THURSDAY, SEPT. 28, 1882.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1597, 28 September 1882, Page 2

THURSDAY, SEPT. 28, 1882.

No one in the colony is, we suspect, in the least exercised in mind about the mission of Mr Sydney Taiwhanga and his venerable uncle to England. They may possibly, by creating a false impression concerning the mutual relations of the colonists and natives, do some temporary harm, but the final result of the burlesque will be the permanent relegation of all matters affecting the Maori race to the people of New Zealand. That eccentric dignitary of the church, the Bishop of Nelson, i possibly still smarting under Mr Bolleston's rebuke, may exhibit his proteges to the English people as the representatives of a noble, but down-trodden race, and Mr Grorst, who ought to know better, may ventilate their imaginary grievances in the Imperial Parliament ; but the Colonial Office is not likely to set the Thames afire on their account, and the general public will speedily get tired of them when the novelty of the exhibition has worn off. The spectacle is not without its amusing side to those who know something of the character of Mr Taiwhanga. Few will bo able to repress a smile, when they read how the confiding Bishop of Bedford, whose sympathies have been enlisted on behalf of the distinguished visitors, is making an appeal for funds to take them back to New Zealand, on the plea that, having miscalculated the expenses of the trip, they havoc outrun the constable. The better to carry out this object, Mr Taiwhanga and his fellow ambassador have been induced to pose before the community in the character of Christian converts. They have been taken to Lichfield, and have wept copiously at the tomb of the late Bishop Selwyn, designating him as their father, and referring with moist eyes to the happy clays when the good bishop reigned over, and preached the Gospel to them. Of course jill this is very affecting, and is admirably fitted to draw pity and subscriptions from unsophisticated old ladies, who do not know with what facility tears can be made to flow down those dusky cheeks, and are unacquainted with the position the church holds among the Maoris. We have no doubt the necessary funds will be raised ; the contributions of the philanthropically inclined will be supplemented by subscriptions from those who wish to bo rid of Mr Taiwhanga, and who are anxious .to devise means for getting him away as soon as possible. This visit of Taiwhanga has created a certain amount of interest in the fate of To Whiti, and some respectable English journals have gone out of their way to slander the colonists for their oppression of the native race ; even the English correspondents of some of our NewZealand contemporaries have become infected, and launch out into attacks on the European population of this colony in most vigorous style. They aro not, it is true, without the authority of great names, and freely

quote Mr Robert Stout, who, as onco having held a seat in the Cabinet, ought to know something about the matter. After all, it really makes little difference what a 'section oT the English people think on the' native question. We know our own business best, and the Home Government, fully recognising this fact, are not likely to intermeddle in our internal affairs.

The pernicious effects of the system of standard examinations, as carried out by the Auckland Board of Education, has boon again exemplified. A second cabo, closely analogous to that referred to in these columns a few <1 lys ago, has come under our notice. The circumstances are, briefly, that the inspector having reported unfavorably, the teacher has received notice of dismissal, notwithstanding that the committee and the parents are in the highest degree satisfied with the progress of the children. The school in question is in one of the most distinctively rural districts in the Waikato, and the children, as in the other case referred to, were, to use a broad colonialism, simply knocked off their perch by the inspector, and failed to exhibit the knowledge they possessed. It is really cruel that the unfortunate teacher should bo made to suffer for the bashfulness of his pupils There is not the slightest necessity for making a scape-goat of any one, and the proper remedy is to institute a better system of examination. If it be part of a schoolmaster's duty to implant a certain amount of "cheek" in the nature of the children, let it be clearly understood ; but it is shameful to punish a teacher for neglecting to teach what is not included in the curriculum of the school. Yet this is precisely what the board are doing, and if they persist in their course they will soon shut up every country school in the province. We hope the committee and. parents concerned in the two cases to which we have drawn attention will make a stand until they have convinced the board of the gross injustice f the course pursued in respect of the teachers now under marching orders.

