The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1550, 10 June 1882, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Ot whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political. Here shall the Press the People's right maintain* Unawed by influence and unbribed by gain.

SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 1882.

A very sore point, as between the county and borough councils and" the Government, is the stoppage' made, twice a year, on account of hospital and charitable aid expenditure, from Government -subsidies given, presumably, for road making. It has 1 seemed to many, of .these local bodies that the charges are utterly out of proportion to the benefits locally received, but, though asked for an explanation as to the basis on' which such charges and stoppages are made, the Government has vouchsafed none. So long as these .charges are, made a local liability, it is only fair that the cdst'should be? pfopdrtionatectp the! benefits received. . * .'Speaking ior, tb.'e "W^ikatoand Waipa , Pounties and for* the' Borough of, Hamilton, we dp , not believe there have been- ( half^a*, Jdogen appeals to Government for as-, sistande,' 9f )% ' ai charitable ' laid 1 " is' concerned, in" as J many years. In all cases, oi admission to the hbspinot ,| (propose X ,to - mt sw X ,shft ,. ,fuJJ, ' charge, l the ,dertificate,, v w&wSi Mayor or County Chairman

might be, made necessary after a recommendation from a justice of the peace, clergyman, medical man, chairman of road boa£d,*'jOr such other responsible , person as might be" applied to, and the council would then not only know what it was fairly called upon to pay, for, but. might save much money by being' ma'de the machinery for recovering such portion of the patient's maintenance in hospital as j he or his relatives could fairly afford to pay. Our hospital, asylum, and charitable aid expenditure is growing into a heavy tax upon the public, which, in a young countrylike .this, it should never be allowed to do. While there are yet large tracts of waste lands, out of. which endowments could be set aside, the present and future of the colony in these matters should be provided for. .In every county, and for such county, sufficient lands should be set apart for endowments which, increasing in value as the necessity for hospital expenditure increased, should not only relieve the present.generation from taxation for such objects, but constitute a fund upon which future generations for all time to come could draw. The lands of the Crown are the property of the people, and we know no more useful or noble purpose to which a fair proportion could be applied than in making provision for the education of the masses and for the relief of suffex'ing humanity.

Tiie board of officers appointed by the Government to report on the volunteer system of the colony seem to have come to the conclusion that nothing but a radical change will meet the necessities of the case, There can be no doubt about it that some alteration ,is called for, but not perhaps to the extent which the board appear to deem proper. In the first place it is proposed to divide the volunteer forces of the .colony into four branches, independent of each other. The cavalry is to consist of two regiments, one for each island, the artillery will be included in one regiment, the infantry is proposed to be divided into six regiments, one for Auckland, (excluding Gisborne) ; one for Wellington, (including Hawke's Bay and Gisborne, • but excluding the Plains country) ; one for Taranaki, (including 1 the Plains) ; one for Nelson, Marlborough and Westland; one for Canterbury and North Otago, and one for Otago and Southland. The other branch of the service, the naval brigades, are to be stationed at Auckland, the Thames, Wellington, Nelson, Lyttelton, and Port Chalmers. Troops of cavalry, and batteries of artillery, are to have on the roll not less than 30, and not more than 50 men, ' inclusive of officers. Infantry companies must have not , less than 40 or more than 60 men. Certain regulations proposed in regard to the enrollment of men. One is that no resignations will be accepted except on account of ill -health or departure from the colony, provision ; being made for the transference from one corps to another in case i of removal from one part of the colony to another. The infantry and artillery are intended to be divided into two lines. Their exact relation to each other is not very clearly defined, but we find that companies in the first line are to attend twenty-eight daylight drills of three hours duration each, one day in camp to count as two such drills. The second line must be raised within twenty-five miles of the company they support in the first line, and must attend six inspections, and a like number of convpany parades in the year to qualify for capitation. Provision is also made for the appointment of officers, captaincy vacancies to be filled by seniority. The remuneration for the first line is as follows : — 2s 6d for each daylight drill ; uniforms, except in the case of officers, to be supplied by the Government, each volunteer to give a promissory note for £3, to cover the cost in case of detention ofxiniform. Capitation will be paid at the rate of lOspernaan. Payment for the second line will be 30s capitation, without uniform. The recommendations, if adopted, would transform the volunteers into a thorough military force, andthisno doubt is the object of the board, one of the prominent members of which is Major- ; General Davidson. The fines and ! penalties proposed to be inflicted are, however, too severe, and stand very little chance of being adopted as part of the scheme. The fines in all cases appear far too excessive, while power is given to the officers to arrest men, who may for slight offences be liable to periods of imprisonment, ranging from ten .days upwards.- ' With these objectionable portions excised, the system proj)osed might ! be adopted with profit, though we confess to believ-*' ing the volunteers might be placed on an efficient footing by measures falling far short of- those . recommended in the board's report.

