AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2036, 25 July 1885, Page 2

AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Equal and exact justice to all men, 01 \slntsoe\cr state or persuasion, religious or political. Hero sh ill the Press the People's right maintain, Unawed by influence and unhribed bj gain

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 18S5.

Hope deferred maketh the heart sick. The Auckland Free/ing Company was to have regenerated Waikato fanning. Great tilings were expected from it, and a large measure of support, far more, indeed, than the struggling Waikato settlers were justified in affording, was given to the company when the canvas for the issue of shares was made. But then it was on the distinct understanding, not merely that such an undertaking must necessarily benefit the district, hut that it should be worked in the interests of the district, that the large proportion of shares was subscribed for in Waikato. Now, what have been the results? We pass over the delay that took plr cc in commencing operations. That might readily have been condoned it the company, when it commenced business, had earned I ' out the object for which it was really formed. Works for the tinning and canning of meat have been erected at Waitara, and large stocks of cattle purchased in that district. The inferior parts are tinned, and the prime joints forwarded to Auckland, and, as we are credibly informed, are sold thereaslow ns2dj>er lb. Nor is this all. In order to get rid of the large stock of fat cattle on hand at Waitara, the company is flooding the Auckland market with live stock from the West Co;vst. Oil a recent occasion, while one of the Auckland weekly cattle sales was being held, some fifty head of splendid fat cattle were landed from on board ship and sent into the sale yards. They were large, fat, wellfed beasts. The consequence was that these cattle were f ,old, and those of local owners sacrificed or passed. And even the company's own cattle were sacrificed for far less than their value, owing to 1,0 many of them being forced upon the market at once. Nor does the evil end there. The Auckland market is a lir.nited one, and prices are easily lowered by such influxes of meat, and this re-acts on every cattle sale and market in the provincial district. It is very well for Auckland people to enjoy the advantages of purchasing cheap meat, hut this meat may be bought too dearly and at too small price, if it means, as it must mean in the long run, the im poverishment of the couutiy settlers. Nor does Auckland itself e« cape the consequences of a policy which is as suicidal as it is unjust. Tt causes all enterprises initiated in Auckland to be looked upon, and Justly so, with suspicion by country settlers. The North New Zealand Woollen Fac f ory Company is d oubtless a desnable enterprise, but the manner in wbich Waikato settle i\s have been used by the Freezing Company has militated largely, and very naturally so, against the placing of the Woollen Factory Company's shares in this part of tne country. The low price obtainable in Waikato for beef — at the prese) it moment it

is not ipore, we say it advisedly, than 12s per lOOlbs for prime fat. cattle — is telling seriously upon the prospects qf the Waikato farmer. He had looked>-to the Auckland Freezing Company 'as an exporter of meat from Auckland, not as an impoi ter into it of meat of the primest quality, against which he would further have to compete. We earnestly call upon the directors of the Fiec/ing Company to take a broader view of the question than appears at the present time to influence them, and not to sacrifice the mtciests, present and prospective, of the Auckland farmers to too grasping a policy on the part of the company. We know that as business men they may say that it is their duty to make the most of their opportunity, to get as large and as speedy a return as possible, but, in all fairness, the interests of the farming element among the shareholders, and it is a large one, should not be overlooked. At the first, Waikato was fairly represented on the directory ; indeed, that it would be so was one cause that so many shares were subscribed in this district. But Waikato directors have been replaced by others, and, as it now happens, two of the other directors, Mr James Williamson and Mr Murdoch, gentlemen largely interested in Waikato estates producing a considerable quantity of meat, are absent from the colony, and the Auckland Freezing Company has become, to all intents and purposes, a purely Queen-street institution, leaving matters of detail pretty much in the hands of Mr Joseph Banks. Now this, we contend, is a state of things as impolitic as it is unjust. If we can do no more, we can at least do our duty to the farming community of this part of the colony in raising our emphatic protest aganist its continuance, and urge upon our settlers, each in his individual capacity, to take what steps he can to break down such a system. If Waikato cannot obtain fair consideration at the hands of the Freezing Company, it must take its case into its own hands. What is 1 there to prevent our settlers from uniting together in their common interest, establishing slaughtering yards in Waikato, tinning and canning the inferior portions of the carcass, and, if Auckland will have cheap joints of prime quality, provide that those joints shall be of Waikato production. By the help of the cooperative society they may easily do this. Nor is there any reason why they should not. The country farmers asked the Freezing Company for bread, and it has given them a stone. They complained that the auctioneers chastised them with whips, but the Freezing Company has chastised them with scorpions.

