The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1911, 4 October 1884, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Equal and exact justice to <i'l men, Of uh.itsrwer suite or pcrsu.ision, religious or pohtiral. Here shall tlir Press the People's ritfht maintain, Unawed by influence and unbribed by (,'.im.

SATURDAY, OCT. 4, 2884.

In re&pect of public works we do not think that Waikato has now any reason to complain of being neglected. It cannot be said we have not got our share ; and weve the opportunity afforded tomorrow it is not likely wg should be so very conscientious as to say Aye had got too much, and scruple about taking more. l<\>r, however ready Aye may be to admit that we have been fairly done by in the past, our satisfaction can scarcely be accepted as a repudiation of our share of the joys to come. Within the past five years many works of an extensive and beneficial character have been carried out in this district. Railway lines have penetrated all through the district, if we except Baglan, where the progress of the settlement required them, and where they are likely to stimulate settlement. The main line has been extended to Te Awamutu, a branch line has been completed to Cambridge, the Wai-kato-Thames line has been pushed as far as Morrinsville, and theformation has been finished as far as Te Aroha The Hamilton railway bridge '. may also be claimed as a work of special importance. The Hamilton 'traffic bridge has been relieved from the financial iacubus under which iWor

more properly Hpealcinft the district public — 'abournd, and has been thrown open to free use ; the \Vi\ipa river has been spanned in no less than thr. c places by valuable structures ; good road communication has been opened across the ranges to 11 iglan ; that very important work, the Cambridge-Rotorua road, has been made ready for traffic ; Raglan, Whatawhata, Morrinsville and Te Aroha have been brought within telegraphic communication, and many other works of a local character, such as the formation of new roads and the erection of bridges, have been carried out at the expense of the respective districts benefited. From what we have enumerated, it is evident that our wants in the past have been amply gratified. For what we have received we are indebted to (hose who have so ably represented us, and wo can only wish that we may be equally as well served in the future. The public works at present engaging the attention of the people of this district are the Thames Valley and Rotorua Railway, the North Island Trunk Railway, and the extension of the line to the Aroha. When these are completed there will be very little little more to be desired, and if the past may b-> taken as a criterion of the future, the time is not far distant when we shall realise our present requirements. It may not be out of place to make a passing reference to the vast areas of land that have been purchased from the natives and thrown oppn to settlement within the past few years. The inimensp and valuable properties of the Waiknto Land Association, the Piako Land Association, the Patelere and Thames Valley Land Companies, the Aucklmd Agricultural Company, the Auckland Agricultural Association, and several of the properties wellknown to our readers, have been reclaiiuod and improved and are now in the market for settlement at prices and on terms very reasonable for purchasers. The great and prosperous future which is before the district is becoming daily more evident. And thp prosperity cannot be far distant, for as a proof of the advancement which we have now entered upon we might instance the many commercial institutions and industries which within the comparatively brief space of about two years have sprung into existence in our midst, and are now flourishing and afford every promise of great things to all who are connected with them. With the additional facilities at our disposal our productiveness must increase, and by the assistance of the powerful agency, co-operation, which we have called into existence in our midst our productive energy will lie stimulated and encouraged instead of hampered and stifled as in the past.

Tin; ignoiance of Austialasian Geogiaphy displayed by our kinsmen in the British Islauds has often brought a smile to the face of Colonists. A tew year* ago it was by no means uncommon to hear of letteis with "Adelaide, Victoria, New .South Wales, "' or some equally stupid supeiscriptiou on them, or to find in Home papers the colonies of this group mixed up with the Cape, with South America, and even with Canada ; but we thought all this dark ignorance had been dispersed. Not so, however. A Siusex paper received by the last mail, in the course of some remarks on the s-rbject ot annexation in the Pacific, this incidentally reters to New Zealand : — ' ' If the colonists of Australia peisists in their demand for annexation of New Guinea, it will be followed by that of New Zealand. But the king of the latter island is now in England to protest again&t his subjects being made slaves by the Queensland planters, and his country being confiscated by what aie called ' landsh irks,' men who trade amongst the islands of the .South Seas, and buy the innocent inhabitants for a few beads or a stick of tobacco, and then seize their lands." This is very funny, of course, hut our English friend is not so very much to blame after all. He has \ery probablj' been inmer&ing his giant intellect in Mr Kerry Nicholls book, in which that facetious gentleman dcsciibe& his hair breadth 'scapes among the savages of that terra incognita the King Country. By the nest mail steamer we shall doubtless receive a consignment of adventurous Britons bent on hunting " big game " m this wild land of ours.

Next Wednesday, the occasion of opening the Cambridge branch railway, will be a public holiday at Cambridge.