"Echoes from the ' C!afe!',.are unavoidably held.over. j. . „ „ , , i The Dunedini Harbour Board pur- : pose spending about £300,000 in the improvement of the lmrbodr.', , < i ,"< I

i An attempt is being made to secure the holding of the next- Nefr Zealaftd (Rifle 'Association meeting at fDunedin. , 1 '"',',".

, TherTiiriaiTi HarUOur^ Board have ivoted 4e3oftlto She Widow 'of th< lfcbe \>haxhoWrmW, Qapt.' Mills, a&SL'hMre i jdSef Sl «S' fl&s for a ]»*fesftrtft

? We regret to kear ithafcjMtfßrea,? lkeu#C J).smfc]t : seriou* awident oa Tii'esday n%ht last.' f -He lyrfts

returning . frdm Te Aroha to Waitoa when -fiis , horse slipped on the road, which is in a wretchedly bad condition, and fell, the rider being under the animal when he reached the ground. Mr Breai Jkell's lee. was much bruised,. and he^jwjll j not be able to resume his occupation for I some days..

. The concert under the, auspices .of the Cambridge Musical Union will take place in^ the Hamilton Public and Volunteer Hall ou Tuesday evening next.

- Serious floods have occurred at Napier, and much damage to property. The whole country rouna Napier is described as being under water.

Mr Wheeler, the manager of the Auckland Club, died at midnight on Wednesday from the effects of the injuries he received on Saturday night while ejecting a man from the club.

Cable messages dated Brussels, June 7th, inform us that Sir Henry Parkes is now on a visit to that city, and has been invited to lunch with the King of the Netherlands.

A paragraph announcing that the ordinary ' meeting of the Hamilton Borough Council had been further adjourned till Monday evening next was inadvertently omitted from our last issue.

The weather still continues very uncertain. Thursday morning broke clear and bright, and about noon the air had in it a feeling of summer ; but rain fell again in the evening. Yesterday the weather was again open.

The following tenders were received at Te Aroha on Tuesday evening for the main outlet drain on the Grant and Foster block : — Mann and Co., £729 3s 4d ; Coates, £355 ; Thaxter, £311 10s ; Grimes, £300 (accepted). The tenders of Croke and Goi&s and Co. were informal.

The Waitoa Highway Board notify that the Piako-Tliam.es Road between Waiharekeke Bridge and the Waihou township is unsafe for traffic. The Te Arolia mail coach only runs between Hamilton and Morrinsville at present, the mails being carried on horaeback the rest of the way.

A very interesting paper on " The cause and prevention of tainted milk from animal odour," from the pen of Mr Horace Walpole, manager of the Te Awamutu Cheese and Bacon Factory, will be found on the fourth page of , this issue.

Mr Anderson has been in cora'munication with the member for Waipa respecting the road diversion and repairs to the bridge at Kaniwhaniwha. A reply has been received that the Chief Surveyor, Auckland, had sole control of this work entrusted to him from the Public Works Department.

The culvert at Ewen's hill is fast approaching completion, and none too soon, as the temporary road is at best only a poor make-shift. With this exception the Cambridge-Hamilton Road is in good condition. We would, however, drawn the attention of the Cambridge Highway Board to the necessity for replacing a rotten plank on the Tamahere bridge.

During the past week we have received Several complaints regarding the condition of the Hamilton traffic bridge. After dark it is impossible to get across dry-shod. Some steps ought to be taken to iun the water off the deck, and the Borough Council would be consulting the convenience and comfort of all who aie compelled to cross the river by placing an additional couple of lamps on the bridge.

Paraka and Epiha, the natives charged with shooting McWilliams at Ohinemuriin August. 1879, have be?n committed for trial. We are pleased to ■ see that Mr Barstow, the justice before whom the prisoners were examined has, notwithstanding the influence which was sought to be brought to bear upon him, remained steadfast in his determination to refuse bail. Sufficient difficulty was experienced in effecting the capture of these natives, and they should not be allowed any further opportunities of eluding the hand of justice.

At the last meeting of the Kirikiriroa Highway Board the Government circular on local Government was considered, and the following resolution was passed relating thereto :—": — " That in the matter of finance local governing bodies should not be subsidised from loans, but should have the land fund or property tax, or both, allocated to them for local purposes, to be distributed on a basis liberal to new districts ; that the financial year of Highway Boards should be made to terminate on the 31st March ; that the present method of charging counties with the cost of hospitals and charitable aid is very unjust."

