire Brigade, of the Chief Fire Inspector. In view, possibly, of a recurrence of the awful disaster at I the Octagan, Dunedin, a few months 1 ago, clause 15 provides :—": — " It shall " not be lawful to use any building " within the borough of more than ( " two stories high as a hotel or lodgj •' ing-houge, without providing on " the outside of such building one " or more iron ladders so fixed from " the top of such building in front " of the window in each story to " within ten feet of the ground, so "as to provide a means of escape " therefrom. Every such ladder " must be fixed ancl constructed in " such manner as shall be required " by the Surveyor or other officer " appointed by the Council." For the purpose of providing all expenses that may be incurred by any Council in carrying into effect this Act, the Council shall, if it thinks fit, make and levy a rate, but the total amount of that rate shall not exceed one penny in the pound in any one year. The remainder of the Bill relates to the position which Insurance Companies will occupy, should the measure be brought into force. The proportion to be paid by

companies towards the maintenance of the Brigades is fixed by clause 17, which reads as follows : — " Insurance Companies insuring from " fire any property in any city or " borough shall pay annually to tho " City or Borough Council, by way " of contribution towards the ex- " penses, of carrying this Act into " effect, a sum not exceeding one- " third of the amount paid by the " City or Borough Council during " the year for fire prevention : Pro- " vided that the payment to be so " made by the Fire Insurance Com- *' panics shall not exceed at rate of " one-and-a-half per centum on the " premiums received in respect of " property in the city or borough " during the year, less the amount "of all reinsurances paid by them "in respect of the property on " which such premiums have been " received." In view of this measure it would perhaps be well that no definite step 3 towards the establishment of a Fire Brigade in Hamilton should be taken, although a salvage corps might with much advantage be organised at once.

It was our intention to return to the question of the Patetere lands at an early date; but an article which appeared in the Herald of the 23rd instant has induced us to revert to the subject sooner than we anticipated. The article in question, which, to a superficial reader, may appear to be written in an impartial manner, is so inconsequent in argument, threatening in tone, and unhappy in the advice which it tenders to the Government that we deem it advisable without delay to show the fallacy of the arguments, to protest against the threats expressed, and to object to the course which it recommends should be adopted. The condensed history which our contemporary gives of Patetere is neither accurate nor complete, and is mainly inaccurate, and therefore misleading because it is so incomplete. We shall return to this question afterwards, and in the meantime advert to the first paragraph of the Herald's leader. In it Ministers are advised to leave the arrangements regarding the Patetere block with Parliament. To this advice we must demur. We are of opinion that no Ministers ought to come before Parliament without having a definite policy in regard to a matter of so much importance as the opening up and disposal of native lands. Ministers have already been blamed for throwing the responsibilities attaching to their position on Commissions ; and to leave a matter of this kind to the haphazard decision of those members of the House who may happen to be present when the matter comes up for discussion would neither be dignified noi desirable. Our ideas of the functions of a Ministry have always been that it is their duty to lead the House, and not to appear in the humiliating position which the Herald would assign to them oi " leaving the arrangements with Parliament." In the same paragraph Ministers are warned that "if they do not take care the " Patetere question may largely " contribute to the termination of " their official existence." Such a threat coming from such a quarter Ministers need not view with much apprehension. The vacillating attitude and uncertain opinions which the Herald displays in political matters will cause this warning to be unheeded and such threats to be ignored. The kaleidoscopic changes which the Herald's leaders evince may be amusing, but are certainly not calculated to exert or maintain the influence which a journal ought to exercise, To sit on a rail must be uncomfortable ; but when it is varied by continual leaps first to one side, then to the other, the position becomes not only uncomfortable to the performer, but ludicrous to the spectators. Our contemporary says :—": — " For a year or " two Patetere was a mine to " Native Agents and Native Minis- " ters. Interpreters and agents " made a great show of work and " sent in huge accounts for salary " and allowances, but little or no " progress was made." Granted that such was the case, was it desirable that such a state of things should continue — that the country should be spending large sums of money in paying interpreters who made no progress? Our contemporary has here unconsciously hit [ the nail on the head, and if he had I only followed this statement out to its natural and proper conclusion, | he would have arrived at the same opinion as ourselves, viz., that the whole system of Government land purchase, since the abandonment of the pre-emptive right has been a great mistake, and that the Government agents have never made progress in proportion to the money expended ; and therefore in regard to the transaction under consideration, presuming the Government could obtain repayment of their huge incidental expenses and advances, it would be extremely desirable to do so in the interests of the public, seeing that little or no progress was being made. Granted that private people were acting in opposition to the Government. The question then comes to be, who had the prior claim upon the land? Was not the proclamation issued after private people had commenced their negotiations, and was it not extended over a, much larger area of country than' that upon which money had been advanced? Further, the money first advanced by the

