TUESDAY, MAY 12, 1885.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 2004, 12 May 1885, Page 2

TUESDAY, MAY 12, 1885.

The discussions on the subject of railway reform which took place at the Public Hall, Hamilton, on Friday and Saturday nights, have once more brought the subject prominently under the notice of the public. We trust that it will not be allowed again to slide out of sight. That there were some features in the proceedings which were not altogether pleasing is a pity, but with these the general public have, after all, little to do, and it will lie well to forget them as soon ; s possible. The question must be dealt with on broad national grounds apo.it from the differences which exUt between individual advocates of reform. That some change in the system oi railway administration is urgently wanted it profits not tiny longer to deny. Tf the country is to advance in prosjvi ity — nay, if it is to retain the position it has already secured, .some change is imperative. It is useless to talk of enlarging the area of settlement lands, idle to talk of locating settlers on 100-acre blocks of land in the King Country, absurd to talk of erecting industries in our inland towns, until we have first secured the railways upon a proper basis, restored them, in short, to the use to which it was originally intended they should bo put. This is a point to which we have repeatedly drawn attention, and we must not rest satisfied until it is carried. If it has been found that in England (to quote Mr Swarbrick) the railways must be made subservient to the general interests of the whole community, how much more necesoary is it that they should be devoted to that purpose in a new country, where the greatest of all difficulties against which the peoplo have to contend is the want of, or rather we should .say the difliculty of getting to, a market % Different men have proposed different remedies, but there is a general agreement of opinion that the railways should cease to be regarded in a commercial sense. To Mr Vaile belongs the honour of reducing his theories to a regular system, and, whatever may be its merits, he can lay claim to the gratituJj of th.i country for the thought a id 1 '.)our he has devoted to the s"i 7 jj'j'jt, and for the steady persistency with winch he has pursued it. We shall not attempt to refer in detail to his scheme in this place. It has now been before the country for a length of time, ti.id has been subjected to plenty ol criticism on all hands. What it now requires is a full, complete iv d impartial examination at the ha id-, oi the most competent men the country can procure. Kveii Mr Vaile does not say that it is perfect, that it is absolutely without fault, and nothing would give him greater pleasure than the fullest enquiry. The meeting at Hamilton adopted a petition to the House of Representative s, which we print in the report. It is now being taken round for signatures. This, or something of the kind, should be laid under th« fy> o,' wf-ry man in the colony. Tt 3fr V'ule's scheme be condemn*"! n< impracticable, the sooner we ku'nv it the better ; if, on the other hand, the sy tern lie advocates is considered to be a rational, a practical on-, no time ought to be lost in bringing it into operation. There must be a change of some soi '», and th it soon.

We would remind our racing friend* that Ti.ur^diy will be the last day for nomin itiong for tlio liirthday and Hnrdlcs Handicap, to bo run on tlio ih»\v riici'pimr-'e, Nguiu.iwahi.i, on tlio (Queen's Birthday.

Mr Thomas NfrcfFarJane, who was n(\ severely mjur d dj a r.ulu ly tram at Auckland nn 'i'lif-nlny, died nt the HonpitU

on Suikl.iv alt. iin«)ii Mi M.icif irl.\nu\\at nit old i.ii«i ii'sppi'ti'd li'-iidont of Auckland, aiui lvi de.itli is gieatly rctfiotU-d m all cud*"*.

The complaints anent the apathy of tin- T.un.ilieio Kn.i'l H<> ird m respect t'.Wlnti'V hj ulgo nfir Scotchman's Valloy ,ni> vei> ihihh'i»uh. Trnthu haw \wa\\ slapped fut moolcs, anrHhotih'h the timber i^ im tho proiind, tlioro m »'> sign of tho w oik huuiK ci>innuMiC(»(l. Tt is hn|)cd that tin- bond will i»n>ecod to h.ivu tho work disposed of lnimodi.itolv-

The returns of the teachers' examination hi'ld l.nt J.uuuiy wuio pub lulled h-t weuk. I'ltun thu-x) \v« hum th.it Mr Wultui, l ic.«l t-.K-hci (if tlv Wli.iUwhiU School, pi^eil ni(JI i-i K«ith tin" exception of sin n 'iujf, aiifl Mi^ X 11 Mun.iv. of Hamilton Wf-t School, \>tw<l Class E with tliu oxccplion of school llKUl.lgOlllOllt.

Some sporting gentlemen in Cam'Midrfo Live bcoit trying t«> induce the I'.ikur.vnga Hunt Club t) .icnd the hound* to W.ukati) fm a short mm«om The club w.uit £.")0 and .ill ccponses f«u two short hr.is in-, but the loc.il «>p(>i tHiiiPn consider £10 Hti'hcu'iit, uid li ivo inido :m oiler of th it amount. From all accounts the club is not likely to accept the offoi.

