The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2104, 2 January 1886, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Equkl and exact justice to all men, Of whatsoever state 01 persuasion, reliffious or political. v Here shall the Press the People s rißht maintain, Unawed by influence and unbribed by gain.

SATURDAY, JAN. 2, 18SG.

Wiiex twelve months ago we reviewed the chief political events of the year which had then expired, we concluded by expressing an earnest hope that the experiences of another year would tend to show that the interests of the colony were in good hands. We trusted that the Stout-Vogel Ministry would be able to prove that the hopes built by so many upon the well-known fertility of resource of the Treasurer were well founded, and that the colony had been lifted from the state of depression into which it had fallen. It is therefore with great regret that we are now compelled to admit that these hopes have been disappointed, and with still greater regret to acknowledge that as regards the future we fail to see any hopeful signs in the political utterances of either the Premier or the Colonial Treasurer. The recess preceding the last meeting of Parliament had no very striking features, although it must be admitted that the members of the Ministry displayed great industry in attending to the work of their various departments, and in endeavouring to ascertain by personal enquiry the real requirements of the various districts. This was notably so in the case ot the lion, the Minister for Mines, who spared neither time nor trouble in making himself personally acquainted with these requirements and in, what is still better, promptly attending to them when ascertained. The same may be said of the Native Minister, as, whatever we may think of his line of action, no one can deny that he also spared neither time nor trouble in endeavouring to carry out the duties of his very onerous position. We in this district also had the honour of a visit from the Premier on the occasion of the turning of the first sod of the North Island Trunk Railway, an event which certainly ought to mark an era in the history of the two races — Maori and European. In fact it is no more than fair to say of all the members of the present Ministry that they have shown themselves to be attentive and industrious administrators, and to acknowledge that as regards these two qualities the interests of the colony are in good hands. It is therefore with the greater regret that we are compelled to find fault with the methods pursued and the results obtained. We have st 4d tU^ the recess pre-

ceding the last meeting of the House had few very striking features, and the only one we can recall atpresentisthe appointment of an unusually large number of gentlemen to seats in the Legislative Council. Having, however, written fully upon this matter at the time, we need do uo more at present than repeat that we think this is certainly not a step calculated to lighten the burdens of the people. The Native Minister also had several meetings with tbo leading natives in the King Country, and as regards these, also, we are compelled to sny that we do not think that either his utterances or his actions were at all calculated to promote the settlement of the country, or the welfare of the native people. We are strongly of opinion that no real and permanent good will be done to the Maori race until they are made to understand that they must fully share the responsibilities as well as the privileges of their white brethren. The House met in the month of June, and before very long the country had before it what were called the policy bills of the Government. These, however, were found to be so very unsatisfactory that, with hardly one exception, they were either rejected bodily, or so mutilated as to be entirely beyond recognition. This being the case, it is almost superfluous to refer to them at all except that in almost every case the guiding principle seemed to be " borrowing," from a Railway Bill to a Forestry Act. As regards the rejected preposals, perhaps the most prominently objectionable one was that referring to Local Finance, which we have no hesitation in saying was, as originally brought down, the most profligate proposal ever laid before the colony. It is true that the title and about seven clauses were passed, but the bill was rejected. This bill may, with no unfairness, be described as a proposal to set aside for 25 years, i'3oo 000, which is the interest -of lh millions, in order to enable the local bodies to borrow little over five millions, whether they needed the money or not. Under it the local bodies were told in so many words that if they wished to make sure of this £300,000 per annum they must borrow against it, as otherwise it might be withdrawn by some succeeding Parliament. This of course offered a prospect of good times for a year or two, but in spite of this, to our intense satisfaction, it was rejected by the House, and, so far as we can ascertain, was scouted by the local authorities themselves. This we look upon as a healthy indication of the fate which awaits certain plunging proposals of which we have recently had indications. Then, again, the Hospital and Charitable Aid Act of last session need only to be pointed to as another monument (we hope not a lasting one) of ill-considered and hurriedly executed legislation. Then nothing has been done to improve the law referring to native lancß An i abortive attempt was made to foist the East and West Coast railway, or rather Meiggs and Co., upon the colony, and a successful one to saddle it with the district railways, good and bad. An attempt was also made by the Government to largely increase the Customs duties, with only partial success. An at tempt was also meditated to raise another million loan, but this was frustrated by the acceptance of the House, and, strangest of all to say, by the Government. Of Capt. Russel's motion to reduce the estimates by half a million. Of a ■urety if the sessio-i of 1883 be remembered for nothing else it will be remembered as the first during which, the Government estimates were largely reduced on the motion of a private member, and | that reduction tamely submitted to by the Ministry. Before concluding this article, it is impossible to avoid referring to the proposals for the future, so far as we are able to gather them from the utterances of tho most prominent member of the Government, Sir Julius Vogel. These proposals are somewhat vague, and until we have them more fully beforo us, perhaps it will be sufficient to say that they appear to consist generally of exextensive borrowing and a policy of proteotion. As is usual with the author, those proposals aro piit cleverly and plausibly, and in his address he says may things that are true and draws conclusions which to many will appear to be sound. Speaking generally, ho says that the policy of the Government is one of progress, apparently forgetting that there are two sorts of progress, one leading to prosperity aud another to ultimate ruin. Speaking particularly, lie says that the revenues of the colony should be developed, and therefore that the East and West Coast Railway should be built. This is a premise which overy one will admit, and a conclusion which Canterbury and Westland will endorse. Then he says that the mineral wealth in the bed of the Molyneux should be secured and by implication that the resources of the colony generally should assist in doing so. This is a doctrine highly acceptable to the people of Otago, as is also the proposition that tho Otago Central Railway should be constructed forthwith. Of course he applies the same argument to the North Island Trunk Railway, but as that formed part of an appropriation years ago andia already provided for by legislation, the North, we funcy, will not therefore join in this chorus with Otago and Canterbury, if indeed, the two latter bliould sing in concert. Sir Julius also says that a sudden stoppage of public works would cause greut distress. Of course it would, but no one proposes to stop public works. All that we, as prudent men wish, is that ordinary prudence should be shown in incurring fresh liabilities, and in providing for our growing responsibilities. As regards theii* proposals then we will

