The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1606, 19 October 1882, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Equ.il and cvictjustice to all men, Ot whatsoever st.ite or persuasion, religious or politic. il. Here shall the Press the People's right maintain, Unawed by influence and unbribcd by gam.

THURSDAY, OCT. 19, 1882.

With a Land Court which promises to last for a number of months, and with dry weather close at hand, the people of Cambridge have again taken to debate the question : How are we to secure a suitable water supply ? Eor the past two years this question has been almost continually before the Cambridge public, in the shape of public meetings, petitions, and letters to the press. Engineers have reported upon the question; schemes have been conceived, submitted, and debated ; and estimates given of the probable cost and efficiency of the respective pi^osals. Still the matter was as far advanced two years ago as it is to-day ; notwithstanding the fact that it has been almost perpetually before the public ever since. We are told never to put of? till to-morrow that which can be done to-day, but the action of the Cambridge ratepayers seems to be sadly out of keeping with the time-worn motto. Indeed they seem to have adopted the old taihoa policy of the Maori ; for though the want is perpetually staring them in the face, they rest on their oars, and never exert themselves to secure what they are continually clamour-! ing for, as if the supply artificial was like the supply natural, a dispensation of a bountiful Providence.

When a - good opportunity was afforded the ratepayers about eighteen months ago, of having a suitable temporary scheme in connection with the Waikato Steam Navigation Company's works, at a very reasonable cost, i\ was nofc taken advantage of; in fact it received but very .scant consideration. Then another idea was propounded, which, if adopted, had the air of permanency about it, but which, owing to its cost could not bo entertained. Several of the members of the present town board when elected pledged themselves to support any reasonable proposal for supplying the town with water ; and in accordance with their pledge they have been of late exerting themselves in that direction. A sum of money was voted Mr Hosldng a few weeks ago to report upon a scheme by which the water could be raised from the Waikato river. In accordance with the board's request Mr Hosking has drawn up a scheme, an outlive of which we published recently. It is proposed to raise the water by means of doubleacting pump?, worked by a floating water-wheel moored in the river, and force it through a five-inch pipe into a concrete reservoir at Reids corner. The reservoir will contain 300,000 gallons, and the amount of water raised daily by the pumping machinery is estimated at 30,000 gallons. As some objections have been raised to the river water being used for domestic purposes, it is proposed to filter the water before passing into the service pipes. Mr Hosking calculates on providing the present population with 30 gallons daily per head, and when the population trebles, 10 gallons, which he considers amply sufficient for domestic uses. According to the figures quoted, the reservoir which Mr Hosking proposes to erect will contain ten clays' supply iv case of emergency for a population of 3000 people, or about 30 days' supply for the present population. The reservoir would be raised a few feet from the ground, but would not be sufficiently elevated in case of fire to force the water over the tops of the houses even in the lower end of the town. An ample supply of water being at hand, a manual fire engine, which could be had at a very reasonable figure, would be found sufficient to prevent a fire from spreading. The extreme cost of the new scheme, including service pipes and labour, is estimated at about £2,500, and to pay interest on this a special rate of 6 per cent, in the £ would have to be levied on all the rateable property in the town. Mr Hosking proposes to provide for the sinking fund, %year and tear, and working expenses out of a charge, over and above the water rate, of so much per thousand gallons, to be paid by all who have the water laid on to their houses. We infer from this that whether the ratepayers use the water or not they will have to contribute their share of the interest. When the matter comes before the public (if ever) ( for discussion, this, we believe, will be the most objectionable feature in the whole affair, inasmuch as people living in the back streets, and along the outskirts of the town will naturally object to pay for what they do not i-eceive. Mr Ilosking sets forth hib scheme merely as one of temporary accomodation, sufficient to \ meet the requirements of the town until it is large enough to afford a scheme such as that suggested by Mr Grwynneth. Since we published the outline of this latest proposal it has been extensively reviewed and debated, and has met with not a little adverse criticism. To those who arc interested in the welfare of the town it is becoming apparent that a water supply is almost indispensible, particularly at the present season, when the population is about doubled, and sanitary precautions are necessary.

It is said that Mr Parnell supports the cloturc proposals brought down by Mr Gladstone.