Government in 1872 to buy out certain private parties was advauced to purchase the leasehold interest which these negotiators were endeavoring to secure ; and' since taking over the leases the Government have paid no rent. The natives now naturally say that the leases have been abandoned, and that the money has been years ago swallowed up in back rents, and that the Government have consequently no claim upon them or their land in respect of these particular advances. The passing of the land through the Court has been a great public advantage, whatever may be the ultimate result. By the terms to which the private purchasers have bound themselves, 25 per cent, of the best of the land is to be sold on deferred payments, and the whole of the land, under any circumstances, will have been purchased at such a price that it will be impossible (because unprofitable) to allow it to remain idle. As to the question whether the Government should take land or money in payment of their claim, that is a matter of detail, and may safely be left to the Native Minister, who has shown such an evident care for the public interest since his accession to office.

We desire to draw the attention of his Worship the Mayor and the Borough Council to the expediency of making the Hamilton Bridge a free bridge on Sundays. Such a step would commend itself in many ways to the burgesses and the general public. Under the existing system the unfortunate toll-collector is absolutely at work unintermittingly from Monday morning to Monday morning, which is decidedly wrong in every light in which it may be regarded ; and, further, a tax is levied on Church goers to which they should not be subject. With the Roman Catholic and Presbyterian places of worship on the East side, and those of the Episcopalians and Wesleyans on the West side, it necessarily follows that the toll falls in some cases heavily on families, and this also is decidedly wrong. Moreover, country resident* driving or riding to Church, as so many do, find the tolls exceedingly heavy. The revenue of the bridge is such as to warrant the concession we are advocating, namely a free bridge on Sundays, and such a concession would be a graceful act on the part of the Municipal Authorities, by whom we trust the subject will be considered.

A correspondent, writing from Cambridge, complains of the mischief which is caused by a number of dogs which are allowed to wander over the country, worrying sheep and committing other depredations of a nature very trying to those engaged in farming pursuits. He also indicates a way by which the nuisance might be abated, which we think deserves the consideration of the different Highway Boards, with a view to petitioning the Government. It is that sporting dogs and greyhounds should be taxed at a higher \ rate than they at present are. It would have the effect of decreasing the number of wretched animals which at present are kept ostensibly for sporting purposes, but which are allowed by their owners to prowl round the district. It might seem hard to put a heavy tax upon sporting, but no man with the leisure to indulge in the pastime would be seriously affected by the additional tax, while those persons who derive a livelihood from the sale of game are justly enabled to pay. We would like to see some exemptions made where dogs are kept under proper control, our desire being not to throw any obstacles in the way of legitimate sport, but rather to protect the interests of sheepowners and others. To these latter the circumstance of a pack of mongrels roaming abroad at all hours of the night means downright loss, and in these hard times it is more than they can put up with. The nuisance is not confined to Cambridge, but is, we believe, rampant in all parts of the district. Some time ago we noticed the loss sustained by Mr Isaac Coates, through his sheep being worried and destroyed, and the commission of this mischief has in no way ceased. Only a few days ago, another attack was made with like results; and the worst of the affair is, that Mr Ooates has not yet been able to trace the ownership of his unwelcome visitors. We think it is quite time that some very decided step was taken to bring about an alteration in the existing state of tilings.

