THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 1881.

Waikato Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1400, 23 June 1881, Page 2

THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 1881.

The final issue of the case, Edgar versus Monthose, has, we confess, raised no greater feelings of surprise in us than we have entertained regarding the method of procedure .sanctioned by the Oourt during the progress — we might say the nonprogress, of this action. We are surprised nevertheless, because it was from a conviction that the caum: of the plaintiff had justice and right on its .side that we were at all concerned in a matter in which we had not, and have not the slightest personal interest. This was a point, however, which we were at some pains to abstain from touching while the case was yet subjudice, confining our action to what we had .1 perfect right to address ourselves to, namely, to secure that the plaintiff should not be prejudiced by the extraordinary mode of procedure which the Court saw fit to adopt. It does not astonish us to find that our motives have been misinterpreted, but that does not disconcert us in the least. The task voluntarily laid upon ourselves might have been invidious, but it was disinterested, or, at the woist, undertaken with a view to the public good. It seemed to us then, as it appears now to be a monstrous, a scandalous thing that a judge, invested with such powers as the Legislature has conferred upon the Resident Magistrates of this colony, should relegate to an irresponsible, and, what is worse, an interested party, one of the most important of his functions, to the prejudice of another person ; that lie should allow indefinite adjournments on the simple I'epresentation of a defendant that he wished for the production of evidence which, for all the Magistrate knew, might be of a nature utterly insuilicient to warrant the unreasonable delays occasioned, and which in any case could have been obtained in a fraction of the time thus frittered away. That was what we complained of. We did not make a single reference to the merits of the case : that was a question which we were neither entitled nor inclined to touch at that time. But now that every restriction lias been removed, we do not intend to remain silent. We should be wanting in our duty to ourselves and the public were we to pass without remark or comment one of the most extraordinary judgments which it lias ever been our lot to peruse, oiie in which every principle of equity appears to have been cast to the winds. It will make things clearer if we briefly recapitulate the points of the case as shown in the evidence published by us in last issue. The plaintiff, Edgar, sued the defendant for £20, amount of wages alleged to be due to him for reporting in Cambridge for a newspaper nominally owned by the defendant, Montrp.se ; this amount represented £3 per week wages for five weeks, and £1 per week charged for telegraphing to other papers. Previous to his going to Cambridge, plaintiff had served the former proprietor of the paper, Mr Ivess, as Hamilton correspondent, receiving as remuneration, 30s per week. On defendant's arrival in Cambridge, Eixur, in the presence of Ivjjss, had an interview with defendant, in the course of which the latter offered him 20s per week for the performance of similar work, an offer which was virtually accepted, and Edgah returned to Hamilton. Shortly afterwards Edgar was summoned to Cambridge by defendant, and for five weeks filled the post of reporter, giving up the whole of his time to the services of defendant. At the end of this time he was discharged without cause. He had never made any agreement with the defendant as to the amount of wages ho was to receive while at Cambridge, and considered his demand reasonable. Thus much we glean from the plaintiff's testimony. Then follows the evidence of two witnesses, both capable of estimating the value of plaintiffs services as a reporter, which they set clown at between £3 or £i per week. Mr Carhick, as a journalist of twenty years' experience, stated that the plaintiff "had' exceptionally great aptitude for reporting ;" wrote shortshand well, and had shown himself capable of taking very difficult reports. In the matter of Press telegrams, this witness deposed that it wasusualforreporterstoreceiveextra pay for this class of work. • Thisevidence was corroborated hj M^Smith. r For the defence we hj,ye Jthe evideride ( of, Mji.lvess, whicji)goes!,to sjhow that at an interview between the

