The Waitako Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1745, 11 September 1883, Page 2

The Waitako Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Equal .md exact justice to all men, Ot wli itsoevcr state or persuabion, religious or political. Here shall (lie Press the People's njrlif maintain, Un.iwcd b> influence .mil unbribcd by g.un.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 11, 18S3.

Mr Tolk has done the; agricultural districts good service in bringing prominently before the Government and the House the necessity for a change in the trallic accomodation provided for cattle on our railways. 'Die whole matter needs reform, and though Mr Kolleston simply replied that that was the first occasion on which (officially we presume) he had heard any complaints, it needs but the continuous and organised agitation to eft'ect a cure. Nor is it alone the alteration proposed in changing the entrances of the cattle trucks from the centre to one end of the side that is required. This would certainly prevent a great deal of the knocking about and bruising of the beasts when loading, and facilitate the work. As it is, when an animal is got into the truck he stands right in the door-way, uncertain which way to go, aud has either to be driven in by blows, or goaded on by the next beast. If the entrances were made at one, end of the side he would move up at once to the far end, and the hammering and knocking about inseparable from the present system of loading would be reduced to a minimum. What, however, is wanted is to do away with the bruising of the cattle in railway travelling altogether. It is a fact notorious to every Auckland butcher, that the cattle borne seaward into Auckland arc not as a rule so much knocked about as those which arrive by rail, and, what is moro, the parts most bruised aro the. prime portions of the carcase. There is only one way to prevent this, namely, to give up the practice of despatching mixed cattle and passenger trains, and to render the trucks more fitted for the carriage of cattle by altering the position of the entrances to them, and by roughly padding the sides. What is \\ anted in the case of Waikato is to run two night trains weekly for cattle, with a single passenger carriage for Newmarket only, stopping at no intermediate stations. It is this stoppage at station after station in a mixed cattle and passenger train that does a large proportion of the mischief. A jolt and a bruise at each stoppage and start is the consequence. Another great advantage would follow the adoption of special night trains for cattle. The beasts would bo taken direct into the sale yards at once, and thus the expense of drafting them in and out of paddocks would be saved, and no doubt auctioneers would commence their sales earlier in the day to meet this change. We have good reason to believe that they are quito willing to do so. The whole question is one which cannot be too seriously and persistently urged upon the attention of the Minister for Kail ways. The deterioration inbeef by the carriage by rail is a great in dividual and national loss. It unnecessarily and heavily handicaps the fai mer, who after all, it should not be forgotten, is the tortoise on whose back is borne the superstructure of the commercial and general prosperity of the country. But if the loss is great no,w, what will it be when our beef come? to be sent frozen to the Homo market, where sale, price, and the very success of the whole trade depends upon the quality of the meat being superior to American and other imports, and

equal to that locally produced. ' And these remarks bring us to another and cognato subject of equal importance. The frozen meat movement is at present confined to sheep only, but it is a mere matter of timo, of improvement in the freezing apparatus, which is daily being brought nearer to perfection, both in method and cost, when beef will form equally an article of New' Zealand export with mutton. u .There are hundreds; of thousand's of "acres; suitable for fyse^g\9&*Qsslp*

which sheep could not be raised, nor will farmers bo willing <*pneralJy to place, -as it were, all their eggs in one basket, and depend solely on sheep breeding, the profits of which may at any Hmo be sud denly lessened by* the spread of scab and other diseases. Experience in the history of settlement in this colony shows us that there has always been a tendency to take up", sheep breeding and drop that of' cattle, and vice versa, as the seetr.ing whim of the moment, but really the surroundings of either speculation have influenced farmers. The happy mean will be found in carrying out both pursuits conjointly, and making the rearing and feeding of stock and the growth of grain part and parcel of the system of farming, as at home. The time has passed when newly-dropped calves may be knocked on the head as unprofitable stock, and numbers will regret soon that they did not abandon the pi'actice earlier. The dairying operations, consequent on the establishment of cheese factories in country districts, and the frozen meat trade, will cause a demand for cows and bullocks which our breeders will find a difficulty in supplying, and many farmers who are so situated as not to be able to SGiidthoir milk to a factory will find it to their interest to purchase the calves of others, and rear thorn instead of making cheese and butter themselves. It requires no great amount of foresight to see that stock of all kinds will pay well for breeding, and our farmers will do well to lay themselves out betimes to take advantage of the coining change. We need not, and should not, depend upon the bush runs for the rearing of stores. With such soil and such a climate as wo have in North New Zealand, the facilities for producing green crops enable every farmer to profitably turn his attention more or loss to the pursuit of cattle raising, and in doing so to increase and maintain the fertility of his land. What we need is to recognise the position, and hasten to tako advantage of it.

