THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 1886.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2145, 8 April 1886, Page 2

THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 1886.

The palaver at Whatiwhatihoe is now practically over, and a deputation of natives has been dispatched to Auckland to interview His Excellency. Like the bogus play " Vortigern," these meetings carry their own condemnation with them. How a people who have earned for themselves a reputation for shrewdness can so persistently delude one another and themselves with the wild,, fanciful projects which are constantly set afoot is not a little surprising. Nothing, of course, can ever endow Tawhiao with wisdom, or common sense, even. - There is an old proverb about a silk purse which exactly meets the so far as he is concerned. His visit to England, so far from opening his eyes to the actual condition of affairs as between the Mother Country and, her colony of New Zealand (if indeed it produced any, .effect at ail) led him by some torttfous mental process to suppose that the British! Government fire ready to give-the natives anything they' ask for. It lk quite true that the famous Embassy did awaken a vast amount of sympathy in the breaits of the philo-aboriginal class, and we do not doubt that these people talked a lot of bosh to the unfortunate "King" and listened with upturned eyes and raised hands to that potentate's twaddle about the Treaty of Waitangi, and the manner in which its provisions had been openly and persistently violated by colonists from, the beginning of the chapter. IHtt> the winnings of Exeter HaJl ateonly faintechoesnow-a-days of wh^tfthfcy once were. The world is getting smaller, communication between the widely scattered divisions of the Empire is cheaper and quicker than it used to be ; Englishmen travel a great deal more and are not so gullible, so prone to be humbugged as of old. Hundreds of friendly eyes, moreover, are on the watch, and it is not altogether an easy matter to slander us and to fix the slander. Mr Bryce, all honour to him, has taught the detractors of New Zealand colonists a lesson they are not likely soon to forget. The native question in all its bearings must bo settled in the colony and by the people of the colony. Tawhiao may go to England again and again, ii such be his royal will and pleasure, (the state of the exchequer permitting) but it is right he should be told, once and for all, that he has nothing to gain by the expeditions, outside of the pleasure it may give him to travel and any profit that might accrue from the sale of greenstone trinkets and huia feathers in the London market. If the Imperial Government have been holding out any hopes of favour, to the natives they ought to retract their promises frankly and at once, since anything of the . sort must imply a want of confidence in the Colonial authorities. We do not suppose for a moment that the Colonial Office ever dreamt of interfering on Tawhiao's behalf. The real fact of the case is that he has construed a few courteous words into an engagement to see that the natives get everything they want. The natives once more contemplate establishing a newspaper ,of their own, the reason given being that the Pakeha Press does not give jbhem ■ justice, and (though we have never heard of 1 this, and do not believe it) refuses to insert their letters. , Let us not discourage them. . If. they want a f newsp~aj,er of their own, let] them have it. by all means ; but if its conductors desire to render really good service, ' they will do ' their best, following the lead of certain pakeha journalists, to put the kibosh on these absurd koreros, which do no good, cause a large amount of wholesome food to be wasted, impoverish the natives, and generally bring down ridicule upon their heads.- i 1 pnaariMiaHaß-a-—^^^

The Piako County Council will meet at the Hamilton Borough Council chambers at 10.30 *.m. to-d»y.

We regret to learn that Mr Angus Campbell, of Hamilton, is to seriously indisposed as to be confined to his house.

we are asked to say that Archdeacon \yyiis. will not bi able to be at Taotnoroa on Sunday next, owing to the confirmation at Ohanpo. /

His Lordship the .Bishop of the diocese will hold a confirmation at Qambridge on Friday evening at 7.30 p.m., and at Ohaupo on Sunday afternoon at 3.30 p.m.

Capt. Runciman has forwarded us a small twig holding five very nice Winter Majetin apples. The remainder of the tree has proved equally fruitful. The apples may be seen at this office by those interested.

An interesting specimen of the lizard tribe, much larger than is usually seen, was captured on the Piako road on Tuesday, and left at our office. It will be forwarded to the Auckland Museum.

The election to fill the vacancy in the Hamilton Borough Council, caused by the 1 retirement of Cr. Frear, will take place on Monday, the 26th inst. Nominations must be in by noon of Monday, the 19th. It is probable that two or three candidate* will come forward.

Rain is badly wanted throughout the district, feed is getting very scarce, and stock are sensibly failing off in condition. No indications of a change come from Wellington, though appearances for •otne d»y« put have been .threatening, and slight showers have fallen at night. The country could stand a f«w day*' heavy rain without inconvenience.

The usual monthly meeting of S. Peter's branch of the Church Society was held at The Waikato 'Times Building*, Hamilton, on Tuesday night. About 25 members wer« present, the Warden, the Rev. R, O'C. Bi&gi, pr»»jdjng. After the ordinary busineia of tba meetipg sn interestmo paper on "The place of ritualism in public worship" was read and discussed.

