AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XX, Issue 1653, 8 February 1883, Page 2

AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

THURSDAY, FEB. $/ 1883.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political. Here bhall the Press the People's right maintain, Unawcd by lnllucnce and unbribed by gain.

♦— The Licensing Act, 1881, has now, had a pretty fair trial, but we do not see that it has succeeded in effecting the social reformation promised by its supporters., Indeed, there are not wanting those who say the measure has proved a conspicuously dismal failure. Without going so far as this, we are bound to admit that two at least of the objects of the Act have not been attained. In the first place the attempt to interest the general body of ratepayers in the election of licensing committees,' to . a\Vaken in them a sense of responsibility, has not succeeded, and in the second place, the machinery introduced to make men' sober has 'been found to work most unsatisfactorily. It is in reference to this latter , object that we intend to>say a few words. The now well known 167 th clause provides that " when it shall be made to appear in open Court that any person, by excessive drinking of liquor, misspends, wastes, or lessens, his or her estate or greatly injures his 1 or her< health, or endangers t or interrupts the peace and happiiiess of his or her family, 1 ' the justices presiding in such Court shall, by writing under the hands of any two such justices, forbid - any licensed person to sell to him or her any /liquor for the space of one year, and such justices' or' any „ other two justices, may, . afc the same or any other time, in like' manner, forbid' .the. selling of any, 'such l^uor 'to the^ said drunkard by any ,sucli persons of any other city, town o^ district to which the drunkard shall or may be likely to rpsdrt fpr the Fame." In a subsequent clause it is made penal for any one to suppty liquor to prohibited persons. .Now,' • pn > paper "this looks all right. Everybody will acknowledge there is a set at taenrwhom nothing,, but ab r solute' prohibition coiild ■ make'>abfitinent, ; >i^fer^ f| (yhjo^e ( yhj0^e sole aim in life appear* to" be to «liaM iJtt-und f the; dooix^af a 'pal®/ hot*, M'tMy^ond Ihqft iMt^pwe/pwKeriby, povecUthereto hf philanMropy f oh $rat i feßow-fi ,*6Achro,us,ifeyicl, (I jw>n ,;«} gr tnfcm; while the .poorLwilQ/^f.Aorae,, isteffc iroidierrn^ wft(6i!'evthei<imQi)ey i&af'"d£' 'bre^#-Animak /JbucH; [m, familiar object^ m^er^Utttfe , psanb ( tr^ to^^hip^awf^^ra^ferj) /qo 1 .

rf the act o£ compulsory sobpe^y^^jb might tupei| bemi^thouj hcp| wouftl have ilfircji led |«uitlvorcl,MJf'idy^to his Sbunxfed topers, m^S-Jfc^l^eyes a pint pot is the symbol oil heaven, would simply be restrained from committing evil.r |l<|«i|l^hfiv9-sl}o\yn,,that it is impossible t|> efftjjet this puwosd!. It has ifeW laid 1 over aim over agjvfn that we cannot make a man sober by Act of Parliament, and notwithstanding the numerous efforts in that 'direction/ wef are >af raid >, they will aft tin." oil to' be Mk 'if'H Juan J)Stfj_c^prodileetion for strong* drink, lie can only Ye turnecT from" his evil course by moral suasion or by incarceration in an asylum. We do hoVbeHevo there is any middle course. Nothing' l is easier than posting the prohibition notices in the various hotels likely to; be < frequented oy the 'drunkard, and hotelkeepers for their own sakes are careful not to serve such persons. When by the act of some thoughtless servant a publican rfbecomes, liable it generally gets known. But the clanger does not lie with the publicans. The prohibited man can, as often as ho desires, find some obliging friend who is not above breaking the law to earn a nobbier. The friend walks into the hotel bar, and boldly asks for his supper "bofcr,which is given him, only to find its way clown the throat of the proscribed one waiting round the cornor. Incidents such