Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1451, 20 October 1881, Page 2

Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatever state 01 persuasion, religious or political. Here sli.ill the Press the People's right maintain Unawed by influence and unbribed by gain.

THURSDAY, OCT. 20, 1881.

The urgent necessity that exists for revision of the railway freights tariff is manifesting itself in different ways, and uuclor a variety of circumstances. In the extreme south, the sawmillers and timber merchants arc loud in their complaints of overcharge, and here, in the north, farmers and stockowners are similarly affected in relation to their pursuits. It is no doubt expedient these rates should be fixed at a figure capable of showing a fair return on net cost. Indeed, it is on the realization of such a prospect, our hopes of securing the ultimate completion of a through system, as originally projected, mainly rests. The temptation to sustain high tariff rates therefore becomes vory strong, and in carrying out that view we are liable to lose sight of the numerous collateral advantages this particular branch of the public service is designed to promote. When the public works policy was first mooted, tbis latter view of the question was largely founded upon by its advocates. The direct returns were admitted to be of but secondary consideration, iii the results which would be attained. The opening out of new territory, to which enhanced values would be given, the fostering of industrial pursuits, and utilisation of raw materials, were relied upon in support of the policy, and not the net profits likely to be derived from any one of its branches. That we contend to be the true principle of the policy, and any departure from its faithful observance, in connection with railway administration may produce an advantage, but at the very utmost it could only be of temporary duration. On the other hand the advantage thus secured must of necessity be one purchased at the expense of progress and development, which, in railway economy, is quite tantamount to the blinded stupidity of the man who killed the goose for the golden egg. Instead of " putting on the screw" and exacting, so to speak, the uttermost farthing in name of traffic charges, a wise aud prudent liberality is the policy best designed to achieve the purpose aimed at.

A striking example in point lias lately come to light, in connection with the working of the railway system at home. It transpired from the charges imposed by the Northern British Railway Company for conveyance to market of the lately developed meat trade with I America. The company evidently saw that tho traffic was likely to develope into a large and important branch of business. Instead, therefore, of strangling it in its infancy, as would appear to be the tendency manifested towards a number of the bantling industries of this colony, they laid themselves out to foster it by way of liberal concessions in the shape of traffic charges, and, as we read in a home paper, not only that, but they actually charged themselves at a critical period of its history with the duty of keejring the tra'do alive. The wisdom and prudence of that step is now shown by the enormous additions made to their revenues in the establishment of the trade. Not only has it become self-supporting, but it is found to be a formidable rival to the home market, so much so that the latter is calling attention to the inequalities made as between the railway charges for the home and the sea-borne product; the following facts relating thereto having been elicited by the controversy : Home meat between Glasgow and London is chargod £3 10s per ton, while the foreign article pays £2 os, and between Liverpool and London, £2 10s for the former, and only £1 5s for the latter. In the now established state of the trade these freights can of course stand readjustment, but had a contrary course been pursued by the railway authorities at the outset — had they exacted the uttermost farthing allowed by the law, the trade is not at all likely to have survived the crushing ordeal, and the business of the company itself would, to that extent at least, have been restricted. We are indebted to the South/ and Times for having brought this view of the subject under notice, and we cannot do better than endorse the following closing remarks made by our contemporary thereupon : — "As applied to ourselves the glaring and aggravating facts of railway tariffs, etc., are invariably in favor of the wellestablished centres and totally discouraging to those that are feeble and struggling. In consequence these remain languishing instead of brightening up into extensive and profitable customers to the railways, and a credit to the country at large. Our politicians would do well to take these facts into consideration and act accordingly."

