The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2097, 15 December 1885, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

hnu.il and exact justice to all men, Of whaMne\cr state or persuasion, religious o political. Here shall thf Press the People's right maintain, Unawed by influence and unbribed by gain

TUESDAY, DEC. 10. 1885.

Admitted that the provisions of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Act arc, many of them, vicious in principle and unjust in detail, how are we to amend them '? Last year the Government expended a sum of £101,928 in the support of hospitals and charitable institutions namely, i.5G,970 or the former and £14,703 on the latter, of which total amount £t,lO-3 was defrayed from contributions, payment by patients, Are. This year it is proposed, by help of the new Act, to ease the consolidated revenue, which has hitherto borne nearly the whole of the cost, to the extent of £70,000, leaving that amount to be made up by direct taxation levied upon property. Herein is involved a serious step in the change of the incidence of taxation. Heretofore the cost of maintaining the hospitals and the poor was nude a national charge, and rightly so, too, for the benefits derived from them were for the enjoyment of the people at large, and it was but fair that they should be defrayed from the only source contributed from general taxation, the Consolidated Fund. Now, the burden is sought to be shifted on to a class, the last of all classes likely to become participators in the expenditure. Undoubtedly that burden is a heavy one, and it is a very pleasant thing for the Treasury to get rid of it, in large part now and doubtless altogether in a few years time — but might not the same argument be adduced in the case of the cost of public education, which is live or even six times as hea\y. If our legislator are to affirm the principle involved in this last change in the incidence of taxation where are they to stop? They admit the justice, of taking half a million annually from general revenue for educational purposes, yet boggle at granting A 100,000 for quite as national a purpose, the maintenance of hospitals and the poor. Presently they will change face and endeavour to thrust the cost of education on special rates, and though this might be a good thing for the Treasury, it would not be so pleasing a thing for the districts. We warn the public that this is the tendency of the (Jo /eminent policy, piecemeal by piecemeal to saddle the ratepayers with direct taxation, enabling the revenue to bear more easily the sost of Governient fads and political railways. The taxpayers cannot ifford to have political and social crotchets worked out, and things made pleasant in the House, at such a cost. The great argument used in the passing of the Hospitals find Charitable Aid Act was, that nothing could be worse than to have one body finding the money and the other expending it, that you must have local administration, and therefor* that the districts must provide, if not. all, at least a large portion of the money expended in them, to ensuie a due regard to their economy in the administration of it. Yet in the case of the expenditure on education there is no such assumption of waste ; no such safeguard in expenditure is required. Hie general revenue finds the whole >f the funds, and the local boards expend and distribute the money, md with the help of the local comnittees administer the act. Similar nachinery might have been erected .o administer the Hospital and Jhiuitiible Aid Act. Central district boards with sub -district >onrds in the case of charitable lid expenditure, to give the benefit •f their local knowledge, with that if the local police in all applications or relief, would have worked fairly ,nd satisfactoi ily. Judging from he difficulty there lias been, in mny undoubtedly genuine cases of istress, to move the Auckland Reieving Oflicer to action, no great lifeguard against imposition has een required in the past ; though, : a Poor Law was established, and he same system of administration r ere adhered to, there would doubt?ss be then an attempt made to buse the expenditure. AVithGovernlent supervision and inspection, to je that the hospitals and charitble aid administration was carried ut fairly and according to law, iiere would never have been the ladoflr of an exeme to have saddled !ie property-holders of the colony ith a special tax, and to lay the mndation of what will grow into n intolerable nuisance and burden, New Zealand poor law. The jlopy has made a false step, A