Thk financial incubus which for sometime past has rested on the shouldei s of the Piako County Council lias kept that body in a state of chronic disquiet. The construction of the tramway, from which so much w,is expected, landed the council in debt to the tune of about £10,000, and as that great work has not realised the sanguine expectations enteitained by its promoters, the burden sits rather heavily on the shoulders of a struggling body with an annual revenue of little more than £3000. Several schemes were devised for the alleviation of the burden, none of which were brought to a successful issue. An attempt was made to raise a loan, but the ratepayers refused to sanction it, and so that fell through. Even had the ratepayers given their unanimous sanction there was no machinery in the law providing for the raising of a special loan to clear off liabilities already incurred. The goldfield went back instead of advancing, and so all hope from that quarter as a source of redemption was destroyed. The council have now prevailed on the Government to place £3000 on the estimates this session as a special grant. This money has been due them for some time, as owing to the grant for goldfields running short, the Atkinson Government was unable to pay it, and so the claim of the council was laid before Mr Larnach during his recent visit to the goldfield. The council have, moreover, given an assurance that should the £3000 to be placed on the estimates be allowed to pass, they will immediately strike a county rate to liquidate a portion of the remainder of the debt. This will reduce their debt to about £3000, with which no doubt they will be able to carry on. A county rate will come rather heavy on some of the large land holders, someof whom will have to contiibute as much as £600. This is rather hard considering that the money for the repayment of which they are rated has all been spent in one corner of the district from which they have received no benefit whatever.

A slaughterhouse license has been granted to >Ir J. Dibble at Matamata.

The Cambridge footballers meet tor practice to-day m the (iovermont paddock.

Portions of Lake-street and Victoria Road, Wi!*.t Cambridge, are closed to wheeled traffic.

The revised parcel rates on the New Zealand Railways are advertised in another part of this iinue.

Mr J. S- Buckland cattle sale at Ohaup i <m Tuosdiiy lant was one <tf tho ni'iht successful that lias boon held in tho district for some timo pa«t.

A public pound is about to bs opened in the Matamata riding. Mr Firth is providing tlio pound, and Mr Dan S. Kelly h»H be«n appointed noundkeepcr.

By the striking of a general rate in the Piako County, ono company alone, Tlio Thames Valley Settlement Company, will have to pay nearly £<iOO.

Commander Edwin telegraphed at tt.4o p.m. yestciday -.—Bad weather nppi Hitching, niter lfi hourn from now betwpnii north and east and nouth-rast, KlasB fall within that time.

The third annual meeting of the Hhareholdcro of the Waikato CnoeKo and Ttacon Factory Company, will be hold at the Hamilton Auction Mart on Monday evening at 8 o'clock.

The consignment of new books for the Hamilton Public Library hfue :ii lived, and will soon bo ready for issue.

They include sonic valuable works, but tli6 nminrity :ue of the light liteiaturn species.

Large herds of stock are now being imported on to the Patetern lands. M. H.vnmer of tho Tli.unes Valloy Settlement Company pissed thiough Cambridge yesterday with a heard of about 800 youn;; cattle

Mr George Aldridge, who for some time was resident in Hamilton, in connection with the Chinch of Chi ist, will conduct the service to moinm eveninir at Le Qiic-ne Hall. The suhject of his lecture will bo " Good things to come."

