The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1485, 10 January 1882, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Ju|ii il .mil e\act justice to all men, Ot uliatsfKUT state or persuaMon, i eliyious or prlitu al. floic ~*\\ ill the Press the People's riijht maintain, Unawocl bj lnfluenrc and iinbiibed bv R-iin.

TU/CSDAY, JAiY. 10, 1882.

AcccHiDixc to late accounts there nrj two difficulties winch besot fche meat freezing industry in Australia, and whicli to a great extent have been found to retard its success. In the first place, the want of a suitable receiving place in Louden, where the consignments could be kept in a low temperature until the sales had been effected, has been greatly felt ; so much so, indeed, that steps have been taken to provide against it without delay, before long, therefore, we may expect to see everything which will ensuie the proper treatment of the meat after landing provided for by the erection of suitable premises fitted up with freezing machinery. The other drawback is one of a much more serious character, and unless removed wil' greatly aflect the profitableness of the undertaking. It is seated on the best evidence that the comparatively low price obtained for some of the recent shipments was owing to no defect in the meat, either in regard to its quality or condition, but to the influence exercised by a dealers' " ring," which brought pressure to bear upon the retail butchers who buy at these sales. It has been thought that the only thing necessary to be done was to land the meat in England, just as wheat and wool are landed, and customers will come at once and buy it up. I3ut this is not the case. A writer in the European Mini makes some very yenyiblo and pointed remarks' upon this subject. Me says :—": — " The chief drawback hitherto has been the want of preparation in the disposal of the moat. Indeed, it is not too much to say that all that has been done in this respeel is to make a kind of general announcement to a commission butcher in the meat market that the moat might bo expected to arrive on a certain day. lie in his turn has made the fact known to the trade, who very naturally determine to make the most they can out of the consignment. If this cannot be done by fair means, then they proceed to boycotting, and the public will be told that the meat is both unpalatable and unwholesome. In this way the demand becomes slack, and then the ' ring ' steps in, and, buying at its own price, retails the meat as English at lOd to Is per pound." There can be no doubt that the butchers regard the importation of meat, whether preserved or frozen, as a direct infringement of their rights, and unless they can in some way secure a handsome prout on account of it they "will offer ifc all the opposition in their power. " The thing to do, therefore," continues the writer above quoted, "is to start sonic organisation for the purpose of effectually counteracting tho operations of the butchers. | What form this organisation should take it is not for nic to say, but I should think theie are a siifficient number of practical men in London interested in the success of the Australian and New Zealand trade, who, if they went about fcho matter in earnest, might be able to hit upon some plan with the view to place the meat trade upon a sound basis." It will take time, no doubt, but by careful managornont the opposition of the butcher and the prejudices of those subject to his in-^ lluence are bound to be overcome,' and when New Zealand fairly enters upon the industry the more formidable obstacles to the success of the enterprise will have been swept away. The sparrow nuisance is again asserting itself, and we shall probably have.a repetition, of the complaints lodged against these birds by • the - growers of grain last year; b\jtif,

as before, the subject is to be allowed to end with giving utterance to a protest against the damage done, we shall bo forced to the conclusion that the farmers as a class are deserving of very little of our sympathy. 'I hoir denunciation of the wretched blunderers who introduced the house sparrows into this country v ill be heartily echoed by all classes, just as the supineness they display in casting about them for a remedy will be deplored, jhe rate at which the sparrows increase is alarming, and incalculably valuable time has been lost, inasmuch as that their destruction was not commenced, and insisted on directly their mischievous propensities became evident. Last .year we strongly advised the settlers to form Sparrow Clubs, and we believe, had our advice been followed, the ranks of the pest would have been thinned. Of course the task now would be a much more difficult one — indeed, it seems almost hopeless to expect that an appreciable impression could be made, but it is, nevertheless, worthy a trial. Any attempt must be the outcome of organised action, or it cannot fail to be abortive, and the settlers, if they really are as much alive to this question as they assert, should combine together without any unnecessary loss of time. Everybody, clown to the humblest householder who cultivates a garden, is affected by the spairow nuisance, and all should contribute in just proportion towards carrying out a scheme for the protection of their grain crops, and gardens and fruit orchards.

