The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1580, 19 August 1882, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Equal <i?id evict justice to all men, Ot whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political. Hero shall the J'ress the People's right maintain, Un.iwed by influence and unbribcd by gain.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, ISS2.

Since the passing of the Small Birds Nuisance Bill, introduced into the House by Mr Steward, the member for Waimate, we have received several applications for information respecting its provisions. We therefore take this opportunity to explain the object of the measure, and to urge upon the settlers of this dibfcrict its .speedy adoption. The principal provision of the Act is that any local governing body — a i'oad board or county council — may by resolution appropriate part of the funds at his disposal accruing from rates for the purpose of applying it to the destruction of sparrows, or other birds, or animals, which it has been shown arc inimical to the successful raising of crops. Provided always that the sum so appropriated and applied does not exceed the amount which might be raised by a special rate of three half-pence in the <£ on the rateable value of the property in the district in which the money is to be expended. No special rate can be imposed except at the request of at least onethird of the number of lesident ratepayers of the riding or district where it is proposed to bring the Act into force. The machinery of the Act, it will be seen, is of the most simple and workable character, so that no diih'culty need be experienced in bringing the measure into opeiation. Before the introduction of the bill into Parliament, a great, and very rca&onablc outcry was raised in all parts of the colony against the small bird pest, and grain growers, while loud in their denunciations of the sparrow and its sapient acclimatisers, were also anxious that the Legislature should step in and provide a remedy which should be thoroughly efficacious, that is to say, one -which should embrace the whole of New Zealand. It was felt, and we have more than once given expression to this feeling, that any merely local attempts to keep clown the pest would be fruitless. Now in the Act which has just passed such a remedy has been provided, and it remains to be seen to what extent the colonists will avail themselves of it. Wo very much fear that it will fail of its great object, that the farmers in too many cases will gruclgo to provide the necessary funds, preferring the indefinite loss occasioned by the small birds to the ascerfcainable one caused by a special rate. Nothing could be more suicidal. In one or two cases where farmers have gone to the trouble ' of calculating the value of the grain destroyed, by ih&\' birds, the result has shown 'them that the loss is' twenty times greater than the sum which they would be

called upon to pay by way of a rate. Tho work of destruction ought not to be delayed long, because, as has before been pointed out, the birds will soon have a sufficiency of food compared with which the poisoned grain will have little attraction for them. Local bodies will have, in the event of the rate being levied, to consider how best to expend it. In some of the Southern districts, where money for the purposes has hitherto boen raised by subscription, the plan adopted was to offer rewards of so much per 100 for sparrow's heads deposited with the person appointed to receive them. This was found to answer well so far as it went, and its ultimate failure was owing solely to the difficulty in getting subscriptions. With a regular fund at their disposal, road boards are placed in a much better position than these volunteer committees of which we now speak. If the plan is wanting in success it will, we make bold to say, be owing entirely to the apathy of the settlers, for whose sole benefit it has been adopted by Parliament.

It has transpired that during Te Wetore's visit to Wellington recently, the son of the Rev Mr Whiteloy, the missionary who was murdered by the natives at the White Cliffs in 1869, took steps to secure the arrest of the chief. This came to the knowledge of the Native Minister, who at once advised Te Wetcre to " make himself scarce." It is needless to say that this counsel was acted on. Te YVetere denies having been concerned in the SVhite Cliffs massacre, though theie are various stories afloat regarding the part played by him on that occasion. Mr Bryce's action, singular as it may appear, seems to have met with very general approval on all hands, and the desirableness of granting an amnesty for all past political offences is now being urged. The murder of Mr Whiteley was undoubtedly prompted by motives of fanaticism, and was not owing to any personal feeling, so that it does not belong to the category of ordinary crimes, such as that for which Winiata recently paid the penalty. In view also of the improved attitude taken up by the natives, and of the necessity for the speedy 'opening of the King Country it were well to let by-gones be by-gones. Te Wetere has lately shown a most praiseworthy desire to unlock for the purpose of commerce a country rich in mineral wealth, and hitherto inaccessible to Europeans, and it would be a graceful act, and would mark our approval of his conduct were we to remove once and for all the incubus which, notwithstanding his protestations of innocence, still rests upon him.

We would draw the attention of local coach proprietors and mail carriers to an advertisement which appears in another column calling for tenders for the, inland mail services for 1883 and 1884.

The Rev. H. J. Edwards, late of All Saints Church, Ponsonby, will take the services at S. Peter's Church, Hamilton, to-morrow. The Rev, Mr Carrick of Auckland, will conduct divine service at the Presbyterian Church, Hamilton.

The man Patrick OBrien, charged with drunkenness and creating a disturbance, was brought up at the Hamilton Police Court on Thursday, and fined 40a, in default, to go to gaol for seven days. The money was paid.

The Cambridge Town Board call for tenders for drainage woiks in the vicinity of the Lake, and, considering the damage which the recent heavy rains have done to the banks of the Lake, the proposed work is being seen to none too soon.

