The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1623, 28 November 1882, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political. , , , , Here shall the Press the People's right maintain, Unawcd by influence and unbribed by gain. ■ _:,, ■ , lw^ r ; , , I < t, .

TUESDAY, NQY.. 28, 1882.

Whatever the causes of the re.cent falling j6 jefs^jish^ Mebf Freezing; Company in this parVoi isfew' Z#i- A land _"» and/ j titeyl ;a?C ]^<3\diffi-' 1 ciilb r to trac^/'-^'fthe'^blamfi' jean-* noti be >id?'af , fefija "'^o^ /'(if if tho* settlers of Waikato, with .wlidiii *m* scheme 5 ,. originated. yt>f-,«^i ,|SM|B' i

towards tho narrow views taken by. .a large portion of the general 4 public ' wore, however, sufficient 'to strangle the enterprise at ?ts -bifcth. The mistake which Waikato men uiaBe was that of at fine firsV endeavouring to incorporate a slaughtering and butchering company with the project. Enmities and' opposition wore aroused which would have lain.' dormant otherwise, and the general public led at first to believe that they were to reap the chief benefit of the movement in cheap meat, were as easily rendered lukewarm, or turned against the scheme altogether, when it was shown to them by its opponents that the price of meat would possibly be raised to the consumer. Leaving, however, the general consumer out of the question altogether, the matter, is really one for the consideration of the business men of Auckland and the country settlers. We would ask the former to consider whether the present prosperity of the city can continue if country lands nave no real value; and this, we contend, pan only be guaged by the returns the land is giving. We know that the reports for the last year or two clearly show that the country settler has been living upon his capital. How long then can this state of things last? There is, already, we believe, a reactionary feeling growing in the city itself, that Auckland has not acted wisely in its own interests in leaving the meat-freezing enterprise in the hands of southern ports. It is quite true that with freezing companies established in Wellington and elsewhere in the south, very much of the meat which finds its way into the Auckland market will be prepared for exportation from the colony, and thus be diverted from competition with our local produce. The price of meat required for consumption in the local market will, from this cause, undoubtedly harden sufficiently to give a profit to the producer in Waikato ; but what then 1 Auckland will lose the trade of the West Coast in return for the beef which she will cease to receive — for [ie trade will follow the meat — and Waikato and other country settlers \i ill gain a very limited and shortlived advantage. The Auckland market thus relieved will take the present limited supply Waikato and the north now produce and no more, whereas, with a freezing establishment in Auckland their sale for beef and mutton would have been practically unlimited. There is no doubt Auckland will bo acting 1 u.iwrisely, if she allows the cattle trade with the West Coast to bo diverted to other ports. Auckland merchants -will find a falling off in their exports proportionate to this loss. The trade will go whore the meat goes, and this means something more considerable than appears at first sight; for the loss must not be calculated upon the present basis of cattle importation into Auckland, but on what the whole country will produce as the trado in frozen meat with the Mother Country becomes developed and an ever oxDon market stimulates increased production. Already the Now Zealand Shipping Company arc building four large steamers in Scotland witli freezing apparatus of the most improved construction for direct trado with Now Zealand, and Auckland men of business need scarcely, yo suppose, bo told whether it is loss or gain to have these vossols make Auckland their port of call or not. This is putting 1 the matter as one of direct profit or loss to Auckland, but indirectly the commerce and prosperity of that city is even more largely affected by its action in this matter. Steam communication by rail and boat, local self government and the network of district roads which, have grown out of it, and tho impetus givon by the Public Works policy of 1870, have so pushed ahead country settlement, that Auckland has grown and prospered in an ex traordinary degree during the last decade. But country settlement has for some two or three years past, reached its culminating point of advancement, for it has outgrown the market, and this is the case, indeed, not only in this, but in all other parts of the colony. With tho decline of their up-country trade, the prosperity of the great centres of population in New Zealand must also decline. At the very moment when it was most required comes the meat freezing- movement to the rescue. A market, beyond the most sanguine dreams of the settlor, is thrown open to us. Virtually, steam and ice will make New Zealand, with its magnificent feeding land, as much a province of England as Yorkshire or Leicestershire and practically as accessible to the London market, for it matters little whether the produce takes six hours, or six weeks to reach , ,the , market, so long as it reaches' it in the same conditiou. Hithorto -tho' cost of freezing the meat for, and during tho: voyage has been something like' twopence half -penny per lb, a considerable drawback from the difference of price obtained between the New Zealand an 4 London markets ; but already - improvements hav ( e '•been effected in the- machinery -of the freezUg' Apparatus which it is calculated 'will* reduce^ the cost fully one-half: ' Now a penny , is a large margin to give mother mutton or boef. /It means somethii|gj like fifty shillings on an average bullock, or 1 five shillings^ on an average sheep, br th'^ .whpje' profit thaf^wquld s^sjeyjih^gra^er. ,jtfor jn'iist j.we >tforget' thata on .the|one ihandi>the;m t a%et v uri-; •limited," for all* the^ifrea't 'a'htipMairy possibly Vsupply s>r- >ys*>™. ? pPjP

