The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1822, 11 March 1884, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Of \sh itsocvcr state or persuasion, religious or political. Here shall the Press the People's riffle maintain, Unawod b\ influence md iinbribcd h\ nun.

TUESDAY, MARCH 11, ISBJ t . «, The discrepancy between the prices of Adelaide and New Zealand wheat ruling in the London market must have been a source of some surprise to the people in this colony, and more particularly in the North. Not being so directly interested in the grain export trade as our neighbours in the South Island, it has not yet been worth our while to make enquiries upon the subject. It has been taken for granted, no doubt, that the quality of the grain grown in South Australia is superior to that produced in this colony. So far as we know, this has never been demonstrated to be a fact ; wheat raised in this province has always been held to bo the equal, in point of suitability for milling purpose?, of that of A(\laide. But, as mo have said, our export lias been almost nil, so that no proper test has ever been made. Some light lias recently boon thrown upon the causes which operate to keep tho grain grown in this country in an inferior position with respect to its Australian rival, and tho facts revealed tend to show that were proper care taken in the preparation of our cereal exports, tho extraordinary difference in the respective figures would no longer exist. The unsatisfactory returns for last year's shipments from the Houth wore almost •wholly due to preventible causes. It is true that a proportion of the grain suffered from the bad weather experienced before harvest, but the loss sustained by the exporters was owing chiefly to their not having taken care of that which the rain and wind had spared them. Much of the grain was cut prematurely — before the berry had properly ripened — but no allowance appears to have been made for this ; the farmers still adopted the unwise practice of thrashing from the stook, the result being that the "rain when landed in England was, much of it, shrivelled and damaged, and of course unable to compote with other importations, thrashing from the stook is a method that may in the hot climate of South Australia be followed with advantage ; but in our humid atmosphere, it is, to say the least, exceedingly risky, and should be avoided. But, bitter as the experience of last year must have been, tho grain growers of Canterbury and Otago have not, apparently, taken the lesson fully to heart, for we hear that this season some of the farmers again sought to avoid the small additional expense involved in carting their sheaves to the stack. Fortunately, there have nob been wanting those who have given the subject the benefit of intelligent consideration, and they have spoken out promptly against the unwisdom of putting immature grain in the ship's hold. The Press, coo, has taken the matter up warmly, and we may expect that the result will be an improved position, in the London market for New Zealand wheat. The special interest which we in this district feel in the subject extends thus far, that it is well to know that we can grow grain equal in quality to that produced in any other part of the world, providing that due care is taken in its growth and preparation for the market". Though at present we do not devote a very large share of our attention to the cultivation of white crops, the time is coming when we shall be obliged to turn our eyes to them. Ju&t now we are exerting ourselves to make up the deficiency in the meat supply of England, but as the Home country is also working in the same direction, it may ere long pay us to alter our tactics. Sir J. B. Lawes, writing to The Times, says that corn glowing at present prices will not pay, whereas raising meat will. But breeding stock requires a larger capital than the farmer generally possesses, as a cow costs £30 and a ewe from £3 to £4, while the risk of disease from imported stock is so considerable as to make it a haaardous investment. This remark about the risk of disease will not, of course, apply in the case of frozen meat, nor do we think the efforts of the English farmers will, with a growing population, ever obviate the demand for foreign meat. Still, the decrease in the annual yield of wheat will open up a larger market, in the supplying of which we ought to take ft part,

Owing to the steamer not being available this evening, the moonlight trip advertised by the Hamilton Band has been put off till to-morrow evening (Wednesday). An inebriate was brought before Mr Corbett, J.P., at the Pol we Court, Cambridge, yesterday, and fined §« *»4 costs. The next sitting of the District Court at Hamilton has been postponed from 3.30 p.m. on the 17th to the same hour on the 18th apt ■<>■./■ . i ! Mr A. Hughes has 7*si*4«d bis position us a. toembar of the >C»n»wwg»' Sphopl)Cpmniitteß, /t The j»p»mi^o I}»Yfi.