change of system was not needed but only a reform in the administration of the present one. But sonu will say that we are only crying ovoi spilt milk ; Miat the principle ha ; l>een affirmed, and the change ii: the incidence of taxation effected by an ict which we shall never got the Legislature to repeal, and that there fore it is better to cast about and see how we can get the act sc amended as to be less irksome, less unfair, and more beneficial, The membeis of the Waik.\tc County Council and our county members of Parliament are at the present moment taking counsel together to furnish a common b-\sis on which the county councils of the colony may move the Legislature and the Government in this direction, and we shall look anxiously for the result of their deliberations. It seems to us that the first step is to separate the hospitals from the charitable aid administration. The larger the hospital the better will be the skill and attention obtainable by patients. Small or cottage hospitals may be useful adjuncts in the immediate neighbourhood of a large hospital in the far suburbs of a large city such as Auckland, but to encourage the establishment of ill appointed, inefficiently cared for, small hospitals in country districts, other than on goldfields, is a mistake. It is quite another question, however, supposing as we are now arguing that the system of direct taxation for their support cannot be got rid of, whether the local district sending cases to the hospitals shall pay for those case? only, or, on a basis of property or population contribute its average to the whole cost of working such hospitals. NeXt, as a primary condition, the districts should be coterminous, or as nearly as possible, with the boundaries of boioughs and counties. The districts established by the Act are not satisfactory. If it is necessary that those who raise the money should spend the money (we are speaking of the poor rate now) let the principle be carried out to its legitimate conclusion. Let boroughs and countries each have their own local district board to strike and levy the rate and expend it. The destitute will then have <in innnedi.ite court of appeal before which to bring their necessities, and the distributors, of the funds, being on the spot and knowing or having the means of correctly ascertaining the genuineness of each case will be the less liable to imposition. 01 course it will be said that the poverty, the sickness, and the incapacity for work of the country gravitates to the city. There nifty be truth or not in that statement, but the country may justly retoit that city police courts have a happy knack of discharging offenders on condition that they clear out of the city into the country. The argument therefore cuts two ways, but the objection may be easily got rid of by making a six month's resi dence in a distiict equivalent to the I.iw of settlement at home. If n man comes into a district or city, and lives in it six or, say, even twelve months if the towns require that amount of protection, we think it must be fairly admitted that, if a poor rate is liable for his maintenance, it cannot be that of the dis trict or town* he has left six or twelve months before. When it cannot be satisfactorily decided to which district a pauper belongs (by all means, let us call a spade a spade and if we are to have a poor rate call the recipients by their proper name) let the Government do, as is done in Germany, take the charge of his maintenance upon it self. This would prevent lawsuit 1 : and difficulties between districts a? to their respective liability. Again a marked distinction should be drawn between two classes of the poor, the man who is in involuntary distress and the pauper proper, the man who is too drunken, too lazy to work ; between those who cannot temporarily or from disease find work io do and men of the Garrard type. Work at half rates of wages, so as to induce a man to get regulai work at ordinary occupations as soon as possible, should be offered te both alike ; but when the la/y and the vicious refuse to accept this work, or throw down their tools, let them not be put on the same footing as the aged, the sick and the helpless whom it is our duty to relieve either in money, or in kind, or in both. And for the carrying out oi their provision of finding work for the needy who cannot find it for themselves, decentralised local administration is the best machinery, employing the men upon borough or county works as the case may be, where they could earn the cost of their maintenance and be ready at hand for r.ny settler to demand their labour at ordinary wages if he needed it. The act provides that two-thirds the cost of working both hospitals and pauper administration shall be raised by a special rate on property. What we maintain is that with the proper machinery it could be ai economically and well administered from the general revenue of the colony. It is for the use, and benefit of ev^ry inhabitant of tho colony if he or she needs nrul deserves it, and its cost should therefore be defrayed from a fund to which each person more or less contributes as is done in the case of education. But, if special taxation is tho source, let us not make flesh of one and fowl of another. If bricks and mortar in our towns, sinel land in our country districts ire to be rated, property of all kinds should be rated too. Why should the man who invests in mortgages and shares of any kind while lie who purchases land s made to contribute '] As it in, lome ef the beqt off people in the :ommunity who draw theif interest 'egularly and receive their dividends qu incprneg from various

sources will escape, while the hardworking tiller of the soil who with difficulty makes both ends meet will have to hear the whole burden. As we have said the act is vicious in principle and unjust in detail. It is a sample of Wellington Legislation where the major portion of the session is wasted "in party warfareand a scramble for possession of the treasury benches, and the more important work of framing laws, the effect of which will be felt for generations, is ihdeeently hurried through.

Mr E Shepherd has been elected to till the \acanuy in tiio Newcastle Road Board.