tralia. It will pay them best to/ brood an.d us to fatten, •pstore 1 ' cattle will, be largely procurable .;from, Australia, and sheep, ceraiinly, in any number,' till we- ca^f ourselves go' more' largely^ Jnjfco the '^breeding iof either oi .stock. That they are so low in value now is simply attributable to the fact that, for want of a profitable marker, settlers in New Zealand have ceased to go so largely as heretofore into breeding either the one or the other. All that is now changed., Speaking for Wai|j to a — that is, the extensive valleys lvin<* between the Thames and Jo . Taurauga on the one coast and Raglan on the other — we have a large and magnificent country, capable of carrying and fattening vast herds of cattle and flocks of sheep. Large as our cultivations are, they aro but as a patch to what they might become if inducement gave the spur to enterprise. , All that is wanting is capital and far-seeing energy to take advantage of the present juncture of ii&urg, to provide the uteaas • for getting our meat and dairy produce to the home market, and for developing the waste lands of the district, so that they may meet by increased production the continually expanding export which will grow as our produce becomes appreciated at home, and shipping enterprise brings the producer of the one hemisphere face to face with the consumer in the other. The large land reclamation companies, such as the Waikato Land Association, and the Auckland Agricultural Company, are doing much in this direction, and will, while they largely benefit their individual promoters, assist in building up the permanent prosperity of Auckland and the great pastoral and agricultural district south of it. Hut we Avant more than this. We want Auckland capitalists to see their real interests ; — that as living on the trade which the up-country brings them, our prosperity means their wealth ; that as landowners and speculators, which most of them are, they will, in advancing and assuring the profitableness of land for occupation, be giving to the land a fixed value, and be thus benefiting their own estates. We want them to see this, and when a seasonable and feasible scheme for assisting the work of settlement is brought forward, to give it all the assistance in their power, and not pooh-pooh it, or damn it with apathy because it will not return cakes of gold with the same celerity as a quartz battery. And there can be no better time than the present. Auckland is in the heydey of a season of prosperity, which cannot last for ever, and it will be well with her if during this flood-tide of fortune she lays the foundation of a permanent trade between town and country which shall survive the inevitable crisis, and form the solid foundation of her future wealth and advancement.

