The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2064, 29 September 1885, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Ot whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political. Here shall the Press the People's right maintain. Unawed by influence and unbnbed by gain

TUESDAY, SEPT. 20, ISSS

Ix our advertising columns to-da) will be found one of the results of the several meetings which have lately been held in the interests of the tanning community of Waikato and its surrounding districts. It takes the shape of an advertisement, notifying the fact that the North New Zealand Farmers' Co-operativ e Association has been requested to undertake the erection of slaughter yards for the Waikato-grown herds. This request, coming as it does from an independent committee composed of our most practical men, must be very gratifying to all those who have given the cause of co-opera-tion their support during the trying period of its initiation and establishment — a new institution apparently opposed to powerful vested interests — and, with the small amount ot capital at its command, an apparently almost certain failure. It is, moreover, a proof that, notwithstanding its many deficiencies, the Co-operative Association and its directors have given satisfaction, and secured the confidence of the great majority of its shareholder^. We foresaw from the outset of the co-operative movement in Waikato that such an association as the one being formed was badly needed in Waikato, and we have .always advocated its cause. We are glad, therefore, to find that the Co operative Association has so far fulfilled its mission as to now be recommended by a unanimous vote of the general committee appointed by a public meeting to consider the best means of establishing slaughtering yards in Waikato. Ft will be seen by the advertisement that the only contingent remaining which stands in the way of the immediate establishment of the proposed industry is the support necessary to warrant the directors of the association undertaking the work. An appeal is made to all interested in the welfare of Waikato to take shares, and we feel sure the appeal will not be made in vain. Many who have held aloof from the association have signified their intention ot giving it now their unqualified support, as they consider the new step the directors have been asked to take is a forward step, which must eventually lead up to many futuie developments, such as a local tannery, fellmongery, Arc, which must be the outcome of slaughteryards in Waikato and the establishment of a dead meat market in Auckland. Another very important result of the labour of the general committee is the satisfactory arrangement that has been made by the committee _ with the Fio/en Meat Company. This will place the Co-operative Association in a better position than even the large companies dealing separately with the Freezing Company on their own account ; and thus the small shareholder of the Co-oper-ative Association will be practically placed upon a better footing than the large shareholder in those biy companies. This has been a very wise action on the part of the Freezing Company, and has remov ed the sting from those shareholder in the Fro/en Meat Company who have with good reason felt aggrieved at the apparent ignoring of Waikato intcicsts by the directors. We aie glad tint this feeling of. soreness has been removed, and that our Co-operative Association has been able to make such good terms with the Freezing Company. There is no reason why the two institutions, although running in parallel lines, yet having the same object in view, namely, the advancement of the country interests, should not derive benefit from each other. We feel sure they will. It now only remains for the settlers of Waikato to take such an interest in the matter as will warrant an immediate start being made. The directors of the association are fully prepared to go on — are willing to work hard for the Waikato farmers, but they justly expect to be placed in a position financially to do so. In sboi t, they cannot be expected to make bricks without straw.

Wk have often advocated the cultivation of what may be called subcrops, and we cannot reiterate the advice too often. The growing of such crops as tobacco, sugar-beet, European flax, and many othejs innkps comparatively little demand upon labour, and, like fruit culture, might easily be converted into a pleasurable occupation, on which to bestow some of the few leisure hours the farmer can command.

