The Waikato Times THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 2007, 19 May 1885, Page 2

The Waikato Times THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Iqinl and i xact justice to ill itu n, Ot \vh itso ver state or persuasion, n ligious i poli'icil. Here ill the Press the I'cijile's r>i;ht raaint<tni Un<iweil by lnrtiieme and mibribiifb) (J aln

"VVhatlver may be said about Mr Vailc's method, there is no doubt in the world that the principle undertyiug that gentleman's .scheme is the right one. The railways ot New Zealand, if they are to serve any useful purpose at all, must b( converted into colonising agents To carry them on merely as revenue raising instruments is simply to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. For the advantages the line^ would under enlightened administration confer upon the country at large would far outweigh in importance the temporary benefits now reaped from them ; while it ma^ fairly be claimed that the actual monetary leturn would not decrease. Mr Vaile contends that the adoption of his system would result in vastly better financial returns ; but we shall be content to believe that no appreciable lo&s would enscp if cheap fare< and cheap vita-> of freight were substituted for the present exhorbitant and prohibitive charges. People often, without reason, lay the blame of individual and national failures upon the Government ; and there is Only too apparent a tendency to lean upon the strong arm of the Government when personal efforts would be more profitable as well as more manly. But because we have to listen to so many indefensible wails of distress we ought not to forget that the Government does lie under an obligation to do certain things for the advancement of individual interests, for the reason that in the aggregate these interests amount to a national interest. More especially is this the case in regard to railway management. The individual growls, but the community suffers. The producer complains that but for the ruinous railway charges he could make farming pay. Only one man, or only two men, or only twenty men may give expression to this complaint, but they are the mouthpieces for the li'rge majority of the colony's producing class ; and if the warning of the spokesmen be not heeded the whole class will soon make their united voices heard. Now the plain duty of the Government in respect of the railways, as it is of the roads, is this : It should endeavour as far as it is possible to make the couditions

of life equal throughout the country. Absolute equality is out of the question; that we all know, but .ill the more on that account should it be the aim of those in authority to remove all artificial obstacles to the march of progress. We cannot expect that under any known conditions either we or our produce c m be transported from WaikatO to Auckland in the same tune as would be taken up in the remo\ al of men uul goods from, say, Otahuhu to the chief market ; but it is within the hounds ot practicability that we can be set down there at a cost which shall not greatly exceed that paid by our fellow colonists who lne much nearer the point we seek to te.ieh. The question of fairness or unfairness, or differential treatment involved, as between the people of Waikato on the one hand, and the people of Otahuhu on the ; other, is, we think, sufficiently met by the argument that the latter must continue to enjoy an immense advantage in the having of time, which will compensate them and their heirs " for all time '' for the foresight which prompted them to come early to the colony, or for the few pounds per acre extra which they paid for the farms. This is in effect what Mr Vaile says. The oblection to low fares for long disMiiues, if it exists in any very decided form, amounts to this that ihe man living near town would be jailed upon to pay for his brother a Hundred miles up-country. There .s another and more conclusive mswer to this thaju the one we 'i,i\e already gi\en. Under a cheap n eight system the Waikato settler would pay quite as much, and probably more, towards the i.ulw.iy than his friend at Otahuhu, while at the piesent time, under a s\ stein which was apparently designed for the purpose of squeezing a.s much as possible out of him, he dors not p« if a fraction of the sum tinO(((hichit man contributes ! It -.imply does not pay to send the .neat uiajoiity of the products which are, or could with ease be iaised in Waikato to the Auckland maiket. Whether they would command a sale when they reached there or not, is another question. At piesent, it is not possible to put it to the test. This, shortly put, is the question as it concerns the country settler in his capacity as a producer. Let us see how he would be affected as a consumer. And, first of all, let us say a word or two in reference to the allegation frequently made that the railway is a centraliser. Undoubtedly it is a centraliser. We do not like to go to England for precedents on railway management, still we may take the case of English railways to show that they have a centralising tendency. But this tendency is governed by the exigencies of distance or time. Many and many a picturesque little tow n, rich in monuments of elder days, which focussed the trade for miles around, \\n\e gone down under the tramp of the relentless iron hoise; but then commerce lias not been transferred to one, but to many centres. The true time-centres have been found. A host of English towns occur to our mind, (many of them were villages at the dawn of the lailway era) which have grown with the growth of the railway system. If London has attained to abnormal proportions, it is not because it is the centre of the English 1 ailway system, but because it is the entrepot of the world. It is true that the great metropolis has swamped many little places lying within hail, but the Leeds man, ihe Biadford man, the Bristol man, the Hull man, the Cardiff man, any more than the people of hundreds of other places lying in closer proximity to the big city, does not rush up to London for everything he requires. An efficient railway system, with reasonable rates (albeit the railways ate held privately) makes it possible for him to buy the necessaries and luxuries of life as cheaply in the shops of his own town as in those of the metropolis. Business men in districts situated as ours is need not then be under any apprehension that with the introduction of cheap freights and fares their occupation would disappear. On the contrary, it would herald the morning of much more prosperous days for f hem. With cheap railway carriage and time on their side, and without the burden of heavy rents and rates, it would be their own fault if their lot is not a happy one. And in the luck of the trading or retail class, the settler himself must of course participate. Now let us turn to a phase of the subject which most nearly concerns the people of Auckland city. For some years Auckland has been treading in the path of prosperity. No other town has enjoyed equal advantages with her. Street ifter street of new buildings has gone up, palatial public buildings, warehouses, and hotels have sprung up in the chief thoroughfares ; new suburbs have been planted, and princely residences have been built out of the superabundant wealth which has been produced in her marts ; large areas of land have been reclaimed from the sea, docks and shipyards have been constructed at an enormous cost. Altogether the progress of that part of the colony is unpreccedented. We are not pessimists by any means ; we have the most sincere faith in the future of the colony, and the provincial district of Auckland in particular ; but we must not shut our eyes to the signs of the times. We are compelled to recognise that the tendency of late years, owing to the expenditure of money (borrowed money chiefly) upon harbour works, docks, buildings of all kinds, coupled with the general depression in agriculture, lias been to draw the floating popula,tion to Auckland ; and this is true in a greater or less degree of all the other large towns of the colony. But the lavish expenditure of late