The immediate object of Mr Fenton's mission to Whatiwhatihoe is, as will be seen from our Alexandra correspondent's telegram iv Saturday's issue, not to as any concessions from the natives, but rather to seek to confer a favor on them, or rather on that portion which belongs to the unfortunate Waikato tribe, landless and sojourneis in their neighbours' territory. After Tawhiao's rejection of the princely offer made by Mr Bryce, it does not surprise us to find the natives diffident in dealing with Mr Feuton, and a feeling seemed to prevail that Tawhiao and the Native Minister, now presumably at loggerhgads, would have to come to an agreement before any further transactions between the natives and the Government could take place. Mr Fenton was careful to reassure his listeners on that point, and gave them clearly to understand that his otfer had nothing to do with Tawhiao's kingship, and was untrammelled by any conditions of a quasi-political nature whatsoever. Thereupon the natives seemed inclined to accept the proposal, but requested time to consider, and to visit the land. Such an answer may appear to smack of the pi in. ciple of looking a gift horse in the mouth, but the ways of the Moaris are not our ways, and clue allowance must be made for their action on this account. Mr Fenton possesses the confidence of the natives, so that it is not likely their request for time for consideration flows irQin any doubt Qf that gentleman's sincerity, The authority under which Mr Fenton's offer is made, is the Waikato Confiscated Lands Act, 1880, and its amendment last session, by which provision is made for giving back to the natives such portions of confiscated lands still in the hands of the Government. The step is undoubtedly one in the right direction. The attitude of the natives toward the Europeans since the war is the result solely of the influence which the dispossessed Waikatos have exer-tod on the qtygr tribes. The Waikatos have been animated M'ith .the feelings of forced exiles towards their sup planters, and have nursed their hatred to keep it warm. The return to them of some portion of their patrimony, sufficient to provide them with a home of their own, would greatly soften, if it did not entirely eradicate these acrimonious fceiings, while it would also remove the sense of wiqng entertained by the Ngatimanipotos; who consider tljafc the Europeans have compelled them to. keep the Waikatos during the past twenty years,

Echoes from the Cafe will be found on the fourth page of this issue.

A^tioles en % Cheese Factorjr Industry, tlje^Wikaio Cavalry ("A" Troop), already. In typo, aro liqW ov6r for want of space, ' '

The 'polling for the Hamilton moyoral election- takes*, place tomorrow ?at the Council Chambers. The candidates ' are Mr' John JKnox, the present, occupant of ihe j^ayoral chair, and Mrßobt. Peat, a-membev of the qQuncil.

„ . A meeting, of ■ttte ; »rera<#<»j > s of the Aucklarid 'Freez!in£ Company, will be held at'ißelanfey'sHoteVOhaupoV- at 11 ;a.m. tortJ/J-yito'-deyiae meanstpr paying the pre,«^pe»sg| incurred, amounting to; aboub £28i « v * • <%'■ ' i '. ' '

A*manu namedvMiei\«. WmJ lyas^brouglit, lip at "sl# ■JCaJfibridge KM. Coti^^ye^t^rcla^,%etste^(SBV ' Lyorf and Mr J?. B'.;,Wallceri,JfP:rcbafged wifihthe ofiP3nc«> ottioii le%vfn<? the; liceiisedx^ouse of M^E-ifllswitt 6i.'#m"atty l<flf when re--«uestied;^fine.of 10% u wifch,;c3B,fei(?3J,f itfPaefaiillf| 'se^en fdaya

The Piako County Tur£Cl\iVMeets ing cornea off f orf -S< (Thnrsday), and nioini3OB.W r Ije very vsife^ cessful. /? ( i "' " "' I £\'.~~

The pieces chosen'by the | Cambridge Dramatic Society (or their nejxt performance are' the, comediettas, " Ruth's Roinancej" w and'"Lijb'tle I'oddlekins." 1 The performance will como off about the 23rd December, and will be in aid of the Cambridge Library Building Fund.

It is notified in our advertising columns that that that there frill be a choral service at S. Andrew's Church, Cambridge, on Thursday next, S. Andrew's Day. The preacher will be the Rev. R. O'C. Biggs, incumbent of S. Peter's, Hamilton.

The Vaudeville Comedy and Burlesque Company open iv the Hamilton Hall to-morrow evening for a short season of two nights.- To those who pati onised the company on their recent visit no reoommedation is necessary. The company will afterwards perform at other townships in Waikato.

Mr Green, M.H.R., addressed a large meeting of his constituents at Duneclin on Friday night, and received an enthusiastic vote of confidence. He had been, he said, in favour of the property tax, but found that the merchants cast the burden on the consumers. A land and} income tax, he considered, wonh] be the question of the future. He would follow Sir John Hall as leader of the proposed middle party.

The promoters of the Thames Valley and Rotorua Railway intend foi'wardmg a large order for steel rails by the next English mail. The whole of the line is to be laid with 521b. steel rails. The company intend pushing on the work of construction forthwith, having met with the greatest encouragement on all sides.