as these are, we are assured on the best authority, of daily occurrence. And is there not something debasing in a law which thus leads men, who have already burdened their souls with the consequences of an excessive indulgence in drink, to resort to the. most petty meannesses to enable them to satisfy their ruling passion ; that compels them to induce others, often young impressionable people, to sin with them? One of the effects of this prohibitory legislation will also 'be an increase iii the' number of sly-grdg shops', institutions happily rare pi the north, but plentiful as leaves in Autumn in the southern provinces, where their pestilent character is only too Well known. These sly-grog selling establishments are almost ineradicable when once fairly planted for the reason that' convictions are so difficult to obtain. In Otago, raid after raid has been ■ made by the police on these places, and occasionally the offender is fined. But the amount of the fine, however great, is paid cheerfully out of the enormous profits made on the sale of liquor, and the trade goes on the next day as merrily as ever. This traffic must supply a want or it would not flourish as it does; it is kept up by the large number of harvest hands and .shearers,, ct hoc genus o»me, for whom the attractions of the resppctable hotels are not sufficient, and who chafe under the restrictions which necessarily exist in houses under police supervision. It follows, therefore, that the board-ing-house keepers are the sly-grog sellers. With us the conditions are different. We have among us no class of men comparable with those in the South, who work 'half the year and idle the remaining |six months. But an indiscrimimte use of the prohibitory clause in the Licensing Act .will unquestionably create such an element in the community. Such a thing as a sly-grog- shop has heretofore been unknown in Hamilton ; - now, we are .told, there are ■three ill operation. , » ■ ' J Looking at these facts, we cannot help feeling that the law requires amendment of some kind. Last session there was a feeling that the new act ought to have a fair trial, but we do not think Parliament will pass it over another year. . The question of our liquor legislation is too large- to be dealt wUh oft-har.d, and the measures which from time to time have been placed; on the statute-book have all been of a more or less tentative character. The evils that flow from drunkenness are recognised, but it is by no means an easy matter to 'apply a remedy 'that shall be effectual.

The Premier arrived in Christchurch on Tuesday,, and proceeded South yesterday morning. ' The adjourned sitting, of the District Court will commence in the Courthouse, Hamilton, to-morrow. It is important to those liable to the property tax that they know that 10 per cent. AVill ,ba * added to all amounts .remaining unpaid after to-day. A prisoner in the Lyttelton gaol named Saunders was seriously injured on Tuesday, by being' struck on the back of the head with a piece of rock, the effeqfc ,of a blast. His fjkull is fractured, and he is not'expectecl to survive Jhe injury. J In accordance, -with' the promise made by the Government, the , Public Works' ojEficials are engaged, in laying ofi a new. line of road >to, ,cqnnect Whatawhata with ,Te Rore, at,Kaniwhaniwa. ■ The old track, as is well-known,, is almost impassable except for horse-traffic.. 1 ' 'Yestsfday <being -Abb Wednesday services were held in the evening a| $. "AfItUeTST Gffifts!&srt«tyfa& Peter's, jTamilton.., There , was- % con- . gi'egatiQnr'atrjkhe; 'latter chutch, \atfd;|tne McuMM^^v^B.^'a;'Bigg§,dii|Vered an eloquent discqfirse^n^tl^^sttb'jeet oi " Cliristian Fasting,; 1 taking for his text Matthew VI., 17. t r " ' Tlie Board, of Education not betyg jia-a position! to .supplyi/the ;Hamilton West School .-^ith'' a< male assistant teaclier^Miss) I^eeeb, lately pf the -North Shore, has' been appointed/to' 'the post, The new teacher arrived in .Hamil^Qn on Tuesday; and entered upon I 'her duties ! yesterday., There still remains 'a WiJncy in' the teaching stafi^pf ,the schpo^'^ut |it is- not' as "yet known wheil this ..will be filled:- ••„:,,.,....,.,.^/i^if- ' It ifi notified that at. ar- meeting ,pf ' th'eiraka^ Cfijinty ■GouMfeppoiniied iCotinoilldr Rundmao „w»lli i, inoive^tht.fe lf | Sspebial qrafer t| be' i «nadßjvjby ' wjiiohititht ,/anmli^ Jsf H WSWifl*'^ ,tu£c4,ib. riding, „and nioveHhii^jKspeoialordsb^be^madejjafllegatuig ,tp t Wfe s> K jrikirirpa -Boird