Mr Lewis O'Neill notifies in another pait of this is>ue that hi> has resumed practice) as barrister and solicitor in Hamilton at hib offices, Waikuto Times Buildings. A concert in aid of tlie funds of tha Roman Catholic Church, Kilnkilii, will bo held at the Public Hall on Wednesday, tlio 30th December. The Te AwamutU Band will be in attendance.

A general meeting of the membeis of tha Hamilton Lawn Teunw Club will be held on the couit at h.ilf-juit ■1 o'clock to-morrow afternoon, for the transaction of impwfc.int lupines-,.

A number of the followers of Te TCooti from the Thames passed through Cambridge yrsteid.iy morning. There were ntvnit fifty, including <<over.il womon, all well mounted. They po to Kjbikihi to meet thi'ii he.id and chief to talk oVer tho affairs of the n.itixn.

A concert and dance in aid of the fluids of the Huntly Public Cemetery will bo h*>l<l on December the 2fith, .after the Bport>, which promine to bo very successful. The full programme of the .«ports appelj^ in another part of this is-,iie. -„

The workmen engaged under Mr Dennis Murphy in leiMiiingthe CambridgeT.uipo and Canihiidge-Rotoru v roTids hivo now been knocked off. Both iouU aiu in excellent condition, and should ki'ep gsiod f >i some tune to come.

The Aroha News learns that Mr H. Buttle purpose* leauni? W.iiorongninai no\t month, h.mng been appointed to tike cliaipc of the Aniuuid.il^ Estate, Piiko, rrcontly *<o]d by .Ntr Win. A. Alurr.iy to Mr All.m, M.P., Kiißhnd.

An accident happened to Mi Walter, sch«olm ij-ter at Whafaiwh it.i, on Thur>d ly. A-. lit* was returning from Hamilton his horse slued, throwing it' rider lather heavily. Although bidly bunded. Mr Walter was not prevented fiom continuing his hchool duties.

The failure of the car^o intended for the Coptic has not h id a very enoui igmg effect upon Walk ito producers. We have heard it stated that somi of tb-5 I irge produccii who were getting sW-!< i<Mdy foi the ne\t shipment are beginning to senously consider if they cannot dispose of it to better advantage in S'>m" other way.

The Land Court sitting at Cambridge is still engaged deposing of the s«c ces>iini claim*. The Miuiptf.it.yittari Mibdiv ision claims comes on for no u iiig to-daj-, and those with other stib-div isjon; cises are likely to occupy the court for some time. The court will adjoin n for tin! holidays a& there is still a lot of work to get tliojgli.

The Kinkiriroa Road Board are oiling for tendeis for dt.iin woiks at Xgunavvahii. and alsj for gravelling on tl c Hiikanui-Taupiri load, and a special n.eeting will he held on Monday next, the 2l>t inst., at 3 o'clock pni , to i\cone and, if satisfactory, to acoipt tenders for the above woi Us.

On Wednesday (to morrow), the instillation of His Woislup t!,e Mayor elect of Hamilton (Mr W. A. (liahnn), will take place. The statntoty 'meeting eventuates at noon, but. will In adj-mmed until 7.30 p.m., when the counci'lirs will ni'V't at the chambers. Some othoi bnsi ness of importance will be brought forward

The crops are now gradually ripening throughout the c mntry, ami harvest operations will soon bo underway. Some of the earlier sown crops in the Cambridge district are nov ready foi tho sickle. Mr J. R. S. Rich ird-iou has one of his lirge piddock-. down, and the 1 yield is expected to be above the average.

Tha following reply has been received by His Woiship the Mayor from the Minister for Lands m n-feienCo to handing over ceitain Crown lands in tho Borough to tho Divn ii:i Board :—": —" Schedule of lan Is to be made domain foi warded for your information. Sent thtough Commissioner of Ciown lands—Signed, J. Bai.MNCK, Wellington, Djcembsr 12th, 188.")."

A wonderful clock is an present on vww at tin; new shop of Messrs Lewis and Simpson in Duke street, Cambridge. The clock is of a French make, and consists of a round pi ite of glass and two hands, the wmks Ikhii? nni-übla. This latest ide i in the shape of tini3ke,epers lias been placed in a conspicuous position, and in ly fairly Ily cl inn to tho hon-mi of being the town clock.