parties to the suit, at which he (Ivess) was present, defendant offered plaintiff £1 per week as Hamilton correspondent, to which the latter " did not dissent ;" that at Hamilton plaintiff's services were worth 30s weekly ; chat had Edgar been ordered to send telegrams to other papers he would not have been entitled to extra pay ; that it would ■ be reasonable to raise his salary if lie were removed to Cambridge, and that if Edgar was an efficient shorthand reporter he would be worth £4 per week. The defendant's version of the transaction was as follows. He agreed to give plaintiff ! £1 per week as Hamilton correspondent. When Edgar arrived at Cambridge, defendant said he would give him £2 per week if he could keep books, but if not he would only give him ,£l. Plaintiff then inquired the nature of the duties he would be expected to fulfil for this sum, and was told he would have to attend the sittings of the Lands Court, and do general reporting. The defendant was absolutely certain that plaintiff accepted the offer of £1 when he came to Cambridge. It was not customary to pay for telegraphing to other papers. This is a fair, if brief, outline of the evidence adduced at the hearing of the case. Previous to the last Court day defendant, notwithstanding he had sworn that he had contracted to p.ay Edgar £\ per week, paid an amount representing an additional 10s per week into Court; and for this amount the Magistrate gave judgment. If any of our readers will go carefully through the evidence, they will, we think be brought to ask with us : Upon what principle is the judgment based 1 If it be based upon the law of contracts, we would ask where is there any evidence of a contract being made? Chitty defines a simple contract to mean, " an engagement entered into between two or more persons, whereby, in consideration of something done or to be done by the party or parties on one I &ide, the party or parties on the other bide promise to do, or omit to do, some act, and from this definition it appears that, to constitute such an agreement, there must be, Ist, the reciprocal or mutual assent of two or more persons." Now before it is decided that there was an agreement, common sense would dictate that there must be some evidence on the point. The defendant here I is in the position of a plaintiff and .should be required to prove that what he alleges is true. He himself j simply makes an assertion, the correctness of which the plaintiff denies unhesitatingly. They are both interested parties, however, and the only other person who is presumed to know anything about the matter is Mu Ivess, for the production of whose evidence a delay of nearly three months is occasioned ; and what does he say after all 1 1 That a sort of agreeniont was entered into between the plaintiff and defendant with regard to the Hamilton correspondence ! The evidence of Mr Hankin, a former editor of the paper, was said to be necessary, but as it has not been forthcoming the inference is that the defendant all along knew its real worth, and mentioned it for the sole purpose of procuring delay. Where is there in any portion of the evidence beyond the fervid asseverations of the defendant himself, the slightest proof than any agreement was ever made at all ? There is nothing in Mu Ivess evidence to show -that even on the question of the Hamilton correspondence, a contract was entered into. Edgar it is said, " did not dissent ;" he might not have heard the defendant when he made the offer. In the absence then of any contract, it may be presumed that the decision of the Magistrate was based on equity, that is to say, the plaintiff was awarded what in the opinion of the bench was fair compensation for work performed. But if so, how comes it that the Magistrate ignores altogether the testimony of two disinterested witnesses — both of whom had had ample opportunities of judging the quality of plaintiff's work and assessing its value, and one of whom had had twenty years' experience of journalism in connection with the leading papers of the colony — while he accepts the evidence of another witness who had had none of the opportunities for estimating Edgar's capabilities which the others had received ! The judgment could not, therefore, have been founded on either law or equity, but upon a mixture of both, which took the shape of accepting as Gospel everything in defendant's favor and rejecting as worthless and contemptible whatever tended to support the plaintiff's case. In illustration of this, let us say that in the utter absence of any evidence as to a contract we find the Magistrate stating that he thought an agreement had been entered into, which Edgar had either denied or forgotten, that Mr Ivess had said Edgar was only worth 30s per week, and that consequently, the defendant's statement being supported in every particular by Mr Ivess, and the Magistrate's own, thoughts, judgment would be given for the amount paid into Court (30s per week). Doubtless Mr Ivess did say that Edgar was only worth 3Qs per week, but considering that that was the amount which he himself ' gaVe while at'Hamiltonj'and that he' also .stated Edgar would ; be .entitled to higher wages * at Oambridgatbiin,. ! at -Hamilton,'' a > reasonable I matt would suppose that «%mst\of ;