The Cambridge footballers are I'luliMvoiumcf to WMW'Citatß tin* local cluli. It i-t MiriMMiitfth.it nothing has bpon done in the mittu eie now, as the season n now well advanced, and in other parts of Wai k.ito pl.iy lias alaM<lv coininonced. There ,tK> .it t»cicnt a p>"d fow fiist-cla^ footb.illcH in .md .ilmut Cuubridßf. who, if cillt'd tojjfthor, would constitnte nim of the bent tlnlw in thp country. We nnder-iUnd ,i miM'tm^ will be lield to consider the m.ittei.

Woodvear's " Electric Circus " opened the Waikato seison at Hamilton last night. The tout was pitched <»» the \ icint ground near the Horoutfh Council Clumbers, and when tho performance commenced there wax a l.ujfi) avidionco m the *><hhco. The entoiUunmiut was of a varied u>d excellent de-cripti >n, md included many featuies not piesent when the circus h-,t \isitcd this distiict. The fcatn .if hoiseman-liip weie fully up to the a%erage, whiio the Japanese balancing tuckn, Trofo^sor Taylors I manipulation of the bn.ss b.ilk knivc, &C, ! fully deseivcd the .ipi>l.vu»o they received. 'I he tumbling and tr.ipi-zo business (by th» ( v )ii(vn of the An) were fully appreciated. ( usco made the fuuuii^t of clowim, and aecnvod loud applau.s- foi bi> peiform.ince with the ti. -lined pigeons on the thin wne. The pcifornunce of the trick ponieH was also vciv #>od, and on the \\ho\v tho |w»rform.inre isccitainly the best of its kind wo h.tw- 'eon in W.ukato. Tonight the circus opens .it To Aw.imutu. The dates t»i sliowuiK -it othei jilaci's m the district h v\c alu'.idy been ad\eitiM>d. We i>i edict fin .Ml Woodye.u .1 >eiy successful tour.

" The Chronicles of Cambridge."Thi- )^ the title of a small pamphlet n{ some twenty odd p.igi •* which ha-, just huen lsMiodfiom tho punting oflico of .Mi ,1 S. Bond, Cunbiidpfi*. Tin- authoi (01 .luthmes-.), whoever th it iudividuil iua> bo, comes before tho leading public under the noin do plume of "chic-it," tho nature of the publication bony? such that tho io.il cognomen or idontity of the writer is kept in judicious obscurity. Tho object of tho pamphlet is peihaps .ih (ibscuro (is the .mthni. Like moat other painphlota of the »amc character it is no doubt a tuioicflex of tho mind of tho writer— truly an ob-.orv.uit mind— but though the style ispemonal throughout, it cannot bo t-umed m-ltcioiis ; it h merely intendod as a "aquib"' on local celebrities and though at times it may encroach upon tho conhneH of the domestic circle still m tho words of the author they are wiitten in fun to awaken a Htdl and " where no offence in me nit, but let no olfenco bo taken. Whether tlnwo who are made the nubjoct of tho fun *ill incline to look upon the •' chioniclrs ".in the .same haimlcss light is quite another thing.

A special message to the Press Association dated Stukini, M.iy Bth, s iys .— Lord Wolseley reviewed the troops here this morning. Thn New South Wale* infantry and ainbuliince and transput t conn did.uliini.iblv. After the lmrch past the whole column advanced m lewew older. )j)iil WoLseley then sent for thn cotiniiandi.ijr officers, mid after fi'ldn ssintf them spoke to Colonel Kich.trd><<jn, commnndisi "f the No« South Wales contingent, in most gratifying ter.ns, and s vid no was highly plcavd, not only at tne phy-i pie of the men, but at thcuey they h.id turned out, ,\hich rcHocted the Kr.-atest eiedit on all t io olfiivis. The colony w.is to lie congnttuhtcd on its loyalty in sending men to the i,s-ist.inoi> of the mother country. Colonel ' Utch.ud-.on s.iv- that the lenuulcH winch f^ll fr.»ui Lord Wolseley with leferonce to tlie colonials are the innut handsoino ho has cvei heud fiom a gonorul ollicer. MajorCenornl Lyon i'Vceinuntle, in command of of tho (iuauN, nlsoe\pres»ed himself highly ' pleaded at the way tho colonial* had ' inarched, and s.ud they might well fpel " pi oud after what hi>d been said by Lord Wolseloy. TI)O Artillery at Handoub wan ' inspected by Lord Wolßeley on Wednesday, I and ho referred in Hatisfactory terms to • them. He noticed the ambulance wagons favourable, anc said they wero (if good ' pattein and well fitted for service. The ' heat us incroabint;.