years must soon cease, if for no other reason than that many of the things necessary to bo done have been, or are nearly accomplished. Already hear ominous reports of distress in the cities, that labourers are more plentiful than labour. To some extent the pressure of this evil has been relieved by the Government presiding work at low wages. But this device is unsatisfactory and can only be regarded as temporary. The proper way to meet the difficulty is by opening up the country and fostering settlement. The present system of railway administration is not an aid, but a bar to settlement, and a radical charge must be effected before it can be adapted to the purpose which the f miners of the Public Works Policy of 1870 had in iew.

The Banks in Waikato will be closed on Monday and Tuesday no\t, the 2">th and 2(!th mst. foi the 'Queen's Birth d>y nnd Wlntsuntido holidays.

The members of the Cambridge Kink Club will reassemble in tho Public H.ill on the 2M lint. Those wishing to join can obtain tickets from tho secietary, Mr H. U. McCiea.

Owing to the state of the weather \ only a \ery few people turned up to hr*r j Mi Verckcr Btndon's lecture on " Health " at LeQuosne'H Hall on Friday night, *nd thelectuic was in consequence postponed to some ftuther occasion.

The complimentary concert to Miss M.iggie JSw.m, given at Cambridge I ist night, was the most successful that h.is been held in the distuct for some time, .induas \eiylaigoly attended. We shall gi\e an extended icport m our next.

The local option poll at Oam bndtfe re-nlted in a majmity ag.un^t the lnca-ase of .ill licenses save publican's. In their c.ise the voting was equal, and the l>ie~iding ofhcei pave hia cnbtinp vote in f.ivoui of an increase. The numbers will be found in the advertisement.

The dreaded phylloxera, which has already committed havoc in some of *,he vineyaids m Au-traha, h.ib undo its appearance in Auckland. One gentleman who owned a valuable vinery in the Mibnrbs has taken up all the vines and burnt them, in the hope that the pi ogress of the disease may bo stayed.