Mr Ivess, relied on by the Bench, referred to Edgar's services at the latter and not the former place. Again, Mr Ivess says a competent shorthand reporter " would be worth from £i." No attempt has been made to prove that Edgar was not competent, while the testimony of two witnesses was adduced to prove that he was. Nay, more than this he had been allowed day after day to fulfil the arduous duty of reporting the Native Lands Court, and to send condensed reports of the proceedings to th u Auckland journals, a task which no editor worthy of the name would entrust to the hands of an incompetent person. Perhaps, also, Jlis Worship did not choose to remember that the defendant's witness, Mr Jyess, in a case brought against him by Mr Keesing, and heard at the same Court on the 11th of March last, actually brought Edgar forward to give evidence as " a competent shorthand reporter." But it seems to us that the whole affair turned solely on the question of admitting the evidence of plaintiff's two witnesses. Once disposed of as " unreliable," the Magistrate's course was clear to follow out the dictates of his own preconceived notions of the case, and justice was not done, and the heavens did not fall. This hostility on the part of the Court to the plaintiff and his witnesses is so strong that it is imported into every phase of the proceedings. We see it in every adjournment; during the progress of the cabo on .Friday last ; but it crops up in full proportions at the termination of the hearing. In giving judgment for the amount paid into Court, the Magistrate awarded to the defendant all costs incurred from the commencement of the suit, in direct contravention of the Resident Magistrate's Act, and it took all the address of the plaintiff's counsel to convince him of his error. Even then he repaired his mistake only partially by declining to award expenses to plaintiffs witnesses, notwithstanding that they had been included in the costs of the adjournment. Furthermore, he saddles upon the plaintiff the whole of Mr Hay's travelling expenses — which he designates mileage — notwithstanding that this gentleman was engaged upon two other caws on the same day. So far as the evidence enables us to judge, we have given the position, and will any unprejudiced porson say we have examined it unfairly. For the present we leave it, in the full belief that it will not be allowed to remain unnoticed by higher authorities. But before quitting the subject, it is due to ourselves to take some notice of the remarks which fell from the Bench and the defendant's counsel in relation to the action which this paper has taken since the commencement of the cabe. Mr Hay thought it da&irable, in the interests of his client we presume, to take into Court files of the Waikato Times containing refe- J rences to the case, and took occasion to refer to them in unmeasured terms. tie commences by saying that a statement appeared to tho effect that the Magistrate favored the rich man to the exclusion of the wages man, adding "in these articles the Waikato Times has commented in a manner which is quite unjustifiable on the proceedings of this Court, the case being at the time sub jndice." Now the statement about the rich man and the poor man appealed not in an article, but in a letter. Only one article was written on the subject, and in that not the slightest reference was made to the merits of the case, though it certainly condemned the extraordinary course which was being taken in granting adjournments, on the most frivolous pretexts as events have proved The letters also dealt only with matters of fact, j not matters of evidence, and if one of them (Mr Edgar's)— for the j opinions expressed in which we are not responsible — was couched in somewhat strong language we are not disposed to say that it was uncalled for. But Mr Hay's objectis more clearly distinguished further on when we find him endeavoring to fasten upon Mr Whitaker a portion of the odium which he heaps upon , this journal. Messrs Whitaker ■ and SiiEEHAJf (per their Cambridge manager, Mr Beale), are the solici- j tors for the plaintiff, and Mr | Wiiitaker is one of the Waikato Times proprietary, ergo, argues Mr Hay, Mr Whitaker makes use of the journal to obtain his ends in a court of justice. The implied accusation is too contemptible for serious consideration, but Mr Hay has seen fit to make it in open Court, and we cannot let it pass unchallenged. Mr JSTortiicroft, it is true, reproved or rather interrupted Mr Hay by saying that "as a rule Mr Whitaker does not exercise any supervision over the paper. It is not fair to accuse Mr Whitaker, for I am certain he had nothing to do with it." Further on the Magistrate said had Mr Whitaker anything to do with what had appeared in the paper he would not have sat on the bench ! How Mr Northcroft obtained the knowledge that Mr Whitaker does not as a rule exercise any control over this journal we are unable to say j perhaps he could tell us ; but this we 'do know, and can inform the Court and Mr < Hay, ,thafc Mr Whitaker does iwt exercise any " supervision " over 1 the- journal at- all, much less ] 1 u|e ( it .' for r( the t (ieigrading ' purpose &inteid,at by 'Mr, JTatc. ' IlTJheJeswrnedI 1 TJhe Jeswrned counsel hate been, pleased s tj0 tf 4esig-;i