The entries for the Matamata races appear m this issue. The fields will be tjia largest ever seen at any local meeting in this district for many years, and include some really good incing stock. For the Allcomers Railway Plate there arc Vi entries. A very excellent day's spoit is promised on Boxing Day. and tne Stevvaids are making every airangijinent to hccuio a thoroughly successful holiday.

Visitors to the bazaar in aid of tho Presbyterian Church, Cauibndge, winch opens on Thursday, have every pro«pect of being very well pleased with the enteitainment provided foi their amusement, as no effort has b>»en spired to make it a success. Tho Colonial Secret iry has granted tho necessary pet mission foi the disposal ni w.»rks of art on the art union principle.

The concluding lawn tennis match between tho Hamilton and Cambridge clubs will bo pi lyed on Satuiday on the Cambridge court. Play will commence at 3 p.m. The folio \ ing gontleim n will represent Hamilton :—Messis W. M. Hay, Gav4n, Yon Shirinor, Smith, Wall' nutt and \V«od. For Cambridge Mentis Thomson, Seddon, Edgar, Hunt, Stubbing, and Fit/gerald will do battle.

A special general meeting of the parishioners of S. Petei's, Hamilton, ui)l be held in the Public Hall this evening, at 8 o'clock, to consider the following rocoinmendatioiiH:—l. That as a memorial of tho )nt'j mission a tablet be orected in tho church poich, sotting forth tlmb from Jiiuuaiy Ist, 188(5, the church shall,be free and open. 2. That as a thank itfformg for the late mission tho parishioncis do liiaLe a special and united effort by donation to e\t nguish the church debt. It is to be hoped that there will bo a largo and representative meeting.

The secretary of the Hamilton West school committee ha* received the following letter from the board :— *• Board of Education, Auckland, 12th December. IRS."». Sir,—l am directed to ncknovvledgo tho icceipt of your letter dated the ."ith mst., forwaiding copy of a lesolntion paused by tho committee m icferenco to tho charge against Mr Muriay, headteachei, for beating William Voice, and to inform you in reply that tho hoard con siders that no action is required in the matter.—l hive the honour to be, sir, your obedient servant, Vincknt E. Rrcf, secretary."

The chairman of the Cambridge Jam Company calls a meeting of the shaieholdeis and intending shareholder for Thuisday ijoxt, at the Oddfellows' Hall. Tho ibject of tho meeting In to placso befoio tho shareholders tho ari'angoiiiutits made with Messrs Fostoi and (Josling for the commencement of opeintiojis in finit pie* seivmg this season; also, tho lesiilt of tho canvass fni share-", and to adopt and sign amended aitides of association. The [luectois aio desirous that the shareholder's make an effoit to .ittcnd on tin-, occasion, as it is on their confidence and iipp >rt'that tho succost of tho venture must depend.

The following special messages to the Press AwsoQiaijoi), dated Tendon, I)ejembor 12th, havo boon published ,- -Soveip rosts havo been exponenced in England. —The wheat market is quiet, and quotaion» are nncluingnd. Two off so.ist cirgoes mvn Iwen sold at 3fis to 3's«< (id renpoetively. —Antwerp is to be made n port of call for he (Jerman-Australian line of steamers. — 'he colonial banks havo appointed « com nittco to oppose the demands undo for an ncomo tax.—Tho Times states that the VJelb.ourno and Wellington cities, and the Vlelbounio Harbour Board }oan will bo placed on the in^rkot at an early date,

Professor Black, who is on his way to tin* Hot Lake*, Iris kindly consented to Rive n loctuio at Cambudge, on Friday. Th&.'l'rofoh(ioi' is apiacticil fanner as well as a chemist, and is fawning onu of tho best fanni in Otago. He ts accompanied by Mr Taylor, a gentlem>n, who for tho last 30 years has been laisrely interested in the manufacture of artihci.il manures in Kngluid.and who will pye Bnmo valuable information about tho application of the dilfi'iont manures to ditfeiont ciops. Piofessor Black is also accompanied by Me-siis Montgomery and Fenton, who have boon as^tin^ him .it hi-j lectures on the dillerent