of interest which have jfeqt hitherto be"en made public, and wlucffij it is necessary all interestedUJn thia*,ifß nortJiit matter shoulxl be *p^T^ Wme& \§& k <Y i Welcomll rs||t fell oniMonday night, and'uJX dap Tnem ay. He estarclay the barome||rn{ppi were up, 'mil tamighi cool tlid \^t|i^\w<^noe\JKFhi^Pitsy fires sHiToiHuHugHainilton have no^un-t fortnnatcly, been extinguished. Messrs « Morrin and Studholme haVe disposed ~of J 5OO TicreSTbf -their Lnchecby estate/ Pijttcp, tj> Mißsrsi Ginora and Kvaul. Jaie otslenio»ctwrd£ Auckland, who will take immediate possession and proceed with the 1 work of cultivation. At, the R,M, Court, Hamilton, yestfeMay, onlx fafl^w imimpurfauitf civil, 'Iscs, orlP&Wo intUhlr^k diiP 1 posed of. Mr O'Neill gave notice of appealiirthe case laraia \vG.~-Walkerjrtors-unlawfully impounding a horse, judg-" ,n>ei>ttu which wafe'giyei^Qn fMfcntlay last. At"the B-harvest'thanksgiving'ser--vices at S. Peter's, Hajnjljtqn, on Sunday, the 18th inst., the preachers will be: morning, the incumbent ; r evening, the Rev. B. T. Dudley, incumb.ent of S. Sepulchre's, -Auckland/- \ . -* " Signor *- de jCJesare, ; BJtaltese delegate at present on?" a visit to New Zealand/ was a passenger to' Hamilton on Tuesday, but from some cause or other returned by the' s goods ' train' without leaving the station, It is supposed that h&was disappointed witlj the £jspect of the country through, which the, railway unfortunately runs, but it is a" pity that our visitor did not see a little further into the district, when we have little doubt his opinion would have changed.' When speaking at Cambridge on Sunday, Elder Williams, of the Latter Day Saints, . said he and his brother elder has walked the whole distance from the Thames, and had been refused at many places ,on the way the slightest morsel to eat. Such a statement as this amounts cither to a; gross stander, or it reveals a state of things in the highest degree^ • discreditable .to some of our settlers. The Wellington correspondent oosf s Herald wires on Tuesday: — "The working out of tliS'dotails of the apportioning of the £0000 grant to the respective libraries is not yet completed ; but the following are 1 among the grants which will be made to ' libraries' in the Provincial District ;— Auckland Institute, £33 Os 7d ; Auckland Eree Library, £155 7s Id ; Newmarket, £13 4s 9d ; Epsom, £1S 10s Id ; Howick, £8 10s Id : Whau, £10 3s Id ; D.xrgaville, £13 4s 4d ; Rodney,,£B j7s ; Waiuku, £9 9s 6d ; Otahuhu, £10 4s lOd ; Papakura, £10 4s lOd." 1 , At the Sale f of -Mr H. Norgrove's stud of racehorses and brood mares at .Cambridge yesterday} Mr J. S.' Buckland auctioneer, the l following sales were .made :— Quilp, the winner of the hist 'Cambridge steeplechase, was purchased by Mr John. Douglas, Tamahere, for 75 .guineas ; Pioneei', chestnut gelding, by Pacific, 31 ■ guineas, Mr John Marty n ; grey maie," foal at foot by Ariel, 29 guineas, 'Mr John Maityn ; foal by Ariel, dam Polishi 10 guineas, Mr J. R. Richard- 1 son ; Pacific), mare, with foal by Ariel, 12 guineas. 