The ordinary monthly meeting of the W.ukato County Council which w,i«s to ha\o been hold vstoidiv afternoon lapicd foi \\ nit of qiioiuin The nioinbois in attendance were the ch.iiim.in (Mi A Primrose), Cis Km ugh and H. S. (Jiaham.

The next meeting of the Hamilton Legislnti\a Association will bo held on Tueiday evening next, when it is Imped there will be a largo attendance. The debate on Federation will bo resumed, and several Government measures will be introduced.

The remains of the late Mrs J. Hteele wrro intcried in the Alexandia cemetery on Wednesday. A huge number of the old residents of Waikato attended tht funeral, and nuinorous others from Hamilton and elsewhere arrived too late to take part in the ob«eqnies.

We understand that Mr John Runcimnu is proceeding with h\» case ngaiustMr H. W. Northcroft R.M. for the alleged defaramatory remarks madr mo of by that gentleman from the bench a few weeks ngn. Mr K. W. Dypr has been retained for prosecution.

A movement is on foot to start a jam factory in the Cambridge district. The proposal has not as yet taken a definite form. Mr Cowper has taken the matter in hand, and is at piesent engaged gathering all necessary infoimation on the matter. A public meeting will shortly be called to consider the pioject.

The Waipa County Council continues to notify that the Walker's Gully bridge has been unsafe for some tune, there are no signs of anything being done in the matter. The pnbhc aie consequontly much inconvenienced, as many make long detours to avoid the danger. We trust the council will t.ike the mattei in hand as soon as possible.

" Day Labourer " writes to know if it is legal for .1 member of the Cam bridge Town Bond to woik as surfaceman or labourer undei that boaid when there are so many poor men in the distiict who would be glad of the job. He nN<> casks to be ntfoiined wli.it wages thi> gentleman draw.s, and whether tlie appointment is permanent. We must refer " Day Labourer " to the town board for mfoimation. The Ruapehu brings news of the death of Mr J. T. Maekelvie, Auckland's Konnfnnf./ir Ssiiiti** t.tmo .urn .1. p.ilili* rnp^^i.^^f|•

was received from England intimating that Mr Mackehie had "bequeathed the sum of £'40,000 to the Auckland Ait Galleiy, but a-* no neu.s had leached the colony of hi-, death, it was geneially sup posed that a mistake had been made in the telegraphing, It now appeals that Mi Maukelvie died suddenly on the 3id of June at his residence in London.

Some days ago (writes the Wellington correspondent of tin 1 Heiald), Mi : Baton asked foi ii u'tuin showing sepai ately the amounts paid by the Colonial Treasurer toeacliloc.il body in each pin \incial district for Kites under theCiown and Nativo Lands Rating Act, ISS2, since that Act c.uno into force. The letnrn is a \ery voluminous one, but the following summary will bo of niteiest. Auckland has iecencd £11,121 ; Hawke's Bay, €4,577; Taranaki, t'7,3">li ; Wellington, £'ll,f»l)2; NoKon, t'l!l,.WO; M.iilbMough, £l,<>-> 0; Westland, £17, >0; C.mteibniy, £'t,401 ; Otngo, t7,01") ; Southland, €8210.

A meeting of the committee ap pointed by the public meeting at Pukekuia on Friday evening lint, to pioinoto the cheese factory movement, was held at Cambudge on Thursday afternoon. Seveial matters were talked over, and the returns submitted indicated a stiong |>robabihty of success; A coi respondent wilting to us on the subject states that if the promoters and laige 1 mdholdeis in the distiict, who me moie duectly inteiested, wish foi success they must lie more liberal in the in itter of taking share-, than the lists indicate*. When the adjourned public meeting is held on Monday week, we h.i\e e\ery leasou to beliese the committee will h i\e something .satisfactoi y to .submit.

Messrs Hesketh and Richmond ha\e given their opinion on the question th.it has been agitating the minds of the Piako County Council for some tm c. Some of the councillors have maintained that a loan could be rai-ed to clear off a liability that ha-? alieady been incurred, and th.it therefore it was possible for the council to clear off the debt caused by the construction of the Aroha tramway in thii way. The matter was accordingly referred to the aforenamed gentlemen, who have given their opinion to the effect that no machinery exists for raising a special loan for existing liabilities.

