The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1340, 1 February 1881, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

fimi.il and ex.irt jnstirc to .ill men, Of whitcier st.ito or pcisti.ision, religions or politic.il. Here sli ill the Press the P( ople's nj,'ht m.untain Un.iwud by influrnc u ami unbribcd by jy.iin.

TUESDAY, FEB. 1, 1881.

Tub friends and admirers of Mr It. 0. Barstow, R.~M., Auckland — and, without pretending to any special knowledge on the point, we have no reason to assume their number is small — will bo pleased to learn that he has without, so far as i known, impaving his intellect, succeeded in chalking out for himself a path, which promises to lead to mythological preferments. To adopt the poetical license of coining a word or phrase, as occasion requires, he has been instrumental in "rationalising" the vexed question of original sin, and rendering it much more conducive to the present degenerate state of society than it has hitherto been. It will thus be seen that a triumph has been gained by our Police Court magnate, the " fathers of the Church" have long striven to achieve, and yet, despite the superior theological ocu men with which they are supposed to be endowed, they never succeeded in doing more than rendering the subject " confusion worse confounded." [ Jt is holy writ if we remember I rightly, which teaches that " the foolish things of this world confound the wise," and, without being inviduous, we are constrained to say that in Mr Barstow's achievement, as well as its immediate surroundings, we have many of the conditions requisite for establishing the j theory. We have no means for knowing whether it is Mr Barstow's intention of taking out letters ! patent, or otherwise protect the ; discovery for his own personal purposes; but this much we can vouch for, he has been using it freely in its application to, and elucidation of, his pursuits and finding as a Police Court judge. A fcwdaysagosomelialf-dozen urchins, whose united ages left an all-round average on the side of "legal infancy," were "had up" before His Worship, charged with the theft of a miscellaneous assortment of orchard produce, in the shape of apples, plums, peaches, etc., valued, according to legal appraisment, at various .sums ranging from one to ten shillings sterling. The newspaper report of the proceeding omits to give a verbatim copy of the indictments, still there is no reason to believe the usual legal solemnities of " being incited thereunto by the devil, did steal, take, and carry away,'' were dispensed with. If they were, we feel quite sure Mr Barstow was not to blame for the omission, as he is, to all intents and purposes, about the last man in the world we would expect to find depriving either the law or the Gospel of their majesty and awe. Be that as it may, these "hardened offenders" appear at once to have been rendered conscience-stricken by the awful portentiousness of the occasion, and in pursuance thereof pleaded guilty. 'I he scene at this juncture must have been an impressive one, as it was at that very moment Mr Barstow's law was fanned into a flame of inspiration, and, as a solemn wai'ning against petty larceny in general, and garden pilfering in particular, he delivered himself as follows : — " The Bible teaches us that the sin of our first parents consisted in stealing fruit from the Garden of Eden, which act has entailed so much misery on the whole human family. The sin of fruit-stealing seems to have been a human frailty ever since, and likely to be perpetuated to the end of time." Then, by way of supplying a fitting denouement to this pious exordium, he sentenced the offenders to terms of imprisonment with hard labour 1 , varying in duration from fourteen days to three ( calendar, months. In view of the terrestial flight winged by Mr Barstow's fancies, we cannot well afford to put off much time with the mere mundane part of the performance, at the same time we may just note en 2MSBa7it, that the terms of' imprisonment awarded, appear fcoj liave been somewhat stiff. JNo doubt, I in pronouncing doom, MrßarstW]

took into account tho aggravated circumstances of the case, and recollecting that he was dealing with repetitions of the premier offence, which " has entailed so much misery on the whole human family,' he felt called upon to make the sentence smart in proportion. It would he idle, however, to speculate further on the point. The eccentricities of in-eat minds are pro verbal, find evidently there is a dash of originality about this man's mind, which justifies us in relegating him to that category without further ado.