These remarks will apply with peculiar force to the ease of the tobacco plan t,thcculh vat ion and after treatment of which, while it can be clone by children, yet requires the e\emse of care and judgment. It therefore possesses the ad\antage of being interesting, and the interest taken in it glows. Not the least cogent in favour of its adoption is the reason that it will pay. The quantity of leaf raised just now is altogether inadequate to the wants of the factory in Auckland, which is compelled to largely import the raw material. As the amount of locally grown leaf increases so will the output of the factory increase, as it would not pay to import more than ii certain proportion. We refer to tobacco just now because the planting season is upon us. In another column wo print directions for preparing the soil, .sowing, iVc, fiom the pen of Mr Austin Walsh, the manager of the Auckland Tobacco Company, and we purpose republishing the pamphlet in instalments at the proper seasons. A number of settlers have already taken the matter up, but we should like to see the number increased. As we have said, no great amount of trouble and expense is in\ol\ed, while the results, it only some intelligent care be exercised, cannot fail to be satisfactory in many wa\s. [fit is desired to make the cultivation of the soil profitable, if our farmei.s wisli for better financial returns on their investment of capital and labour, greater variety must be introduced into rural industry. Cattle and sheep, -wheat and oats, potatoes and turnips, must be supplemented by the .smaller items of sugar-beet, flay, fruit of various kinds, tobacco and other subtropical products. By this means, not only will farming become more lucrative, but it will assume a new phase ; its drudgery will be lightened by sallies into thoroughfares hitherto untrodden, and the stimulus which such novel depal hires will give to the study of all its features.

It \\<is with a feeling of relief that people heard that Pailiament was prorogued. The public were getting tired of leading da\ after day of the, recriminations constantly bandied about between parties without any result but that of bringing the Ifouse into contempt. The session just over has shown to what an extent and how openly logrolling can be carried on by men to gain their own erds, entirely regardless of the welfare of the colony. The proposal to make the East and West Coast railway was the mo.st flagrant piece of political dishonesty that has ever been witnessed in the J Foiise, and were it not for the integrity of some of the Southern members, it would ha\e been carried, despite the opposition of the Northern men. The opposition to the renewal of the subsidy for the San Francisco mail ser\ ice show s how far local jealousy will carry men. The service was of equal importance to the South as to the Noith, for the mails could be delivered a fortnight earlier by that route than by the direct, service. On the 22nd inst. the direct steamer Tcngariro delivered her mails in Auckland of the date Ist August, while the San Francisco mails were delivered two days earlier, dated 1 tth August, thus showing a clear gain of sixteen days. There can be no doubt but that if the Auckland members had assisted to perpetrate the railway job there would have been no opposition of any consequence to the mail subsidy, and it would have been lenewed on whatever terms the Auckland men chose to propose. The terms upon which the subsidy was renewed were such as to prohibit any company fiom attempting to carry on the service. The present arrangement will not be as satisfactory as the old one. Of course, the reason of the opposition is not far to seek. The 'Frisco boats called only at Anckland, and the mails were taken South by local steamers, while the \essels engaged in the direct service called iirst at Southern ports. Another piece of bungling is the stoppage of the Kuiti contract, for though we are of opinion that for a long time to come the line will be only an expensive toy, ye think it was the , greatest folly to stop this contract while otheis faither on were being carried out. Jn the present state of colonial finances it is foolish to make more than the first fifteen or twenty miles of the line at each end, and when that is open and advancing settlement warrants it, it would be quite time enough to go on with other contiacts , but as tlio country has been committed to the boring ot the Poro-a-Taiao tunnel, the line as far as that .should have been completed. The expenditure of £10,000 in bringing out Highland crofters to New Zealand was near being pass.-d. This would have been a sinful waste of public money. We do not want a population of paupers in the country, and the crofters w r e all know are men without any means. What we want is a number of men with sufficient capital to enable them to make a good start here, whether in business or agriculture it matters not ; but we do not want a class of men who would have to laise mortgages on what little property they could acquire to enable them to procure implements, seeds, stock, etc. By all means let us increase the population of the country, but let the increase be of men of some means, not paupers. We are not rich enough yet to play the part of philanthropists, and much as we feel for the crofters in their distress, we do not think we would be warranted in spending £10,000 in bringing them out to New Zealand.

