The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1814, 21 February 1884, 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 rijrh' maintain, Unawed by influence and unbribed by £am.

THURSDAY, FEB. 21, 188b.

. «. Soudan affairs are assuming a singular phase, judging by tlie telegrams which reach us from clay to day, '\ he drama has, so to spqak, asunder as well as a main plot. On, the one haa4 we are presented &c record 9| %

achievements, and his enemy's discoinntui'o, and on the other we read of the progress of the mission of peace in -which the intrepid General Gordon, the newly-appointed Governor-General of the Soudan, is engaged. Afc a moment when we might reasonably have expected to hear of a general Mohammedan uprising, comes the news of the almost complete success of Gordon Pasha's mission. lie has, ifc appeat'3, arrived at Khartoum, and has met with a favourable reception at the hands of the populace. By virtue, we suppose, of the discretionary power entrusted him, he has issued a proclamation recognising the Mihdi as Sultan of Kordofan, and announcing a remission of half the taxes. The telegrams also state that the Governor has sanctioned the slave trade. 'J he meaning of this is not very clear, b'.-eause the Government itself is not under any obligation to discontinue the slave trade for several yeirs at least, so tint it would seem to matter very little whether General Gordon gave the slaveholders permission to continue or not. But this proclamation comes as a most complete surprise. Its effect may be to put an end to hostilities at once, -without the intervention of British bayonets — that is, of course, presuming tlio influence of Gordon Pasha to bo capable of reasonable expansion. In view of the active measures taken by the English Government to concentrate a military force at Suakim, it is piobablo that the authorities did not place the fullest reliance on General Gordon's assurances when he professed to be ready to pacify the Soudan, even then as the cable put it, "in a blaze." Now that one of the moans adopted promises to bear good fruit, the other may not be forced on the country, and England may before lone: bo enabled to carry out her original intention of evacuating Egypt. Public opinion at Home is opposed to this course ; but public opinion is a changeable thing. If the settlement of the difficulty on the Upper Nile can be effected without bloodshed, we may be sure the mass of the English peop'e will rejoice gr.-atly, and colonists will scarcely be less glad. Last night's news is of an encouraging cast. The garrison of Tokar have made a successful sortie, and it is now expected they will be able to hold out until the British troops are able to raise the soig<\ Let us hope that active hostilities will soon close, and that the adjustment of the difficulties may b» left in the hands of the new Governor- General.

We are particularly anxious that the matter of improving the Cambridge Public Hall and Library buildings, and the proposal to borrow £600 therefor, should be kepi steadily before the Cambridge public. Those interested in the borrowing of the money should be fully cognizant of all the circumstances for and against, so that when the poll-day arrives general ignoiance of the details of the question upon which they are called upon to vote will not prevail in the minds of the ratepayers. In a large number of instances of this nature the enemies of the proposal are successful, not through any decided advantage they may have in point of number, but simply through the ignorance and apathy of those in favour of the prop seel scheme. Some people, when questions of this nature are under way, are ever willing to embrace a pai ticular popular prejudice, set rolling by some fossilised mind, usually averse to progie.ss in any form, and that looks upon every new idea, of what nature it matters little, as an innovation of the most ruinous character. In the ca&e under notice we are aware that a number of these objections have found favour with the class of humanity above referred to, and no pains are spared to secure for such prejudiced versions of the proposal a general credence. While we are pleased to &cc every man form his opinion on mature consideration of the proposal or scheme laid before him, he being an interested party in its adoption or rejection, as the case may be:, we cannot afford to treat with indifferenco assertions which are the emanations of indifferent minds, and which have not even a tinge of truth to recommend them. It is a generally accepted fact that all ratepayers are alike anxious for the welfare of their town ; and believing this to be the case in respect of Cambridge, we hope the ratepayers there will not form a hasty judgment on the important question of improving the two principal public buildings of their town before all the facts of the case are laid clearly before them, and after a mature consideration thereof. At a meeting of the town board, held on Monday evening last, the resolutions regarding the borrowing of the £600 for the purpose above-named were confirmed; and the meeting of ratepayers required by the act as part of the course to be pursued in such cases was fixed for Saturday evening next. This will give all concerned in the borrowing of the money an opportunity of discussing the proposal in detail, and making themselves thoroughly conversant with the extent of the increased liability which it is proposed to incur. We hope, therefore, to ccc a large attendance of all concerned at Saturday evening's meeting.

TnE election of the Auckland licensing committees, on Thursday, was a complete victory for the temperance men, who carried their candidates in in a block in every district but one. The exception is Grafton, but there is only one hotel in the district, and little interest was taken in the contest there by either side. In the three city districts and Ponsonby the temperance candidates were all returned. It is worthy of remark that some of the raQst'joopiUar won in Auok-

land wero rejected because of their connection with the Licensed Victuallers, while men in no sense popular woro placed on the committees on account of their temperance leanings. The platform of the temperance men was : — Ten o'clock licenses, no upstairs bars, and no Sunday trading ; .and it may be assumed that this policy will now be put in operation. The temperance party have won a great victory, and no one who is honestly concerned for the public welfare will grudge it to them. It now remains to be seen, as the Herald remarks, how the victors will use their newlyacquired power.