The Wellington correspondent of the A'ew'Zeal.uid Hoi aid siy s .—" Uuiiiouis are afloat heie that seveial membeis of tho House of Repiesoutativps will shortly lie cilled to the Upper House. One name is freely spoken of with a certainty httle shoit of absolute. Tins is Mr W. 0. Smith, member for "W.upaw.v. Tho in form.itioii comes from a quarter likely to be well informed. The name of Mr Macindiew has boon so often mentioned that it issoucoly news to repeat it. The same may be said of Mr Larnach. The selection is likely to be influenced by purely political consideiations, and for this reason the mention of any names may be prematuie. The (Jo\ernment after the experience of last session will not be likely to •Mcrjhco any support they have in the lower Chamber, unless they cm mike *vie I of the vote which will attach to the scat vactt"d by tho preferment of the piesent occupiei."

Yesterday afternoon two gentle men started in a buggy from Mis Paisons' sale, at Cambudge, but they had not gone far before they came to gnef by the upsetting of the buggy. One mounting a horse which they had b^en leading, and the other the buggy horse, tlipy continued through the town at a spanking pace. One of the horses bolted, and as the rider had neither saddle noi biidle ho was unable to cuib his steed, which, taking Hewitt's corner rather sharply, and pressing the telegiuph post, galloped down Duke-street and brought up lather-unexpectedly at Kirkwoods yard. The sudden turn was the means of upsetting the rider, who, falling" heavily on his head, sustained a severe concussion. The other indmdu il met with a pomrwh it similar fate. His ho se turned su Idi-nly in front of Kirkwood «. cnttige, throwing him otf on his back. Medical aid wa» called in and tho unfortunate equestmns had their injuries attended to.

An old man named Cardwell, working in the Piako rfi-ti icL, callel at tliw Hamilton Police Station on Sunday and complained that am in named Gilhghan, with whom ho had been fiunting tho pi minus night, hid stabbed turn in tho head with a knife. The wound was a very slight one, and might ha\e been inflicted \vith a finger ring. As tho man w,\> evidently under tho influence, Mr Mc(io\ern advised him to call agim m the morning. Vesteidiy he ga\e (juite a diffcient version of tho stoiy, remukiug tli.it on the pievious day his "hold was RWimmuu."' He now said he was attacked by a in.in named Hugh Me Vunally, against whom he laid an information. On tho migistratc ben? applied to ho said a summon* would m»et the necessities of (he cas". It is rail 01 lemarkable that the police have since lecened infoiination that Oardwell has stolen McAunally's horse. It is not at all piobiblo Hi it the police will interfere in what h evidently the out come of a diunken quanel. Card well admits thit he took the hoi>e, which was the o'lly one ho cmild get.

A few of the native gentlemen at pie-.ent attending the C mrt at C.i nln idge, l>y way of riis n,' a 1 t 1' suiplus ca«-h to go on wit!«, concaved the idea of giving a grand hiki perfoimance in the Public H ill on .Sitnrilay tuunuig. Tin I}' .iccoidingly engagfil tho hall at the h ind^ome figuie of £1 foi tho night, .md piid tlie bellman to pi-iegunate the town md communicate the welcome tidings to the Kuki|giii public. The Europe in public ic->pondcd to the number of ab nit ton, all t ild, who, with .vboiit .in erpul number of .ihoiiginals as d > ullie.uU, c imposed the audience. Th« perfoiuuis, about ci.'ht in number, dreined in whitu singlets and draweis and icd tniinp-, with tiieir faces and_ iiaiuN heavily blacked, the natural tint being insufficient, came on to the stago after the manner of the Faust family. The different pieces weie executed with great piocisi m and nicety, each piece lasting ab.xit one or two minute^ at tho outside, when tho per fuuneis would retiie foi an inteival of about a quaiter of an hour. The long and frequent inteivals in ide the thing go down heavily with the audience, who in irked their disappioval in tho u-iii.il nnnner. At the close of tho evening onu facetious gentleman came out, and in the name of the troupe thanked the Europeans kindly for their patronage, beang pleased to see such a largo audience, and concluded by snapping his finger at the multitude by way of emphasising Ins extreme giatitude.