The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1853, 22 May 1884, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Equal and ex.ict justice to all men, Ot state or perMiaMOn, religious or politic \\. Here sh.ill the Press the People's righf maintain, Un.iui-d by influence .inJ unbribed by g.iin.

THURSDAY. MAY 22, 188',.

It is a matter worthy of notice that of the defendants in the many civil cases decided in some of our district tribunals, particularly at Cambridge, a very large proportion are natives. And the observer, whose notice may have been drawn to this fact, must have further observed the large sums for which these native defendants, in comparison with their brother debtors of tho -white community have been trusted. Almost every court day at Cambridge brings forth a new list of native defendants, judgment debtors, and others who have not complied with the orders of court. And why, it may be asked, is it that natives are the principal debtors of European creditors, and that they are trusted for such incredibly large amounts, whereas the eiedit given the average 'European generally stops short within the limit of a ten pound note? It can hardly be because the natives are more conscientious or more honest, for experience teaches us that this is not the case ; it cannot be that their social reputation is at stake, and they are not likely therefore to do anything which would derogate from their good character, for the majority of the race in this particular are to a great extent totally ' indifferent. It is .simply because the credit of natives at times becomes enhanced through reports of their having " large interests in certain blocks of land now before the court," whHi, when disposed of, will represent wealth considerably greater than any debt they might incur. A native has only to enter his name as a claimant in a case before the Laud Court, gpt a few of his friends to swear to the genuineness of his claim, and his credit is hiitticiently good to furnish a hou.se, or keep a family for a whole twelvemonth. The native applies for credit, and tells his story in the usual way ; the .storekeeper enquires as to his possibility of ever receiving payment, is assured of the validity of his claim, and, with an air of true benevolence, throws his stock-in-trade open to his customer. Native customers are never backward in grazing to the full extent of their tether, and before their claim has been decided in the Land Court their indebtedness not altogether covers, but generally exceeds the value of their interest. We know of one native chief, who at pit sent has not a cent in the world, but, nevertheless, is indebted to one Cambridge storekeeper to the extent of £600. Of course, all cannot b»» owners, and so the case is given in favour of a few, though all are alike in debt. And even the few, when they have disposed of their respective interests, do not see the force of paying for goods which they have already received. Getting iuto debt is a principle of European life thoroughly understood by natives — in fact they arc adepts in the art— but discharging liabilities they look upon as a practice to be shunned, and as one of the most flagrant absurdities of our civilisation. With the money they receive they can go and buy more goods : acquisition is their object, not payment, and so to them paying one's debts is like throwing money to the wind. They are then pursued by summonses, judgments, orders and executions ; the time of the court and the revenue of the country are wasted in assisting tradespeople, who have themselves to blame, in collecting their debts and in punish- j ing their debtors, until at last, when | the unfortunate native is made pay | the liability, through legal costs, (fca, it; has increased cent, per cent., and ruin is the result. The buggies, horses, cattle and household property which he > has accumulated are disposed of to satisfy the demands of jthe law ; and not only this but his intent fo other Jands. not yet;

adjudicated on is mortgaged to nn ora<;r of couro nnd must he satisfied with the option of imprisonment. This is a stsite of aft'iir.s not very creditable, and w« d 6 not think that much genuine sympathy can In 1 felt for tlioso who ex| erience an occasional loss through over-trusting a native customer. At the present time we believe there are orders for hundreds of pounds already issued agrinst tlio interests of claimants in the Maungatautiri Mock now before the court, at Kihikihi.

Commander Edwin wired at 11. 53 a.m. yustoiday :— Expect bad weather, bi • twt'on Miuth-ea^t And south and \v» i >t. (ila^s ftuthiu rise, and wind will continue backing with much etild weather.

At the polling at Morrinsville on the 17tli lnst., Messrs Ilcubtm P.nr .md J. J). Snntl) wore elected members of the W.iitoa Road Board. The only other candidate was Mr Stewart Evans.

The Cambridge Skating Club commenced operation 1 ; in the Public Hall on Tuesday evening. Owing to the bad state of the weather, the attendance was very limited.

The deer which sometime ago were turned out on the Manngakawn range near Cambridge, it appears, have thrived much better than was thought. Large numbers have lately been seen in the vicinity of Taotaoro.i, and some time b.ick no less than fourteen were seen in one mob.

Owing to the inclemency of the weather on Tuesday evening, the adjourned opening meeting of the Cambridge Mutual Impiovement Association fell through, none of the members turning up. The opening meeting has b°en again deferred till no\t Tuesday o\ ening.