" Put not your trust in princes," lf> a venerable saying, and as true as it is venerable. When the lion, the Defmco Minister was in "Waikato, he was very lavish with his pro-

inises wherever he went. Whrn at Ale\audiu,he promised on behalf of the (loveininent, the sum of £100 to assist in repairing the W.iipa bruise. A short time ago the local body communicated >\ith the Minister for Public Works, bringing Mr Rillanoe's promise under Ins notice and asking for the sum promised. They got a reply to the ell'eet tli.it as the Minister was gi\en to understand the bridge was likely, in the e\ent of a flood, to prove dangeious to the Te lore blidge, unless the local body took steps to ha\e it secured the Uovernnient would have it removed. »So much for Ministerial promises. This is a particularly hard case, because the bridge connects the township with the only bush in which the residents can get firewood. The other bridges arc that at Te Rore — which by reason of its distance from Alexandra, precludes them from from making use of it to get to the bush —and that at Whatiwhatihoe. The only bush accessible by the latter is native property, and we know how difficult it is to deal with .John Maori. Under the circumstances the (to\ eminent might in fairness grant the money. They spend a great deal more than that foolishly and on less necessar) 1 works.

Five trucks of fat cattle left Cambridge terminus yesteidaj' morning for Mr Huntei's sale .it Auckland to-day.

A letter from Mr S. Vaile, a portion of " Echoes from the CafiV' Te Awanmtu Gossip, and other items arc crowded out of this issue.

When a public body takes in hand to levy a rate it must always calculate on losing a large percentage in collecting the same. The collector of the Piako county rate spends £."> alone in postage stamps.

We are requested to state that on and after Sunday evening next the hour foi commencing evening service at Trinity Presbyterian Chinch, Cambridge, will bo seven o'clock, instead of ti.3oas heretofore.

An inebriate, who had been locked up since Satin day, was brought before Mr J. H. Whjte yesterday at the Hamilton Police CmirYand discharged w'ta a caution.

At the Hamilton Police Oourt yesterday, before Mi Xoithcmft, R.M., a littlo boy named (Jooduin, who had boon remanded for a week owing to the absence of his father, was discharged with a caution, on the fathei promising to send linn to school.

Messrs Briggs and Alexander are at present engaged on an 4iddltlon.il con tiact for the nupiovenient of the Cambridge Public Hall. The side walls are to be decorated w ith painting* of local scenery, and the ceiling is to be painted on an elaboiato and handsome scale.

The following tenders have been receivi'd for building a house ,it Richmond for Mrßleasdale- Muiph\, €330; Y. K. KoberUliaid, £270: <J. T. Woithington, i'L'3o; Penk and Allen, tl'Sfc; Auckland Ikuldeis' Association, £'300; W. Hogan (accepted) £T)."i.

At a meeting of the Harapepe .School Committee, held on S.ituidav last, the 19th, a resolution was passed fully en dorsmg the action of the Hamilton West School Committee in the matter of the new scholarship regulations

The late concert at Tamahere in aid of the building fund of .S. Stephen's Church was moie successful m a financial sense than we could have supposed. The gross takings amounted to £18, and the net lesult is e\pected to be close on til.

Our Harapepe correspondent says-—The budge on the Raglan road via Harapepe is not yet finished for wheeled traffic, although a long while over the contra< t tune. Foot passengeis, 1 believe, cm cioss. News of any public interest is very scarce in this pait of the vvoild.

It having been reported that attendance at the Cambiidge and Hamilton District High Schools had fallen below the limit set, the Hoard of Education has resolved that unless material help be granted by the Commissions of Reserves for secondary education, it will have to close these high schools.

Complaints have reached us of the damage done to the main road at Hautapu by pigs. Besides doing an immense amount of damage, theso ignoble creatures place the limb* and liven of horsemen m danger by their antics, and the local body having jurisdiction in the district should lose no tune in abating the nuiaance.

The Board of Education resolved at its meeting on Fuday afternoon that pl.uiH and specifications be prepared, and tender-invited for the enlargement of the Cambi idgo West Public School. The grant for this work is h\ed .it £'310. Population has recently been increasing in the Cainbudge West distuct, and the school attendance is in consequence ripidly impiowng, necessitating additional accommodation. The two well-known heavy diaught entires Young Wellington and Young 151} the vvete offered for sale by Mr Huckland ;>t Cambiidge on Saturday. Young Wellington was sold to Mr A. Feiguson at Whatavvhata for ±!.">O, and Young Blytho was passed m at £'30. He will bo again offered for Halo at Ohaupo today. The native lands in the Piako County will contribute £'171 •">•» W, by the general rate which is now being collected. Of this sum the Waitoa liding contubutes till 13s !)d. thoMatamata nding £2H 14s 7UI, and the Patetero riding £'17 17s Ud. The rateable t.ilue of the natno lands in the county is set down at £51,814. The lateablo value of the Crown lands is £13,31(i the rate upon v\hich amounts to i'U 12s 3d.