Mr F. A. Whitaker will address the electors of Waipa in the Courthouse, Hamilton, at 7.30 p.m. on Saturday next. Mr A. Isaacs, of Cambridge, has obtained a wholesale spirit license for his place at Cambridge. Late advices from Sydney report small-pox is dying out in the city and suburbs The drawing for Abbotts £10,000 sweep oh the Melbourne Gup, will take place this evening at 6 o'clock, in the Lome-street Hall, Auckland. The Cambridge Choral Union met on Monday night at the Town Board rooms, Cambridge, for their usual weekly practice. There was a good attendance of the members present, and the singing was unusually good. Mr Thorpe, the teller of the Bank of Victoria, has been arrested on a charge of embezzling 2500 sovereigns, which he had replaced with copper coin. The case is not connected with the robbery of notes to the value ot £2500 from the same bank last month. A gentleman who attended the entertainment in aid of the Cambridge String Band on Tuesday night last was so much pleased with the music of the band that he gave the secretary an unsolicited contribution of two sovereigns towards the funds. A cable message, dated Melbourne, ISfch inst., gives the following as the latest betting for the Cup : — Bathurst, Bto 1 ; Waxy, Bto 1 ; Duchess, 10 to 1 ; Trump Yoss, 15 to 1 ; Odd Trick, 20 to 1 ; Sir Mocked, 20 to 1 ; Lord Burghley, 20 to 1. Mons. Calon not having accepted the terms offered him by the members of the Cambridge Brass Band, Mr James Stuart has been appointed bandmaster. Mr Stuart being a competent musician, there is no doubt that the band will , progress favourably under his tuition. As we {Star) anticipated the attemps at settling the dispute between Mr. Charles Ring and the New Zealand Land Company, concerning the purchase of 800 acres of land at Patetere, proved successful on Friday afternoon. Mr King had a prior right to the property, and the Company have relinquished their c aim to it. Mr Sheehan, M.H.R., together with Mr Studholme, M.H.R and some others -went up the Wanganui river lately in reference to some land, transactions. One of the natives sent a written requisition to Mr. Sheehan, asking fo>* ten bags of flour, and a few " unconsidered tiiflos." The circumstance camo to the knowledge of Topia, who, writes a southern contemporary, thereupon gave the "sturdy begger " a patriarchal thrashing. The days upon which the bazaar in aid of the new Anglican Church, Cambridge, is to be held, have now been fixed. The bazaar will open on Boxing day, and keep open until nipht, and will not be re-openod until the January races, when it will be opened at 5 o'clock each evening of the races. We learn from the Star (Thames) that the prospectus of the Morrinsville and Rotorua railway will be notified in the course of next week. The capital will be in £1 shares, and already the principal merchants and leading business men of Auckland have largely invested. The number of shares will very likely be two hundred thousand, on which only small calls will be made at intervals ranging over periods of three months. Tenders are invited for drainage works, contracts No 5, 6, 7, on the property of the Auckland Agricultural Company (Limited), late Maclean and Co., near Waitoa. The three contracts extend over a considerable length, being, as near as we can judge from the plans, 10 or 12 miles of drains of various sizes, along some of which about one mile of a road ' has to be formed,

