TE AWAMUTU.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2076, 27 October 1885, Page 2

TE AWAMUTU.

A MKEriNO of tlio inombeis of the Wai pa Racing Club was held on Satuiday evening, when the bilance sheet was read .showing a balance to credit. A -strong coin nuttee was appointed and officers elected. It was decided to ask Mi A. Kidd to receive nominations hi Auckland on behalf of tlie club. While lacing is conducted jv» it has hi"'!i of late years it can »o\ er be a success, whereas if all am.iigainated a dub woitliy of the district could 1>" in nut unod. It is unfoitunate that local jealousy exists in those "Little Pedluigtous "' If more unanimity wcio shown it would be much better for us all. The final hung for the tioop belt and cio-,1 took place at the range on S ituidav, when Trooper Giay was successful m winning both. As soon as I can get access to the scot us, I will give the munbti of points m.ide in each competition. The letteis which appealed in the issuer of your piper of 13th and 22nd itist., written by Me>sis W. A. (iialum and W. A. Muriay respectuely lu\c created a good deal of interest in this distuct. While there is need of reform in the direction indicated by Mr Muuay, the suggestions offered by Mi Graham would go more directly to the loot of the trouble. Purifying our .system of legislation would, as you put it, not be the me ins of find ing better inaikcts for om pioduce though it would doubtless effect a gieat nnpioveiuent by leducing unnecessaiy expenditaie, .and by putting a stop to so much boiiowing, would help to lessen our bin den of taxes, and in the end very materially impiove the condition of the colon y. But to dnectly impiove the position of the people, co-operation must be resulted to to break down monopoly. That farmers are alive to to the necessity of helping themselves is amply pio\ed by the support that has been freely given to the Co-opeiative Association. But .side by side with loforni in this direction exists the urgent need for political reform, and that of tho most tadical sort. Each «uccessivij Government is as bid as tho last, and against the present Mmi-tiy a heavy indictment could bo made out, of money squandeied and dchbeiat'j attempts made to plunder the public of the colony foi the benefit of one distuct and some private individuals whose character was impugned openly in the House. It s iy~ veiy little for tho people of New Zealand tint they ha\o to import a stranger, — one who has no inteiest in the colony— to take the position of Colonial Tieasiner. Sir Julius Vugel is ,\n adventuier. He has undoubted talents, but the determined attempt he made to foice the East and West Const Railway upon the colony led some men to make closui enquires into the nutter, and the little item of £.3~>0,000, which was put down under tin* h"ad of "undei writing," Rave rise to the suspicion that " commission would have been a moie appiopuate teun than " imdei wilting." Fiom this it is veiy evident his talunts are exticised solely foi his ov\ n adv. incemi nt ; the col. >ny with him is only a second u y consideiation. The vv >i-t thing t!ut has happened Kew Zea land was the gi anting of a constitution, with Much a muddle us hi-, always been made. We would haveb>en much hutttli off as a Ciown colony, The n itive difficulty, which foi years retarded tlie pi ogi ess of the Noith Island, wt* of our own making. Even now it is not dead, for with the -tron;* belief tint gold exists in payable qu mtities in native temtoiy, piospectors cuinot sevrch for it became a few natives object, and in tno^t ctses the objectors ha\c no claim upon tho 1 md. What an impetus would bo gwen to trade and agi icnlturowere .i payable gold field discoveied, and yet the Defence Minister does nothing. He allows the natives to hue their own way, and shut the country against prospectoiß Tie Ins ffivon abundant evidence of his utter unfituoss for tho position he holds. He may have talents, but if he has, ho Imm sedulously kept them out of .sight, and m his cupiiity for doing harm to the colony, I should class him in the same categoiy an Sir Julius Vogel and tho Minister for Public Works. While this state of thing lasts, it behoves not only farmeis, but all who wish to *cc the colony prosperous, or at any rato saved fiom taxation and the increase of a national debt out of all proportion to our population, to take moio interest in political affairs, and see that men are returned as members who hive a higher object in view than grinding their nuvato axes. Railway reform should be made ono plank in the next political programme. In this, at any rate, the North and South am unanimous. But so long as we have men who, if not scheming for their own interosts, aio liko wooden ltnagM, neither u«o nor ornamont, so long will the state of things we complain of continue. So fai manhood suffrage has not been an unmixed blebsing, for most of the members got returned by spending money freely, and if the settlers are about equ illy divided, the man w ith the most money cets m by buying the votes of tho tag, rag and bobtail, who now come undei the title of " free and independent." Tho latter title applies to them, for they don't care a straw who they vote for, provided they are paid, and more than one election in this pro\ nice has been gained by the judicious expenditure of money in tho purchase of beer. I know of one instance wheie a man was a staunch Brown man in tho morning, but by noon ho was shouting hurrah for Jones, and stagger ing off to tho polling booth at the head of a string of fellow blackguards. He and they voted for Jones, and so kept a good man out, Jones had a counlo of fnonds who spent money freely. What can wo evpect of Mich legislator as this ? Of course, tho names are fictitious, but the incident is perfectly true.— (Own Corinspondent.)

Tenders required for deepening .1 drain at Tauwli.irc. Air John Knoi will sell at the Hamilton Auction .Mart on .Saturday next, horses, cattlr, an 1 implements in the estate of J Drabble, land in the estate of F. Gaudin, bridge tjrabtr, Ice , *c.