The 'cricket match between the Hamilton ami Cambridge clubs will take place on the ground of the latter on Thursday next, play to commence at eleven o'clock sharp. Hamilton Avill be represented by the following : — Messrs Wood, Forrest, Bi owning, Hunt, Heddon, Yon Stnrmer Field, Meacham, Beale, Ewen, Cochrane, and Palmer.

An extraordinary birth took place at Ohau, near Wellington, on the 23rd instant. The wife of a settler was confined of twins, joined together at the back. One child is doing well ; the other is poorly, but is coining round. They are botli girls.

The concert in aid of the library for the Hamilton East School will take place to-night in the Oddfellow's Hall. The object should be sufficient appeal for a full house, but we believe a really attractive programme will be presented. It should not be forgotten that the Board of Education have hitherto granted an equal amount to that raised by these local efforts, so tnat each one who takes a ticket will have the satisfaction of knowing that his contributions will be thus doubled.

A man named Kearney was charged at the Hamilton Police Court, yesterday, before the Resident Magistrate, Mr Northcroft, with being drunk and disorderly, and also with committing | a breach of the the Licensing Act, by refusing to leave the Royal Hotel when requested to do so by the police oa the previous evening. His Worship convicteiUtha accused, and fined him 5s and costs tor the first offence, and £1 and costs for the second with the usual cilterndtive.

The cricket match, Auckland v Dunedin, was concluded on Saturday, and resulted in an easy victory for the Auckland team by one innings and 43 runs. Yesterday the match against Oamaru was commenced. The local team went iv first, and were all disposed of for 88 runs. Auckland then took the bat, and when the stumps were drawn had lost six wickets for 142. Mr Barton was caught at the wickets for the magnificent score of Go. The match will be continued today.

H. Mullions, 0. Mullions, and Geo. Read, in pmsuance of the order made by District Judge Macdonald, attended at the office of Mr W. M. Hay, and submitted themselves for examination by the trustee, in the bankvnpt estate of the above-named H. Mullions, Capt. Lindsay. Mr Hay appeared for the trustee, and Mr O'Neill for the other parties. The examination disclosed nothing new. The adjourned meeting of creditois was to have been held subsequently at the Court-house, but it lapsed for want of a quorum, and now fotauds adjourned bine div. The committee of the Cambridge Cricket Club are working hard to make Thursday's match a successful and interesting one. The match will take place in the Government paddock opposite the National Hotel, the cricket reserve on the Hamilton road being not as yet put, in condition, The ground upon which the match is to take place on Thursday is being prepared for the occasion, and promises to be in fair condition. A large number of the public will doubtless patronise the match. At a meeting of the representatives of the Te Awamutu and Kihikihi Wesleyan Churches, held on Thursday evening last, it was decided to hold a bazaar in Te Awamutu, about the end of March next, to raise funds for improvements to the Te Awamutu church, and also to raise funds for the liquidation of the debt on the Kihikihi church. Subcommittees of ladies were appointed in Te Awamvtu, Kihikihi, and the surrounding districts, and a central committee composed of tho stonier so* was also appointed, The Commissioners appointed to take evidence and report regarding the proposed Canterbury- West Coast railway arc making progress. They sat at Christchurch on Friday, Among the persons examined was Mr William Atkinson, of Rangiora. His evidence was unfavouiable to the expenditure of money on the construction of a railway northward, by either the East Coast or Central l-QUtQ, -'During the winter, persons had been frequently stopped in their journey on the Hammer Plains from the depth of snow, which lies for a considerable time. Pic did not see how a railway train could make its way through .the snow in the v inter, as the drifts reach a height of ten feet. There was a considerable destruction of cattle and sheep during the winter. He did not think there was innch prqspect of railway traffic through that cQuni;rjr,'au4 the expense of keeping a railway alon? the JijastCoa.st in repair would be considerable. ' \