simply say that the present House has shown by its actions last session, that it will havo none of them, and we also think that, if any appeal be made to the country" upon them, the great majority of the settlers of New Zealand have the welfare of their adopted country too much at heart to consent to them, however seductive they may appear at first sight. As regards that part of the Ministerial utterance which appears to favour protection, the remarks are so very general and vague, not to say contradictory, that it is rather hard to deal with them. Still we think we are safe m baying that the working classes will not be so mis led by such transparent sophistry as | to consent to any material increase ! of the already heavy Customs duties. We regret that we should be compelled to herald in the New Year with an article which may appeal to some to be despondent, not to say dismal, but we do so with no feelings of despondency, but, on the contrary, with a belief that if the dangers which threaten us are pointed out — boldly faced, and if the people of New Zealand simply do their duty to themselves, we ha\e nothing to fear.

We take this opportunity to wish our readers A HAPPY NEW YEAR. , I

In our supplement, which is now enlarged to sixteen columns, will be found tho opening chapters of a new and interesting tale from the pen of that most populai authoress Miss Dora Russoll, entitled •'The Vicar's Governess." The supplement contains other new feature-., and will be. found to contain a mass of interesting reading.

It is understood that Dr Murch, <>£ Cambridge, purposes commencing practice at Hamilton.

Admiral Tryon, Sir George Whitmore and party returned to Auckland from tho Lakes on Thursday. In the evening the admiral was enteitdined at a ball at tho Northern Club.

A Gospel Temperance Mission and Blue Ribbon Army meeting will be held .it the Public Hall, Hamilton West, on Monday evening, when addresses will be delivered by the Rev. J. Dellow, Mr W. J. Speight, and Mr R. French, of Auckland.

Mr H. Bullock-Webster has purchased the two-acre allotment, fonneily the property of Dr. Waddington, opposite tho Borough Council Chambers., Hamilton West. Thehou-je.it will be remembeied, was destroyed by fire about eighteen month? ago. The price paid was £300.

Yesterday was a close holiday at the Post and Teleguiph Office, and we arc therefore without our usual budget of late foreign, colonial mid district news, correspondents' letters, &c. This is one of the privileges the Government bestow on country newspaper*, and is in keeping with the fatherly style in which all rural concerns are dealt with.

Nothing further has transpired to elucidate the Churchill my&tery. The police ha\e put them-elves in communication with the officer in charge at the Thames with a view to determining whethei or not Jimmy Dimbar is employed at the railway contract, but as the letter was only sent on Thursday no reply has yet been received.

