SATURDAY, MAY 16, 1885.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 2006, 16 May 1885, Page 2

SA TURD A Y, MA Y 16, 1885.

The directors of the Farmer-/ Co operative Association e\ idently mean business. The unexpected success which lias attended their efforts since the commencement of operations has emboldened them to venture now upon ground, originally mapped out by Mr Graham, it is true, but upon which it has hitherto been deemed somewhat risky to tread. The retail meat trade in the City of Auckland was one of the first selected eggs for the co-operative basket, and it has always been a source of disappointment to many of the shareholders that this branch of the Association's legitimate business could not be established. But the obstacles in the way of this at the start were consideied to be insuperable. The dangers arising from jealous competition might have been grappled with easily enough by the formation <>i m opposing league composed of V gn/i«rs The real difficulty in the way was the want of capital. In the estimation of a good many shrewd individuals the amount of the called-up capital of the Association was not sufficient to enable it to safely engage in the business of importing seeds and manures, a trade which was manifestly safer, if conducted with ordinary business acumen, than the butchering business. Not that butchering as a private sprculatioai has proved unremunerative : on iihe contrary, it has been very lucrative : and if it

could, as we know it has, build up the fortunes of individuals, an -islountion who worked in the joint aiterests of producer and consumei ought surely to make it pay. But in the establishment of such a business as would be fairly well calculated to meet the wants of its shareholders of both classes, more money was required than the association had at its command. The Auckland townspeople did not subscribe for as many shares as was expected, and, !io\\e\er unwillingly, the directois h id to draw in their horns and bide their time. Some of them wanted to start in a small way, on the piinciple of cutting one's coat according to one's clot I), but the benefits to be derived were not thought to be commensurate with the risk incurred, and the notion was dropped. Now, however, with the sine piospect of a substantial increase in the capital of the society, the retail meat trade is to be commenced as soon as the necessary ,u rangements can be made. This will be good news for the farmers, and -\\ ill no doubt be equally acceptable to many of the residents of Auckland, to whom the recent ad\ance of Id per pound made by the butchers will soon have no terrors. The pity is that little or no preparation has been made by our pastoral friends to meet the increased demand which both the cooperatne association and the Meat Fi ee/im,' Company u ill now make upon them.

\Yin:\ a now native "difficulty" was ropoitod trom the West Coast a month or two ago, we ventured to insinuate, in the gentlest way possible, that the business was a t'r.uid. Subsequent events continued our opinion. Within the past few weeks another Maori spectre has been raised, and with such success that the Native Minister deemed it prudent to go to Hie scene of the alleged disturbance and make personal enquiries. The icsult is reported in a telegram which is printed in another part of this issue. Mr Ballance discovered wh.it he must have suspected was the case, that the whole business was .1 miserable swindle, gotten up by a few small settlers whose means of livelihood had disappeared witli the Aimed Constabulary. Wo thought the dodge of manufacturing panics for coinineivi.il purposes was played out. In the old d.ivs it was easy enough to get up a .scare, but then there used to bo some slight justification for it. But in these times the joke is mill} too thin to pass muster, and we are surprised atau)bod\, e\ en people with such limited intellects .is these Puug.ueliu folk seem to ha\e, ti\ing it on.

The Cambridge Domain Board hold- it-SU->u.il monthly mooting tin-, aftei11OUU.

We ha\ c no news of the Central \m,ui <^iu i -ti«)ii. Theie "-eonis t'U'iy pioli ihility tli.it tlio difficulty w ill bo -vitiif.ictonly M)hcd witliont .iiecoiu-e to Im-tih-

At the usual fortnightly sitting nf the Resident M ik'i-tt.tto Court, .it (J.uubudge ye->tei d<n , a nunibci of undefended cnil c.iiu-> wt'ie di-.|>">cd of.

A tii33jii? of Cambridge footbillei-. i> culled for tin-, eveiiiii^ .it the Ouko of Cambridge Hotel when .1 full attendance of .ill concerned in the ie->u?ei-t.ition of the local club i-> rei ue-ttd

The Waikato County Council is eilluigfor tondeis foi planting willowi <ilon<, r the b.uik-, of the W.ukato nvei, be t\\ei>n H.ins,Miin and Chmclull. Tho pl.m niiglit bo piuht.ibly ado^tud in ni.uij othoi pl.tc;e->.