The Cambridge Town Board have not as yet received any rejily to their letter forwarded to the Government some few weeks ago, recommending that the whole of the sections between Queen-street East and Whitaker terrace should be taken for railway station purposes.

The approaches to the bridge at Whatiwhatihoe were expected to be so far advanced on Wednesday last as to admit of the jpa-ssage of wheeled traffic. Tawhiao was in Alexandra that day, and would probably be the first to cross.

Mr Linden, agricultural implement maker, Alexandra, has made eonsidciablc improvements in the doublefurrow plough, whereby the draught can be so lightened as to allow of a plough of this class being worked by a pair of horses in place of three. We trust shortly to be able to quote prices, and give further particulars of the merits of these ploughs.

Late cablegrams from London inform us of a very unpromising state of affairs in Dublin. Since the recent manifesto was issued by the Mayor, great excitement has prevailed, and Mr Paincll is exhorting public calmness. At the Mayor's banquet the toast of the Queen was hissed, and Judge Lawson vilified.

The proprietor of the Dublin Fneiiwii'i, Journal, Mv & D. Gray, who i& now M.P. tor County Carlow, has been sentenced to three months' imprisonment, and to pay a fine of £500, for publishing certain articles reflecting upon tue judges and jurymen who were engaged in tryiug a recent case of agrarian murder.

The Te Awamutu Cheese and Bacon Factory is fast approaching completion. On this occasion it will be only necessary to refer to the'generally substantial appearance it presents, and leave for a future issue a detailed account of the plan, size and consti notion of the different apartments, which will be of moic interest to our readers when the machinery and plant are in position and working order.

Persons on the look-out for good business sites in Hamilton and convenient town allotments suitable for building purposes, will shortly have an opportunity of making a choice. Messrs S. Cochrane and .Son, of Auckland, have received orders from the trustee of the estate of Mr James Martin to sell by auction at their mart, in Auckland, on the 30th inst., the numerous valuable freehold properties of that gentleman in Hamilton

An influential meeting of the Ngatimaniapotos was held at J£opua last Sunday. The subject before the meeting was in connection with lands granted at Kopua in former years for. church missionary purposes — whether these grants should be cancelled or not. Nothing definite was arrived at, and another meeting will shortly be held to further discussthe matter.

The Exchange; Hotel, Alexandra, ■will shortly, be removed 'from its , site, to the corner, opposfte Finclfs, Hotel. Now that the^bridge' at.Whatiwhatihoeis opened; the principal |raffic will pass this site,' which may 'be' considered the' most desir^ble; v one;i4^lexai}dpf [j^ r e antiei\ pate an*er,a'O,f prosperity for this jto^wn- 1 ship, tocl there is little doiib't > the popular proprietor of the ESchange, K Mr Connell, will receive a fair share'of it. * '

Mr Mandeno, the contractor for the erection of Mr Sloane's new store and dwelling house, Te Awamutu, has commenced operations, and expects to finish about the end of October.— "Hen'omplains that skilled .labor is so scarce thatHt is ihv-, possible to get contracts' through as rapidly as could be wished inconsequence. The plans were prepared by Mr Maudeuo, and the different apartments a4Kapita|Ly arranged to suit the requirements of a dwelling house and business.premises. ! i , | ,

It will be seen by an advertisement in another column that .applications are invited for the position of local a»ent for the Industrial Branch ot the Government Insurance Department at Cambridge, vat Mr Westby, who has resigned that position. Applications are to be addicssed to Mr 11. H. Douse, the Superintendent of the Department, who will be at the Post-office, Cambridge, this afternoon. Seeing the popularity which this,branch of life assurance has achieved we should imagine that in such an important district as Cambridge, there should be little difficulty in securing the services of a suitable person to fill the vacancy.

MrR. H. Douse, the Superintendent of the Industrial Branch of the Government Insurance Department, arrived in Hamilton yesterday. He is engaged in his periodical inspection of the agencies under his charge. It appears that this branch of the Government Insurance is very popular with the working men throughout the colony, as during the past live months nearly 5000 policies have been issued, and the average weekly issue is increasing rapidly. As a proof of this we may mention that in the Auckland district alone, there were last week issued nearly 150 policies.

The charge against Sergeant O'Grady, of the Thames, for alleged rape, has fallen through. When the case came on for hearing at the Police Court on Thursday, before Mr Kenrick, the prosecutrix, Harriet Eyre, and her husband both denied any ground existing for such a charge being laid, their former statements to the contrary notwithstandstanding. The Magistrate discharged the accused, remarking that there was not the slightest imputation against his character. At the same time,Mr Kenrick said that, in the face of the testimony previously made by Eyre and his wife, Superintendent Thomson had no alternative but to prosecute. Accused was represented by Mr Hesketh.