demoralised print " and to express the belief that the sooner he gets a " scurrilous journal or ruffian print" to back him up the better for his clients. Mr Ray may be right, such a paper might suit his taste : if so we fear he has let his opportunity slip. But that is a matter we will leave to him and his clients to discuss.

Although the House has been only a few days in actual working order, it has accomplished greater results in the period than it was able to do in a much longer given time last session. Already two great principles have been discussed, thought over, and decided. We refer to the CJiinese Immigration Bill, and the substitution in the Licensing Bill of elective for nominated licensing benches. In reference to the former measure, it is not too much to say that the success it has met with in the House will be received with hearty acclamation by nine-tenths of the inhabitants of New Zealand. It is felt to be a real danger, this proximity to our shores of four hundred millions of aliens, whose condition is such that it needs but the probability of comparison with that of the colonials of these islands to cause a vast inundating human torrent to descend upon and overwhelm our fair adopted country. The poll tax of £10 per head upon each Chinese landed in the colony seems to be hardly sufficient to be of an absolutely prohibitive nature. In Committee, we learn an amendment proposed substituting £60 for £10 strongly supported by Mr Kutchinson, Mr Montgomery, Mr Whitaker, and others, was lost on a division by one vote. We regret this, but on the principle of half a loaf being better than no bread, we hail with satisfaction the inauguration of Chinese restrictive legislation. The Bill passed through Committee in the remarkably short space of time of thirty-five minutes. It is inconceivable" that the " Lords " will have the folly or the hardihood to attempt to throw out or emasculate the measure, and as the Home Government has already given its assent to a similar measure hailing from Queensland we may fairly assume that in due course this important bill will take its place on the Statute Book of -New Zealand. We have all of us read of the ingenious gentleman of antiquity who constructed a monster so intensely hideous that he recoiled in affright from his own creation. The amendment carried by Sir W. Fox to clause 12 of the Licensing Bill on Friday last .seems to be a somewhat parallel case. That clause, as it originally stood, provided that the licensing bench should be composed of the Resident Magistrates and certain persons to be nominated by the Governor -in- Council ; thf amendment by the Good Templar Knight was short and to the point; it simply provided in so many words that the licensing bench should be elected by the ratepayers. At first sight this looked highly proper, and was very alluring fit carried with it the supporters of local option, who are numerous, and it tickled the fancy of the champions of local selfgovernment, who are still more numerous, and all went merry as a marriage bell, the elective bench being carried into power by 34 to 19. With the morning, however, came reflection, and with reflection came i-epentance. The worthy knight himself is said to be startled beyond measure at the thought of aii annual battle between the public house interest and the total abstainers. The corruption that must ensue in many instances where established licenses are threatened with extinction, and the holders themselves are determined to defend them at all hazards, has begun to present itself like a spectre to the mind of many honorable members, and they are like the ancient workman, aghast at their own work. It is unfortunate that the first attempt at reform by the substitution of the elective for the nominative principle should have been made in reference to the licensing bench; and for this reason : It is the only local body that is brought directly in contact with material interests which will be defended where attacked with great vigour, and possibly in some cases with unserupulousness. The Waste Lands Board, for instance, deals only with public property, and is brought very indirectly in contact with individual interest ; it could, therefore, be made elective without causing anything like the intensity of feeling that would be caused by an election, the direct issue of which was whether Mr A.'s hotel should be closed, and Mr A. himself lose £4000 or £5000. Many of the advocates of the amendment now say they made a mistake, and that the Bill must not pass. How this \vill be remains of coui'se, in the womb of the future, but we cannot help thinking that it would have been wiser to have given to the people the power of voting upon the question of licenses, and allowed a perfectly independent tribunal to decide as to the particular houses and- persons best fitted to 2-eceive those licenses, and upon all matters of detail in • oonneotion with the subject.