Professor T. Kirk, of Wellington, acting undei instructions fiom the (iovemnicnt, is at piesont making a toui (if this pi in nice witli the object of ascei taming tho natiueand cause of the peach blight, fimt diseases in geneial, us well us to make observations on the subject of foiest con->eiva-tmn. Mr KiiU ai lived at Hamilton on Thuisday, and Roes to Cambiidge to111011 O\\.

Mr Orchiston, District Inspector of Telegia-pb I*,1 *, i"» at piosent on an othci.il \ isit to the Waikato, 111 connection with the extension ot the line tlnoutfh the mtcnor to Wellington. The woik is now being vigorously pushed .ihy.t'l. Tlie line between Merter and C.util)ndr;t > is, being stiiMigthened to lecene the .tddition.il wnes. Xuaily all the <>ld poles h.ivn been taken, or arc to be taken up .mil lepl.iccd with larger ones. J)eyond Cainbnd"e the line will follow the main road.

A very sad fatal gun accident declined .it tho Tatn.iki on Thuisday. A little buy, .1 ->on of Mr Theo. killing, of Auckland, tuche jenro of age, >v«is on a visit to Ins gi.uidf.ither, Mr \V. I. T.iylor. In company with ln-« undo (who i> about htteen yeaib old), jouiik Knshn£ went out foi the puiiioie of *hootm,{ j)h«.i-aiit>. By some means young T.iyloi's gun went off •iccidcnUlly. the contouts lodging in the other boy i head, death icsulttng niit.uitaneously.

A high class inuiscal treat is promised the patrons of the c-iinplimentaiy c mcurt to .Mi^ M ijfu'ie Sw.in. in the (J.un-l-'ubhc H.ill, Dii Moud.ij cxoniriK. No more •ittiiictiM piogi iiiiiiiio th m that which h.is buen di .i\\ n up for tin 1 ncc.iMun has over been submitted tn ;i Cainbi ul^e iiudience. The HuiKi»tf <>f s Culn.m, Mi^LoirigiUi, Miis iSt.uiiitoii, and Mi KdwaitK is tof>well known t<> c.ill for any special mention on our part Them will n<> doubt bo a ctowdod house on th« occasion.

A meeting of the directors of the North New Zealand Karmerh' Co-operative Association was hold .it the offices Hamilton, yesterday. Tlioic \sei« present: Muisrs \V. A. liiaham (chairman), J. (ia.no, J. J. Banish, S. N. We>,tnoy, .). Rutheiford, G. E. Cl.uk, J. Biooks and Jan. Forrest. Mr W. tiairett, the inmagoi, was also in attendance. The pioceedin^s were of a private naturp, Imt wo arc informed that a resolution w.is passed to place the additional number of shares the issue of which was authoi iMsd by the *hare holdeis, on tho maiket foithwith. It was also decided to eiubaik m the retail meat businefis as boon as possible.

The sale which takes place at Mr •fared AllwiU's Redwood farm on Wednesday, 27th May is <>f an linpoitant character .mdib now being looked forward to with intciest. Tin 1 catalogue consists of thoioughbiod and clydesdale horses and mares, machineiy .md implements. Mr Allwill'h utock of thoughbreds are well known throughout the province. The machinery as of the newest approved chaiactet and includes traction engine, threshing machine kc. Ceitain rumour* having got abioad calculated to injure the sale as well as Mr Alwill's credit, ho lias deemed it necussaiy to make a Hpecial announcement, which will bu found at the foot of tho Hale adveitisement. We are glad to hear that it is not Mi Alwill's intuition to leavo the district. Settleis of lim stunp an not met with every day, and his departing would be ■i real losh.

Distance varies very much at times according to urcuinstanci's. If a man hns a farm for sale, the distance between the s.iid farm and the nearest railway station or township ih veiy much shorter than people generally imagine. On the othci hand if a man i« summoned <is a witness to give evidence in a, caso bofoie the district magistrate and luilcagn h allowed linn, the distance between his home and the court-homo ii 1 * magnified to such an extent thit many who havo travorspd the distance can hardly credit that it is so great. An mst.inco of this catno under our notice in the K.M. Court, Cambridge, at

yestei day's sitting. The question niose as to tlio distance between Canibndt;e, :mcl the les-idenee of a ceitam gi'iitluiian in Scotiii Valley. Some witnos-eti put it down at .ihmit fifteen or sixteen miles, the constable thought it would bo about fourteen or fifteen, wheicas anotlier paity mtt'iested, perh.ips from some other point of view said, it certainly was not less than oighteon.