Mn. McMinn's letter which we publish in this issue is clover, but it is not ingenuous, and while it brings nothing iwsy to tlio surface, is evidently intended to conceal much of what was there before. "We beg to assure Mr McMinn that we are not under the slightest misapprehension. He gives us to understand that no alteration has taken place in the minds of the settlers, because they, or the majority of them have always been favourable to the lower site. The term u settlers" may be a very comprehensive one to Mr McMinn, but to us it merely signifies those who live in the Pirongia Highway District, for to them alone so far as we have been able to learn was the question of &ite submitted. We do not pretend to say that the lower site has nothing to recommend it ; for the purposes of argument we will admit that is better in every respect, as it undoubtedly is in the matter of cost, than its rival ; but the fact still remains that at a meeting of ratepayers called for the purpose, the expression of opinion was unstiiimoiish/ in favour of the Te Rore site. Mr McMinn and two or three others spoke against it, but they did not think it worth their while, in the face of the strong opinions of those opposed to them, to voto, and tho voting stood thus : In favour of the To Rore site, 14; against, nil. And yet our correspondent says that there were only fourteen at the meeting, and insinuates that at least six of these were in favour of the lower site, while two others held undecided views. Moreover, Mr McMinn himself stated that the Government had already decided on the upper site ! In the face of this the turn which events have recently taken may well have surprised the latepayers of the Pirongia District. We should be sorry to say that Mr McMinn has wilfully distorted facts, but he has treated of the meeting in a manner which either reflects on hLs power of memory or on his sense of truth.

We notice that the Borough authorities have pro\ ided a clock for the bridge toll-house. We would direct the attention of the local Highway Board to the state of the bridges on she Hannlton-Ngaruawahia road. Those at Beeres and Alexander's particularly require attention. The amount of the tolls collected on the Hamilton Traffic Bridge during last month is about £89, a slight advance on the total for December. A promenade concert will foe held on the 16th instant, in Mr Cumming'a grounds (Rosemont), Hamilton East, in aid of the Presbyterian Church harmonium fund. Mr Browne, fruiterer, of Victoriabtreet, Hamilton, has left at oiu office some very fine specimens of onions, grown in the garden of Mr B. Edwards, at Frankton. The nine vegetables which turned the scale at Slbs. are only average specimens. A match was played on Saturday J between the Whatawhata and Ng.iruawaliij. Cricket Clubs, on the ground of the Litter. The home team won easily by one innings and a considerable number of runs to &paie. Arrangements have now been completed for the conveyance of the Oh.mpo, Te Awamntu, ami Alexander mails between the Hamilton Post-office and the Hamilton Junction Railway Station. The mails will arrive at Hamilton at 1.30. p.m. and close at 4 p.m. daily. At the meeting of householders in the Hautapu school district, only ouo attended. The meeting therefore lap ed, and in all piobability Commissioners will be appointed. We are glad to he able to state that Mr D. B. Hindle is fast recovering from the effects of his severe accident. Tt is contemplation to remove him to Auckland in a few days, a change of air , being considered advisable. The success which attended the swimming matches at Hamilton on Saturday has had the effect of stimulating several of the more prominent lovers of sport to action. It has been suggested that similar events should come off on the river once a week during the summer, the matches one Saturday to consist of feats of endurance; and of trials of speed or short distance races on the Saturday following, and so on. Already a snm of money has been subscribed towards a prize to be offered next Saturday. The sport is a healthful one, and if proper precautions, as on Saturday, be taken to avoid accident, it is certain to prove of great interest. The late Mr Patrick O'Neill, whose death was announced in our issue of Saturday last, was interred in the Cambridge cemetery on Sunday afternoon. The funeral cortege comprised most of the settlers and tradespeople of the district. The Rev. Father 0 Gara read the burial Bervice ordered by the Roman Catholic Churchin a most; impressive manner, to which communion the deceased gentleman belonged. The natives living in the neighbourhood of Hikurangi and Kopua have conceived such an affection for Mr Ellis, the popular storekeeper at Aota, that they iuve made overtures to him with a view to getting him to open a, place of business near , Alexandra, ' or between that township and Kaipeha, The want of a toriditt at Whatawhfttft was very forcibly illustrated on Saturday Mr Limmer vas,jetHmi»g.yi|(jlx horee »ud 4ray from Mr,&ipM«£f*«i* or the west' sse pf.^Warpj^where he had been engaged 'ia etrtinglaa^wkof oats ; he xo»asge<i to, gafc ; aeross all n«H tut >hew!bU«<>lfcerta4o toA be^nga^jl^e;, m*Tsfe f : * jralut&te one commenced backing, and tape JrfßT'MSp J&»#VsM<?rte'*ens

