The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2164, 22 May 1886, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Equfc] and exact justice to all men, Ot whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political. Here shall the Press the People's right maintain, Unawed by influence and unbribed by gain.

SATURDAY, 31 AY 22, 1886.

A iutheu lively debate occurred in the Home on Thursday night, over the East and West Coast, or as it is now called . the 1 Midland Railway scheme. Mr Richardson, the member for Mataura, moved for the preparation of plans showing the land proposed to be Riven to the promoters of the line, such plans to be accompanied by a description of the character and area of such land. This raised the whole queation, and member after member rose and aired his particular opinion on the project. The Treasurer said the motion was premature and hoped it would be withdrawn, but Sir George Grey got up and moved an amendment to the effect that the whole question of granting Urge blocks of land as concessions to companies for the construction of railways be referred to a select committee. He characterised the proposal under review as an attempt to rob the people of the colony of the heritage of their children. Sir George is a most unfortunate man. A ' proposal of any kind seems only to require his imprimatur and it is incontinently consigned to oblivion. If the honourable gentleman is honestly desirous of getting what he calls liberal measures passed, the safest way to secure his end would be for him to offer them the most strenuous opposition. During the debate the moat widely divergent opinions were expressed. On the one hand it was pointed out that as the Government would be compelled finally to buy the railway the 4 *land grabbing" company would retire from the ciincern with a nice little estate of tJvo aud a half million acres ; while on the other a fear was expressed that the English company! were going to be swindled. The House, of .course, decided to stick to the position it had taken up, aud rejected Sir George Grey's amendment by forty seven toj nine, and the motion by thirty four to tive'rity four. I

> '• t ' ; ■• '. I . if ' We have to acknowledge the receipt of a cppyjqfr the n^ew, edition T of. .the. "pa xiotic • son)? and chorus " the Old Land an I the JJejv. It? h&s;l?QQn printed at thej Star office, Auckland, and its style and general get-up would do credit to any London house. The ' music is by an Auckland young gentleman, whose surname is disguised under the not very euphonious anagram, " Dasma. " The air is flowing and pretty, and has received much comnjendation from competent criticH. The words ,are by Mr W. R. Wills, of Otahuhn. | This gentleman has published a volume of socalled poems under the title of "A bunch of wild pansies," and on the strength of this be poses as a " poet." It may seem impertinent to say anything in dispraise of ah author in whom some of our contemporaries profess to have discovered transcendent geniuii, but a line must be drawn Aome-< where. Dime into plain English, the song reads thus: — Mr Wills opens with the •omewhat trite observation that we dearly love the land that gave us birth. > Her skies, he remarks, may not be as fair a£ New Zealand (not the skies, but the colony itself) which smiles and laughs in sunbpams, adding, lest he should have said too: much in the colony's favour, that the sunbeams are "rare," which is a libel in the'other direction. _ Here the chorus comes Jin for the first time, and in this the author says in effect, "Though our hearts are true to this new land, wo 11 not forget the old land, though we love the new," which is very confusing. Then he goes into contrast the rival claims of the two countries; and claims for New Zealand that its mountains, hills and plains glow with fern and rose. This is very pretty and possibly very artistic, but it is unfortunately not; true. Roses do not as yet flourish on the mountains and hills, and the fern, so far as our observation goes, is not in the habit of "glowing." ;Tho same objection m»y be taken to the statements by the author that he now roams in the new land's flowery vales, that the inhabitants of this colony are in the habit of working, laughing and singing beneath the pine tree's shade, or that we roam through deep ravines "as free as any king." In short; the author has not the faintest idea of poetry at all. We are told that " the publishers have received letters of warm approval from all parts of the world, from the Governor, from Bishop Cowie, Mr Gladstone and Lord Derby, and hosts of others." Under the circumstances, therefore, we ought to hide our diminished heads} and we would too, if only we were certain that these great personages ever did more than glance at the title of the song and admire the printer's handiwork, which indeed is, as we have said, worthy of all praise. ,

The, hearty response to Mr Firth's proposals for land settlement gives occasion for general . congratulation. From a political point of vijw they cannot be too highly estimated. We welcome the project as the Cist practical attempt to solve the great social problem involved in the relations of land, labour and capital. It may be said the unprofitableness of the occupation of land lias, under existing circumstances, forced the consideration of the claims of cooperation upon landed proprietors, and it is therefore idle to discuss it now. A. movement has been set on foot the end of which we cannot foresee, but we are sure an immense amount of good will be the 'outcome of it. No system of land settlement has yet bqen gntjorwftrd affording Huih an

assurance ot succea*. Looking at it from a HoleLttu-'s ixiint, labour its the share that he hah to supply, and if rightly applied he has a curtain prospect of a competency before him. If, therefore, the principles of noiipui itinn can be applied in adjusting th« claii.iH <>f labour and capital in connection with land there in no reason why an enlightened grasp of the position may not be taken in other branched of the world's great industries, and if the relative claims of labour and capital are fairly acknowledged, the day* of socialism and strikes •will soon be at an end. f j