The Pakuranga hounds will arrive 111 Waikato on Monday ne\t, and tinow off on Mr Webster's place ut the Lake, Hamilton, on the following day. Tlio usual round will then be made. The hunts will be chiefly on the drag principle, and should theiefme be more entcitaiuiug and exciting. The coming season is expected to bfi one of the most successful that has over been held m Waikato.

A notice posted up on both sides of the Walker's (iully budge intimates to the public, on the authouty of K. Luke, chairman, /fee , tli it that structiiio is unsafe foi heavy traffic. One of these notices is erected in front of the local educational ps tablishment, whether as a specimen of official oithography or as a prank at the expense of the pres,ding pedagogue, it would be haid to say ; but the average passer by inclines to look upon " E. Lake, chairman, <!tc ," as the unconscious victim of a most unpaidonable joke, wholly undeserved.

i There will be no meeting of the Hamilton Legislative Association this evening. The next meeting will be held on next Tuosday night, when the financial policy of the Government comes on foi discussion. It is understood that the member for.Woodlands' motion, with reference to denominational education, hint been placed pietty low down on the Oidei Paper, and will not come on again for some week*. The financial debate i« expected to bo rather lively.

The Waikato Horse Parade will bo held at Ohaupo to day, and promises to bo of a veiy successful character The following entries weie leceived up to Saturday List. —Thoroughbreds : Fevo, Antem-s and Kenil« orth. DraughtsYoung Prince Chailie, Bonnie Prince, Young Wellington, Low den Tarn, and Young Blytho. Kevcial othci lato entries aie expected. This is au oxuullenfc opportunity for hoisoownen to paradtv thotr stud, and we have no doubt will therefore largely betaken advantage, of.

To the Editor.—Sir,—Some four teen months ago a concert vras held in the Paterangi schoolhouse. Paitnf tbp funds of it was to go towards paying off the debt on the Paterangi Public Hall. The balance, with other subnetiptions, nq to purchase a harmony ('haunonium.) Now, Mr ftdilop, I wonder w hat has become of the money. Man tho xeeietary put it to interest, or what has hemnna «f it, as the Paterangi Church has not yot got a harmony (sic) or anything of tho kind. —I am, yours obediently, A SIBSCRIUEIi.

The select committee appointed by tln> Hamilton Legislntne Association to consider the question of insect and other pests affecting our fruit tices and agncul tural industries generally, will moot to night (Tuesday) At 7.30, at The W.ukato Tinios Building. The committee consists) of thf* hon. mernbcis for Hoiotiu, Hamilton K.iHt, Cambridge West, Fiankton, Oxford, (Joiton, Lichhrld, Hakarimita, Raglan, Hukanui and Kirikinro.i. All members w ill please attend, as (he business is import .mt and the most practical yet dealt with by the association.

The following special messages to the Press Association, dated London, September 2Stl>, have l>et>n published:— The Wight ILoii. W. K. Foihtn is fi oni an .itt.ick of fevor.— Hi-, Holmes the Pope has agieed to mediate in the matter of the Caroline Islands. — The wool innikct is firm. (Jood combing «hows a slight advance. Clothing and faulty sorts are unchanged. 237,000 bales weie catalogued, of winch 3."i,000 weie withdiawn. The hn.il sales of the series will be held on November 17. — The wheat market is steady. Hx-shin and warehouse have advanced lid. OIF coast cargoes aie selling at 3~>s (id. Carjjo on passage has been .sold for 3os. Local sportsmen are anxiously looking forward to the coming Hunt Club Meeting on the Cambridge racecouise. The conditions ha\e bpen very wisely altered so as to ensure larger fields. All horses that hunted during tho July season and onco during the October .season are eligible to compete. The heldswill consist of all the bent amateur blood in the country, mounted by some of the bestatnateur riders, and the \ arums events afford every promise of interesting and wnrm contest*. The pnecsof admission to the couiae and grand stand aie extiemely reasonable, A totalisator will also be on fchegiotind. Altogether the 17th October promises to be a red letter day in the sporting calcndai of Waikato.