Foituuatelyit.wlll not shortly be possible for such accidents to occur. The bridge is boms? pushed forward in all likchciood will bo finished about April. We again draw the attention of our readors to th'o recital or sacred music to be given >at S. .Peters' 1 CUu'rcli, HamiU ton, to-morrow evening. The choir lnve carefully rehearsed their parts, and a musical treat may fairly be anticipated. The annual treat of the Kihikihi Sundiiy-school children Ca.me off on S iturday last, in a convenient and secluded quarter of the race-coin te. There was a large and respectable gathering of parent-* <md friends of the neighbourhood. Mlsdumes Bridgman, Cowan, Short, Q.ialtlnough, and Cooper were most assiduous and attentive to the numerous visitors. A rather serious accident happened yesterday afternoon to Mr Bensley, painter, of Ngaruawahia. Ho was returning from the Aroha, and when near the Eureka gate his horse bucked and threw him heavily to the ground, causing severe injuries to his back and head. He lay on the giound for some time, till the arrival of Carter's" coach on its way to Hamilton. The driver lifted the unfortunate man into the coach, and brought him on to Gwynne's Hotel, where he i%eceived every attention from Mr and Mrs Gwynne. Dr. Edgelow was soon in attendance, and pronounced the injuries to be less serious than at first supposed. No bones are broken, and no injury has been occasioned to the spine. At latest accounts the patient was improving. A correspondent writes from Cambridge: — "No side-splitting farce ever caused greater amusement than the distribution of the Poverty Bay horses sold at the Cambridge sale yards on Saturday. As each purchaser wended his way home with his newly-bought steed, shouts of laughter greeted him on all sides. If his journey took him through the streets, windows were thrown open, doors were filled with merry but comical-looking visages. A mirthful strain seemed running through the township as one steed disappeared atter the other, each more angular than the other. One worthy citizen and popular publican, in his zeal to assist a poor victim whose purchase was obstreperous, found himself as active as in days long gone by ; but, alas ! a huge cloud of dust told but too well he had foundered in the middle of the street. Verily, he was "under a cloud," but he soon regained his feet, looked complacently around, smiled eloquently, and made for home, with a calm dignity of one who had done, or tried to do, his duty." A meeting of the members of the Hamilton (C) Troop, Waikato C«i\alry, was held at Gwynne's Hotel on Saturday evening. There were about fifteen present, and the chair was occupied by Lieut. Johnson. The minutes of the previous meeting having been read and confirmed, a circular was read from the Secretary of the New Zealand Rifle Association in refeience to the forthcoming contest. The Chairman notified to the meeting that the Tioop was now entitled to four sergeants and four corporals, and as, according to the rules lately submitted to them and agreed to. the promotion was in the hands of the officer commanding, he had submitted the following names, and trusted his choice would meet with the approval of the members:— Corporals Coombes and Limmcr to be Sergeantd, and Troopers J. McNicol, John Primrose, David Henry, and William Minktelowto be Corporals. The Chairman then referred to the proposed Review at Easter, and after discussing the matter, the members generally arrived at the conclusion that, taking all things into consideration, Te Awamutu would be the best place at which to hold the demonstration. Some considerable discussion then arose on the subject of the proposed Volunteer and Public Hall for Hamilton West. While, however, the members contended that they had contributed largely towards the Bazaar, on the understanding that the funds were to be devoted towards the erection of a hall, they were satisfied, under existing circumstances, to allow the £150 to be spent in erecting a Sundayschool, the more especially as there was every probability of the Volunteers obtaining the use of it. Several accounts having been passed for payment, the meeting shortly afterwards terminated. The pecular position in which the members of the Hamilton Light Infantry A r olunteer Corps are placed is likely to end in some complication. It has besn evident for some time that the attendance at parado was falling 1 below the number required by Government, <md lately it was intimated to the officer commanding 1 the company that unless the attendance could be increased, the corps would be disbanded. Thereupon, Captain Dawhon called a meeting for last Wednesday, a short account of which npppaied in these columns on the following- day. One of the conclusions arrived at at that meeting 1 was that the secrotary of the Baud, who was present, should consult wifsh the other bandsmen and ascertain if they were willing to bear arum, imd thus enable the company to attain the required standard. The meeting was subsequently adjourned till last Saturday, on which evening it was only with tho greatest difficulty that a quorum oould be obtained. The Band wis absent at the picnio, but a letter was read from the secretary intimating that he had consulted the other members, and that they declined to join the ranks of thn company. After some discussion, the Captain announced that he would order a parade for Thursday, members absenting themselves from which would be fined. Shoald the bandsmen refuse to fall-in, lie would take measures to deprive them of their instruments. Thuß the matter stands. Upox deep alluvial soil and on clays lime increases the crop of potatoes and makes them less waxy.