The Government intend offering for lease, by auction on the 7th March, at the Ciown Lauds office, Auckland, about 12."i acres of tlio new township of Rotorua. Full particulars will be found in an advertisement in another column. The charges of cattle stealing agjinst Grove Vowless, and the cases of disputed accounts between E. Way re and T. C. Hammond, are set down for hearing at the R.M. Court, Hamilton, to-morrow morning, before Cant. Xorthcroft, B.M , liAMiig been adjourned on Satin day. Satisfactory progress continues to bo made on the railw ty bridge over the Waikato at Hamilton. The temporary structure has been canie.l considerably more than half way across the stream, just leaving sufficient room for the passage of the steamer, and most of the iron work is now on the west bank. The Rev. Thomas Spurgeon will pi each in the new "We&leyan church Hamilton, this evening on the occasion of it being opened for public worship. Tomoi row evening a soiree Avill be held in the new Volunteer and Public Hall in connection with the celebration. Tea will be on the table at 6 o'elook.and later in the evening a piogramme of musical selections, vocal and instrumental, addiesses. &c. will be gone through. The bazaar in aid of S Andrew's new church, Cambridge, will be leopened to-morrow evening at the Public Hall. By some mistake it has been announced that the same building will be occupied that evening by Mr Gordon Gooch and Company. We understand, however, that he has secured the Oddfellows' Hall. A fair number of the members of the Hamilton Cavalry Troop attended at the new Volunteer and Public Hall for sword practice, single stick, and foil fencing, and boxing, &c, and appeared to take great interest in the proceedings. These practices will be continued periodically. Nearly all the Auckland horses engaged in the Cambiidge races, which commence to-morrow, arrived by train ycsteulay. Mr Lcnnaul's horses Ratcatcher, Dewdrop, and Kenilworth are in splendid condition, and should give a good account of them&elvcs. Tim Wlulllcr and Clarence are also in good form, while Mr McGec's two, Mother Bunch's Baby and Nebula aie scarcely so good, especially the latter. With fine weather nothing will be wanting to make the Cambridge Summer Meeting of ISS2 a thorough success. It appears that Mr S. Grant (Grant and Foster), intends to settle in Canterbury. Messrs J. &T. Ford report in the Tunimt Herald that through their agency "thcAlford estate, comprising about 10,240 acies of fieehold, with 12,000 sheep, 100 head of cattle, 30 horses and plant, has been disposed of to Mr Samuel Grant, of Healing Meeby, Lincolnshire, England. Mr Grant will be remembered as one of the Lincolnshire delegates who visited us in 1880, and his many iriends in Canterbury will be pleased to leu n that he intends settling with his wife and family at Alford." Mr John Runcinian was to have exhibited an improved hay-loader on his farm, near Captain Steele's, yesterday morning, but from some cause or other the machine did not reach the farm till late in the afternoon. Many were therefore denied the opportunity of seeing it at work. "We understand, however, that it -will be at work again this morning (weather permitting). The machine is very highly spoken of, and doubtless a large number of settlers will avail themselves ol the chance of witnessing its operations to-day. Some misapprehension appears to have arisen as to the allotment of the prizes in the late cavalry contest, and we are requested to state that the scores made at Cambridge were as follow :—: — Trooper A. Forrest, 59; Sergt. -Major Fisher ,58 ; Trooper F. Rhodes, 54 ; Trooper H. Ferguson, 47 ; Trooper Cochrane (Hamilton Troop), 47. The first prize fell to Lieut. Wilkinson (Te \wamutu), "who scored 63 ; the second to Trooper Forrest; the third to Sergfc.Major Fisher, who made 24 at the long range ; and the fourth prize to Lieut. Johnson (Hamilton), who made 22 at the 400 yards range. Of the remaining six prizes, Trooper 3 Rhodes, Ferguson, and Cochrane secured one each. Thus all who fired at Cambridge got prizes. At a meeting of the Hamilton West School Committee, held at G Wynne's Hotel, last night, a letter was read from the Board informing the committee that Mr Martin Meagher had been appointed assistant teacher in the room of Miss Nicholson, intimation being given at the same time that the school was only entitled to one pupil teacher. The secretary laid before the committee a. statement of the receipts and expenditure for the past year, from which it appeared that the total receipts were £34 5s 6d, and tb,e disbursements, £34 15? lid, withone or two outstanding liabilities amounting to' £1 17s 3d, '" It was resolved that, the , secretary request Mr John; Edge^ cumbe'to;aumt')he v acc9unts v » '^ .'