A valuable mare, the property of Mi* J. A. Douglas, Bruntwood, Tamahere, sustained severe injuries on Sunday by getting into a wire fence. The foundation stone of the new Wesleyan Church, Cambridge, will be laid this evening at 5 o'clock by Mr J. C. Fnth, on the site adjoining the paisonage, Queen street West. " Cowley's lake " on the Tamahere load is again at high water mark, the drain cut some short time ago by the road boaul having partially collapsed. The gtound through « Inch the drain runs is ot a light <sandy nature, and the action of the water has undermined the sides. There was special service at St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church, Cambnduc on Sunday last, the day being one of special observance. Strvices was conducted morning and evening by the Rev. Father Noboa. There w-is a very good attendance at both sei vices, and the choir was unusually large. The social gathering in connection with the Cambridge Mutn.il Impi o\cment Association will be hold this evening, in the schoolroom of S. Andrew's Church. The programme is very varied and well selected, consisting of nany items, which should afford excellent entertainment. Admission will be by ticket only, which can be had from the members on application. The Rev. Win, Morley preached in Trinity Wcsleyan Church on Sunday morning last, when a liberal collection was taken up in aid of the Church Building and Loan Fund. Mr Morley's visit to the Hamilton circuit in advocacy of the above fund has so far realised the sum of £53. Mr Moiley will lecture at Te Awamutu to-night on Dr. Guthric. The cellection will be in aid of the Loan Fund. Owing to the measures adopted by the police, the Hamilton larrikins and their disiples gave the lad way bridge a wide berth on Sunday, and will probably continue to fight shy of it for the future unless they particularly desire to become acquainted with the inteiior of tie lock"P Mr J. B. Whyte, M H.R. for Waikato arrived in Hamilton yesterday by train. Mr Whyte was a passenger from Wellington by the Hinemoa, which arrived at the Mauakau on Sunday, brioging a large contingent of the Auckland representatives, alsojseveral of the Southern members who have come on a visit to this part of the colony. The thoroughbred horse King Quail, whose pedigree will be found in another column, was imported from New South Wales as a two-year-old. He has tun in 52 races, of which he won 17, ran second in 5, third in 10. Hi 3 winnings amounted to £2635. King Quail visited Hamilton yesterday, and was greatly admired by the large number of people who inspected him. The unfortunate man James McLaren, who was suspected ot having caused the fire at Mr Douglas' place, Tamahere, was brought before the Resident Magistrate, at the Hamilton Police Court, yesterday. Sergt. McGovern said he had made enquiries, and was satisfied that the pi isoner was not at Tamahere at the time of the fire. The testimony of two medical men having been taken, McLaren was then committed to the asylum. The Government lands at Tauwhare and Tamahere, about which a good deal has beeu heard of late arising out of the claims of the natives, will shortly be ottered for sale. Mr F. H. Edgecumbe, Government surveyor, has divided about 2000 aores into farm sections of from 200 to 300 acres each, and as the laud is of the best quality, no doubt it will be speedily settled. The meeting in connection with the Blue Ribbon Army to be held in the Cambridge Public Hall this evening promises to be very largely attended, as the Blue Ribbon eansp has of late secured an extensive popularity throughout the district. The speakers this evening will he the Rev. O. MacFarlane and Rev. T. Spurgeon, as a deputation from the Auckland Army, together with several of 'the local clergymen and other gentlemen. The meeting to-morrow evening will be held in the Baptist Tabernacle. We are in receipt of the first member of The lllu&t rated New Zealand News published by Mr R. T. Wheeler, Dunedin. The journal is in every respect a great improvement 'upon its predecessor the Herald. The initial number, contains a series of excellent views illustrative of Dunedin and the neighbourhood, and is accompanied by two supplements, the first (double page) being a panoramic view of the city of Dunediu and the other a coloured engraving entitled "The Prospector." We wish our contemporary all success. Much excitement was created in ( ambridge on Saturday evening last on ■ the receipt of our Extras announcing the result of the first spell, and "final, result, respectively, of the Auckland-Wellington football contest. Before fire o'clock, our runner'h»'d distributed the Extra contain*; ing thg resulf; of tlje' first jspeH,^hich, being Jn favoiir of Auak^nd^tvp-f^e-ceived'with much . v satiafactiou.rJ;Our; .second; Extra, i itq,ted,T,that^'tiie;

much gratilica|ion, ns it conveyed thl intelligence thatAAuckland had not been de^ (L -d L :i * v:;' > :; '- Tne promenade concert and dance in aid or the funds of v she .Waikato Rowing Club will c\tnfi off at the Public Hall, Hamilton West, this evening, and there is.eVery prospect of its turning out a complete success in all 'respects. The musical programme includes the names of some of thn oldest and most popular amateurs in Hamilton, while the inusjc for the danciuu will be' provided by the efficient string band under the direction of Mr R. H. Rolloway. ' In' addition to the musical and tcrpsichorean attractions, a number of chemical, odic and electrical' experiments, novel and amusing in character, will be exhibited in one of the ante- rooms. Refreshments will be provided in the hall, and dispensed at liberal rates. Altogether, therefore, the bill of fare provided by the committee of tiie club is an ample one, and should the weather keep fine, will, we make no doubt, be a source of much enjoyment to old and young. The rowing club is a most deserving institution. In a place such as Hamilton, where the means of healthful recreation during the summer months are not abundant, boating on the Lake will be a noticeable addition to the stock. We earnestly hope the club will meet with the encouragement it so richly merits. It is about time something was done towards putting the Victoria road in a condition fit for ordiuary traffic. If the work of repairing it be delayed much longer the road must be closed or else ! some serious accident will occur, Yesterj "day Mr T. Wells, of Cambridge, had a very narrow escape. It appears that a water course about seven feet wide aud some five feet deep traverses the road, and over this Mr Wells attempted to jump his horse, with the result that animal and rider were precipitated to the bottom. Fortunately both escaped unhurt, but the next person who tumbles in may not be so lucky. It is quite clear that with the limited funds at their disposal the local authorities cannot possibly keep this road in a proper state of repair, and unless the Government can induced to afford some help it will have to be shut up during the wet season, .an alternative which we need, hardly say will seriously interfere with the traffic between the Cambridge and Thames Valley district.