A general meeting of the shareholder of the Rukuhia Chee«e and Bacon Factmy Coinp.my will be hold at The W.nkato Tune-* Hmldmfts, Hamilton, on Tuesday, the 2nd .Tune, .it 11 a.m. t<> tecei\e the direttoin repot t and balance-sheet, elect directors and uuditois, nnd to tiamact othei business of which notice has been gi\en. Woodyear's electric circus performed at Cambudtfe on Friday and Saturday owning. On Fnday e\enmg the tent viMi. ci<md«>d with ii higlily giatified audience. The performance, however, on Sa tut day evening was not *o well patiomsed. An enteitannn^ piogramine was submitted on both occasions, and the vauous items weie invaiiably well perfoiiiied.

The Aroha and Waiorongomai residents are taking active steps towards having that distuct proclaimed .v borough. A petition w being largely s-igned asking the Government to take the necessary steps in the matter. It in likely that the Pinko County Council will object to the movement as they think it will be time enouph for the Aroha people to seek tho privilege*, of a borough when the large liabilities the council which were incurred, principally on behalf that district, have been wiped out.

Little has transpired to throw any light on the cause of the fire which destroyed Mr Vincent's house on tho Ohaupo road, Hamilton, on Friday night. Itappearftth.it Mrs Vincont was at the cottage in the afternoon, but before lea\ inp she carefully put out the hre^, and stopped for the night at a fnend's. She is un.ible to offer <my solution of the mystery. The nuildnifj was insured for £200 in the Impel lal. The funiitiue, as we h.i\o before st.itcd, \ias lusuied m the Colonial for 41100

On Sunday evening the Cambridge public weie tie.ited to an open air evangelical seivice foi tlio hi->t tune. After tho evening service at the churches, when tho people weie wending their way homewards, four gentlemen, one :i prominent preacher from Auckland, the others being local residents, .a ranged themsehos in fiont of the Public H.ill and opened proceedings with a hymn. The Auckland gentleman followed withastiong and forcible tirade against the \ ill toiu. departments of youthful \ ice, which vva-> listened to with Mime attention. The seivice closed with tho Do\ology.

The ordinary monthly meeting of the Cambridge Domain Board was held on Saturday afternoon, w hen soino business of niteiest was (Imposed of. Under the reduced rate, the annual income of the board from lents is now £181 7« !ld. This m a, very considerable reduction, .uid the board will consequently have to modify the «calo of proposed unpinvementH. Some holder.-) aiein ai rears over two quarter, and it is intended to proceed against these immediately. The 50 % reduction in the domain rents dates from 10th February.

The following special messages to the Pies-* Association, dated London, May ].")th .uid lfith, have been published :—Captain Penrose, of tho Royal Engineers, who »,h selected for New .South Wulen, will *.til by the I. and O. btcainer I'.vrainatt. Lieutenants Milward And Bunbury, selected for the same colony, will leave by the Onent steamer Ibcra. — A hitch has occuried in the settlement of the FrancoChinese question. — It is reported that Italy will occupy Suakini. — The Standard tlna morning announces that the Suez Canal commission allows Egypt the control of the navigation of the canal. — The wheat market is dull. bW warehouse \a 37« <»d ;on the voyage, 33a to 37s 3d ; latest May shipments, 375.

At the meeting of the Cambridge Domain Board on Saturday, the question of pisciculture was brought under the notice of the board by a circular from the Hamilton Domain Board. Home timo ago an aiticlc was published in this paper going into the qucntion at Home length, and thin article was embodied in the circular referred to. The Hamilton Board awked foi the cooper.ition of the Cambridge boaid in endeavouring to concentrate the attention of the local bodies throughout the Waikato on the Mibjpcfc. It wab proposed, in the event of sufficient encouicigement being forthcoming, to establish a hoit of local society, and to hold a conference in which all local bodies niteiestod .should be represented. The C.unbiidge board, after some consideration, fully appreciated the etfoiti of the Hamilton bo.ird in the matter, but regretted that o\\ ing to a want a funds they were unable to join in the movement.