Barnum, the great American showman, has decided to add two live specimens of the Maori race to his collection, ancljie has appointed an agent in Auckland to secure the exibits.

A meeting of the Cambridge Cricket Club Committee was called for Tuesday evening last, for the purpose of drawing up rules for the guidance of the club, and other business ; but owing to the non-attendance of the secretary the meeting fell through.

A Reuters telegram, dated London, Oct. 16, says :— News is to hand from Dublin that the sentry on guard outside the city barracks was shot dead at his post last night. The assassin made off, and no clue to his whereabouts has yet been obtained.

Mr George Loyegrove, Hamilton. writes .—". — " There is an error in your local about my mother's pedigree. It should read thus: — The great - great - granddaughter of Francis Radcliffe, second Earl of Derwentwater, who married the younger daughter of King Charles 11. By correcting the error you will oblige."

• The Waotu block is still before the Land Court at Cambridge, and the examination of the various claimants and , ■witnesses is now being slowly proceeded with. The examination of witnesses is expected to last some some considerable time yet, there being a large number to examine, and the evidence having to be interpreted much time is necessarily spent in this way.

The Eev H. J. Edwards, incumbent of S. Peter's, Hamilton, returned from Auckland yesterday, having resigned his cure" to the bishop. Mr Edwards has finally concluded that it is necessary for his health that be should leave the district, aud from an advertisement in another column it . will be seen that the furniture in the parsonage is to be sold on the 2nd prox, (

There is a great scarcity of labour in' tKe * Waikato "just at present.' Coth : plaints to this effect haye 1 reached us

from all parts of the district. As much as 7s per day has been offered for ordinary labourers' work and refused, men preferring to engage in swamp work where the rate of pay is somewhat higher. In another column Mr Lovett advoitises for 50 men at S per day," to woi k on the Cambridge railway.

The following tenders have been received for the bush contract, Cam-bridge-Rotoiua Road : —Accepted : A. flutler, Grahamstown, €2135. Declined: Montague and Oir, Cambridge, £3370; Lovett and (himos, H.nnilton, £244(5 ; Kensington Bros., Tauranga, £2500 ; J. B. Ross, Auckland, £270.) ; Hunt and White, Auckland, £2790; T. Wells, Cambridge, £2972 ; J. C. Booth, Hamilton, £3585.

At the E.M. Court, Hamilton, yesterday, before Mi* If. W. Northcioft, R.M., the ca»es, Jas. McPhersou r. Wiremu Te Wheoro, for £15 for highway rates, and Geo. Edgecumbe v. John 11. Randerson for £9 18s in both of which judgment was reserved from last Comtday, the plaintiffs were non-suited without costs. In the case H. L. Kingsley v. A. W. Ellis, claim £6 4s, judgment was reserved till next Court-day. This was all the business.

The Mayor of Hamilton forwarded the following telegram to the Premier on Tuesday :— Hon. Premier, Wellington. — Citizens of Hamilton and settlers in neighbouring districts request me to respectfully ask you if, after the ceremony of opening the Alexandra bridge, yon would honour them by performing the ceremony of declaring the Hamilton bridge free of toll. — John Knox Mayor.

The residents of Cambridge West intend holding u conversazione in the schoolhouse about the latter end of this month, in aid of the Sunday-school harmonium fund. The leading amateurs of the distiict have con&ented to render their services on the occasion, and other arrangements have been made to make the evening a thoroughly enjoyable one. As it is very seldom the people of Cambridge West take upon themselves to entertain their neighbours on the east side of the river, we hope to see the forthcoming entertainment liberally patronised.

Egyptian news received on Tuesday is as follows, dated Alexandria, Oct. 16th :— Cherif Pasha, President of the Ministry, has urged fresh objections to allowing Aiabi and his fellow prisoners the sei vices of English counsel on their trial. Tue matter is again under discussion between the Government and (Sir E. Malet, the British Counsel-General, and pending the decision upon the point, the trial which was fixed for to-day has been further postponed. Another message states that the military authorities in England are advertising for supplies to the army in occupation in Egypt, until the middle of February next. J

Some people manifest great carelessness when burning off land, indeed, so much so that they seem to consider no one beyond their own fences, and thus sometimes do as much harm to their neighbours' property as they do good to J their own. A settler named Haitian, \ when engaged clearing some land in the neighbourhood of Cambridge the other day, set file to the fern, and, the wind blowing rather hard at the time, the fire spread very rapidly until it reached the property of Mr Thomas Hoy, which adjoins that of Mr Hanlan. Several chains of Mr Hoy's wire fence were destroyed ; all his pigs weie frightened from about the place, and his house narrowly escaped being burned. People buniiue ofF land should await a favourable wind, or else make some other provision to keep the fire from spreading. Mr Hoy intends suing Mr Hanlan for damages.