A grand concert and dramatic performance i% announced to take place in the Public Hall, Cambridge,' on Monday next, in aid of the Good Templar }odge. The oommittee are lining everr efforf to ensure success, and have secured the auistajico of »H the best local talent, therefore we anticipate a very enjoyable entertain*" ment.

A meeting of the Hamilton Weslcyan Hand of Hope wiu held on Tuesday, and a \<ory pleawint evening was spent. Mr Bellow occupied tho cliair, and in excellent progrnmmo wan gou*«! through, consisting. <»f h.il.is, ducts readings, fee. Im-.s Co:* presided nt the liarmoniiini. Thciu We're four candidates for Mr ManndorV prizo forthebe^ recitAtion,-and tho work orxlecidinjj upou their rcapocti »-c niui its was ' 4pftt^4<J'>Tnmittoe. 'We take the following from Tuesday's Horald :— Yesterday Mr A. Campbell, who has been resident for several ypars in tho King Country and neighbourhood, came to town { bringing with him a sample oX quartz which ho has obtained from a reef at To Uritnniwha, ji hill on the Pukekura block, Maungatautari. Mr Campbell has been prospecting for gold some time, but only latterly has tried Maungatautari. The reef, he states, is seven feet thick, and the quartz look* • 4 likely." He will have it tested to see if it contains gold.

At a meeting of the Auckland Presbytery on Tuesday, a series of resolutions were, on the motion of Mr T. Peacock, M.R.R., adopted, strongly deprecating the proposals of France respecting the occupancy of the New Hebrides, expressing regret that the Agent-General of the colony should have given his countenance to these proposals, and urging the Government to employ their influence to prevent their being Acquiesced in by the Imperial authorities. The New Hebrides have been for many years the scene of important and floumhing Presbyterian missionary work, supported by the New Zealand and Canadian Churches.

A meeting of owners of land in the vicinity of Nf aroto Luke wan hold at Ohaupo on Tuesday, with the object of considering'the proposal to lower the Lake level, *nd no" reclaim mm« hundreds' of acres of swamp land. There were present : Messrs Cunningham, Martyn, May, Fry andTierney. Mr Armstrong, C.E., iudmitted alternative plans for lowering th* Lake, utilising the creek down to Havelock's Leap. The coit of cutting a ten foot drain was estimated at £440, and a ■even drain £300. After discussing the matter it was resolved to prepare a report showing the extent to which the respective land owners would be benefited, ao that the contributions to the work could be fairly assessed. Those present volunteered to give liberally towards the undertaking. It is estimated that fully JIGjOO acres of swamp * can be reclaimed by lowering the lake.

The following special messages to the Press Association, dated London, April 6th, ' have been published :— Earl Granville expects that Sir Arthur Gordon vrfll explain his attitude towards Mr John Bryce, which wiu mentioned during the late libel action,— Mr Daniel Tallerman, home, foreign, and colonial provision agent, is urging Sir Saul Samuel and Sir Murray Smith to promote an exhibition of frozen meat. — Pending the delivery of the Budget, the money market remains in a state unfavourable to the issue of new loans. — Lord Granville awaits Mr Griffiths' New Guinea despatches before taking any further action regarding that country.— The Adelaide wines for exhibition have arrived in excellent condition.— At the farewell banquet to Sir Murray Smith, Earl Granville was among the guests present.

The extremely versatile Siddall Family opened * short season at the Public Hall, Hamilton, last nigbt to » capital house. The entertainment is quite novel in its character, and judging by the loud applause which greeted each item of the programme it was thoroughly appreciated by the audience. The first part con* silted of vocal, instrumental and terpsiehorean selection*. Mist Jennie Milne, who is described as " Scotland's champion lady violinist " gave evidence of her talent in a way that fairly brought down the house, and Miss Lily Siddall, "Star burlesque vocalist and dancer " was equally successful in her line. This portion of the performance closed with a scene from "Rob Roy," in which Mr Siddall ■attained the r6l« of " Bailie Nicol Jarvie," the sisters Siddall talcing the other parts. The performance was most amusing 1 , and provoked burst? of laughter. The second part consisted of a couple of. Scotch duets (in character) by the siitert Siddall, some excessively funny imitations of the celebrated George Leybourne by Miss Lily, and the screaming farce " Quiet Lodgings," in which Mr Siddall was supported by the strength of the company. I The entertainment concluded with a dance. To-night there will be an entire change of programme, when Mr James Siddall will introduce bis performing goats.