The people of Cambridge and the district are abaut to be , treated to a novel entertainment shortly, and one which from its quality should ensure the pa|rqi)age of a,i> unusually large audience. In "entertoimnenis, as, ii) oyery thing else, "novelty .is waiting, and in this entertainment it is to be' found in abundance. A series of limelight views of the Prince of , Wales', visit to, lndia, -including views of principal buildings and. scenes visited by His Royal .Highness, together with a' number 'of 'views" of the grand old cathedral abbeys'/ and:castles"of,England, are to be exhibits fu |ho Public If all' at an early* date.- There will be the usual UescWptivq lecture,'; 1 ; Sj-Hich <in jta&lf Would £c v^ety ihteViisttng, 1 and 'suitable i,musical t( selections. -These. ' views have 'belli \M rec§n,tly!.i'Wprp»'ted 'from-Home byWJr t'C'toP?, gf Auckland,, and liavV<t>^%^Cßee:ri|- t e'xhililte«l ia (New at present traveUin«V^!ofo'uSh* i *llM district,/ has in

ll&il is shower by the crops on the l&mJ, which is under cultivation. The convenience of the best markets in the coloify, with eoocl roads, - navigable rivers, taiul ,the advantages whioh/,tht>, early|c6mfile,tibn of various railways Viil confer, tpe vast extent of eood hndj&n ttje; fertile "plains of the Thames algl Piako, the 'assured peimauence of -..profitable gQi^lo mining over a large aiea of the mountain ranges, covered with valuable forests, i which fringe, shelter, and beautify these noble plains, the plentiful employment which - the mine's, saw mills, and .the operations wealthy land owners provide, the luxuriant manner in which grasses ami green crops grow, and the proved suitability for sheep, cattle, and horses, and the healthful temperate and most enjoyable climate, all tend to offer special, advantages to , intending s settlers, whether is fanners, contractors, or labourers, while the liberality of Mr Murray's terms in offering' sueh 1 ' laud at the low upset price of 40a per acre spread over 10 years with the moderate ,ra.te of 6^ per cent, interest till paid, present unusual inducements for btnafulc colonists to settle in, and rise with this most rising district.

Referring to the late Mr Richard Grice, who died recently at Melbourne, the Arffiii says :— " Mr Grice was bom at Bootlei Cumberland. England, on the 30th October, 1813, and was consequently just* tin-ned 69 years of age. He v<is a, coiowst of £4- years' standing having arrived in Melbourne in 1838, in company with, the late; Mr Benjamin Heape, a partnership having been entered iiito between tliem in England. They at once commenced business as merchants in Flinders-Lane, under the title of Heape and Giice, and they were also interested in squatting propel ties at Mount Alexander. The deceased gentleman had for a long period occupied a seat on the Board of Directors of I<hc Union Bank, and that, was the only public position he* ever accepted. He never took an active part in cither politics or municipal affaiis. He evinced great interest in our charitable and religious institutions, and was for s>ome years one of the vice-presidents of the Melbourne hospital. Some years ago he purcha&ed an estate at Mornington, and latterly he spent a good deal of his tinio there. The firm of Grice, Sumner and Co. is one of the oldest, and ranks amongst the foremost mercantile houses in the Australian colonies. The deceased leaves a widow, three sons, and four daughters— two of the former and one of the latter being married." Mr Grice was an uncle of Mr John Grice, of Rotorangi, Waikato.

Mr Ritso returned on Friday from his trip up the country. During the short time at their disposal, the railway party visited most of the places around Te Aroha, seuing their capabilities and obtaining an insight into the prospects of a Thames-Te Aroha line paying. Mr Ritso expresses himself as being highly pleased with all he saw, and, is quite satisfied as to the payable nature ot the proposed line. A few of the directors and the solicitor, to the company, Mr Miller, met Mr Ritso at four, o'clock at bhe Borough Chambers, where various matters were gone into, and arrangements made for taking the next step 3 required to bring things to a definite conclusion, and to prepare for meeting the Minister of Public Works when he conies North, regarding the contract to _be entered into with the.company. Mr Ritso left by the Rotomahana in the evening.' He purposes going up the "Waikato during the week, and being at the Thames by next Satin day again, in order to see how things are progressing. The company will be fully incorporated within a few days, the articles of association being now completed and ready for signature. — Herald. ' '