The statement of receipts and expenditiue of the Pi.iko County •A/'oiincil for the year ending 31st Maich last m published elsewhere. The statement will be of M>me interest to many, paitienlarly the idtf payers of the county. The total receipts of the year amount to £0,417 18s, and the total expenditure to £ti,8")0 Is 3d. The Aioha tramway, as may bo expected, in well represented on both sides of the ledger. The tramway receipts for the year amount to £'2,24(5 11s -id, and the expenditure to £3,lf)(i 10s Od, or a difference in favour of cxpenditute of £!K)9 IDs 2d. Tho roceipts fiom gold lpvenuo is very conwidorablo, amounting to £707 12« Sd, mid the gold duty to £I'»H8 8s Od. Publican's licenses form an important factor in the counc'l'.s receipts, £'320 5s (id being .set down under this kead. From ■laughterlmubt licenses £'33 10m WiiH icceived, mid from dog registration, £38 3s lid. In tho way of e\pendituie, next to the tianiway account comes the heavy charge of £588 12s lOd for bank interest. Salaries are set down at £100. The balance due in bank is represented in tho h.indsomo figure £($,8(53 Is lOd. We have every reason to believe that at tho no\t meeting of the council, to be held on Thuinday week, the question of hnaucc w ill be gone into at full length.

• Professor Kirk came overland from Wellington to Waiknto. M.ikinp tho Tiunk Railway survey lino his base, ho divuged to the right and to the loft to examine the forest countiy in tho inteiior. JIo o\ pieces hiniMplf an being gieatly pleuned with the quality of much of tho land he pa"wd o»ei, as well as witJi the character of tho bush. Thoie Are large areas of forost of i\ most excelent description, which will prove of incalculable value \> lieu the railway is put through. The timber is chiefly rimu, mntai and kahikatea. Tho principal object of the

Piofesssor's \isit is to uuqiiuc into our forest re-.ouicos, and he has. undo vohiiuiu nib note* on the subject for the nifuim.ttioii of the Government. On the subject of diseases of fruit Piofossoi Kuk is anxious to receive all the information possible, and those in a position to afford it uhould com inunicato with him at once. Piofessoi Kirk paid a visit to Cambridge, Yesterday, \vheie he was the guest of Mr Wells. Mr Wells drove him to see the oichards of Mi Selhy, Hautapu, Mr Reynolds ;uid Mi Hicks, Pukekura., wheie blight lias done much harm to the trees. Mr Kirk is making a minute enquiry as to the pi ogress of the blight as observed by the .settlers, md expects, that it will be some time before he is able to anive at any positive conclusion in the matter . The blight, which takes the form of <i lichen, is sup posed to ouginate from the decayed fern. The following are the boundaries of the new native teetotal distnct in the King countiy, within which no licenses shall issue — " All that area in the Provincial District of Auckland, Taianaki, and Wellington, bounded towards the north-west py Te Wharamoa Block, fiom the Aotea Harbor to the Waitetuna Kivci ; thence towards the nmth cant generally by tho said Waitetuna River to its iuteisection by a light line liming fiom Mount Tahuanui o\ei the Terki Range, wheie the Native track crosses the latter ; thence by the said line to Mount Tahuanui ; thence by a light line to Mount Pirougia ; thence by the confiscation boundaiy line to and across the Waipa Ri\oi to the Puniu River thence by the latter rivei and again by the continuation boundary-line to the Waikato River ; thence by the said Waikato River to the Tatua West Block ; thence towards the east by that block and the Whangamata Bl»ck to LakeT.iupo ; thence by a right line across that lako to the mouth of the Tauranga River, and by that river to it* source in the Kannanawa Range ; thence towards the south east and smith by the b\«nmtt of that range and the summits of the watersheds between the sourcoH of the rivers Moawhung* and Waikato, and Wangaiihu to Ru.ipehu Mountain ; thence towards the south west and south generally by the south-western boundary lines of the Okahukura and Aotea Blocks lespectively ti> the Tarunki conhscatwn boundary line ; and thonce by that boundary lino to the ocean ; and thence toward* the west and again towards the noith we^t bv the sea.

TUESDA V, MA Y I'J , 1885.