Under the heading " Not the Way we do it,'' the San Francisco News Letter of the 27th February says : — Two prominent New South Welshmen, the one an ex-Premier, and the other a member of Parliament, applied, the other day, to our Chamber of Commerce for a hearing in regard to the im jorfcance of a telegraph cable from San Francisco, through the isles of the Pacific, to Australia and New Zealand. They were, of course, accorded a hearing, were cheerfully liitened to, and resolutions pawed in favor of their proposals, but there the matter will end. Our amiable visitor! do not understand us at all. Their way is not our way of putting a scheme through Congress. They should have gone to Washington, established a paid lobby, furnished tunds to go on with and guaranteed the fact that there waa more vet to come from the scheme, and then, perchance, aotnebody with influence might have been persuaded to take hold nt the matter,: unless, indeed, as would very possibly be the case, all the influential people had been engaged for this session. It is true that they might have urged that th« proposed cable line would prove of great service to the public. " All the more reason why the 'public can afford to' pay for it," would be the reply of the lobbyists. No ! public imi provements are not projected in this country for nothing. They are not put through Congress without great cost, and when they are, somebody makes great 'fortunes out of them. The Australian gentlemen may rest assured that their way is not, our way, Everybody here first asks " how much ther* is in it ".for them." - ■

As Mr ODea, architect, of Hamilton, in submitting the sketch plans of the propoied Public Buildings at Hamilton recommended concrete, the following may be interesting :*-* M 'Bom# useful information on the subject of concrete has been published in England by a Mr Middleton. A controversy fau been going on in this colony as to the relative advantage* of briok and concrete, and the fdllowing will ac read with interest by the supporters of concrete. The Saturday Review says: 'We know not what the admirer of Botnitn Arches and Roman brioks will say to the following broad statement, seriously affecting the reputation of what they, respect so much:— lt should be observed chafe in ancient Rome, brick, whether for walls or arches, was used merely as a thin facing, and was of little importance. In the true sens* of the word there is no such thing as a. brick will among all the ruins of Rome. The actual wall or vault is always made of concrete, and the bricks are luerejy used as a thin skin over the visiblo faces. . , , Even party r walls of small rooms, which are sometimes only seven inches thick, are not built solid, but have an inner cora of concrete, with a facing of a very small brick triangles. 1 This certainly contradicts to a certain extent accepted ideas, and perhaps some pertinacious antiquarian may discover somewhere a pure brick wall ana say that Mr Middleton is mistaken ; but it should be observed that he has made a special study of concrete, and hp certainly ,doea bring out, if the expression may op allowed, the virtues of this amazing building material, perhaps the best ever used by man. As has been seen, concrete after the lapse bt seventeen centuries, could only be destroyed by dynamite. It has, according to the author, such astounding tenacity, more resembling that of metal than of stone or cement, that it was found possible to ; form the oupola of the Pantheon — which had the same diameter m the dome of St. Peter's— of one solid njass of It, whioh. if not absolutely and mathematically free from, lateral thrust, is practically so ; and, having endured without injuring the walls beneath it for so long a period, will very probably duration, if only the dynamiter has not been called in. Roman concrete, then, seeing its wonderful endurance and the marvellous uses it can be put to, is not fiuch . a dull subject as might at first s>ght appear ( , and what Mr Middfaton has to say about it < is of Teal interest, arid will be novel to J many of his readers." 1

The announcement that the ! Australian Mutual Provident Society n about to open * l?r*nch office in England will no doubt foe isoaived with gr**t in- ' terestby its large number of me'nrbeis I throughout this colony. The history of this 1 eminently •uccessful society exhibits pro- I gress unexampled by that of any like in- ,; stjjbution in the world. That has bean ac- ] knowiedgcij in the mother country at wall as in the colonies, and $he society having now attained the largest annual incoine fif any British institution, it will eqter on it* 111 1

career in England with a prestige tuch as can hardly f.ul to attract a laige amount of new buiincßi. Such large bonuses <\* are given by the Australian Mutual Provident cannot be paid by any English or foreign society becsiue they cannot get an average rate of mnch nftorc that 3. per cent on their in vesteif ifurtdi, whercw the Australian Mutual-Provjdent Society average rate of interest on the.whole of their invested funds amounMfo 6i per cent, It f will also be gratifying to the members of the lociety to learn that the whole of the English prom in mi will be invented in the colonies. The society has-uow extended to New Zealand the district ofjjco system which lias been wdrked so successfully for many yoar» in the older colonies. 17nder thin «y*tem the colony is divided into largo districts. The manager (has his head-quarters in the principal city in the district, and from this centre every part of the country is worked by special canvassing agents. The advantages of haying experienced men to conduct the society's business are considerable, as members will be able to obtain reliable information on most subjects connected with their policies, without referring to the head office. Delay in the transaction of business wilt be thus avoided, and members will be placed in each centre in the same position as those who reside where the head offices of the society are situated. Members residing throughout this province have been advised. that the society has opened an office of its own in Auckland, under the charge of Mr D. J. McLeod, a gentleman who has had great experience in establishing the district system in New South Wales.* By this arrangement -all email agencies throughout this province are now closed, and all future payments are to be made to the district office in Auckland, but members will not be put to any inconvenience or trouble by this change, as premiums can be forwarded to the Auckland Branch by P. 0.0.,. 0., deducting the expense, cheques free of exchange, 'or banked at the nearest branch of the Bank of New Zoaland. \o be remitted i>y the bank to its hwd -office in Auckland.