" Echoes from the Oafe" will be found on our fourth page. * We publish a railway time table for S. Patrick's Day in another column. Councillor McDonald having remgned his gnat in the Hamilton Borough Council, an election will be held, if necessary, on the 28th instant, and nominations rjceived on the 214. The dates and place of meeting of the quarterly licencing meetings for the County of Waipa will bo found in our advertising columns. We would draw our readers attention to the programme of the Taupiri spoits, which appeals elsewhere. A dance will bo held in the evening. The entire yield of wheat and oats for the Waikato and Wai pa counties this year is estimated at — wheat, 100,000 bushels; and oats 50,000 bushels. The average yield is estimated at 40 bushels to the acre, certainly a very large estimate. The bridge over the Piareri creek is now closed to traffic. During the erection of the new structure, we understand, the public will be admitted to use the private road through the Paeroa station. This means a detour of about three miles. The weather during the past few days has been rather coarse, with frequent heavy showers. As the crops are now nearly all in, the rain is welcome, the pastuie lands having been somewhat dried up by the late spell of fine weather. It will be seen by a report of the proceedings of the Cambridge Town Board, that the board is at last about to have Chapel-street, of which so much has been heard of late, put in proper repair. Chapel-street has long been an eye-sore, and in the rainy season is, in places, altogether impassable. The amount proposed to be spent is £100. The following is the programme of matches to be played by the Otahuhu C.C. during their visit to Waikato: — 1. Otahuhu v. A.C. Force, at Alexandra, 19th and 20th March. 2. Otahuhu v. Waipa County, at Cambridge, 2Lst and 22nd March. 3. Otahuhu v. Cambridge C.C. at Cambridge, 24th and 25th March. 4, Otahuhu v. Waikato County, at Hamilton. 2(ith and 27th March. The Otahuhu team will be a strong one. There are several good bowlers, and all are good bats. Mr Bowden, one of the Auckland representatives, is one of their best batsmen. Robson's diorama of the Egyptian War, was exhibited at the Public Hall, Hamilton West, on Saturday evening to a laige and appieciate audience, who testified their pleasure by repeated bursts of appl.iuse. At the close a number of presents were distributed amongst the audience, (riving general satisfaction. The diorama will be shown at Cambridge to-night and thence will go to Te Awamutu. The residents of those centres, and more especially the younger portion, have a tieat in stoic. A meeting of the members of the Hamilton Rowing Club was held at Gwynne's Hotel on Satuiday, Mr B. C. Mounier in the chair. After some discussion, it was resolved that stops be taken to collect the an cars of Mib^ctiptions as soon as possible, with a view to commencing opeiations, and a committee, consisting of the chairman, Mr Geo. Edgecumbe, and the secretary (Mr W.illnutt) was appointed to arrange for the piuchasc of a boat. An offer by Mr Verekm-Bindon to give a couple of lectuies on Hhakespeaie, in aid of the funds of the club, was accepted with thank-.. Theie seems a probability that the club will, after all, be something more than a tneie name befoie the season is over. The heavy rain of Saturday last did some little damage near the lake at Cambridge. Alaigepiece of the bank fell in at the spot where an abortive attempt was made to drain the neighbourhood, leaving a dangeious hole, and another smaller slip took place near the Presbyterian Church. The water tables at the junction of Queen and Victoria-stioets were ineffectual in diaining that locality, and a miniature lake at the corner was the result. At the junction of Alpha and Victm ia-streets the box culveit near the Colonial Bank was unable to carry off the storm water which, cutting a channel for itself, formed a eieek running outside the trees until it regained the channel below tlie Bank of New Zealand. Mr Arnold's cellar suffeied as usual. The Wanganui chief Topia Turoa and about forty followers, all mounted, arnved at Cambridge on Sunday last, on thenway to a settlement named Tuhunga near Matamata. They put up at the Criterion Hotel for the night, and started yesterday uioining for their destination. They intend visiting the vaiious other settlements in the district for the purpose, it is said, of promulgating