Should the Government act upon the recommendations of the Railway Commission, in regard to the Cambridge branch line, as they will in all probability do, the local committee will have reason to congratulate themselves. A brief urgent telegram received last night informs us that while only a portion, of the Thames-Waikato Railway is recommended for construction, the Committee's report on the Cambridge line is in favor of carrying the work out at once. Although at the time the Commission sat here and at Cambridge there was an impression abroad that little good would result, we have all along thought the claims of Cambridge too strong and too apparent to be lightly regarded. We confess that had the report been otherwise than as it is it would have excited in us surprise, as well as disappointment. Nevertheless, we should rejoice that our anticipations

have been' realised. We could .have wished that the intelligence regarding the other local lines had been of a more favorable nature ; but of this *we may be assured : that before long, ere the lapse of this \ l two or three years," the progress of the Piako and Waitoa country will be such as to demand something more definite than the conclusion which | the Commission have arrived at.

The hon gentlemen of the Legislative Council are thus referred to by a ■writer in the Post, who describes the opening of Parliament: — "They^are all attired in evening dress except one honorable member from the East Coast, who for some inscrutable reason, has on a very high clerical cut waistcoat and a pair of tweed trousers. What fetrikes me particularly about our colonial Lords is their particularly sad and downcast expression. Whether it is owing to the fact of their being in what Mr George Augustus Sala always calls • claw-hammer' coats, or a guilty knowledge that the eyes of their ' better halves' are on them, I ' cannot say, but, outside of a fashionable funeral 4 cortego' in which the 'mutes' had been double paid I never saw such unutterable melancholy.

The bridge over the Tamahere Creek at Crawfords is just now positively unsafe. The water has worn a large hole in the approach on the Tamahere bank, into which a horse might very easily be precipitated. The new Board ought to Lose no time in giving their promised attention to this spot.

The bridges on the Ngaruawahia road are, we are informed, in a very bad condition, and, with the present weather, are becoming more dangerous every day. As the road is still used by a large number of people, the Highway Board ought at least to remove all probable sources of danger.

The honorable member for Nelson, Mr A. Pitt, met with his match the other day. The question under discusbion in the House was the Chinese Immigration Bill, and Mr Reeves in supporting it said he had tfpent days in Chinese camps, where he had witnessed frightful immorality. Thinking he had a splendid opportunity, Mr Pitt called out, " What were you doing there P" " Seeking information," was the response; "and it would be well if you would do the same."

Writing on the "Unemployed" question the Wairarapa Daily says that in England a poor man with a large family, when he is hard up, will risk imprisonment by snaring a rabbit or two to replenish his scanty larder. In New Zealand the poor man can go any day and get a score of rabbits, and sell them for, say sixpence a-piece, or, should the market be overstocked, get three-halfpence a-piece for their Bkins. Yet, though he has, perhaps, not a sixpence in his pocket, he doesn't go. He doesn't take the "good things that God provides," but hangs about, waiting for something to turn up Any able-bodied man can any day walk to the Opaki or Waingawa, and secure a load of rabbits. If he has not a fun he can take a dog, if he has not a dog c can take a spade and dig them out, if he hasn't a spade he can get a piece of wire and snare them.

The Madras Ti»ws of May 2 has an advertisement respecting the anticipated arrival of a trial shipment, by the mail steamer, of Australian potatoes for table and seed purposes. The potatoes were packed in 4 cwt boxes, and would no doubt arrive in excellent order. Should the shipment prove a success, there will doubtless be a considerable demand for potatoes of Australian production, and there is no reason why those grown in New Zealand should not find as good a market.

A magnificent mirage (says the Lyttelton Times) astonished the passengers by the early train from the south a few days ago. The phenomenon was visible shortly after the train left Temuka, when the Peninsula hills, with the houses upon them, were plainly reflected in the sky. The scene was so real that a stranger to the district might readily have been deceived by the illusion.

A meeting of parishioners of Holy Trinity Church Kgaruawahia will be held in. the church at seven o'clock tomorrow evening with a view of considering ways and means for supporting a Resident Minister.