The well-known Ohinemuri chief, Ropata te Pokiksv, died suddenly at Shortland on Fuday morning. It appears that lie was about to return to Paero.i by the ps. Patiki when he was .seized with a xpasin, and expired within a few moments. The deceased chief has been a (inn fuend of the Euiopeans from the days ofthe eaily settlement of the goldheld*, and was one of the wannest advocates of the opening of the Ohinemuri district to the miners. Mr James Mackay, in the course of hisipcent lecture, mentioned that if it hid not been fur the exeitions of Ropit.i and .i few others the (Jovernnierit might not have gained a tooting there at all. Deceased has tor many jvais been in receipt of a small pension fiom (»ov eminent as a recognition of the services tendered to the colony in this icspect. — Herald.

The Piako County Council expect to clear about t'lo,ooo through thestnking of the general county rate which is now being collected. In addition to the amount which the rate itself will realist- they got the 13,000 special grant, and then share of the £10,000 voted for distiibution among counties containing one or mote goldlields to be di\ ided accoidnig to the lates levied. The council take then sh.ue for the yem ending 31st Maich, ISSO. It was onginally intended that the golddelds counties should get a pound fot pound subsidy on then rates, but as the amount for distnbution was very con~ideiabl\ ledured, the subsidy v\ ill not be so huge. Anyhow, if the council are able to cle.n £10,000, their entire indebtedness fiom which they have suffered for some time past will be almost entirely wiped out.

The Cambridge Town Board has now spent nearly tIOO on the impi<>\ emont of the Public Hall, and to all appearances the money has been ivell and economically spent. There is, howii\ei, one thing which no doubt has been in.uhcitently ovei looked, and that is the improvement of the floor. Alaitre proportion of the hall revenue is derived fiom dancing parties, balls, iVc, and, notwithstanding, the flooi ix undoubtedly one of the worst and most unpleasant m Waikato. A few pounds judiciously expended would put it in tolei.ible repair, and we trust that at its next meeting the board will take the matter into consideration and have the work done. The erection of a small lamp room at the back of the building might also be considered, the room at piesent used for that purpose being a dangerous nuisance. In fact both of tlio small looms in fiout might be trimmed up for dressing rooms, as at present thoie is no such accommodation.

The race of " travellers," like the poctiy of eaith, is destined never to die. We may contemn, we may cnish them, but they live on and flomisn. It is not mi long since Messieuis Tichborne and Mcl3cth, victimised some of the guileless hotelkeepeis of Waikato, and now one at least of the .stifFeiers has undergone a iepctition of the fleecin? process. The " travelleis," in the piesent instance are the inembeis of a panoiama and electiic calculator company, which vainly sought to pick up a Imng on this inhospitable plain of ours. The company consisted of three unsophisticated lookint' youths, one of whom, appai.-ntly the " buss," had longer hair than the others and styled himself " Piofessor. " He gave his name variously as Webstei and Scott. Of the others one is named Hardy. The cognomen of the other is unknown. They lived on the fat of the land at the Hamilton Hotel, and left nfter nearly a w eek's sojourn without saying " good morning,"