The usual weekly meeting of the Hamilton Literary and Debating Society will be held at the Court-house this evening, when Dr. Edgelow will deliver his lecture on " Health." The evening service at S. Andrew's, Cambridge, on Sunday next, and during the summer months, will be at seven o'clock instead of at half-past six, The Auckland Slaughtering and Freezing Company may now be said to have been fairly started. At Tuesday's meeting at Ohaupo, the prospectus (as published in these columns a few clays ago) was adopted, and the necessary steps taken towards placing the shares. We have no doubt that the objects of the new company will commend themselves to all interested in the welfare of the province. The Bank of New Zealand has been appointed bankers to the Auckland Native Lands Colonisation Company, and the following have been added to the list of directors :— Captain Morris, M.H.R., Captain Colbeck, and Ko Kaukiuta. We are glad to learn thab applications for shares are coming in freely, and that the company is likely to be a great success. This evening the members of the Cambridge Mutual Improvement Association will debate the question, " Has the policy of the English Government in regard to Irish Affairs been for the benefit of the country ; or is that policy likely to restore peace and happiness among the Irish people." The debate will be opened in the affimative by Mr Francis Hicks, and in the negative by Mr J. F. Edgar. A petition to the Hamilton Borough Council, praying that body to take the necessary steps towards dissolving the borough, with a view to the creation of two town districts, lies for signatures at the stores of Messrs R. Harris (Hamilton East), and John Knox (Hamilton West). The petition, which is being numerously signed, will be presented to the council at their next meeting on Tuesday next. A correspondent writes from Alexandra :— ln Tuesday's issue you state that Mr Sago drove Mr Grace and party to Kopua last Saturday, and was the first to drive a vehicle over the new bridge. Your informant must have been labouring under a great mistake, as Kopua is inaccessible at present to vehicular traffic. Secondly, Mr Thomas Finch drove over the new bridge in his waggonetteeand pair as far as Whatiwhatihoe (where Mr Grace went) four weeks ago, but I did not think the affair worth chronicling. Tne members of the Cambridge Mutual Improvement Society have decided on giving a public entertainment in aid of the Cambridge Public Library on the evening of October 19th, in the Public Hall. The first part of the programme will consist of readiugs, recitations, and musical selections, and the second part will consist of a farce by the Cambridge Dramatic Society. As the library committee contemplate carrying out extensive improvements to the library building shortly, the present accomodation being somewhat limited, the object of the entertainment deserves support. A meeting of persons interested in the cause of temperance was held in the mission room, Cambridge West, on Monday evening, 18th inst., MrWhytock, the pastor of the Baptist Church, in the chair. The object of the meeting was to discuss the advisability of establishing a society, unconnected with any particular church or denomination, for the furtherance of temperance principles and to 3tem the drinking habits of society. After some conversation, it was resolved to form a Cambridge West Blue Ribbon Temperance Society, Mr Whytock being elected president and Mr Morris secretary. The secretary was instructed to procure the necessary pledge cards and blue ribbon, etc. It was resolved to hold the meetings on alternate Monday evenings in the mission room at 7.30. The next meeting will be held on Monday, 2nd October.— [Communicated.] A considerable area of wheat has been sown this year in the Paterangi and Tuhikaramea districts. Indeed, Jtne settlers of these districts seem to have come to the conclusion that-cropping pays better in Waikato than grazing ; for the ayea of wheat sown this year far exceeds that of any previous year. All are using one of Tonks 1 champion drills, the property 6i Mr Roclie: The" good feature's., of this drill have already' made 'it vevy popular among the settlers, in fact none else' seem to be used in the districts above mentioned , as it sowa the wheat

—. z- t — rrr~, regularly and covers it so that the mWI birds cannot' get at it. In this way\ it sows on an average about eight or ten \ acres a day. ! t may also be said of %he ! champion drill that it has been comnien- • ded by "all whb'have used " it, as thTtfibsk suitable ever imported into YVaikato, for this soil, it being of very easy draught.. Our Raglan correspondent writes ;« —The Californian quail, liberated a slioit time since on the estate of Mr T. B. Hill, t have very soon dispersed all over this district. * Some of them have been seen^ at Mr Suttons, Waitetuna, a distance of fifteen miles from the estate mentioned, while others ha\ c been seen on some of the mdst inaccessible pails of the sea coast. Hopes ai c entertained that the^ will increase rapidly in numbers, as it b found they sleep on trees, or off the ground, which should preserve them front the ravages of rats and other like vermin The trout ova has now arrived here, am lias been placed in the Okete creek, wheri they will be kept in proper places until ready for further distribution. They ad under the charge of Mr Wallis, who will! no doubt, use his best exertions for theii welfare. Ultimately, it is proposed to introduce them into all the most suitable streams in this and the Ruapuke districts, of which there are a large number..