Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1336, 22 January 1881, Page 2

Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

iDqmi .uul e\art justice to all men, Ut wludmcr stalo or poisim'iuii, icliffious or political. Hoi f sh.ill thu Tj ess the People's i is^ht m.nnt.un LJn.uvcd b) influence and inihiibcd by tf.un.

SATURDAY, JAN. ,JJ, 1881.

Notwithstanding the very necessary amalgamation of some of the departmental offices in H ellington, inordinate amount of rod tape continues to be used. The most stupid forms are most rigidly adhered to, and in some cases their number, instead of being diminished, is on tho increase. The matter to which we arc about to refer is one which concerns ourselves and therefore the public also. Twelve montiia ago application was made by the proprietary 01 this journal to die head of the Telegraph Department to open the telegraph office at Cambridge for Press work. This was readily acceded to, and the office opened to us on the evenings of Mondays, Wednesdays, and JFridays. Some months afterwards a slight alteration was made in the conditions, and it became necessary to give the postmaster notice of the intention to wire. To this there could be very little ■ objection, and the system continued to work as ' harmoniously as theretofore. A fewdays a^o, however, we were made aware "of the fact that in future , whenever we require the use of tllG i wire between Cambridge and Hamilton for Press purposes, we must communicate with fche Superintendent Dv Lemon, who will instruct the local officers accordingly. O.n ordinary occasions when we can forcigjl { whether or not we shall require the j use of the telegraph wires, even this arrangement will not seriously put us out. But it will at once be seen that, the aaafcter will take quite a different cast, fa sases of emergency, when news of imp©r,t>nce, arising suddenly, will' retire transmission. Surely the question of keeping opefli all offices for an hour or two might ' be left to the discretion of ofceers

in charge, who, if not fit to take upon themselves such responsibility are not surely fit to bo trusted at all. We hope no further remonstrance will be needed.