A meeting of subscribers and others was held in the Theatre Royal, Timaru, on Thursday, in connection with the Wreck Relief Fund. Thatotalainouut subscribed to date, as shown by the bal-ance-sheet, is £2104, the amounts over £50 being as follows :—From Timaru, £900; Oamaru, £116; Christclmrch, £246; Wellington, £181; Dunedin, £340"; Nelson, £63; and Napier, £33. The expenditure, up to the present time, being : —Relief of widows and orphans, and assisting distressed sailors, £583. Archdeacon Harper and Messrs, Wakefield, Granger, and Zeisler weie elected permanent trustees. It was le&olved to put £150 one side for a monument, and to invest the balance in aid of sufferers. The committee were desired to ■write to the various contributors thanking them heartily for their assistance.

The usual weekly meeting of the Cambridge Mutual Improvement Society was held in the Court-house on Thursday evening last, and was well attended both by members and visitors. The president, Mr W. L. O. Williams occupied the chair. The programme consisted of readings from Sir Walter Scott, some ot which were well delivered, and all of which were liberally criticised. "Is the the present policy of the English Government in Ireland likely to benefit the country, or is it likely to restore peace and happiness among the people of that country " is the subject chosen for debate on the 17th September. Mr Francis Hicks taking the affirmative, and Mr J. Edgar the negative.

The Auckland football representatnes arrived by train yesterday, and after renewing the inner men at the Hamilton Hotel, proceeded across the river to Sydney Square to have a little practice. The ground was found to be in excellent order, and a line has been cut out of the turf all round the ground to show the boundaries distinctly. It is to be hoped that the general public will keep on the outside of this line, so as not to interfere with the play. The names of the Auckland team are—Ansley, Biggs, Bindon, Braund, Carter, Croxtou, Davy, Henderson (captain), Newell, O'Connor, Orchard, Sibbin, Simms, White, and Whiteside. Waikato team — Barton, Blazell, Cotton, Cussen, Dalziell, Graham, Grey, Grierson, Halls, Hunt, Lang, McNiccol, Pilling, Ring, and Wood. The game will commence at 2 p.m. Mr Cotter will umpire for Auckland, and Mr Collins for Waikato. The Hamilton Band will be on the ground during the afternoon and render selections of music, and in the evening the two teams and their friends will dine at Gaudin's Hotel at half-past 6 o'clock.

11l the Legislative Council on Thursday last, the Thorndon Reclamation Bill was read a first time, and the amendments made in the Railway Construction and Land Act Amendment Bills were agreed to. (Several minor bills passed their second readings. The Auckland College Bill was supported by 27 against i, on a motion that it be thrown out, and the third reading of the Auckland University Bill was fixed for yesterday. Iv the House of Representatives, on the same day, the following bills were discharged f i om the Order Paper : — The Mining on Harbour Reserves, Mining on Education Reserves, and Mining on Water-iace Reserves Bills. On the motion of Mr Dick, Colonel Trimble was elected Chairman dining the unavoidable absence of Mr Hamlin. In committee on the Coroners Act Amendment Bill, an amendment that the number of jurymen to be summoned upon a coroner's inquest be six, of whom four shall be agreed, rather than of twelve as at present, was moved by Mr Dick and passed, subject to the proviso of five out of the six agreeing upon a verdict, The bill was then read a third time and passed. On the motion for the third reading of the Law Practitioners Bill, Mr Holmes denounced the bill as calculated to degrade the profession. On Major Atkinson asking that the bill be postponed, Mr Hutchison advised Sir George Grey not to accept the suggestion, as there was great fear the Government bill would not pass this session. The bill was recommitted on a division of 33 to 29.

Mr J. D. Hill, Alexandra, advertises his, business in another column. Notice is given of the stoppage of a road in the Pirongia district. . A collie dog, collar 140, Waipa, is found. ( The London Photographic Company will visit Te ,Awamutu shortly. Mr J. Moses notified ttiat 'as his Hamilton, business will be closed in fifteen days, all goods will be sold under cost. "At the expiration of that' time the property will ,be advertised for sale. ■ ' ',-',, , , ( '' Messrs". W. J.. Hunter and 1; p6., will hold their first spring sale f 3t'Ngaruawahia O n „Thursday, .August, 31st ; when about X, 200, head mixed cattle' will be 'yrirdcdi'-Entries-may^be made -with' Mr *T. V; Fitapatrick," or Jhcauc-; tioneers, Obaupo, and should 'be -made;"as* so&'n ksposisiyfeidftMittthfe li^trm>y $>&: pro? , perty, advertised.^, Cattle will r x b'e 'dehyerecU^v; a train' at' <i airstations;to' ( bi!3fers, ( andipiiddpck^ accommodation, wiir'bol provided^Vellers. r ,Om Thursday.nekt thby jsill a.l^ Cambridge, I],1 ], dairy "cows, fat cattle, fat sheep, r'B{c^!M:,,/V|,t'