1 Sour Grapes was passed in.' The other hoise stock brought good prices. The sale was well attended by the sporting public of Waikato. A correspondent informs us that Te Wheoro and his tribe, the Ngathiaho, are, at Tnwhiao's invitation, going to take possession of a large block of laud near Rangitoto^ in the Taupo district. Te Wheoro, it appears, has a claim on the land through an ancestor namecLTe Kanawa. The Ngatinaho have been told that there is gold on the block, and they are endeavouring to get a Mr Hunter, of Mercer, .one of the first Aroha prospectors, to go up with tiiem for the purpose of determining the truth of the allegation. ' The land is said to be of first-class quality^ and it is the intention of the natives to least; such portions of it as are not required for their own usg. The following items of news, dated London, February 6th ', have been wired to the Press Association :— The prospectus has been issued of the AngloAustralian Steam Navigation Company, with a capital of £600,000. The company state they' will employ eight' or ten large steamers, with extensive capacity for cargo, arid they are to do the passage in from' 42 to 46 days.— The Nihilists have \yarned the Czar that they 'will renew their intimidation policy unless their demands afe agreed to arid granted before coronation day., — The : iuhabitants of Madagascar are be'comirig'«larmed,"as they fear that the French Will bombard Tainatave, a port on the eastern coast. Many are anxious 1 fdr th 6 English protectorate.—Mr Gladstone lias recovered from his recent illness. ' • ' > ' ' ' A question of very great moment came on 1 for 1 discussion at the 1 nleeting.of ( the Kirikiriroa Road Board yesterday. All the main roads are now under 'the cdntroi of the county councils, .and' tlievefoi'e the road Hoards may not spend 'any "of their rates in repairs or. construction on these roads. The consequence of this ' is that 'many of the bridges and culverts are getting into a 1 very dangerous state, and unless some' measures are taken speedily to' remedy this' state of i affairs accidents are' bound- 'to happen. ■ The 'board's 1 engineer reported ithe rotten state of several bridges, etc., but the members could not see! their way to do anything. As the Wa'ikato* County Council does not meet until the 28th inst., the question becomes serious, and we certainly think that those in authority should take iminedjate. steps to remedy the existing condition of^mattersi ! ' '<'~\ Woodyear and Ross! great ' Australian 'Circus' 'arrived at'CamlSrittge from Te Awamutu yesterday afternoon, and was met at the outside of .the town, by ( a large number of Maoris, who manifested great interest 'in the' show,. (The band started playing on arriving at the top of 'the hill atj the foot -of .Duke-street, and the music and., the horses attracted a crowd of dusky gazers, from all parts f of the town, not excepting the Land' Court;. The circus, has jthis time .pitched its tents in the Government paddock, opposite the National/ 'H&tejj - which, /is/the best and most centralelte In the town for circus purnoses.-, n T,he shpw. will, open at ,Cam'bridge't^niglit; wheti w£ ffi^ little, doubt, owing to the number of Maoris about "tne 1 town, as well us" ithe' inherent' attraction of the circus itself, there will be a «evy largrf. Mouse. >, I,heJ citqUs' will open at Hamuton to-morrow evening,' • The folfJwiWiMiFe relative to European lawyers concerned in the cases, now before the Lands Court at Cambridge has been posted up in the > town :— if .Cambridge, ,Febjuai,y 7th. . , Notice to 1 P < ak,eljaa aud-Maoji^,,, Lptus, ,the lawy.era who are '.eatiiigf our' monejj in thjs/tj)wn n p"f' 'Cambridge. Had 'twere i been no 'lawyers the cases would' have been proceeded with much quicker. Th^t is all from Aperahame Tb Kume." The ; uatnes of a number of other natives are' attached to thigjfdocument, which winds up with theiiijr||§tt statement "Tjie native tribes i|^Bffiisffidge are starving." Mr Whitaker lias^repned to the foregoing notice as; folfows*:^'. To Aperahame Te Kumpla^ v jj^|J^l^^iefe.'}|Friends,|— Your.woidVpostea up. in Cambridge atb starving. * I<;nend;_i do you prefer M me, guilt i'On<'tnispubjep>V,~' ( fie|ly.— Ai A-t ' Whitak¥E^To Tthislthe^atifes 1 WsMi Mr iWhjtakir.^