The Wellington correspondent of the Auckland Herald t-nyi it is rumoured th.it Mr Fprffui, the member for the Lake district, intends to resign, owing? to his large contracts in Tasmania requiting hi* presence in that colony, and that Sir Juliiii Vogel may powbly wok to rill the vacancy.

The contractor is making good progie*-. with the Cambtidge mihwiy station buildings, and promises to have his contract completed in the course of a very short time. The closing- have neatly all bucn formed, and a few weeks should see the nils laid into tho town. June was the month promised by the hon. MrMitchelson for the opening of the line.

The Cambridge School Committee met again on Monday evening for the purpose of selecting from tlio list of candidates a suitable headtnastei for tho Cambridge District High School. As tho Hey. Mr Gulliver, M.A., who is one of the applicants for the position, neglected to forward his testimonials, it was agroed to defer decision until next Monday evening.

The first practice of the season of the Cambridge district footballers will bo held in the Government paddock opposite the National Hotel on Saturday afternoon, when all footballer-, are paiticul.irly requested to be present. If the practice is succo^ful in bringing together a good attendance, an adjournment will be made to one of the hotels, when the club w ill be properly organised for the reason.

The members of the committee who are getting up the Roman C.itholic concert sit Ktlnkihi on Saturday (QueenV Birthd.iy) are, we leirn, using great exertions to make the entertainment in every ■\\.iy a complete succor. No p.iins aie beinpr spared to make it a real musical treat. There are, few people in the neighbourhood and the districts surrounding wlio do not like to spend a social evening in Kihikiiii.il ;my time, and we feel certain, now that an a-gieeable entei t.unment is piovided, Hatitrd.iy evening next will pnne no exception to the rule.

The Timaru correspondent of the Lyttelton Tiuu'i write* : — Thu hoiongh council's statement of accounts for the year has recently been published. There are two items in it woi thy of notice — tlie cost of the '* (TovcrnorV leception " i.s set down at IKs, the expense <>f burying the carcase ofawli.ileth.it had been cast up on the beach and lay theie stinking, was £4 17s 7d. Fiom this it would appear that it is butter to enteitain half-a-do/.en live (Jo\Crnori than to inter one dead w halo.

Some stupid and inconsiderate person win) had been carting chaff or other substance in sacks out of Cambridge, lightened his load near the Waikat<» River by tbiowing a numbei of sacks on the side of the load in such :i position d* to frighten .all homes passing that way. Home per.soiH driving past narrowly escaped an upset through their horses shying, and were obliged to alight and lead them past. Such stupidity as this should be rewarded by the culpiit being brought before the court.

While engaged in breaking in a young horse, at Waotu, on Tuesday last, a man named Dennis Kitchey, in tho employment of Mr Isaacs, had his leg accidentally broken. It appeals he was driving the young 1 aniii):il with anothei, in a waggon, when it kicked hack, .striking him on the leg and breaking it below the knee. A buggy left Cambridge yesterday morning, to bring the sufferer to Cambridge, where the broken limb w ill be attended to by Dr Cushney. *

The Hon. the Premier paid a visit to the Thames on Tuesday, and inspected some of the mines and batteries. He also received several deputations upon local matters, and in the evening delivered an address. Major Atkinson returned to Auckland yesterday morning, and, with Mr Mitchelson, loft for Wellington in the Hineinoa in the afternoon. Major C.uitley, who lias been in Auckland for •some titno, inspecting the harbour with' a \ie\v to its defence, was aim) a passenger by the steamer 'to Wellington.

A melancholy shipping disaster is reported from Fiji. The Syria, a laige iron ship, armed at Sliv'a on the J'Jth inst. from Calcutta, having oij board 430 Coolie pas^^nger-*. When about three miles from the land '.he ran on a coral reef and became a total wreck. Some of the crew proceeded ashore for assistance, , but owing* to the breakers th«s steamer Petig.uin,^ which went to the spot, was unable to #et near. At last accounts it was feared that the majority of th(>M3 on board perished. On the afternoon of the 13th the Syria hud broken up.

The May number of the Illustrated New Zealand Heialdis to hand. The engravings include a portrait of the New Governor of Victoria, " Scone of the fatal lailway collision at Little Kiver, Victoria," a page of " Sketches in Ceylon," a portrait of the late Duke of Albany, "Sandakan Harbour. North Borneo " two " sketches at Lake Wanaka," " Hydraulic mining at Gabriel's Gully," Otago, and several others. Two very good coloured engravings, " Our co.ist defences " and " Aground " are given away with this nmnbor, which is the best i we Jiave seen for some time.