THfc second reading of the Municipal Corporations Bill was moved by the Premier on Thursday evening, and agreed to. Mr Stout explained that it was a conbolidatmg measuie, with few new provisions. The bill, our leaders will remember, was intro-' duced the previous session, but was not passed. Bdlow we indicate the chief new features of the bill as it left the Council last year ;— Clause 4 of tho Public Health Act, 1876, i« incorporated with this Bill for the sake of bringing it into prominence, as the powers given under that Act to Borough Councils u.ight with advantage be exercised more often. Clause 18 js new, and is to provide for the renovation of records in case of total loss or destruction. Clause, 25 provides that no district can be constituted a borough unless it has an exclusive annual income from geueral rates alone, of not less than £250. Clause 26 is prepared in behoof of small boroughs and to encourage town districts toA>ecome boroughs. It admits of boroughs being divi4ed into two wardsi and limits to three in all cases where the population does not exceed six thousand. It also directs that.no ward, be. erected with ifewer , than fifty: ratepayer/. /Clause 81 'make's the Mayor ex officib a J.r., disposing of the necessity of appointment in each case by the' Governor. Clause. 80, in behoof of small boroughs, reduces tbe minimum of the conncil to six members'. Clauses 89 and 90 have been altered ;to give effect to the provision < off' the I'Aw1 ' Aw of last year relative, to contracts by councillors, the penalty riot to apply to contractors by reasons of the alteration in the order of the .subsections of Clause 89. In Clause 102 words are added £» give' the powers of the Mayor or to any councillor temporarily 'acting as such. Clause 104 is new, and provides for the distribution of one third of the net income of tho borough amongst the wards, in the proportion of the rates received from 1 them,, and to be expended on works therein. Clause 141 is amended to enable Govhrninent rates to be levied nut exceeding fifteen pence in the £ instead, of one shilling only as heretofore. Clause 180 as, to the majority of votes required for sanctibnfng a special loan. The original enactment in 187(5 required a majority of one fifth of the' votes polled. In this bill three-fifths iV the majority required for sanctioning a loan. Clauses 189 and 190 are new and authorise the raising of special loans for works within any particular portion; of the borough on the assent of the ratepayers^ and provides for the obtaining of such assent. Clause 192 is extended to enable, boroughs to make joint loans with any adjoining local authorities. In clause 200, the additional words are to prevent an overdraft in excess of one year's income. Clause 208 is enlarged and imposes a penalty of £200 upon every Councillor who is a party to tha illegal borrowing of money by the Council over and above this liability for the repayment of such money. Clause 300 is new, it provides for the enrolment of volunteers as lire police, and the swearing them in as constables. Clause 406 is uew and authorises the expenditure of borough funds for the erection of public school buildings. Similar power having been given to county councils. Clause 514, as to making by-lawn, is taken from the Counties Act, as being more workable. Clause 418, as to by-laws taking effect outside the borough. Words have been added to enable by-laws to be made in reject of public cemeteries no situated. Clause 420 : In the by-laws affecting public health some of the matter was originally comprises in the by-laws relating to streets and they have here been placed under a separate heading. Two nww subsections have been added, the first to prevent back section's of land being crowded with illventilated shanties and cabins, and the second is to prevent the over-crowding of people in houses without proper space allotted to each resident therein, tn the danger of fever or other infestions diseases arising therefrom.