The Aroha-Katikati track has again fallen into a utate of distep.nr, and traffic is once more impeded. Mr Murphy, the Gorernir.ent overseer, a few weeks ago left the track in excellent condition, but bince then owing to the heavy rains, landslips, which it is impossible to pio\ide against, have been both frequent and heavy. The matter was brought under the notice of the county council at it-> meeting on Thursday, when the importance of keeping the track open was fully recognised. It was pointed out that though Mi Muiphy had made an excellent job of the load before he left it, tli.it the whole of the Go- \ eminent giant had not been expended. It was accordingly agreed to write to the Government, di awing attention to this matter, and requesting that the residue of th»» grant be utilized.

We have been shown some oranges giown in the giounds of the cottage attached to (4 Wynne's hotel, Hamilton. The tree, which boio no lets than 300 oranges, has received no paiticulai attention, and indeed no one expected that the fruit would come to niatinity. The oranges are certainly small, but they possess the genuine flavour, and we do not doubt that with care they might bate attained to a much laiger *i/.p. Tlipio can be no doubt that the capability of this distnct foi giowing sub-tropical fruits and floweis is not Mitficicntly well known. The effotts of oiu Hrttlert Hceni to h.i\c been dnected almost wholly towaids the intnfduction of plants and tiees belonging stuctly to the temperate /.one, but we think adepaitmu from this ltile might bo made with profit.

The Cambridge Town Board received a tclcgiam from Mr J. J5. Wliytc yesterday, staying that the'niijoiity icgarc!ing the loans which the boaid desiicd was mute safe. The majority rcfencd to is tnipo-fifths of the actual ppisons who \ote, which is equal to a, fifty per cent, mnjontv. Immediately this becomes law it may be expected that the board will at once t.iko I uteps for the laising of a loan to gi\e eflect to tho ■very necessity .scheme of water supply, and the puichaso of a siiitiblo fire engine. No doubt a public meeting will Hut of all bo held to consider these piopcmaln or to give tho ratepayers an oppoitunity of oxpie-ising then opinion tlieioon. The moetinj,' being favourable, a poll w ill eniue, and we have r\ety icason to believe it will be attended w itti success. The gip.it majonty of r.itcpayoi s me in f.uour of the proposals referied to.

Impartiality is undoubtedly one of tho most commendable characteristics in a public oftict-r. Mr Murphy, the i anger j for Cambridge, pemesvs that quality in a high degree. Thit. worthy gentlcin.in in tho duchnrge of his ltnpmtant duties, knows no distinction, tho highest and tho lowest m tho land are alike to him. Tho other day as tho local constable's milker was wending her way homeuuid with an air of »ii\ilw*ed secmity, having just that minute parted company with its owner, the redoubtablo Mmphy ho\c in sight, and Acanmng the hori/ou m his usual m.imici, boro down in full hail on tho enemy's quaitor. The enemy, however, went on trio defensive and instantly repelled tho attack, coming down on tho flank of Murphy's ermine cinft. The ranger however, armed with a good whip, after the fashion of Adnnial Blake maintained Inn ground, and after a formidable stiuggle, finally succeeded in lodging his prize in pound, where it was duly discovered and released by the guardian of law and order.

The main road between Cambridge and (iorton is at present Retting mt« a disreputable Htate, and as' it haii bsen abandoned both by the road bo.ircl the county council and Ihegcneial (iovernment it in likely to get worse before it in better. The road board assert that it is a colonial road and is principally used for colonial tr.iffic, and us they ha\c maintained it at g\ oat cost for the last tweho months they

now refuse to do anything more to it, and so have handed the matter over to the county council. But the council pa«s it on to the Government and uiM-t that it hhall bepio clauned pait oftliecoloni.il road toßotoiua. The Government lefiise to do any such tiling and refer it back to the cnum il. Unless some undei standing i- immediately nmved nt wo fear vory much the mad will have to be closed to tr.imc. The gorge is getting positively dangerous. The road w certunlv a colonial one and if not duly schedule as such no ti mo should be lo^t in lumii^' it scheduled. The member for the distnct •should bo .iikod tn mo\e in the nntter so that something may be done to it without any fuither delay.