We would draw the attention of the police to the very extensive use among boys of india-rubber catapults, very dangerous and exceedingly mischievous instruments. It has been remarked to us that almost all the grown-up boy* in the Cambridge Public School are armed with these articles, and on being liberated from school fo an afternoon they do not scruple to torment and endanger the safety of unwary passers-by likewise. This is not to be tolerated, and we trust if the combined influence of parents and school teacher-) is not sufficient to induce their children and pupils to abandon this- latest development of larrikin torture, the police will interfere, and make a few examples.

The Wiltshire Telegraph of March 15 says : — The consignments of carcases of New Zealand mutton to the Salisbury purveyors on Saturday (heavy as they wore) proved unequal to the demand. Prices ranged from Shd per lt> (topping) for legs of the pfimest quality, and other joints at equally low figures in proportion, and at these piicoß an entire clearance was effected. There is but <me opinion as to the flavour and qualiLy of the moafc, every body pronouncing it to be superior in many respects to the ordinary English mutton retailed by the butchers at about 3d per Si more money. This new importation has caused a complete breakdown in the high ' price of meat in Salisbury, and should the Hupplies continue, they will be a great boon to (tuMfcoiners.

The Ga&itoi4ff9 Resident Magistrate's Court is one of WW bJe&Jjpst retreads, upon eaifcli during fcbo winfcep month*, Several times during tho last cold season we had reason to, grumble and complain on behalf of the Cambridge public and legal fraternity of the misery which this example of official parsimony afforded to all who came within its drafty precincts. We even sympathised with his Worship, who looked the most miserable of mortals, shrivelled up under the uncongenial influence of a winter's day, peering «\own frQityh|<i wW

perch on the lfii.<eraUo surroundings. The building H how abifdc to bo improved—ex-ternally-f but fob tfftderdtand in the matter of providing Arfcwlaces nothing i« to hs do 10. We think that if ciromnstances will not portiiitfof 11 fire-pkce iv the court-room, common humanity will at least prevail in supplying one foi the clerk'a ro»in,.whtch is alwiiys in use.

At a meetins ot the directors of the North New Zealand Farmer's CoMMTativo Association on Tuesday, an additional thousand shares wore allotted. Since that time applications for 200 more have come in, making a total of GCOO shares applied tor up to date.

Mr Lovegrove, well known as a former resident of Hamilton, who recently went Home to prosecute his claim to the Derwentwator Estates returned to Auckfc. land by the nhip Crusader on Tuesday. *-

We have received the first number of " The Australasian Machinery Market, and Metal Trades Register," n very useful journal, devoted to tho advocacy of the hardware interests, and published by Mr J. Ingram, of Auckland.

It will be remembered that at the last ordinary meeting of the Hamilton Borough Council a letter was read fiorn Mi Marsden, offering to establish gas-works in the town if the council would give him a monopoly for fourteen years, and that it was decided to write to Mr Marsden, asking for further particulars. This was done, and the Town Clerk has received a second communication, in winch the writer states that he does not de-.ire to bind the council to u-,e the gas unless it wishes it. The price per lamp, he says, will be about the same as that paid by the Auckland Council. We trust the council wih see its way to come to terms with Mr Marsden.

To-day is Ascension Day. This has been observed as one ot the great church festivals from the beginning, of Christianity. S. Augustine supposes it to have been of Apostolic origin, and Proclus, Archbishop of Constantinople, in the same ape, speaks of it as " one of the days which the Lord has made," reverently considering that the acts of our Lord so fai consecrated the days on which they occurred, that no further appointment was needed for their separation fmm common days. The compar.itive neglect of it which prevailed the last two centuries is now being corrected, and year by year its observance as one of tin* groat church festivals is becoming more and more marked. We notice that the day v iil h' 1 c )inmeinornt id at Hamilton. There will be a celebration of Holy Communion at 7.30 a.m., and evening seivice at 7.30 p.m. in H. Peter's Church.

At the Police Court, Cambridge, on Tuesday, before Captain Corbett, J.P., the man Edwin Harris* (inconectly named Hainson in our last issue), was brought forward on the information of Harry Symonds, and charged with that he, on or about the Ist Jay of March, ISS2, being a servant in Unemployment of the ?aid Hairy fciymonds did feloniously steal, take, and eirry away the m\u of £25 in money, :md within s-ix calendar months thereafter, to wit on the 23th day of March, 18S2, the further sum of £20 in money of the money* of and belonging to the said Harry SyninmK his master, contrary to the form of statute in such cases made and provided. Constable Biennan stated that owing to the time which had lapsed since the olfence had been committed, the witnesses were .somewhat scattered, and consequently some time would be lequired to get the necessaiy evidence together. He would therefore, apply to have the accused remanded for a week. The case was accordingly remanded.

