TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 1886.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2144, 6 April 1886, Page 2

TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 1886.

In another part of this issue we give a description of the proposed public buildings for Hamilton. The sketch plans of a very serviceable block of offices have been prepared by Mr ODea, architect, of Hamilton, and placed in the hands of His .Worship the Mayor, who left for Wellington yesterday on borough business. It is Mr Graham's intention to lay the plans before the Government for their approval, and we make no doubt that they will, either in their integrity or in a modified form, be adopted. The council have instructed the Mayor to name a couple of allotments lying between Mr Hill's boardinghouse and the bridge as a site for the buildings, but we presume that this is not of necessity the final selection. If it can be shown that a better and more convenient site exists, no doubt the v council will «dopt it. Meantime, it is just as well to be prepared with something definite to lay before the authorities at Wellington. Another point which will have to be considered is the material of which the buildings are to be constructed. A general desire has been expressed in favour of either brick or concrete as against wood. It is pointed out that while the two former would confine the bulk of the expenditure to the town, the timber would have (q be imported. Excellent bricks

can be made in Hamilton, while the sand and gravel required for concrete lie close at hand. At the request of the Mayor, Mr ODea went carefully into the matter, and propared detailed estimates of the cost of wooden, brick, and concrete buildings, respectively. He found that brick would cost about seventy per cent, and concrete about thirty per cent more than wood. This seems to point to concrete as the most desirable material for the purpose. A concrete building would be warmer and dryer in winter .and cooler, in summer than either wood or brick, while a very large proportion of the cost would be expended locally upon unskilled labour One or two specialists are all that would be required. On the Continent, in Eugland, and in the Colonies, concrete as a building material is rapidly growing in favour, and its many good qualities .should commend it to the favourable notice of the borough authorities and the Government,

We are glad to find that our Auckland morning contemporary has at length recognised the true character of the Hospital and Charitable Institutions Act of last session. The Herald now acknowledges that this measure is a machine designed to deprive the country districts of tHe ineW* of s constructing necessary Jocal .works. . has roused our contemporary is the fact that the demand made upon the Mauku Road Board will swamp 1 the whole of tHe rates levied by that body this year. At this the Herald expresses much surprise, but as a matter of fact th 6 true state of affairs has been no secret for months past. The I case of the local bodies in Waikatp , is analogous to that of the Mauku board. In many instances the amount of the contributions levied by the dual authorities in Auckland will absorb the whole of ? the subsidies and something more — which is equal to saying that they will take the. whole of the rates collected. The subsidy system ;is clearly a snare and a delusion as far as the country districts iv the North are concerned. The money is given with the right hand and taken away with the left. Such a system is not only unjust — it is dishonest, and the sooner it is abolished the better it will be for the reputation of a Government which claims to be Liberal, unless the term is to be interpreted on the Robin Hood principle, with the difference that the poor and not the rich are robbed. Having put their hands to the plough we fervently hope the governing bodies of Waikato will not look back. Nothing but the repeal of this odious blackmailing Act, or total separation from the Auckland district, should satisfy them. •

The Rev. H. R. Dewsbury returned yesterday from his trip to Rotorua, greatly delighted with the wonders of that region.

We understand that Mr 0. J. W. Barton is likely to corns forward as * candidate for the vacancy in the Hamilton Borough Council, vice Mr Frear.

The Railway Department are •bout to erect six additional cottages at Frankton and six at To Aroha, for the accommodation of the permanent waymen.

Mr Hornibrook, together with. Mr G. Brutukill, is actively engaged on, the Taotaoroa reefa, and has worked some way into (he face. Fine quartz has been met with, but as yet no show of gold.

The evangelistic services, in the Cambridge Public Hall on Sunday were very fully attended, and Mr Hunter, who, gave a very earnest address, was listened to with close attention.

We regret to itate that Archdeacon Willis is greaty indisposed, and i* tinable to attend to Kit duties. He will be obliged tw aeek » change of »ir »qd rest to recuperate.

The dtjairman of the Cambridge Town Board has been requested by «everal resident* to- call a public meeting for the purpose of hearing Mr Vaile on the question of Railway Reform.

His Worship the Mayor vas a passenger to Auckland by yesterday's tr*i(i, en route for Wellington, whither he goes to interview the Government upon matters .-fcffectinif the <bor.qugh. / 5

At a meeting of the Hamilton Cemetriea Trusted hat fright, the contractor for grading pathway*, drains, &c , wan granted an extension of time on account of the dry weather.

At a meeting of the Hamilton Domain Board lout night, the following; tenders were received for cleaning domain drain:— Hall And Goodwin, £12; John Devitt, £5 ; Jas. Ooombes, £4 5a 6d (accepted); Tristram, £6 6*; R. Waite, £6 10a ; G. Brown, £5.

A public meeting of the ratepayer* of thu Kftjkiriroa Kdad District; yras held yesterday tp consider the stoppage of road between Lots 246 and 247. 4- resolu-, tion confirming the action taken by the board' in stopping tho road in question was passed, and the meeting terminated.