some new doctrine or law conceived by Topia or the piophet, Te Pawa, who accompanies the party. This doctrine relates to the disposal of native lands, the dealing with roads, railways, <fee, bnt very little importance seems to be attached to either the propounders or the doctrine which they set forth. The Government is evidently not in a hurry to satisfy the claims of some of those piopeity-holders through which the Cambridge railway line passes, though the land lias been taken and fenced in for about twelve months past. Mr J. Allwill, whose land has been eaten into to the extent of about nine acres, complains that, though he has been deprived of the use of this land for neaily eighteen months, he has never yet received any compensation, nothwithstanding the numberless icpresentations he has made on the matter. Mr Macffailane, who represents the Government, has replied to Mr Allwill that, as the railway is not yet gazetted, no action can be taken in the matter of compensation ; but this statement i-, little in accoid with the fact that the piopeity -holders at Cambiidge whose sections and houses were taken for the station site, have long since leceived their compensation. Mr Allwill has already resoited to legal assistance in the matter, and intends having a more satisfactory understanding with-the Government as soon as possible, so that if they keep him out of his compensation until the lailway is opened, they will at least pay him current interest on the amount. The Tauranga Telegraph thinks that, eventually, Tauranga must become the principal seaside resort for Waikato. An article in our contemporary on this subject concludes as follows :— One of the first inducements required, of course, is easy transit. Well, this means a good road to the centre of the Waikato distiict, and the centre of the Waikato is quite unquestionably Hamilton. From Hamilton to Tauranga, under certain well-understood oonditions, should be but a day's journey. There is a route which we shall shoitly, we hope, be in a position to refer positively to, through a gorge in the range which, passing somewhat on one side of Te Aroha, strikes on to the Te Aroha-Hamilton road, and ia as straight as the ovQvy flies from Tauranga. This is what must be seen to, the shortest and best route ; and given thafc,-=-and proper coaching facilities, which, of course, in the natural order of things will follow— the baked-up families of Waikato will run down to the sea-side and spend the summer months in this earthly paradise, " where every prospect pleases, and ." The following special telegrams to the Press Association, dated London, March Gth and Bth, have been published := A blue-book just issued on the recidiviste question shows that the English Government informed France that they would regard it as an unfriendly act if the number of convicts in Nev Caledonia was increased, and repeatedly urged that they should be sent elsewhere. M. Ferry, in i-apjytng 6ai']y in January, suggested that the display of colonial feeling on the question was prompted by a thmt fw annexation, to which Loi-d Lyons replied, seating that the feeling of the colonies against the recidiviste scheme was perfectly genuine, and rapidly growing stronger. M. Ferry stated that the recidivistes now being bent to New Caledonia were not many, and that they were not positive criminals, nttd vygrg strictly prohibited from leaving the islands. >$"sfc of j;he French criminals were now sent to Qayennis, Hp, however, refused to give any pledge that no more should be sent to New Caledonia, but said he would pay reasonable respect to the feelings of the Australian colonists in the matter, and the Government of New fiaied^ina would be instructed to apply for tl« ex4'a4ife% #f fl^ e j* oa P ed convicts.— The remainder of IJakep papa's guns and a quantity of plunder ftave ijeeq Wffftvwed near Tokar, and the Arabs appew cpwejj, ,

, The Sheriff will hold a sale at Te Aroha on the 13th instant. ■ We draw attention to Messrs J. A. Barber and Co?s aiverffcament * n anot ker column. Mr J. Kno* wH cflftfjn^ h}s Jrappry sale . on ihelsthlnsfc. .•.,.,» Mr J. S. Buckland will sell, at §baupj» ,pn f^|» ' 18lh inst. 800 head stores and fat stock- r, ' Mrj.S.BUckland will sell a loi .of useful horses at bis sale at Cambridge on the 16tb, ( inst,' also the cross-country horse. Serenader. * * , Me T.S.BucMa'nd vr'il Well the reraamderof MMl^Ml'f jto9k or Wednesday, 12tb