The following special messages to the Press Association, dated London, May lllth and 20th, have been published : — Loid Roseberry stated that if the Australian colonies aie prevented from excluding recidivistes fioni landing on Pacific islands, the feeling of the colonists, if aroused, will bo one of danger to the union with England. — News is to hand of a dKa--tvouh conflagration at Beila/aar (sic). Sixteen hundred houses and shop-, have been totally destroyed, and eleven persons ait* burned to d< s ath. — Several members of the House of Commons have bigned a memorial in favour of the rnlease of the Tichborne claimant, and urging that the man Cresswell, who is at present confined in the Lunatic Asylum at Parramatta, New South Wales, and who i* alleged to be identified as Arthur Orfon, should bo brought to London. --The Rev. Andrew ' Douglas, of Arbroatb, has refused <in appointment under the West Melbourne Presbytery, owing to the inquisitorial nature of tin* Church rules. — Despite the panic on the New York Stock Exchange, it is expected that the Adelaide loan will piobubly be floated at an average of 101. — Mr Douglas, of Ceylon, has been appointed joint liquidator in connection with the winding up of the financial affairs of the Oriental Bank. — The Fiench have acquired the right of pre-emption over Mr Stanley's Congo Company.

A special meeting of the Hamilton Borough Council was held last night to consider what .steps should bo taken in regard to Mr W. M. Hay's bill ctgninst the borough. There were present hi.s Worship the Mayor, Cr*. Davy, (4audin, Bradley, Scott, Tippen, Lo\ett and Johnson. The mayor explained that Mr Hay had written to the council at the last meeting asking for payment of a .separate account of £3 12>, and offering if the whole of the money owing to him by the council were paid the next day he would settle the account named for £2 2s ; otherwise, he would sue for the whole amount. At that time the council did not know how much it owed Mr Hay, btlt thd clerk offered that gentlemen a cheque for £2 2a the following morning. This Mr Hay declined, rind he (the mayor) then instructed the clerk to forward a cheque for the full amount, £3 12s Since then they It ad leaf tied . thdt the council was , indebted to Mr Hay, on account of the taxation business, in the sum of S3 l.*n ."id. After sonic <lisousHon, it was agreed that tho council ought to pay the amount in full. Cr. Davy dissented, urging that the liability had not been legally incurred. He Wart quite willing to pay his share of the expense* if the >ther councillor** would do tho Maine, but he would protest against the money coming out of the borough revenue. In answer to Or. Johnson, the Mayor «aid the total amount of the coat* incurred in connection with the taxation was £14-1^ sd, divided as fellows :— Mr Thorne,%i ; MrO'Neill, £.") ; and Mr Hay, £3 13s fid. Eventually Cr. Scott gave notice to move at the ne\t meeting, that the amount of Mr Hay'n bill be paid in full, it being understood that the mayor should sign a cheque for the amount in the meantime.

The Ministerial crisis, so long imminent, is now (-<ays tljc London Morning Post, a M*olent opponent of the Pretniei) a reality. The health of the Piitne Minister, which has been violently disturbed by the altercations in his Cabinet, no less than by the storms without, will probably impose upon him the immediate consideration of that retirement which he has long contemplated. The rumours lately current of impending resignation were, we believe, well founded, but such offers are generally met — as we understand was the case in this instance — by an in\ itation to reconsider the question, which Mr Gladstone is now doing amid the budding groves of Coonibe. Mr Gl.adafcone, as beconie-s » sound Liberal, will probably ere long assume the earldom which lie may claim as his due, and leave hi* quarrelsome and discomfited followers to arrange among themselves how they shall piece together the broken kaleidoscope which is his only legacy. The country is making its voice clearly heard. The Brighton election sounded the first and most distinct note. A great Conservative re-action is tak'ng place, and no dual's manoeuvres can avail to arrest it. England is sick of the false humanitarianism, the economical cant and sham reforms which have produced Ivish disaffection, increased expenditure, and horriblo bloodshed. The commercial classes are disgusted, the farmers have broken away from their false friends, while the whole nation is distressed and humiliated by the comtemptible policy which in Barypt has ruined that once rich country, while making us the laughingstock of Europe. The last hour of the v Gladstone Administration is rapidly approaching, Its - knall has sounded. lt< dissolution may take place within a sh< rt '. time, or be retarded over a few weeks ; b^.t its end is certain, and when it expires no^e will be found to write a friendly epitaph over the tomb of a Government which from the first hour of its inception has proved,, itself in all matters vacillating, in many incompetent, and in most disastrous. ,