A printer's error occurred in a local published in our last issue relative to payment of rates to road Boards. For 110 ratepayers it should have. read "no ratepayer" shall be entitled to vote at an election of road board members " unless he shall have previously paid nil rates < then due by him in respect of his qualification."

Messrs W. J. Hunter and Cowish us to draw attention to the fact that there will be no special train on the mornof the sale at Lichfield, as previously advertised. A special will leave Auckland on Friday, 9th, at 9 a.m., reaching Frankton Junction at 1.40 p.m., returning tho following day after sale.

The Rev. Wm. Calder, Incumbent of All Saints', Ponsonby, preached at S. Andrew's, Cambridge, on Sunday morning. Prayers were said by the Yen. Archdeacon Willie. In the evening Mr Caldor preached to a large congregation at S. Peter's, Hamilton. Evening prayer was said by the Incumbent, and the lessons were read by the Rev. H. S. Davies. The offertories were in aid of the Home Mission Fund.

The Scotch fishermen, who were on board tho Hinemoa, returned to Raglan from Kawhia. They mado a careful inspection of the harbour, and returned to Auckland by yesterday's train, having been driven over the mountain by Mr Sutton. It is to be hoped their visit will result in something, as a profitable fish trade might be established between Raglan and Waikato.

A special meeting of the Tamahere Road Board was held on Saturday, for the purpose of receiving tendon for road worka at Tauwhare. The following tenders were opened :— Ja«. Coombes, earthwork, 7id per yard, bridtfe, £3 12s ; T. Casnidy, Ojd, and £3 10a ; Shaw and Riselr, 6d and £4 (accepted) ; J. RutseM, Bsd and £3 15s ; Clementi and Diprme, 7d and £4.

The memorial to the Minister of Public Worka u lying »n the table at the Cambridge Town Board Office, and is being largely signed. It goes fully into the question of the local bearing of the railway timetable, and should meet with more favourable consideration than haa hitherto been given to the resident* of that dutrlot. It iff proposed to hold a public meeting at Cambridge on Tuesday next to hear Mr Vaile lecture on railway management.

At last night's meeting of the Hamilton Borough Council the question of I hospitals and charitable aid w« goj)o into. '

A minute from tho Mnynr wan read, rocommending (I) that the Council resolve that the time has arrived fur Waikato to establish a hospital of its own, and underUke thu administration of its own charitable nid ; (2) that (he. Council act in concert with tho other local bodies ; ami (3) that. the borough delegates recommend to the conference on tho 23rd inst. that a deputation wait on the Auckland lWrd for the purpose of arranging amicihlo terms for tho xeparntion of tho district from Auckland. The rocontinendntions were con firmed. Cr.«. Sandes and Scott were appointed delegatcH to attend the conferonce with the Mayor. A fuller report of the proceedings i» crowded out, but will appear in next iaiue.

The following special messages to the Pro-is Association, dated London, April 2nd and 3rd, have been published :—: — Sir Alexander Stuart has \ isited the Indian and Colonial Exhibition, and it much pleated with the proprest made, and intends to work cordially with Sir Saul Samuel and Sir Daniel Cooper, acting commissioner* for New South Wales.— The Standard does not support Lord Harris in his letter respecting the division of any surplus money derived from the vinit of the Australian cricket t«am.— South Australian four per cents, have declined one per cont., owing to the rumoured loan about to be placed on the market.— The colonial maiU which were on board the steamer Britannic when she broke down, have been forwarded via 'Frisco.— The death is announced today of Mr Gilbert Smith, of Sydney.

Tho adjourned monthly meeting of the Kirflciriroa Road Board wm held ?esterday afternoon. Pre-ont : Messrs rimrose (chairman), T. S. Rnncimnn, H. Steele, W. H. M. Lorell. and Thomas. It wm resolved that the balance of wa unexpended grant to make • ff>ad past genderson's be expended to make the road passable. An application was received from settlers on the Mangawara river to ojien a road for their convenience. It wai resolved to inform the applicants that the work j<w about to be put in hand. The flawing tender* were 1 received for constructing outfall drains near Ngaruawahia :— D. Dillon, 14s per chain; Zenas Owen, 12s 6d ; Goo. Brown, 11s (accepted). The following accounts were passed' for payment:— E. Johnson, £5 14s; J. Davw, £8 10s ; The Wnikato Tiroes, £1 17« 6d ; S. Staples, 16s sd; N. Rumney, £1 Is 8d; Z. Owen, £8; engineer, £1 2« 6d. •The Engineer was authorised to see that 'when settlers are given permission to clear muds, no damage is done to the same. The Chairman said the present was the last meeting of tho board, as the- whole of the members went out of office this year. The annual' melting would be held in May next. He felt bound to say that the past year had been a pleasant one as far as board matters wer* concerned. He bad to thank the members for the courtesy he had always received from them,, and trusted, his successor's term would bo as pleasant as bis had been. On the motion of Mr Steele <a vote of thanks was accorded to the chairman for his, valuable services in the past, and Mr Primrose, in responding to tho compliment, tomarked that the board in going out of offico had the satisfaction of knowing that they left the roads in good condition. The board then rose.