KIHIKIHI NEWS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1998, 28 April 1885, Page 2

KIHIKIHI NEWS.

In view of the piohabihty of .1 war with Russia nearly all the Aimed Const ihul.uly have been ordered to Auckland. Only ono man will be left lieie. Consequently tiling will be \eiy dull until the i.ulw.iy works are in full awing, or smother laud couit is held. The likelihood of the militia being c.illed out for drill has induced so many to join the cavalry th.it thu corps is now up to its full strength, and thuie aie so many mine men available that many of them are desirous of getting up another corps, to be called either tho Kihikihi or Rangiaohia tioops, and offering their services to the Government. Some of the volunteers are endeavouring to get up a filing match, and are collecting prizes to be competed for. One gentleman has offered a Iwr&e and trap, another a saddle, another a bridle, another three sacks of oat*, &c; in all, there will be prizes for nearly half the men in the troop. The highest scorer will take his choice, the next his choice, and so on. The idea of having a large number of pikes is good, as it will induce all the more men to compete ; if only a few were given the inferior shots would not compete against good in.irksuieu, and cveiy man who curies anus should bo as good a shot as circumstances will allow. The line of railway will sdoi! the range at Te Aw.unutu, so it behoves the troops to get another as soon as possible. When the Piouiier was here it was brought under his notice, and he promised that if another range could be got the Government would erect the butts and target plates. Mr Hursthouse lias had a number of natives at work making a road from Hopa's settlement to the site of the railway s-tatmn at Kawa. it is about four miles long, and will be finished in about three or four weeks. It will connect with the proposed road from Kihikihi over the new bridge on the Puuiu and is a section of the road which is intended to be carried through from Kawhia to Whakatane. Tho natives worked veiy well under supervision of tho engineer. Of course, there is no communication from tins place with thu road as yet except by folding the river, but when the bridge is built drays cm be taken through. Some of the natives have begun work on tho section of the ti unk lino set apart for them. Between this and the road there are about eighty at woi k. In spite of the objections and bounce of some of them, when they get a chance of earning money from the perfidious pakeha they aro glad enough to take it ; indeeJ, so great is the desire among them to get woik on the line that many fanners ha vo had no little difficulty in gstting potato pickers, as they were expecting every day to begin work for tho Government. They are, as a rule, very hard up, and aro glad of an opportunity of earning some money. Some of them nave taken advances on their laud from European speculators and spent it, then taken another advance from some other person on the same blouk, ami so they have gone on until some of their land Ins been paid for two or three times over, but little or none of the money so gained now leimins. I hear that some of the owners of the land on pa-ch side of the hue have made application to the Government to have it put through the couit. If that is not done, and speedily too, the trains will bt* running through an uninhabited country, for if we are to take the Maung.itautaii block as a sample of the way in which native land is adjudicated on, it will be many years befoie even half of the land acrc«s the Punm will be dealt with. We were in a groat huiry to see the main trunk line cariied on, we all oxprct our little pickings from it while the work is going on, but when the work is finished, what then ? It will be a good many years before -the line will bo anything other than a drain on tho resources of the colony, unless the land be speedily settled on, or a goldh'eld is discovered. Judging by tho general depression in the farming industry throughout tho woild, people will not be 111 any hurry to invest in agricultural land, and w> far the defened payment system has not been an unqualified succoss. The Auckland provincial Press has constantly been urging the necessity of establishing manufactoiies, but capitalists did not appear to care much about such an investment, when money could be invested in property at eight per cent, but rural securities are not so valuable now as they were a fow years ago, nor will they be until there are more industries m the centres of population. When efforts were made somo years ago to establish a woollou factory in Auckland, tho merchants stianglcd the scheme because they saw that tailors and retail dealers would draw their supplies direct from the factory instead of from them. There is no reason why theie should not bo factories in Auckland as well as 111 tho South ; every other man one meets wears clothes made of Mosgiel or Kaiapoi tweeds. It would be a great deal better if they wero Auckland tweed. Wo draw a gi eat deal l too much from tho Houth, and the sooner wo have factones established the better. It will bo not only for the city people, but for the farmors also. — (Own Coricspondent.)

SiNdULAK Cimllknok.— The following challenge is printed in the London Morning Advertiser :—": — " Hearing so much boast of shaving in London, Paris, and other places, Julies, of Cable-street, in St. George's in the East, will back himself for fioin £5 to £10 to lather and shave six men while blindfolded without cutting them. Wan and money ready," Value of Refuse.— The right to collect the bones, crusts of bread, coffee grounds, dishwater, etc., from tlic bakeries, barracks, markets, and other buildings under the supervision of the Minister of War in the city of Paris,, is usually sold to the highest bidder. It brought this year £840, but the succssful bidder w ill do well enough, ior, if diligently worked, his privilege ia worth £2000 a year. Mr Jolly, Frankton, advertises cattle running on his property. Messrs \V. J. Hunter and Co , will sell at the Frankton Yards, on Friday, Mat the 18th, mixed cattle, bull, fat cows, cons with veal calves, yearlings, backs, *c. (