A quantity _pf leading and .other matter isiunavpidably |ield over. \

>s Bir^Gdorga' Grey*, it is reporbeer haa dfafted a Bill, dealing, with the ques-' tiouof LocalGoveroiiient reform.

*We Kave' it ;"on tgyfo 'authority

j reduction off the Cavalry pay, referred to in our last has not been authorised by the I Defence Minister, and will not be en1 foroed.

The special reporter at Wellington [ of an Auckland contemporary, referring to the vacant Public Works portfolio, saya that nothing definite is known ; but Mr Oliver's re-appointment appears inevitable.

i The following tenders have "been received for the erection of a six-roomed dwelling house at Waitoa, for Mr J. B. Smith :— Farrell, Bros., £696; Lavery and Whitehouse, £629 ; Elliott, (accepted) £547.

Many of the older residents of this district will regret to hear of the death of Mrs F. R. Claude, after a long and painful illness at Auckland. Dming their long residence in Waikato, Mr and Mrs Claude attained for themselves a high position in the estimation of all with whom they were brought in contact.

Another case of scarlatina has broken out in Hamilton West. In view of the probable spreading of the disease, the Mayor of Hamilton intends to take action in the direction of the Council assuming the function T)f a Local Board of Health.

The extension of the railway from the Victoiia- street station, Hamiltou, to the river, to facilitate the delivery of the material for the railway bridge will be gone on with at once. During the last day or two Mr Hetley, of the Public Works Department, has been engaged in taking sections, &c. , previous to lowering Victoria-street.

The steamer City of New York arrived at Aucklaud from. Sydney on Tuesday morning, and anchored at Motuilri, the passengers being placed in quarantine, and the cargo and mails landed for fumigation. The passengers will have to remain there until the expiration of twelve days from fcho date of leaving Sydney. The precaution has been con&idered necessary by the Government owing to the outbreak of the small-pox in Sydney.

Commenting on the business of the New ZeriUiid Pres*> Association, the iVi : (" Zealand Ttmrs says: — "Its parliamentary reports last session were universally admitted to be clear, well compiled and perfectly fair and impartial.'' It may be of some slight local interest to explain that Mr Robert Carrick. who was lately 1 esidont in Waikato and was oonnected with this journal, acted as p.irliamentury reporter on the occasion referred to. Mr Oarrick has again joined the Association m a himilar capacity.

A few days ago a mischievous statement was published in the Herald froms its Waikato, or Hamilton correspondent to the effect that the pioceedb of the Pseudo-Ethiopian Entertainment were not sufficient to pay expenses. Like nearly every other statement of the same person it was of course untrue, home malicious, unworthy motive beiny; at the bottom. Wo are pleased to le.irn from the Band Committee that the secretaiy of the Pseudo-Ethiopian Club lias handed to the trustee (Mr. Grwynne) the sum of £i Os 6d being the nett proceeds of the entertainment. This sum will be devoted towards reducing the debt still reniainiii": on the instruments.

A very pressing case of distress was repotted to the Borough Council of Hamilton, at its meeting on Tuesday evening, by Sergeant McGovern. A working man with a large family had that day lost his wife. He had been out of w ork for some time, owing to the necessity for Ins remaining at home to care for Ins sick wife and children. The Mayor said the Relieving OiHoer 01 Auckland had been wired to, but had not yet replied. It was agreed to advance a sum of money sufficient to cover the expenses of the funeral, Cr. JSandes stating that the Ladies' Benevolent Society were attending to the wants of the family in other lespects.

The township of Oxford recentlygiven birth, to 011 the property of Maclean and Co. at Okoroiri is rapidly developing. Settlers are daily taking up their quarters there and the population about the district is beingis rapidly augmented. Notwithstanding this fact nothing whatever lias been done in the matter of providing a local post-office and consequently con - siderable inconvenience is felt, there being nothing in the bhape of communication with Cambridge ascepting an odil dray passing to and fro. As Mr. Isaacs of Cambudge has opened business there as a storekeeper, having erected a building at considerable expense it would be con- > venipnt for the settlers to have a branch post-office e>tabliahed under the super - I vision of that gentleman.