Support Local Industries.— Messrs, Ridler and Dalton, Kiwi Mills, are producing the best of flour from Waikato grown wheat. For prices, see advertisement in first column, page two. — [Advt.J

At the Police Court, Cambridge, on Saturday last before W. N. Serancke and T. Welts Esqrs, J.P's. Chas. Collins U years of age was charged from the information of Constable Brennaa with s ealing a one pound note, two half sovereign-, and about seventeen shillings in stiver from the cash-box of Mr Hay, butcher, on the 10th inst. It appears Uie lad had been left in charge of the shop for a few minutes and extracted the money from the cash-box which had keen left unlocked. He was sentenced to one months imprisonment at Mount Eden. Great difficulty was experienced by the police in bringing home the charge, as the lad vehemently denied the theft till, the last, alleging that the money he was known to have spent had been given him by diffi rent people. On reference to these however it was proved that such was not true and subsequently the lad confessed to his guilt.

The Claud Hamilton and other steamers are now running between Melbourne and Sydney. The distance, 509 miles, is done at the following rates :—: — saloon £1, steerage 10s, This is some difference to the New Zealand charges to travellers.

Our Huntly Correspondent writes : Through the description given by the police, at Drury, the body of the man found drowned at Sippery Creek has been identified as that of James Dunn, late mine manager for Whitaker and Russell, of this place. He left his home some two months ago, and went to Aukland, where he had been drinking for some time. He was last heard of at Drury, some five weeks ago, since then nothing was heard of him uutil the diacription above alluded to. His wife recognised the clothes, &c, belc 'jing to deceased, so that there is no doubt as to his identity, Mr Dunn was in the employment of Messrs Whitaker and Eussell for upwards of fifteen years in connection with coalmining. He leaves a wife and seven children totally unprovided for, Mrs Dunn is in a veiy delicate state at present, and will be unable to make any effort foi herself for some time to come. Mrs Dunns is a case that is really deserving of the help of all, and I feel sure that there are many in Hamilton who will give a little to this widow in distress. [Subscriptions may be addressed, Mrs Dunn. Post-office, I Huntley, or Mr R. Schofie'd, Huntley.j

-Considering the nature of the weather, there was a fair attendance at the Council Chambers last night at the opening chess meeting of the newlyformed Chess and Debating Club, and considerable interest was taken in the proceedings.

The Pakuranga hounds will meet at G Wynne's Hotel to-morrow morning at eleven o'clock, and throw off on the farm of Messrs A. and H. Swarbrick. On Saturday, the hounds will meet at

Hewitt's Hotel, Cambridge, at 11 a.m., where luuchenn will be provided by Host Hewitt. On Monday next, the meet will be at the cross-roads, Te Awamutu, and on the Wednesday following at Te Awamutu. On Saturday, the 7th August, the meet will take place at Hautapu — also at 11 o'clock.

The panorama, "Up the Rhine." was exhibited on Thursday evening last in the Pukerimu School-house, in aid of the funds of the Cambridge Presbyterian Sunday-school. There was a moderate and appreciative audience whose frequent tokens of approbation testified to the pleasure given. The proceedings were enlivened by selections, of vocal and instrumental music, which were effectively rendered by Mr and the Misses Caley. Mr Watson sang one of his characteristic songs with much humorous effect, and Miss Fleming executed a very brilliant pianoforte solo. Two instrumental duets were very nicely and cleverly rendered by two pupils of Mrs Bedford's. This lady very kindly lent the piano for the occasion. A vote of thanks to Mr F. J. Brooks, the lecturer, was received with loud .acclamation, and "brought a very interesting and pleasant evening to a close.

An entertainment, in aid of Mrs Neilson, will be given in Le Qucsne's Hall, next Monday evening, by members of the Hamilton Amateur Musical and Literary Society. The programme appears, in our advertising columns. Mr John Kvox \\ ill sell by auction, next Saturday, timber and iron work of the old Mystery Creek Bridge. The next meeting of the Debating Club will be held on Friday evening, when the following orders of the day will be brought down by the Executive: (j) 'lhat Cromwell was a greater man than Napoleon; (2) that the poetry of Wordsworth has had a greater moral effect than that of Byron ; (3) that novel reading tends to the moral and intellectual advancement of mankind.