The Rev. R O'C. Biggs, in his sermons on Sunday at S. Peters Church, Hamilton, alluded to the mission about to l)e held heie in Xovembei. Taking for his text Acts \wi, l(i, " His spirit was stiriod in him," he said that the niotne and object of the mission were essentially the same .is weie those of S. Paul's mission to Atht ns ; that win n a man has found Chiist himself he is filled with a livo'y zeal to bnngotheis to Hun also; that the s.uno missionaiy spnit (which is a characteristic of all tine Chustianity) which .miniated S. Paul to attempt the seeming impossible task of coin ci ting Athens, has influenced our missioncrs to come out here fiom England : that S. Paul was not detei red by the difficulties he had to encounter, his one thought being. " here are immortal souls worshipping idols, souls which might be sared mistaking darkncis for light; " and he felt constrained by tho love of Chiist to .speak to them of Jesus. In the evening, compai ing our state with that of Athens, he said that, although professing Chustianity, there arc many who nevei think of Chust, but make idols of money, business, pluasuio, &0,, that wo have among us Epicureans ami Stoics ; men who live us though death ended all, and therofoie say "let us eat and drink foi to mono w we die," men who have no (Jod but natiuc (so called), fatalists ; that S. Paul was strengthened foi Ins woik by faith ; and his own experience, which taught him th it, though expelled tiom ono city aftei another the seed he had sown in each was safe and was biinging foith fruit, and he felt assuied that it would be so in Athens also; and that our missioncrs have come w ith the like fiith. He concluded by saying that we aio not to look for Midden st.uthng conversions, for "(lod's grace woiks slowly but it ends in gloiy. In both ho urged tho absolute necessity of earnest faithful piayer if a blowing is to result from the mission.

The Inangahua County Council appeals to have conducted business m a free-and-easy, happy go lucky style. The Wellington correspondent of the Tiinarn Herald thus writes on the 18th iuvt •—Some remarkable disclosures will be found in the following summary of the report of Mr James Edward I'it/geiald, who was appointed special auditor to examine the account* of the Inangahua County Council, and which was jncsented to Paili.unent today : -The auditor disallow* t1.")22 7s lid of the expendituio inquired into as illng.il, and t!l7<>2 ."w 7d as of doubtful legality. Ho states that nono of these vouchers would have pissed the auditor had they boon on tlie Public Account instead of tho County Fund. Among the objects for w Inch money has been spent without anthoiity aro the following •— (1) Forgetting up petitions to Paili.iment ; (2) for refunding to publicans p.u t of the license fees required by law to be paid, which is clearly amisnppropnation uf tho county funds ; (3) f«r the cnteitainment of Ministers at banquets, lure of halls for moetings apparently for political purposes. There are also soveial \ouohern showing payments of considerable sums (in ono case of £100) without any information of tho services pcitoimed or whethei any somfe had been peiformod foi the county. Mr l ( 'it/.gorald adds, " ftor can I fail to remark that the recipient of Mia sum above mentioned was at tho time a member of the Hou.se of Representatives." (i) Under the head "travelling expenses" aie costs of n.ombors' attending a conference of county council dulitgntuD, and < if delegates to Wei lington, for which there is no authority. (i*i) Travelling expenses amounting to upwards of ±.'3OO have been paid to councillors lump in Reefton itself, for attending county councils hold the>e. (15) Money spent on tho Chiistchurch Inhibition. Among the doubttul difch^ispments are the following: — (1) KNpemUtme U»o Health Act, wljph

should be recouped by the Treasury, as tin' county fuml is not applicable to such purpose. (U) Tlio acclimatisation of h'*h. (3) Travelling expenses to viinous places, no purpose being stated in the vouchers and nothing mentioned to show what the traveller* were engaged in doing, and nothing mentioned to show that the traveller! were engaged in public service at all. Mr Fit/gerald concluded with the following remarks:—"On the whole there neems to h.ive been .in tmpiession on the part of the county that it is open to them to spend the funds of the county m any manner which thry consuleiert beneficial to the county's interest, entirely ignoring the fact that the cm poration u strictly bound by the charter of tlie Statute under which it acquires, its powers, and those whose intmests aie in \ol\ed in this case, that any ratepayer may recover fi on, the corporate fund any wnns illegally expended." The report is nd dresM>d to his ICvcelloncy the (iovcrnor, to be submitted to I'arhamunt The detailed accounts are appended.