A very pleasing entertainment was given in the Caiubiidgc Public Hall on Wednesday evening in connection wiMi the a-nmversaiy ofTiimty Pre->bytenan Church Sunday scnool. Theie was a laigo and appieciative audience. The Rev. W. Evans pioMded, aud in a bnef opening address alluded to the importance of encouraging Sunday-school work. A \ery interesting piogiamtno wa^ gone through, to which Sle-><is Simnis and Haitley each contributed in their usual pleasing manner. The song, "The Bonnie Hillh of Scotland," was w ell rendered by Mrs Hugh Ferguson, and w.-i^ enthusiastically received. A numerous choir, consisting of the scholarb of the Sunday-bchool, auppoited by the members of the church choir, sang with good effect a number of choriws under theconductorahip of Mr Brooks. Mish Soutter presided at the organ and piano as occasion required in her usual excellent stylo. A pianoforte .solo by Mrs Sargent foimed an attractno featme of the evening's entertainment, and the thrilling manner in which the Rev. H. R. Dew shiny incited Scott's famous poem, " Young'Lochimai, 'brought fmth rounds of applause. A verj plois.int evening was brought to a elov by the company singing the National Anthem.

The appointment of Colonel Whitninii' to the supienie coimn.nulof tho New Zealand foices is not unnersally popular. One who took part in the opeiations against Tito Kow.uu lias been sending some of his remiuiseenses to the Christchurch Pi ess. In tlictmine of his letter he sajs —"Within thiee days after Colonel Whitmore's ani\.il, instead of Rtiengthemng his post and making the necesbaiv piepaiations for a systematic ad\anct", he took HO men away fioin the Weieioa Tali, and proceeded to the Patea, river. This ill-ad\ised mo\ement allowed TitoKowaiuto outflank him w ithout losing a single nun. Wlutmoiewas considerably taken aback, and, feai ing that Tito would further outflank him, and get into the town of Wanganui, he lesolved to attack him at once. The attack on Motuio.i was bidlj planned, and resulted in the defeat of Whitmore's men, with considerable loss. ! Instead of falling back upon W'ereioa, .md endear ounng to hold that position, Wlutniore retreated towards the Patea Rm-i, but, changing his mind shoitlv aftei, he retired towards Wanganui, and eiicani]u>d neiir Xukuin.il u. XuUuinaiu and Weieroa aro the two keys to that part of thecounti \ . They command the Waitotai.i and the Upper W.uig.iiuu countM , .is well as the coast line and ihe town of Wan^aimi ; and, .■us long .is we held the-e two jus, the Waitotai.i block and the W.mg.inmdistucfc were * regarded as b miicc m abs>lutely lmpiegnaole secmity. Tlie Pa at Weieroa was at tins tune occupied bj fift> 01 si\tv of the tiist-class unliti.i fiom W.Hijr.imu ' Thewutei, who was one of these, then dedescubes how the pah was held, and could ha\e easily retained if the g.uii-on hid been icinforced, nnd he goes on to saj "But to 0111 astonishment amlgu.>t s\npiise, Colonel Whitnioie sent a small put\ of cav«aliy uj) about noon ne\tda>, and ordeied us- all out of the redoubt. Ten minutes woieghen for e\ei y one to clen out. The tents weic burned and the p isition was abandoned. Aftei the abando'ini'Mit of Weieioa- a phvee which could h,i\e been held with veiv littl'3 io-<istince l>\ the 'shoi)-bovs' to whom Mi Ko\ allude-, -the whole of those fine distucts of Waitottia and Pah-.i were destmyed r,.1.»nel Wlntnioie fell bick fioin o ie p isitnm toaimtli-i, until, on Chiistinas I> i\ .>f ISUS, I k.K thiee miles out ot Wan^.uiui to hishiadqu.uteis."