Jlr 3. S. Auckland advertises the sale of 40 roally good horses on the sth instant, at Cambridge, and aoo head of cattle at the Ohaupo live stock sale, on the Bth instant, Mr Kennedy Hill will dispose of valuable building 1 sites hi Hamilton West, and farm, on the 12th instant. In consequence of the unavoidable absence of sovcral of the members, the meeting of the Hamilton West School Committee, called for to-morrow, is postponed till Thursday ovening. Mr J. C. Firth announces, through our .advertising columns, that the valuation list for 'the Matamata Highway District, for the year ending 31st March, 1882, is now 6pen for inspection, at the residence of Mr Dibble, Matamata. Mr George Browne, fruiterer, announces that he has just received a large supply of primo bacon, cheese, fruit, Sec. The new pure cash system now being initiated by &• and C. will certainly prove a benefit to the public. It has been a .great success in Sydney and Melbourne, and when strictly carried out the customer who buys at an establishment where tbp goods are marked low to ensure a rapid sale must be a great gainer. G. and C. sell their drapery mlilinory, $nd clothing at such prices for cash as gives the buyar the advantages of a shareholder in a co-operative sociGty.}yjiJ}ftut the risk of being called upon to bear aportion of tho Iqss should the year's business prove unsatisfactory. Garjjck and Cranwell will aim to retain the confidence .which the public have hitherto shown them, and are tjotermined to give the pure cash system a fair trial ; wba^jpr fh,ey g a ; n Qr i oso t i ie $ nt y( j ar> Country buyers on remitting cash with order will be supplied with goods at co-oporatjyp prices ; just the Same as though they made a- persqnalselection.' Furnishing goods,' such as carpets", floor cloths, bedsteads, bedding, and general hous« fijrnittire, tb« largest portion of which is turned out at our own factory, will be marked at 'tjrjpes, and a discpunt ot five per cent, wnllje allowed to those who pay af the time of purchase. G. 8c C. having realised the entire value of their stock during, thujr late c&d?sals tho piksbht.stifck is New Aijro c&eiipi.y uoueHTi 'jWiHfSjifcjtiowjs jpvjtea.-^-GAiu.icK'AtfD Cranwbli., City Hall Furnishing Arcade QueensJretyAuckJajLli/ * ' '■»* * -I