The Government is now gathering the agricultural statistics in this, district.

Tawhiao and party arrived at Te Aw«unutu by yesterday'^ train, from Mercer.

The Waipa County Council advertise a poll of the ratepayers for the ltith of March re proposed loan of £642 for main roiid works.

The tender of Mr Wm. Lovett has been accepted for the completion of the Carnbi idge railway, fOlf 01 mation, platelaying, ballasting, &c.

We are requested to draw the attention of the Catholic* b')th at Hamilton and Cambridge, to the change of hours for the Mabsi next Sunday.

The annual Harvest Festival Service in connection with S. Andrew's Church, Cambridge, will be held on Sunday next, when the Rev. Gulliver, M.A., will conduct the bervice.

Contributors of grain, fruit vegetables and Flowers for the Harvest Thanksgiving Festival at S. Peter's, Hamilton, are reminded that these will be received at the parsonage to-d.iy and to-morrow, and at the church on Saturday.

The parishoners of St. Peters, Hamilton, will be gl.id to learn that their old pastor, the Rev. W. Calder, now of All Saints', Auckland, has ananged to assist in the celebration of the harvest festival on Sunday next. He will preach at the evening bervice.

We understand that Mr Gordon, coach proprietor, late of the W.inganui distiict, is about to e-)tubli>h himself at Cambridge, boing encour.igod by the prospects of the country, and the daily developing trade with Rotorun.

The new Wesleyan Church, Oambiidge, will be opened on Wednesday, sth Match. There will be a soiree and musical entertainment in the Public Hall in the evening.

The lad Barker, who has been laid up with typhoid fever iit Hamilton East, i% we are gl.ul to hear, almost recovered. No other cases have occurred in the family. Typhoid fever, it may be as well to state, is not contagious.

We are glad to hear that Mrs Ryan, upon whom the operation of ovariotomy was performed last week by Dr. Haimes, assisted by Dr>. Beale and Blunden, and Mr R. F. S.mdes, is progressing favourably. Since the opoiation she h\is been under the sole care of Dr. Beale.

At the Hamilton R.M. Court yesteiday, before Mr H. W. Northcroft, R.M., judgment for the plaintiff was recorded in the case Tiplady v. G. Young for rent. The case O&ter v. Richard Ulo\er, threatening language, and (Kter v. Mrs Richard Glover, as-,ault, were adjourned on the application of plaintiff.

At the meeting of the Hamilton Webt School Committee, held hibt night, it was decided to recoid the vote of this committee in favour of Messrs Cooper, Moat and L nvry as inenibor-> of the Education Board tit the ensuing election. The secretly was instructed to call for tenders for cleaning the .schoolrooms for the current year, and also to m.ike an application to the central board to h\ up the hat pegs in the poich of the school, the pegrf for which hciA c been borne time on hand.

It seems that Messrs Rolleston and Biyce have mot with a rather warm reception" at Rotorua. Tlie head chief-, of the distuct refused to 'jce them, and the young men who were sent to meet the MinKtei^ intimated that the previous offers made by the natives in regard to tho railway were now withdrawn. The European residents who interviewed the Ministers in regard to seveial local matteis came away thoroughly dissatisfied.

At the meeting of the Waipa County Council held on Tuesday, the following workb were arranged for out of the loan of £(542 : — Te Awainutn to Kihikihi, £200 ; Kihikihi town, £70 ; wainp load, £100; approach to l ail way bridge neat Ohaupo, £">0 ; load near saw-mills, £25 ; draining flat near Hing'b road, £80 ; road near Kay'b, £20 ; Johns-m'h hill near Hamilton, £40 ; Tuhikaramea .sidings, £37, The engineer was insti noted to repair load near Oliote, and past Corboy's, also near Te Roie and Campbells bridge.

We think the time has now arrived when the Government should see its way clear to station a police constable permanently at Oxford, hih duty to extend over the disfci icts of Patetere and Waotu. Theie are now no fewer than four hotels in the distiicts named, and as there is at present a considerable navvy population enpaged on the railway contracts in the vicinity, ihe services of an officer of the nature referred to cannot be said to be altogether di&penbable. Indeed, from what we can learn, the presence of a police officer is badly needed at tHtord at the present time.