A young man named Alexander Buchanan was killed at Newmarket on Wednesday night. He attempted to alight from the tiain while in motion, and fell between the carriages and the plat form. At an inquest on Thursday, a verdict of " Accidental Death " was returned. We understand that Buchanan formerly worked as a miner in the Waikato Coal and Shipping Company's mine at Tauphi.

A four-roomed cottage, the property of Mr S. T. Seddon, hituated on his propeity, Knighton, Hamilton East, and occupied by Mr J. Wright, was burned to the ground yesteuloy afternoon. It seems that some burning sticks fell off the colonial oven on to some articles of clothing drying m front of the Hi c and, these igniting, the cottage was soon in flames. Nothing was saved. The cottage was insured for £100, and the furnitme for £40, but Mr Seddon estimates his loss above the insurance at £150.

The following special messages to the Pi ess Association, dated London, December 30th, have been published :—: — The til st instalment of the Auckland city loan will bo placed in the nwuket on the 4th January.—The new Oriental Bink has declared a dividend of 5 per cent.—Mr Murray Smith, xVgent-General for Victoria, has made a request to Dr. Stephen, German Postmaster-Genei.il, ingingbini to use his influence to facilitate the bringing into \ operation of the reductions made on Piess messages at the recent Telegiaph Conference at Berlin.

A correspondent at Raglan writes : — Just on the stroke of 12 o'clock on Thursday night a rather unmusical sound broke the stillness of the night. It turned out to be a large party of voting men collected together to see the old year out and the new year in. They came to a halt in front of the Temperance Hotel, and commenced in earnest with their \ery primitive instrument-) (horns, tin em's, <&c ) Refreshments weie speedily handed out by way of putting au end to the nuiformance. After the refreshments hud been done justice to, three cheers were given for the Mayor of Hamilton. His Worship and a number of Waikato fi iond* are just now stay ing at Raglan. His Worship, coming out of the hotel, said : l% Well, boys, I thank you very much for the hearty manner in which you have cheered the Mayor of Hamilton. This is my first visit to your very pretty little harbour, and I must say I am fa vow - ably impressed with the appearance of your district generally." Then, in a \ery humorous strain, fie complimented the i band on their efficient, and said it reflected great credit upon their bandmaster, who, he felt quite sure, must have spared no pains for them to have arrived at such a btate of proficiency. He would conclude by very coidially wishing them each and all a " Happy and prosperous New Year."

Referring to tha Disestablishment question The Tunes writes :—TheChuich of England deserves to be. the national Church because it is the outcome of circumstances and centuries of national deeds. It was neither concocted by a constitution monger, nor was it imposed upon England, ready made, by any king or piiestor repiseutative assembly. It has not advanced by sudden leaps, but it has grown with our growth, and, like our liberties themselves and like everything else in our national history which is of permanent value it has • broadened slowly down from precedent to precedent." We may, very possibly succeed in destroying an institution whose germs may be traced back almost to Apostolic times, and are certainly coeval with the earliest germs of our national life: an institution which has enshrined itself in such inimitable building's, and has found exprcsai >n in such a noble literature, and has been consecrated by so many philanthropic \nd so many saintly lives; an institution which is regarded with such passionate devotion by so large a portion of the nation ; which has, in the last half-century, done so much to keep pace with the e^traodinary development and the multifarious needs of modern life, and has, as we believe, a still more rapid development and » still wider field of activity in the immediate future. But, if we do succeed in destroying all this, we shall destroy that for which we can find no substitute, and we shall wake up, when it is too late, to find that we have irrevocably broken with the past, and that we have bartered away a priceless inheritance on the strength of hopes and promises which, in the nature of things, never can be realised.

Mr J. S. Buckland will sell at the Waitoa yards on Tkursday next, the 7th inst.,6obead mixed store cattle, fat cattle and sheep, backs and harness horses, &c. Wisr Folly.—" For ten years my wife was con fined to her bed with such a complication of ailments that no doctor could tell what was the matter or cure her, and I used up a. small fortune in humbug stuff. Six months ago I saw an American flag: with American Cos Hop Bitters on it, and I thought I wonfo be a fool once more. I tried it, but my folly proved to be wisdom Two bottles cured her, she is now as well and strong as any man's wife, and it cost me only two dollars."— U, \V., Detroit, Mich. £cad.