^ * We.grcure sfcqwn .yesWdiy Si very^ excellent ,spepimen>bf a f windmill ,;»fqr pumping water on farms/ which' has 1 - beenf made <to )th'e i oVderV of ?MeVsrs * T. and J j 3. ( Morrju I'by^lr^irftm^'JPdrr^^of'Q^W'

bridge.) The ; Forrest iwind-mill differs little in outward appearance from an ordinary pump wind-mill, except, perhaps, that it has less superfluous material than any other. What its maker claims for it is that it is simple anil durable ; it is cheap, and is easily put in or put of gear, even' while in full motion ; it runs in a very light wind, and is so adapted that it can be disconnected from the pump, so as to allow of the latter being Worked by hand, at a moment's notico. Perhaps no other mill/ combines all these good qualities in so eminent a degree, if, indeed, any of them are to be found so prominent. Hitherto the high prices charged for pumping mills —from £12 to £24 — has pi evented their coming into general use, aud Mr Forrest, in designing the one under notice, recognized how requisite this element of cheapness Wcis. He can, he informs us, deliver one of these mills for £6. As to its adaptability to perform the work for which it is intended, Mr Forrest can point to one in regular work which has fulfilled the highest expectations. Settlers living in localities inadequately watered would do well to direct their attention to these mills. At Friday's meeting of the Auckland Education Board the chairman of the Kihikihi School Committee sent in two accounts for payment, but the other members of the committee ignored the application. The accounts were for washing, cleaning, &c. , and it was agreed to reply that the Board could not deal with these accounts. The secretary of the committee sent a letter asking for the names of the members \i ho had voted 1 for and against Mr Mathesons (the" teacher's) removal, &c. It was the general opinion of the Board that the committee had no right to ask who voted for or against i,ny motion. — It was agreed to reply that the resolution winch they supposed li.nl boon earned had been lost on the casting vote of the chairman, and the division list had not been recoided. When speaking ab the banquet given lo him at Leeds, Mr Gladstone quoted the following splendid passage fiom Sir Charles Gavan Duffy's pamphlet on liish affahs. Descnbing the Land Act, he says: — "Now, my friends, is this not a measiue to be received gratefully, and to be utilized to its utmost possibility of good? I mean nothing is clearer than that all the productive energy, all the generous enthusiasm of the people should be immediately directed to this task, that we ought to seize all points of vantage without delay. If I were a Bishop I would write a pistoial ; if I were a piiest, I would wiito a discourse ; if I were a journalist, I would make myself hoard from the rostrum of the profession. If I could do no bettei, I would beat a drum on the highway to command the ear and fix the attention of the Irish people on the splendid opportunity they possess of becoming prosperous and happy." Loud cheers followed the delivery of this extract, and Mr Gladstone went on to say :—Gentlemen, that is the impartial judgment pronounced on the Land Act by Irish patiiotism of the old school." It is said that a prominent member of the Irish Revolutionary party in America is collecting Colorado beetles for transmission to England. As the Pull Mall Gazette observes, he can hardly have thought out all the bearings of this auxiliaiy to the dynamite which he desires to enli&t in the service of his patriotic aspirations. Dynamite is not a locomotive substance, and when you have placed it in train you know that it will obey the ordinary scientific law, and