The Government contemplate reducing the export dut^upon gold. Commander Edwin wired at 1.22 p.m. yesterday ".^lndication frost or very cold to-night. The San Francisco mail steamer, Mararoa, left Sydney for Auckland on Thursday last. The Tamahere people are intending to give an entertainment about the middle of June, on behalf of the school funds. , On the motion of Mr L&rnach. the House on Thursday appointed a committee to confer upon the rabbit nuiaance , question. ■ The Hamilton Post and Telegraph Offices will be closed on Monday nfext, 24th instant (Queen's Birthday). All 'mail*! usually despatched on Monday, will be closed this evening at 8 p^m. „ . Members of the Hamilton Football Club are reminded of the scratch match on Sydney Square this at . three o'clock, A full attendance is requested* in' view of the approaching match with j Cambridge. J The Cambridge Library boraraittee have decided to add one hundred new volumes to their shelves, and Mr J. S. Bond has been entrusted with the or ier to procure them according to the list supplied to him. t ' . _i Mr W. J. Hurst is determined to keep his eye on the public expenditure. He wants to know the amounts spent on . Ministerial residences and in travelling illowatices, and has moved for the necessary returns. 3 ' j Commercial advices from London under date, May 19th, , Btate, tha^ the market rate of discount(h,as bfen.' reduced to 13. Consols have'adv&ncetl^l per! cent, at 101 i.. The cargo of frozen meat per Ontcn from Melbourne, Was 'iajnded in good condition. ' With' the viaw of defeating the. shipping ring it it suggested to inaugurate a lino of •teamen from Liverpool and Glasgow to Australia, and, thai a company should be formed with a capital of three' hundred thousand for the purple of giving effdet to this suggestion.' This is ■ good news for those interested in the foreign meat export trade. , At the annual meeting of the Canterbury Jockey Club on Thursday a resolution was passed, expressing condolence with the relatives of the late MrlH. P. Lance. The treasurer's report showed that £1082 had been expended in permanent improvements of the racecourse, £85pO in added money, and £2002 in sweepstake*. The following bills were among those introduced in the House on Thursday :— The Land Associations (Mr Jvess), the Eight Hours (Mr Bradshaw), Employment of Females and Others (Mr Bradshaw), Native Equitable Owners (Mr Ballance), and a bill to " authorise the purchase or other acquisition of private lands for the purposes of settlement (Sir G;eorge Grey.) ' The cat-fish in the Hamilton Lake are rapidly increasing. On several recent occasions largo numbers of young fish, from two to three inches long,, have been seen in the water. Wo would sijigeett that measures be takon to preserve the fish, or the youthful members of the community may be taking liberties with them. . " Householder" writes reiterating his statement that the proceeds of the.Cainbridgs West School Concert should not have been devoted to buying the secretary a present, but no useful purpose will be served bv allowing the controversy to continue. Each side has stated its case and the matter had better be allowed' to drop. The steamer Wanaka had a rough passage from Nelson to Wellington on Thursday. Off Terawhiti she was pooped by a heavy soa, which carried away the awning and fittings aft. The captain reports the bea to be breaking right over Jackson's Head Beacon with terrific force, and should it continue to do so it is feared that the beacon will sustain considerable damage. i A brother of Mr Robert, butcher of Cambridge, rode from Hukanui to Auckland last Monday in thirteen hours. He started at half-past three in the morning and reached town shortly after four o'clock, including stoppages on the road. The aninml he rode wat a small oob, grassled, and accomplwbed the feat of DC, miles Tory much to iJjs^CEediJ, , ; t

At Thursday's meeting of the Auckland Crown Lands Board, a report was leceivod from the Assistant SurveyoiUeueral regarding tha re-clas«,ificntion of certain lands at Cambridge West, and ho forwarded a map showing the unsold land«, amounting to 250 acre*. Ho suggested that these lands, which were at present classified as town lands, should be re-classi-fied aa tubtirban land*. Vf^be chainnau explained that town lot* could not be sold tit lens than £30 an acre, but suburban lands could be *old for £3. It wa? agreed to apply "for the authority of the Governor to have the land re-classified. At a meeting of the Hamilton East School Committee on Wednesday night, a letter was read from the board, asking for more definite proposals as to the working of the High School. The chairman was requested to write, staMng that the committee could guarantee twelve pupils after the SOth June, while throe additional pupils would probably be forthcoming afterwards ; that the headmaster of the primary school was willing to accept the mastership of the High School. This would make the school self-supporting, and enable the board to appoint an assistant master at £150 a-year. A party of about forty men has been made up at Christchurch to go to the Kunberley goldfield. The Auckland Herald ia informed by a gentleman who has just come from Western Australia that the gold-workings are 300 miles from Derby, where it is proposed to land, over a very rough country, which is but scantily supplied with water. No person ought to go who is not able to get six months' provisions, which would cost from £130 to £150. The climate is not by any means good, and seems to take great effect upon men coming from New Zealand. Reports from Perth, Western Auitralia, jtato that fully a thousand diggers are now en route to the goldfields. The Hawera Star . says :— lt is known to many persons that rabbits have been pretty numerous for some years past' iq the. neighbourhood of Sentry Hill, and it has been a matter of surprise that they have not made their presence felt more, seriously than has hitherto been the case. One pair of rabbits having six young at a litter, will,' Assuming four of them to be females, have multiplied in 21 litters to six and a-half millions. Seven litters' a year is a moderate estimate, and the rate ot increase above mentioned is much less than is quoted by Australian authorities. On remarking recently with some surprise upen the evidently slow progress made by rabbits on the coast we were told that there is something in th's soil and climate very hostile to their incroase. Mr Hately, we believe, is of opinion that there I is a species of fluke in the liver that carries them off almost as rapidly as they breed, and if this is so it is a subject for much congratulation.