The usual weekly meeting of the Hamilton Literary and Debating Society was held at the Court-house oil Thursday night. There was a good attendance of members, and in the absense of the president, Mr R. 3?. Sandes was voted to the chair. The programme consisted of short impromptu speeches by the members, the subjects being drawn at the opening of the meeting. Criticisms were offered upon the speeches, and the proceedings, which were of more than ordinary interest, lasted till half-past ten o'clock. The speeches extended over a wide range of subjects, and it is gratifying to know that the members as a whole acquitted themselves remarkably well. The subject for Thursday evening next, is an essay on Sir Walter Scott by the Rev. David Fulton, to be followed by readings from the author's works by the members.

On Sunday last the opening sermons of the Paeroa Wesleyan new Church were preached by the Rev Alexander Reid, chairman of the district. In the morning the text was from Psalm cxxii, *• I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord." Several reasons were given why men should be glad to enter God's, house, and we received some capital advice as to the spirit in which we should enter the house of the Lord. The text in the evening was Hebrew xii, 22-5 verses. A contrast was drawn between the Jewish and Christian dispensations, and several of the privileges ' mentioned in the text which belong to the followers of Jesus were enlarged upon. The weather was very unfavorable, and prevented the outsettlers from coming, but the residents in the township attended well, and the collections realised £5 10s. In the afternoon a most interesting account of several churches which he had seen in the Holy Land was delivered by the reverend gentlemen to the scholars of the Sunday School and jbheir parents.— Thames Advertiser.

At the meeting of the Auckland Crown Lands Board -on Thursday, the following business of interest was trans-^ acted :— Tc Aroha Drainage'.— 'Thomas f ' Taylor complained of the inefficient drainage of the ,T,e, Aroha lands.—Referred to the Miniated of 'Lands.—NgaruawaMa.—This was.an.application fromthe Secretary of the Board of Education for a new. school site.— lt agreed to ix inquire whether" the pfcb6sed J site was re< 'quired/ by 'the^Public^W^ks; Depart-: mentroj:* w"M^r'tl|ey r «hS" \>WAteMjfrikutisW 'i^—^'^thern;*' !ofioPprißoMfrWrdte^ibeHalf! of ioPpriBoMfrWrdte^ibeHalf of Mffii; tfersemWnll&i^^!J#^ a ?P%¥! iorfeTtedrb J ekie'-offefeHr^He^pointfd»*duii' |thEtJKe!|a|Cw&:afY^|wtr^smgS6ne.;;.

sided on it, and if tixrned off they would be homeless. Mr Woodhead had gone to Panama as an engineer to earn money to cultivate the land. He was a sober, industrious man. They had not abandoned the. land ; on the contrary, Mrs Woodhead and her four children resided on it. — It was agreed to allow the matter to be deferred.

Regarding the Orange frozen meat a Mr Brown, of Bowenfalls (says the Queenslatider), has received letters from friends in Edinburgh with leference to a carcase of frozen mutton sent by him to that city, in which the meat is referred to in the highest teims of praise. A portion of the carcase was sent to a butcher in Edinburgh, "an unbeliever in Australian mutton." The result of the experience was so .satisfactory, that he wished to know where he could telegraph for 20 carcases. The gentleman to whom Mr Brown sent the mutton writes that this butcher got 20 carcases from London. These went off in two days, and he telegraphed four times for more, in oach instance receiving 20 carcases, which he sold at 9d per lb for fore, and lOd for hind quarters ; but finding it take so well, he had determined in future to make no difference in price between home and colonial mutton.

If any further evidence of the adaptability of this' district to the growth of roots were wanting it might be found on the Grove Farm, the property of Mr G. E. Clark, at Hautapu. In a 13acre field of swedes, 700 sheep have been feeding for the last three weeks, and as yet they do not seem to have made any impression. It may be safely calculated that there will be food enough to last them at least two months longer, but even supposing that the total length of their stay were two months, a few minutes consideration will show how profitable the crop would be at a halfpenny per day per sheep, which is the charge usually made. There can be no doubt that when attention is devoted to the growth of root crops the receipts of the fanner in Waikato will largely increase. For besides the actual piofit accruing from the roots themselves, there can be no- better way of preparing the land for white crops than by the cultivation of turnips or similar roots. It has been shown pretty conclusively that the land in this district can grow grain profitably, but the methods of culture hitherto adopted in most cases would not ensure a good, or even a reasonably good crop in unfavorable seasons.