we take the following from a, home paper :— Lord Walter Gordon Lennox,' youngest son of the Duke of Richmond, who has raoently vetuvned from a trip 'to New Zealand,; leotured upon his tour through that colony at the Village Club, a Box Grove, on JjYidny last) (14th March). After, dealing with the voyage out in the Orient steamer John Elder, Lord Walter , devoted some time to a description of Dunedin, where ■he staved several weeks, and of * the ' : West Coast Sqwsi»- f 4 9*^4 • «keis» ' of Mwri

life and manners was then given, ' followed by an account of all that his lordship saw on a New Zealand sheep farm, ana of the troubles ( which the Southern settler has to f.ice in the (shape of rabbit pests etc. Going North,' the Hot Lakes and Rotomahana were of course visited — in fact, it may be at once said, the young nobleman >>aw everything there was to see in the colony. His lecture was illustrated oy photos (shown by lime-light) purchased in Dunediu and Auckland, and interested a large and closely packed audience intensely. Lord Walter tfoidialiy recommended emigration to New Zealand to certain classes of agriculturists, instancing, amongst others, the case of Mr M ( J)onald, ion of one of the gillies at Gordon C.ntle, who, " begiuniiig ai a small sheep farmer in New Zealand, had grown ,to wealth and position, and is now a magistrate, member of Parliament, owner of race-horses, and one of the gieat men of the colony." Th^re were, he added, plenty of such c.ises to stimulate a man's ambition out there.

" Civis," in the Witness, writes : — Barnum's agent, I read, left Liverpool a short while ago with " three Nautch girl-*, s.nd to be the first Hindoo dancing girls? who have left their country, a sword performer, two Afgnns who have participated (!) in the recent wars of Afganistan, an [ aboriginal from the Andaman Islands, and two members of a race from Southern Hindostan, said to be one of the lost tribes of Israel. " A very pretty collection indeed, and highly creditable to the genius and enterprise of the greatest showman in the world. 1 trust, however, there is no truth in the btatement that the two last-men-tioned curiosities belong to one of the lost tribes. If they did what would become of the Anglo-Israel theory ? It will, of [ course, be s>aid that a few stragglers may have taken their way eastward and wanI dered on and on till they finally settled in the south of India. There are a few black ~.Jews in India, and why should not there be a few dark-skinned Israelites too ? It may be that they are the little leaven by which the whole lump of India is to be leavened. Are there not descendants ol the lost tiibes in Afganistan and other parts of Asia besides India ? But if the , lost tribes are to be found everywhere, even "in B.irnuni's show, I leally do not see how the Anglo-Israel theory can stand. One comfort is, that it does not signify much whether it stands or fall*. Bui Barnum might be induced to get together specimen-; of all the nations, peoples and tongues who are said to bo descended from the Ten Tribe-*. A Prophetical show of this kind would no doubt bo interesting ; people could at any rate pay their money and take their choice.

During the discussion at the meeting of the Otago Fresbvteryon the question of the shifting the locale of the Rev. Mr Greigs mause at Portobello (says the Otago Daily Times), some interesting particulars cropped up. The icverond gentleman himself said that as he had been 15 year.-, in the mmse he was much attached to it, even in spite of it^ inaccessible situation. There was no possibility of access to the manse save by the most' difficult of means. Any articles bi ought for the manse were left in n, box at the foot of the hill. All his groceries wore loft in this boy: by the tradesmen, and they had to be hauled up the hill by manual labour, either on a 'man's back or in a wheelbarrow. It was an evidence of the perfect honesty of his parishioneis that nothing had ever been stulen fiom the hnx. He held purchased a buggy, but it had proved a useless piece pi machinciy to him, perched upon his mountain top, where a balloon would be more .serviceable, and he had Kept it m the shed for the liiht two years without having got the use of it. Many otiier inconveniences ensued from the manse being s<i completely isolated. The Rev. Mr Will was able to conoborate Mr (Jioig. He had once taken a buggy down the road to the manse, but as long as he retained his senses he would not do so again. About the honesty of Mr (Ireig's congregation he differed a little with that gentleman. On the occasion of his \isit he left his buggy beside the " wonderful bo\ '" spoken of by Mr (jreig, and when he returned he found, to his amazement, that his buggy whip was gonr, and from that day to this he had not seen any sign of it.