At the meeting of the Waipa County Council on Tuesday, the following tenders were received for the making of direction posts for various parts of the district :— Joseph Freer, totara 47s per 100 ft., kauri 43s per 100 ft., letters Od each ; James Comnbes, all timber, 47s per 100 ft., letters 4d each, hands Is Sd each ; S. P.iscoe, all timber, 45-, per 100 ft., letters 3d each, hands Is (id ; D. Elliott, 31)s Od per 100 ft., letters 3d each ; Danvers and Cameron, totara 33-* Od per 100 ft., kauri 26-i per 100 ft., letters 3d each, hands Is each (accepted.)

The following special messages to the Press Association d.ited London February the 17th and 18th have been published : A great struggle has taken place between the adherents of Sir Stafford Noithcote find followers of Lord Randolph Churchill for the presidency of the Central Tory Association, which inean-i the control of the whole electoral machinery ->f the party. The result was the election of L >rd Randolph Churchill.— A number of mutinous soldiers claiming to represent the Egyptian army, have protested against bein<* called upon to serve in the Soudan, and have pentitioned the Khedive to dismibS all British officers.— Vice Admiral the Hon. Henry Carr-Glyn is dead.— M. Ferry's Seditious Cries Bill has been defeated in the French Chambers.— Lord Randolph Churchill advocates the establishment of a British protectorate over Egypt.— The Standard says that it has been virtually decided to disband the Egyptian army.

Few persons (says the New Zealand Times) are probably aware that the beautiful fawn-colour in gloves, which is &o fashionable at the piesent time, is obtained by means of a New Zealand product. For some years pas>t considerable quantities of the bark of the Tanekaha (Phyllocladus trichomanoides) have been exported from Auckland, chiefly to Germany, but what special work it was used for was scarcely known, even by the shippers, who were probably well satisfied with the profits. The bark is said to yield a very superior tannin, which also contains the dye. We understand the qualities of Tanekaha bark were known in Germany upwards of thirty years ago, when the colour alluded to was very fashionable, and that considerable quantities were then exported from Auckland.

"Civis" the clever contributor of " Passing Notes " in the Otago Witness thus refers to the Sir George Grey and Federation in last Saturday's issue of that paper :— Theologians, as we all knov/, have a happy faculty of ignoring the text* which niake against their own views. Freewill and Predestination are both in the Bible, as there are both red and blue rays in the solar spectrum. The Arminian Bees only the texts of Freewill, the Calvaniot the texts for Necessity. Blue glass is blue be. cause it sifts out the red rays, red glass is red because it sifts out the blue. It is only the glass which transmits all colours impartially that gives us white light. Most sermons are either blue glass^ or red, — most sermons and most 'political speeches. There is just as' little white light in politics as in theology. That Is what I watifcid^tp remark on m this note— the prevalence of politjioal colour - blindness. 1 l Sir , George <jre^'for#*>P|>te,vhi» bepn trying to whip

up a public opinion in Auckland against federation. Tyranny and chains for New Zealand is what Sir George sees in the proposals of the Sydney Convention of Premiers. Quite natural. Sir George is not a Preirtier, and had no seat in the Convention, consequently it is inevitable that he should find no wisdom or propriety in anything that the Convention did. Had Sir George Grey gone to Sydney instead of Major Atkinson what a different story the sage of Kawau frould now have been telling us ! The airy dreams of empire suggested by the Federation scheme are exactly in the vein of Sir George Grey. Nobody would have taken to them so oagerly as himself, had not fate and party politics ordained that he should be on the the other side. I am not altogether a Federationist myselt. New Zealand is too far to be effectively controlled by a General Government bitting in Tasmania. The Australian Dominion will ha\e to leave us out, I fancy, and New Zealand, after annexing Fiji and any other groups lying handy, will form a Pacific Dominion on her own account. But Sii George Grey does not seem to have thought of this. Scheme of his own he had none. He is blue merely because Major Atkinson is red.

" The Bruce County Council (says the. Bruce Herald) has at last been so provoked that it has actually passed a resolution which is only next door to a vote of censure upon the Legislature of this country. In our opinion the circumstances were sufficiently provoking to have justified a resolution of a great deal stronger character. The facts are simply these : The council, according to the terms of the acts, applied for a grant for works amounting to £39,000. When making the application, it is necessary to forward to headquarters plans and specifications for eacli work. This they did at a cost of about £780. The total amount to ba received is £1400, of which sum £500 is allocated to the construction of a bridge, no portion of which can be devoted to any other purpose, thus leaving £900 for the carrying out of works estimated to cost £38,500. But out of this £!)00, £780 has alteady been expended for engineering rosts, preparation of plans &c, leaving the magnificent balance of £120 with which to carry on their operations. And this is one illustration of the working of that wonderful scheme wlrc'i was to revolutionise local government throughout New Zealand !" We are inclined to regard it as an illustration of the u- cons Monable rapacity of the Bruce County Council. Had that b )dy no appl'edt for somewhere about half the amount of the money available, they would not have incmred such tremendous preliminary expenses.