Operations for the season commenced at tho WfiiUato Cheese and Bacon Factory on Wednesday. The amount of milk luceived on tli.it day was 200 gallons.

The poll of ratepayers of the Piako County Council takes^ place to-day. The liouih and places of polling aie adveit.Ned clheuheie.

Efforts are being made at Cambridge to fctart a lawn tennis club for the coining season.

We direct attention to the advertisement (»f the Equitable Life Association of the U.S. The authorised travelling agent for the Waikato is Mr W. Munsell.

The Cambridge Parliamentary Union holdi its next meeting on Monday evening at S. Andrew's .schoolroom. The pioceedings promise to be of an interesting character, and a full attendance of membeis is expected.

It will be seen that, in order to suit the convenience of country settlers and others using the railway, the usual weekly sales at the Hamilton Auction Mart, will, on and after Saturday next, commence at 11 a.m. instead of 2 p.m. as hitherto.

A public ball is advertised for next Wednesday evening at Cambridge. The ball, which is to celebrate the opening 1 of the i ail way. will be held in the Public Hall and promises to be very successful.

The time-table of the Cambridge Railway, to come into force on the opening of the line on Wednesday, will be found advertised in another column. A special train will leave Huntly for Cambridge on Wednesday, at 12. 15 p.m. leaving Cambridge on the return journey at 7 o'clock.

The natives Piripi Whatuaio, Natana and others, who wero fined £50 bometime ago for obstructing the Government surveyor, Mr Donald Stubbing, when laying off subdivisions in the Wnotu block, have, by the interference of the Government, been relieved from the penalty inflicted, yesterday was the day appointed for paying the money.

We are requested to state that Messrs W. J. Hunter and Co.'s Cattle Fair at Ohaupo on Tuesday will commence at one o'clock. The sale is a most impoitant one, as will be seen from the full list of lots, which are published in another part of this issue.

We draw the attention of our readers to the sale of cattle at Te Aroha on Tuesday next, October 7th. As the railway is now opened to Morrinsville, buyers will have facilities of reaching the sale yards, which have not hitherto existed. A coach meets the train on its arrival at Morrinsville.

The Piako Gcmnty Council having received the opiniqn of Messrs Whitaker '

and Russell, Auckland, to the effect that the council could by special order resume its rating powoiN delegated some time ago to the Taotamvia and Waitoa Road Boards, steps will be taken, as notified elsewhere, at the next meeting of the council to make the special ofder necessary. The pupils of the Hamilton West School will this afternoon atteud the funeral of their late lamented schoolfellow John Ede (who met his death by drowning in the Waikato river at Hamilton, on Wednesday) to their last resting place in the Hamiton ISast Cemetry. An appropriate hymn for the sad ceremony will be sung by tho children at the grave side.

The ordinary meeting of the Kirikiriroa Road Board was held ye^terdajr, but the buHinoss was chiefly of a routine character. The following tenders were received for forming' and clearing road from Kirikiriroa School-house to Teas' farm, at per chain : — Casaidy, 7s ; H. Kelly, 5s lid ; Z. Owen, fis 3d (acceped) ; Churches and Willis, 9s. The engineer reported that work at Hinton'a gully was not being carried out satisfactorily, and the board instructed him to see that the conditions of contract were fulfilled.

The following special messag3S to the Press Association, dated London, October Ist and 2nd, have been published : — The Agents-General of the various colonies have held a meeting to consider the advisability of taking united action in regard to the Pacific question, but the attitude of Sir Saul Samuel, Agent-General for New South Wales, has prevented such line of action being taken. — Thp last Victorian 0 per cent, loan has been repaid. — The financier predicts that the New South Wale*, loan will be a pronounced success. — General Lord Woloeley and staff arrived to-day at Assouan. — A compromise will probably be effected in regard to the recent suppression of the Law of Liquidation by the Egyptian Government.— The Marquis of Salisbury, in his speech on the Franchise Bill, stated that the Loids would not yield to the demands made, as such demands were arrogant and dictatory.

It has been said that owing to the exorbitant prices charged by the Railway Department the steanieis on the Waihon river will be able to land goods cheaper at the Aroha wharf than the train will be able to land them at Morrinsville. We have enquired into the iespective price-*, and, generally speaking, the railway offers better inducement to settlers in the district lying between boch termini. In home respects, however, .the rivn 1 traffic being the moie reasonable, the steamers will command patronage, and if so they well deserve to be patronised. If the railway is not able to compete with the river steameis in every department of ti attic it is saying ■very little for our railway-., and a gieat deal for the steamer*. In the person of Mr Hudson we have a manager who, we have iv> doubt, will see that the railway is worked to the best advantage fiom a public as well as from a departmental point of view.