1 News has been received of one of j the most shocking- butcheries recorded in | modern times. A strong feeling of I antagonism against the chines© has lately been manifested by the negro population of Mexico, and this feeling has been in. tensified of late by the recent arrival of numbers from the Celestial Chinese with black labour. The anti-Chmese feeling has culminated m a general rising on the part of the negroes of Mexico against the Chinese. The blacks mustered en »iat>t>e, and ruthlessly butchered fully 1000 Chinamen in the town of Santa Rosa, province of Cohahnila. No quarter was given to the unfortunate victims. The massacre has created a profound sensation throughout America, and it"fs expected that full retribution will be demanded.

We are indebted to the Secretary of the Kihikihi JSohool Committee for the following 1 minutes of a committee meeting held on Monday last. Proposed by Mr Thomas :— " That in the opinion of this Committee, the public meeting 1 to "Public School," held in the Schoolhoube Kihikihi on Saturday evening last, has been invidiously agitated by four conspicuous maivjdudls who are noted for keeping: the people of Kihikihi in a perpetual fetate of acrimonious discord, one with the other. That on the present occasion the public meeting has been got up by those people with an antagonistic and vindictive feeling againet certain members of this committee. Consequently that thoir resolutions be treated with the contempt they deserve. 2ud. That this committee desires to express their entite thanks and good will towards the whole of the other members of the public who attended the said meeting for the purpose of supporting the committee, and who took no part or intorest in 'tho meeting, as the committee was not present. 3rd. That any members of the public, " with the exception of those four strifp makers'* making application in a legal manner through the committee for anythingtending to promote the advancement of educational matters, enlarging or erocting sohool building, &c, will bo duly recognised and submitted to the Board with the recommendation of the Committee."

Sometime ago we referred to the practicability of making a road from Tola's Hill to the Piako. About a month ago the Waikato Cownty Couaoil having instructed Mr "W. 0. Breakell to report upon the first aaqt|on of this contemplated. ?oa4, from Toles Hill to Matahura accepted his suggestions as to the deviations required and empowered him to call for lenders, the coat of the work not to exceed £150. The engineer stated that a good bridle track could be made ■ for that money and that t the track could be so t constructed as to form a portion of th y e work required for a dray road. He. estimated 'the|- cost of making the latter 1 at \tbout'£23t>Vbub the ooaij,oll nlqrt ljavin£ sa^oient (sq^s avail-

able were compelled to £o to the extent of ranking a bridlo track only. The contract was let to Mr Walsh, and having visited the work we can judge from the progress already made that when finished it will be avety'fair road. We were surprised to find that the quality of the laud aftsr crossing the Matahura is of a very superior description. Between Toles Hill and Matahura the soil is, we confess, wretchedly poor, but thence to Piako it is capable of yielding a large return. But at present it is simply out off from want of access. We "trust the Council will impress upon our members the advisableness of procuring a further grant towards this desirable work. The difficulties to be encountered are comparitively trifling and as the road besides, opening up a valuable tract of country will tend to settle the native difficulty in that locality, we hope its claims will npt be lost sight of.