The following special messages to the Pic-s Actuation, d ited London July 22nd an(l2.^i(l, h.uebecn published : — Lotd Ko.sebny has decided to letue fiom the turf, and h selling his whole stud.— The Ptince nf Wale-, iKuniuitc sniuo of Ins hoi so-, for the D.-ihyand Oaki, ISS7.— Su Cliarlo^ Ga\ an Dully has wiittcn to the E.ul of C.unairon, Loid-Licutonant of liel.uid, approving of his Irish policy.— At the English Wesley an Conference, at present .sitting heie, tlic Rpv Kichaid Roberts wns appointed president for the ensuinpr year.— The lifeboat belonpfinp to Her Mije>-ty's ship Castoii, stationed at North Shields, has been wiecked, and eip;ht of the were drowned. — Mr H. Stanley, the c\ plorpr, speaking b(>fore the Anti-Sl.»vprv Society, advocated General Gordon's plan forreachingtheUpperNile, via the Congo.— Dr. Forran, of Valencia, who was recently prohibited by the Spanish (Tovernment from continuing inoculation with cholera \irns as a preventne agunst cholera until the Board of Health h.is expressed its opinion on the nubject, has nmv resumed it m the jnovince of Aragon.

The annual show of the Auckland Poultry, Pigeon, Canary and Rabbit Asso ciatinn was opened on Thunday last in tht> Volunteer Drill-shed, and was a groat impiovement on the one held last year in tho Lome-street H.ill. Theie were ."530 entrie-. Ifcistho best that hnsyetbeen held m the colony, the nxlnbits being 140 in e\ce— of la^t year. The Southern competition 1 -, numbetmg nearly 100, weie be.iten in most of the c'.is«es. Thefiist pn/e for Koucn ducks was won by Mi l)eal, of Chriftchurch; Mi Rogan, of Port Chnlmeis, canyiug of tlie honours for Aylesbury duek I.1 '. Notwithstandniß that Mr Deal brought up fine entno 1 - in the Cochin clas*., he wa^ defe.ited by Mr Connwll. The prize bird \\a*> a beautiful '-ijouiinen, and \alued at 100 cnineas. Mr T. (rie^ham, of Te Aw.uiiutu, secured the special, second and tlnid pn/es for Plymouth Rocks, whilst those of Mr T Is. Hill were highly commended. The latter gentleman was also highly commended for the best p.iii of Houdans, for ■which there weie sesen entiies. In Biahuias (d.uk hen), there were sixteen entries, and the hist prize was aw arded to Mr A. Bluck, of Morrinsulle ; the same gentlemen .il>o seemed the thud pri/e foi anothei bud in anothei class, of the "tame breed, and Mi \V. Gumming seemed the third puze in duck-, (Ajle-bury.)