The Rev. Alexander Reid delivered his popular lecture, "Ten clays in Palestine," in the Cambridge Public Hall on Monday evening last to a fairly l:\rge audience, who, by the attention maifested throughout, seemed to enjoy the reverend lecturer's narration of his journey through the Holy Land. The Rev. T. G. Carr occupied the chair, and Mr W. H. Ncal presided at the harmonium. At intervals throughout the lecture several hymns were rendered by the audience. The lecture was given in behalf of the Home Mission Extension Fund, and a satisfactory amount was realised. A hearty vote of thanks to the lecturer brought the evening to a close.

News of a shocking disaster in the city of Grodno, in Western Russia, reached England from Vienna. In a cellar underneath an elementary school ill that place a tiadesman had, among other merchandise, left a barrel of gunpowder, and, having no authority to do this, he had suppressed the fact. The concealment of the dangerous character of part of the commodities in the store led to the most disastrous consequences. An explosion accidently took place at an hour when the children and teachers were all in school. The explosion was one of tremendous violence, reducing the building to a heap of ruins, burying the inmates under the debm. The windows and doors of a church and other buildings in the neighbourhood were completely shattered by the explosion. Nearly all the school-children, most of whom were Jews, were killed, and within an hour of the catastrophe a heap of bodies had been exti acted from the ruins.

The Vaudeville Comedy and Burlesque Company played again at Le Quesne's Hall, on Tuesday night, to a very good house. The program me was entirely new, and gave great satisfaction to the audience. It consisted of the comediettas "A Pair of Pigeons," and "The Conjugal Lesson," a "Musical Olio," and the performance of the Australian Blondin. The acting of Miss Nye and Mr Fisher in the comediettas was excellent throughout. The songs introduced were also exceptionally well rendered, "Carissima" by Miss Nye being particularly worthy of note. For her tasteful rendering of this, as well as other vocal selections, Miss Nye had to submit to a unanimous encore, an honor also bestowed on Mr Fisher and Mr Lee. The company performed at the Oddfellows' Hall, Cambridge, last night, and will play in the same place for the remainder of the week. There are few entertainments of the kind more worthy of patrouaire than this, and lovers of genuine fun should not miss the opportunity afforded them.

The opening cricket match will be played between the members of the Hamilton Cricket Club on Sydney Square, on Saturday next, play to commence at 2 p.m. sharp. Th"c respective teams will be selected from the following •.—•Messrs Palmer, Gleeson, Wood, Pilling, Forrest, Douglas, N, Hunt Coleman, Meachem, Yon Stunner, 0. Beale, Geo. Allright, T. Allright, Seddon, J. B. Smith, W. Hunt, Browning, Buttle, /P. Cochrane, J. Cochrane, Gribble, Ewen, J. Edgecumbe, A. 0. Field, H. Steele, N. R. Cox, Chas. Johnson, Hatrick, Barugh, Ormerod, T. G. Sandes, Primrose, Beauchamp, and French. Immediately after the above j match a general meeting of* the members will take place oft the ground $o arrange about matches and receive the I'eporfc of the treasurer for the post year and other business. * ' '