act only where it is, and you have merely to keep the proper distance to be safe. Hut beetles can move and multiply, and Ireland is not- so remote from England that colonizing the one with beetles would not mean planting the other with beetles too. Moreover, the Colorado beetle is deeply attached to potatoes, and as long as Ireland contained a potato, that country of potatoes would probably be its chosen homo. "Anglo-Australian," -writing in a Home paper on the subject of the frozen meat indiibtry, &ays : — "Several months ago I hinted at cold storage as being advisable, and subsequent experience has confirmed me in my \ia»vs. The existing plan, I believe, is for the butchers to carry off the meat in its frozen state, and thus it is often sold before it is half thawed. The result is that the consumer becomes disgusted with his purchase, and it is clear that if this system is continued a prejudice!, which it will be difficult to overcome, will set in, and do much damage to a promising industry. To some extent this prejudice may be said to already exist, and, as it is desirable that it should not be allowed to extend, perhaps colonial exporters will see the importance of instructing their consignees to discover whether any cold stores in close proximity to the Thames are available for the storage of meat ; aud, if so, let them stipulated that the meat be so stored, thawed, wiped down, and sold at a fair market value to all comers. In this way the meat could be kept pure, and not be sold at a sacrifice. I have seen Australian meat, which has been kept in a cold store, after it has been thawed and wiped down, that has looked as inviting and as fresh as if it had only just left the butcher's shambles. There is reason, therefore, to believe that if attention was paid to b'i'.'h little details as I have hinted at, the importation of meat would become a profitable and paying industry "

An experienced farm hand seeks permanent employment on a station or large farm. The TVaikato Land Association invite tenders, up to Saturday, the 21st inst., for clearing 1 and ploughing 1 about 300 acres of land at Ncwstcad . Notice in given that all dogs in the Borough of Hamilton must be legistcrcd within fourteen days from date. Mr Gerrand, storekeeper, Rangiriri, offers a reward of £1 for the recovery of a mare, description of which is given. Mr J. S. Bnckland will sell at the Cambridge yards on Tuesday next, the 17th inst., 60 head mixed store cattle, well-bred heifers, fat cattle, fat sheep and lambs, etc. Messrs W. J. Hunter and Co will hold their first sheep fair of the season at the Ohaupo " yards on Thursday, February 2nd. ( Intending sellers are requested to forward entries as soon as possible, so that suitable yards may be erected. Messrs W. J. Hunter and Co. will sell at the Ohaupo yards on Thursday, the 19th inst , one and two-year-old steers from Auckland, well-bred 18-months-old steers, roan bull, 100 mixed cattle, di aught fillies, mares and geldings, etc., etc. The now pure cash system now being initiated by G. 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 the' goods are marked low to ensure a rapid sale must be a great gainer. G. and C. sell their draper)', millinery, and clothing at such prices for cash as gives the buyer the advantages of a shareholder in a co-operative societ}', without the risk of being called upon to bear abortion of the loss should the year's' business ! prove unsatisfactory. Garlick 1 " and Cranwell will aim to retain the cofidence'"' which the public have hitherto shown them, and are detern)ined,to give the pure cash'sys'tem a fair trial ; whether they gain or lose the first year. Country buyers on remitting cash with6rder will be* supplied with goods at co-operatve prices ;, just the same as though they made apersonal selection. Furnishing-; goods, " such) 1 as carpets, 'floor cloths, bedsteads/beidinl:- and generai chouse tKe-Jargest^qrtJonjOf which-is,, turned dut'at our'o\fn "factory, willbe^narked at the'low^est.remunerlitivepncesVand'^discbunt'of 'five per cent, will toe 'allowed tp'those.who payiat, the entire' value'of their stock, dtfiinff' .their cash sale f the present" 's^toctis'ks^tANrCcHis'APi.Y. invited .street,' £wW|i4rf * }JZv. s:= J^Up^m