A very pleasant quadrille partjr was given by the bachelors of Kihikihi on Friday last. The Te Awumutu Band lent their assistance, and dancing was kept up with spirit till an early hour. The great sculling race between Messrs Hanlan (Tanadian) and Laycock (Australian) for the championship of EngLmd, the "Sportsman's" challenge cup, and JEoOO a side, will take place to-day. Mr J. Moses's advertisement will be found iv our third page. A startling announcement will appear in his column next week. The thanks of the Hamilton burgesbos are most certainly due to Mr Gwvnne for his public-spirited exertions made to rondpr the reception of the Governor yesterday suitable. Without Mr Gwynne, we much question whether the "triumphal 1 ' arch would have been un fait accompli. A meeting was held at Andersons Hotel, Ivilukihi, on Wednesday last, for the purpose of taking steps to organise races for the 17th March. About £65 has been subscribed, and good sport will no doubt result. The committee have decided on a programme, which will shortly be published. The monthly meeting of the Cambridge Highway Board was held at the residence of Mr Mjiin, Hauftapu on Wednesday. There were present Messrs S. S. Gr.ih.im, (Chairman) Smith and Main. The business done was not of a very import.mt character. The balance due to Mr L. B. Ewen on several contracts, amounting to about £40 was ordered to be j paid and tenders were directed to be in- ! vited for gravelling- certain portions of the loads in the district. We were shown on Thursday some veiy fine specimens of pearo grown by Mr .Heed, Hamilton East. One cluster contained eleven pears which in the aggregate could not weigh less than seven pounds. Another consisted of about half-a-dozen. Of course the fruit was not ripe and would, had it been allowed to arrive at maturity, be much hca\ ier. The crop on the trees is a very larsre one, and demonstrates conclusively that Waikato is well suited to the production of fruit. A meeting of non-commissioned officers belonging to the three Troop*-, Waikato Cavalry, was held at Ohaupo on Thursday to arrango for the entertainment of their brother non-coms, from the Thames on the occasion of the Easter Review ac Waikato. There wero present — Sergeant-Major Pisher, Sergeant Sibley, Sergeant Sidler, Corporals Runcimau and Innes. After discussing the matter, it was agreed that a dinner should be given to the vibitors, the noncommissioned officers of the Troop belonging to the place where the Review shall bo held, to undertake the management. In another column we publish a letter from Mr McMinn, on the subject of the Te Rore bridge. While we have no wish just now to enter into a discussion with Mr McMinn on this matter, we must in justice to ourselves explain why we spoke of the upper site as the proper one. If Mr McMinn will tax his memory as far back as the 17th of February last, he will find that at a meeting held at Harapepe on that day, a leport of which appeared in these columns, it was unanimously decided that the upper or "Te Roie" site was the proper one. It was simply upon this expression of opinion that we based our remark, never having been aw.ue, as # Mr McMinn won ltl imply, that a change of opinion had taken place. The Weekly Jfnr/D>/ (Napier), thus discourses on the lepneve granted to the murdeier W arepa : — "Hib Excellency the Governor has been pleased to commute the sentence of death passed on Wi Warepa to imprisonment for life. No reasons are given in the telegiam for this exercise of clemency. Wi Warepa, ,i Chatham Islander, murdered his wife, a whito woman, by beatinar out her brains with a p.iir of tongs. He excused his own h.ivagery by accusing his wife of infidelity. Careful enquiries tint have been made at Chatham Island have failed to give color to the accuhation. We should like to know on what grounds His Excellency has exercised his prerogative. If it is to be an understood thing that for the futiue capital punishment will not be carried out there is nothing more to be said. If, however, the Chatham Island murderer owes bis life to the possession of a dark &kin ihe public sense of justice is outraged. In the days that have gone we had enough aud to spare or the bickly sentimentality that holds to belief that theie should be one law for the black and another for Hie white skin." We mentioned on a recent occasion that the settlement of land acquired in large blocks by private individuals had been much wore successfully accomplished than that by the Government. The M.itauia Plains were incidentally mentioned as a case in point. We note that still fmther settlement operations are going on in connection with the&e lands. A telegi.un dated Dunedin, 19th instant, vcpovtss: — "The New Zealand and Australian Land Company 'a sale of a portion ol their Edendale property, Southland, pioved a gie.it success. Four thousand two hundred acres have been placed at the upset price. " , It is annouueed that Sir Francis Lycett has left a fortune of £250,000. He has left £23,000 for the building of Wesleyan Chapels, and at the death of his widow the greater part of his property will go to the same object. A rumour, has been current for some weeks, in St. Petersburg, of the transfer of the Czar's authority to the Council under the Presidency of the Czarowitz, is renewed, with this addition, the marriage of Princess Dolgorouki with the Czar to be declared legal, she receiving the title of Duchess of Holstein Gottorp, and her children will be princes and princesses of that title. The Czar and family will retire to Lividia, in the Crimea, he remaining Emperor in name, the actual authority, however, residing in the Czarowitz.

The Valuation List for the District of Mangapiko !« now open for inspection. The Valuation List for the District of Alexandra Township is now open for inspection. The Valuation List for the Rangiaohia District is now open for inspection at the residence of the Chairman, To Awamutu, The Valuation List for the Pirongia Dlstrici Js now open for inspection at the Postoffice, KarajwjfcP, Messrs Maclean and Co, are now causing to be laid out the Town of Qatford, situated on the Oraka River, about 20 mitas from Cambridge, on the new road to Rotorua and tfcs Hot Springs. j We draw attention ,to the advertisements of Mr William Cumming, proprietor ot #jp,Watkato Brewery. Haojijjfcon East School re-aaiembles on' Monday se*t, "*~, ' / I A Select Quad.i>itt« P#sy will be held in the Oddfcllovre^Hall, %3<st ffainilton, next Tuesday ovaningVifanuary.z^. ' H, C^i)a has kindly given bl« jnusicaLscrvice?,,B0 ' th»t * jtreat is in store for Ao votaries of TerpSScnotC. , ' , The valuatipipfefc for the, Tuhikaramea Highway,Distriqti?now 9pen tor inspection, at f the residence of £h6 Secretary. , s^, ' 1 '."W. McGregor Hkyr'Bsq., solicitor for; Highway District, makes important aanb.unceml^its ,i^ pur Gazette coltiittns to cer'ta'm4^f4m£«"»/ ' ,/*'"■"