The Rev. Henry Bull delivered a lecture in the Wesleyan Church, Hamilton, on Tuesday evening. Although only two days' notice had been given, there was a very fair attendance. The Rev. C. Griffin presided, and, after singing ami prayer, in a few words welcomed the Rev, H. Bull, after his absence of more than two months, and called on him to deliver his lecture on " My Visit to Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Hobart : The General Confei'ence : What I Saw and Heard." For an hour and ahalf the lecturer kept the attention of the company, while he told in a very interesting style the story of his two months' journey. The giorious scenery of Sydney was described m glowing terms. We were taken to its magnificent Cathedral, the gloomy gaol, and the money-making mint. But the streets were very narrow, and the houses built in anything but a line. Melbourne's well laid-out streets were next traversed, but we had to look well to our footing while crossing the small bridges over the many open drains. We also had a glimpse of the gaity of this city, walking with the " youth and beauty" on the famous " Block," being enchanted with high-heeled boots, rich shawls, and dazzling bonnets, still finding the New Zealand ladies able to hold their own agaiiibt the "belles" of A r ietoria. The chief thing of inteiest in Adelaide was the Conference, about which we were told many things, both pleasant and painful. Hobart was a nice quiet place, with the people in a somnolent state. After all we came to the conclusion that there is no place like home. A collection was taken at the close, in aid of the Circuit fund.

Mr Kennedy Hill will sell on Saturday next tit his mart, Hamilton, the turniturc and ettccts of ill Halkett. -who is leaving the distuct. JMv J. H. Hoy, butcher, of Cambridge, has opened a. btanch shop in Cambudge West. The annual meeting of the ratepayers of the Pukckuia Highway Dis>tnct is convened to be held in thePukenmuschoolioom. on Fnd.ij, July 8, at j p m. The annual meeting of the ratepayers of the fint.ioroi Highway Distiu t is convened to bo held .it the National Hotel, Cambridge, en Jul> 23rd, at noon. W. .J. Hunter and Co. hold an extensive s ile of horses at Cambndge on batuidaj, Jul} 2nd, at 1 p m. W. J. Hunter and Co. have received instructions tiom Mr Charles Collins, Waitoa estate, ti> sell 100 stceis, two to three years old, well-bred, at Ohaupo, on fh.urhd.iy, July 7th, at 1 p.m. The Hamilton East School Committee invite tenders, to be in by the 30th mst , for sinking and making a well. Messrs Uochidiie and Son will sell, at their iiuction mart, Fort- street Auckland, Oil the (th Jul), at noon, 50 acres of land at Manga - piko. All accounts owing to, and all claims against the est if c of Geoige McCann, must be icndeied to the Irustce, Mr \V. A Richardson, Cambudge, before nth Julj. Mr Kennedy Hill will sell, at his auction mart, Hamilton, on Satuiday nei.t, 151 tons bone dust. The brethren of Lodge Beta, 1.C., are icquestcd to attend installation of officers .it the Lodge, Hamilton Kast, at noon to-morrow (St John's Daj). Visiting biethrcn aic invited to attend. The Assessment Court for the outlying distnrt of P.itetcre will be held at the Roj.ll Hotel, Oxford, at noon on the 16th Jul}, pio\. In consequence of the inclement state of the weathci, the proposed meeting of teachers, vvhichwas to have taken place at Ohaupo on Saturday nc\t, is postponed. The new pure cash system now being initiated by Cj. and C. will certainly prove a benefit to the public. It has been .1 great success in Sydney and Melbourne, and when strictly carried out the customer who bu\s at an establishment where the goods ai c marked low to ensure .1 rapid sale must be a great gamer. G and C sell their diapeiy millinaiy, and clothing at sm h prices tor t.ish as gives the buyer the advantages of a shareholder of a co-operativ e society, without the risk oi being called upon to bcar.iportion of thcloiS should the ) ear's business prove unsatisfactory Giriick and Cranwell will aim to retain the confidence which the public have hitherto shown them, and arc determined to giv e the pure cash sj stem a fair trial; whethei they gain or lose the first }c.ir. Country buvcrs on remitting cash with order will be supplied with goods at co-operative prices ; just the same as though they made a personal selection. Furnishing goods, such as carpets, floor cloths, bedsteads, bedding, and general house iurmture, the largest portion ot which is turned out at our own factory, will be marked at the lowest remunerative prices, and a discount of five per cent, will be allowed to tho'-e who p iv at the time of purchase. O. &C. having realised the entire value of their stock during their We cash sale, the prosont stock is \i vv \\n cut ut.y hough r. An inspection is invited. — Gaiuu k a^id Cravwi'M , Cit) Hall Furnishing Arcade Oueenstrcet, Auckland