There was a very large attendance at Mr J. S. Buckland's sale of Messrs Carpenter siud Byron's live and dead stock at Te Kowhai yesterday, and food prices weie realised. Mibsequently lessrs \V. J. Huiiter and Col held a very successful sale of £heep, horses, etc., the pioperty of Mr 0. Barton, at the same place. Three claimants to be registered as doot'UN in (he Waipa district, were suratnonod to the RM. Court, yesterday, to prove their cl urns. Tlie Registrar hid henfc them notices in the ordinary way to give proof ; and not receiving such proof had s-uuitnoued them under the Act. Defendants did not appear, but sent letters to the Magistiatc, asking to be utruck off the roll, as <i mistake had in each case been made. The ckiins were strucK out. Two of the claims were for residential votes, and one for freehold. Domain Boards are adminished as follows by a contemporary; — We should strongly urga the Domain Board to forward an immediate application to Wellington for a share of the vote for public domains, amounting to nearly £1200, passed in the estimates by the As&erobly. The vote is cc tainy a frugal one, and when it comes o be divided there is sure to be a great scramble to bhare the spoil. There is not a domain board in the colony but could l'eadily absorb the whole amount and apply it suitably in forwarding the purposes for which it is voted. It may be safely relied on that the hungry eyes of all the iun ecunious domain boards who have wind of the vote are steadily turned in th.it direction. Each board, of course will fancy its own claims of the most paramount importance, and nrge them accordingly. Where there ?re so many influential oliiin.mt'S we cannot expect ourbou'dto gf& much of a bhare, but still, on the pi.uoiple of first corao first served, our trustees should at oucc prefer their demand. However small the amount, it is sure to be acceptable, and there will be no difficulty in laying it out to advantage in improving and beautifying our local domain. We trust the trustees, if they have not attended to the matter already, will bear this gentle reminder in mind. The members of the Waikato Branch of the H. A. C.B. Society celebrated their first anniversary at the Oddfellows' j Hall, Hamilton East, on Tuesday night. The celebration took the form of a dance, at which about 30 or 40 couples were present. During an interval refreshments were served, and the president of the branch, Mr Crosby, took occasion to read a short statement of the affairs of the branch, from which appeared that the "number of members on the books is fiftyseven, of which five are honorary and fifty-two full benefit members. The funds are in a most satisfactory condition, notwithstanding the heavy expenses that are inseparable from all newly-constituted branches, and I am happy to say that we have a handsome credit balance in the bank. lam pleased to see on reference to the books that the record of sickness is a light one, and I sincerely hope that it will always remain so. I also find that the increase of the branch has been most satisfactory. The number of members initiated on the opening night was fifteen, making an increase of forty-two for the year ending this day." Everybody seemed to be thoroughly pleased with the quality of the entertainment provided, and dancing was kept up till an early hour yesterday morning, the music being supplied by Mr Hadfield. A vessel fitted up with the necessary appaiatus for conducting the fiozen meat tiade on the mo^t approved plan is now oi route for this colony. Alluding to her departure from the Clyde, a Glasgow paper of 24th August, reports : — " Messrs P. Henderson and Co's fine ship Dunedin left the river yesterday with a full cargo, and aiter taking her passengers, about 50 in number, on board at the Tail of the Bank to-day, will proceed on her voyage to Otago, Now Zealand. The Dunedni goes on an interesting voyage. She has just beon fitted with Messrs Bell and Coleman's patent refrigerating apparatus, for the purpo&e of bringing: fresh meat Home from the Colonies. She is the first sailing ship which has been so fitted, and the experiment of carrying fresh meat in a sailing ship will shortly have its first trial. The result, if successful, will have a most powerful influence on this trade, and will be watched with close interest. The New Zealand and Australian Land Company (Limited) have made arrangements to bring the first cargo." A few of the more prominent traits in the character of Mr W. A. Murray, M.H.R. (Bruce), a resident of this neighbourhood aie touched off in the following which originally appeared in the. columns of the Otago Daily Times :—: — " William Archibald Murrn,y, the member for Bruce, is a tall, active, restless man, with an original daring mind, that in the days of the Cassars or the Stuarts would have certainly brought him to the gallows. He has no reverence for existing institutions, no venoration for the powers that be, no fear of the most daring noveltier, and no want of confidence in himself. His mind is both inventive and imitative, so that he produces new cou3titutions, new laws, new financial statements, and new policies aa freely as othor members produce new walking-sticks. But whilst he has something new to propose every week, he has all the pertinacity of a man with only one idea, and perseveres year aftnr year with any of his favourite projects, in defiance of, though not utterly regardless to, opposition, indifference, or ridicule. He is in no sense a successful speaker. His language is neither Scotch nor English ; his utterance is too rapid and indistinct, and his command of language is not equal to the demand his fertile brain and his rapid utterance make upon it. He fails, too, altogether in the art of keeping in sympathy with his audience, and is more prone to defy and despise them than to lead them with him. His industry and power of research as very remarkable, and notwithstanding the great attention he devotfls to his numerous hobbies, he always keeps himself well informed on every question that comes before the House." The dispute between the School Committee at Kihikihi and the head teacher of that place has culminated in the following letter addressed to the Board of Education by the Committee :— "To the Board of Education.— School Committee, Kihikihi, October 15th, 1881. —Gentlemen, — I am directed to submit a copy of resolutions as passed by this committee at a meeting legally called, and held in the school building on the above date : That in consequence of the inaction of the Board respecting the insulting and defiant conduct of the head ! teacher, they (the Board) must be responsible for the cessation of school business in ELihikihi, as the committee have been compelled to seek recourse from the power allowed them by the 47th section of the Education Act for suspending a school teacher for gross misbehaviour. In compliance with the above, this is to inform the Board that the teacher has been suspended until the Board grant an ' investigation as requested by this committee, vide report of the.22ud ultimo, or supply the said committee with a fresh teacher. In making this charge, your committee respectfully state that the teacher has held eight months' immutably, defiant conduct. During the whole of that time he has not acceded to one single re-

quest of this committee, in place of which he embraced every opportunity to insult then), persistently refusing to hear reason, or even to treat them with common civility. — I have the honor to be. gentlemen, your obedient servant, C. G. Thomas, Secretary."