It is part of' the- prerogative ,of' larrikinism that it shall make itself heard whenever^ it 'enters Ja. place r ;o£ ,' public, 'amusement/ Nothing deligUtsthelarrikuv

so much as to inakea "jolly row, "by whistling, hooting and stamping his feet ; and within ceitain limits the humdrum portion of humanity, who can't tor the life of them emit a catcall or a compound forty-horse-power engine whistle themselves, are content to let them have their fling. Occasionally, howe\er -ro-thei too often in Hamiltoii — these limits are over-stepped, and sometimes it happens that condign punishment is inflicted. The behaviour of some of the hoys who occupied the back seats at the Vaudeville Company's perfoi mance on Tuesday evening, was particularly objectionable. They commenced by making the most deafening noise, and ended by playfully throwing forms around, a practice which was speedily put a stop to by Mr LeQuesne, who promptly and forcibly ejected one of the lingleadeis. much to the satisfaction of the icspectable poition of the audience, who thereafter enjoyed comparative quietness. A juvenile branch of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Society is being f oi nied in Christchurch, the subscription being threepence a-year. Napier is determined on making a harbour. The Harbour Board are inviting competitive designs for harbour plans, winch will be submitted to marine engineers in England, who will be nominated by the Agent-General. The designs are to be sent in to the board by January, Advertisements inviting designs have been forwarded to all the principal newspapeis throughout Australasia. The Dunedin Chamber of Commerce are petitioning the Minister for Public Works to proceed immediately with the construction of the Utago Central Railway to Blair-Tairei. The North (Jingo Turn •> characterises this line as a "political parochial railway." The Canterbury Industrial Association have passed resolutions requesting the Government not to go on with the East Coast line, as the West Coast line is of paiamouut importance and should be undertaken immediately. The temperance people, writes the Washington correspondent of the Sydney Afointnt/ Herald, are becoming more and more an appreciable element in our politics. There are now four prohibitory States— lowa, Kansas, Maine, and Vermont in spite of the fact that Maine, the original prohibitory State, makes a much poorer showing of progress dvi ing the past generation than the States, like New York and New Jersey, wheie a license law prevails. But what cm statistics avail against the bitter, fanatical hatred against drunkenness which seems to ha\ c taken the place of the agitation against slavery ? Like slavery, liquor is an evil which gives its assailants the excitements ot righteous wiath and benevolent pity. The poor diunkard takes the place of the poor slave ; and the rumsellers are hated very much as were the slave dealers and slave-catchers in the old days of abolitionism. Probably, two native Americans out of three in the North are in favor of absolute temperance ; and in many churches all the mcmbeio abstain from imn and tobacco. The strength of the foreign vote, however— which is east almost solid against so-called " sumptuary laws" — a nd the activity of the mmselleis in practical politics prevent the American sentiment from getting the ascendancy. It seems, however, to be merely a matter of time. In Ohio the Republicans have had to choose between alienating the Germans and losing the temperance vote, ami they have preferred to let the Germans go.

A lodge of instruction will be held this evening at the Masonic Hall, Hamilton East. All accouuts outstanding in the name of Messrs I!. &.J. Coleman must be settled before the -24th inst. Mr J. >S. Bucklaml advertises an extensive bale of horses iind niaies dt Cambndge on Saturday, -Ist October. The abstract balance - sheet of the W.ukato County Council accounts fiom the Ist April to 30th September, ISB2, will be found in our ad\ertising columns. Mr Li. T. Miller, seed merchant, Pateningi, announces that he h is for sale and to arrive per " Wetherfield," prime new swede, and turnip seeds .is pf*r list. Adam Laybourn & Co., Auckland, notify that they have for sale woolpacks, bonedust, rapcc.ike meal, clover and grass seeds, gum seeds, &c, &c , in wholesale quantity. Mr W. M. Hay, solicitor, notifies that his Cambiulgc office is at Messrs H. E. Cotton and Co's Huilding, where his clerk, Mr E. H, Drury, will bo in attendance daily. Mr W. Powell, Raglan, announces that he will ofFer foi sale by auction on "Wednesday, No\embci 1, on the premises, the whole oJ his stock-in-trade, iurmture, books, cattle, hoises, &c, in lots to suit purchasers). Mr John Knox, auctioneer, has been instructed by the Rev. H. J. Edwards, who it. lca\ ing the district, to sell by auction at .S. Peter's Parsonage, Hamilton, on 'lhursday, Nov. 2, the whole of his valuable household furniture, pianoforte by Uro.idwood, &.c, &.c , t>x. Messrs W. J. Hunter and Co. will sell at the Ohaupo Yards to-day, 11 acthc harness horses and maics, several of which arc he.ny draughts, etc., also, a riding- l^orsc, sold on account of ticspassing. On Saturday, November 4th, the) will sell at the Cambridge Horse I'a/aai a large number of horses of all descriptions.