It will be remembered that the Pensions Bill introduced by Mr Shrimski, and carried through the-House of, Representatives last session, was, amended by the Council, and failing any agreement between the two chambers the bill was allowed to drop, The question as to whether the Council' could' make any amendment in the bill, was] referred to Sir Erskine May, Clerk' of the Imperial Parliament, who has replied as'follows :— House of Commons, 23rd March, 1882.— Dear Sir Francis Bell, —l have read with great attention and interest all the papers you have sent me regarding the New Zealand Pensions Bill. The case is exceedingly well argued on both bides, and I will very briefly state my own opinion upon the point in dispute. 1. As to the Bill, it related to the granting of pensions payable out of the public revenues, and to such pensions exclusively. I consider it to have been a money Bill. 2. Such being the character of the Bill, I am of opinion that the Commons would not have accepted from the Lords any such amendment as that made by the Council, but would have disagreed to it on the ground of privilege, and would have cast out the Bill. 3. I do not think clause 6 was separable from the other clauses of the Bill, or that the precedents cited or the omission of clauses by the Lords were applicable to this case. 4. For all purposes of privilege as between the two Houses, a Bill relating solely to charges upon the public, is a money Bill, whether introduced by a Minister of the Crown or by a private member. I need scarcely add that in answering your question I have confined myself to the practice of the Imperial Parliament, and offer no opinion upon the question specially concerning the Colonial Constitution or the action of its authorities. --I am, &c, T. Erskine May.

Writing on the subject of the recent frozen meat experiment in Otago the Oamaru Times says : —That the meat has arrived in " good condition, and is readily saleable at 6d per lb " is highly satisfactory when all the circumstances connected with the shipment are taken into consideration. During the period of shipping the meat two extremely warm days were experienced and a portion of the cargo suffered slightly in consequence, but evidently not sufficiently so to bring it to the level of the cargoes that have been lately sent from Australia. The trial was also attended with some degree of risk for it will be remembered that the machinery on board the vessel broke down after part of the cargo had been placed on board, and it was not unlikely that the same misfortune might occur again. This however, has not been the case, and the meat has arrived in London in such a condition as to ensure a handsome profit to those enterprising gentleman who have become the pioneers of this industry in New Zealand. Both graziers and stock-breeders are under a great obligation to those who, to prove the feasibility of transport by sailing vessels, risked what represented a considerable sum of money to gain the experience. If the shipment by Dunedin is a success we expect the Mataura's cargo to be still more successful, for the weather has been in farour of its being placed iv the refrigerating chamber in good condition. The meat being shipped is the best procurable kinds, aud should command a ready market in London. The successful result of the' Dunedin's cargo is probably the commencement of a new era in farming and stock-raising in New, Zealand, and these now promise to become and continue the most lucrative occupations in this colony."

Two sheep running on Mr Peacock's farm, near Hamilton, wilt be sold if not claimed within 14 days. Messrs H. E. Cotton and Co., will sell at their rooms to-day a large quantity of furniture, produce, and sundries. Mr J. S. Buckland will sell at the Cambridge Yards on Tuesday, June 20th, fat and store cattle, sheep, &c. Mr D. Elliot, Hamilton Furnishing Depot, notifies that all articles in his line are made to order, and that all kinds of building timber is kept in stock. The new 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 i goods are marked low to ensure a rapid sale must be a great gainer. Gr. and C. sell their drapery, millinery, and clothing at^uch prices for cash as > gives the buyer the advantages of a shareholder in a co-operative society, without the risk of being called upon to bear aportion of the loss should the j ear's business prove unsatisfactory. Garlick and Cranwejl will aim to retain the confidence which the public have ; hitherto shown them, and are determined to give the pure cash system a fair trial; whether ,theyeainor lose thefirst year % Country buyers olfi remitting cash with onjei will be supplied wit)i goods at cq-operatve prices ; just the same as though' they made apcrsonal selection. ,' Furnishing,, goods, such as carpets, floor cloths/ bedsteads', beading* .and^geheßai house furniture, the .largest portion of which is turned 6ut 4 at*6iir owii'factoryj willbe.inarked. atfive pci cent, -vyjlj be allowed'toTthose-wb.&pay at - the timeH,purch > ase.^G,:£ndlCSh^ng.realised i i cash^B^e,'tWpres«nt t stbckj^^,Xi^CHEAP^YJ T jßdl'GHKrfrAn inspeq^iQniiuiwted.-rr&A!iu.icis JLnd-c Vh f^'i ■' vie • '' "p^l^if- A f, Zi'Jt 'i