When the Te Aroha tramway way \\,\-> constnicted, the county council had to all appearances a highei ipiniou of the H'souice-. of the goldheld than they ha\e entei tamed of late. It w,b thought that hotseflesh would he inadequate to do the \ast amount of haulage on tho tiatnvvav, and so a locomotive was in tde to oidei .it a cost of about t'SOO. But like tho ingenious mason of whom we load, who, on finishing his holier found he had lniilt himself in, not h.ning thought of the dooi, this conned found, after getting the engine on to the ground, that it could nut be used. And ho theie it lay, and tlieie it has b n en allowed to be, ,i monument of their thoughtless folly to this very d.iv. A few week- ago, when the council vote in want of fund-, to appease sonic pet sistent nuisance of a creditoi, one of the members hit upon the idea of selling tho engine, but as that piecious piece of maehmeiy had not been pairl foi, it was \eiy reasonably thought that pel hap- the maker would like to have a say in the mattei, and so the idea, was abandoned. At the meeting of the council on Thursday, it was bi ought under their notice that the Mnand.i Coal Mining Company was about to construct a tramway, and would be wanting a locomotive of the class on hand, so it was agreed that the mining company be asked to miko an offer for it. Sevoial other firms will be asked to tendei, and no doubt befoie loner this foimidable as>et in the county schedule will be advantageously disposed of. The Herald understands that "there is likely to be sonic unpleasantness o\ei the Puiotuau tunnel contract business, which has been hung up since the tenders closed a foitnight ago. The deposits of competing tendereis have been 1 etui nod, and, so f.u as is known heie, no tender has been accepted. Contracted are somewhat indignant, as may be imagined, at being befooled into going a week's jouinev, hi the dead of winter, to view the ttmn>*lsitc, camping out the most pait of tho time. It is presumed that tho tendei ing has been to high for the Government, but this has been caused by the tunnel being H miles beyond Te ! Awatnutu, and aetoss countiy where 400 to 500 tons cement must be taken on packhorses, together with supplier. But sinely all this ought to havo been known to the (Joverrinent engineer-*, and considered. It inisrht havo been foioseen from the outset that under piesent conditions the work would be too costly, till the North Island trunk line has been made, from To Awamutu pietty close up to the tunnel. It would ha\e been better to have let conti acts beyond the tiist fifteen mile section, now undei constitution by Mi Co.ttes, say two sections more or 1") miles each, and when finished the tunnel could be made cheaply and expcditiously. At any rate, some eight or ton contractors feel that they hive a substantial giiovanco against tho Public Woiks Department in cal'ing foi tendeis for such a work, if they did not intend to accept the lowest tender for it. The lo^s of money to contiactots in examining the giouud in older to tendoi, as well as loss of time incurred, is both annoying and serious."

What the Hon. John Bathgate's claims to he accepted as an authority on the ticklish subject of State banking' may b" 1 , (remarks "Civis 'in the Otigo Witne-s,) I .1111 not aware. Disiaeh's spiteful definition of the teim "ciitic" comes to my mind • "Critic, a person who has failed in liteiature or ait. ' Does Mr Bathgate claim under tins mle .' Mr Bathgate at the head of .1 State Bank would match \ei.\ well with Mi Stout as Ministoi foi Educ.ition, judging the lattci fioni his conespoiidence with Mr l'yke. Wishing to enquiie " I)o v>n obicct to oui .sending'" Mr Stout writes " Do you ha\e any obiections to u^ sending '" a sentence in which eveiy othci woid is a solecism, and foi which a, boy in the fouith Standaid would bo righteously whipped. It would be unfair, doubtless, to judge Mr Stout by his inability to write the (Queen's English. In lealitv , the post of Ministei for Education is one for which he has veiy l.igh fitness, a fitness which would never be guessed fiom the bteiaiy quality of his correspondence Similaily, Mr Bathgate may ha\e high (lii.ihhcatioiis for inventing a nv*tem of State Banking, qualifications of which his puvate caieer as a banker and financier ■iffoids no hint. My noivousiiess ancnt the pioposed State 15ank is due not altogether to the fact that the paternity of the scln me \ests in Mi Bathgate. lam alarmed by the \ery niagnificcnce of the benefits it is to bestow upon us. The State Bank is to "expand tiade," and '" renow enteiprise." "If such a measuie wete to become law, an instant de\ elopement of piospenty would ensue" So wnteh one of tin; Dunedin evening papeis. My cxpenence is that theie piomised sudden tiansfoi motions and "instant developments" as a mle do not come off. Sn Julius Vogel's "magic «iml" was to effect Hometliing of this kind, but up to the piesent the modem Caghostro has waved his wand in vain. When they do come off— as in tho case of John Law's Hubble Ficnch Bank — a buef " boom " of jnospeiity is followed by a hideous clash, .Mid the opening of a gulf of mill in which public cie'lit and private foituncs alike disai)i>e.ir.