SATURDAY, JULY 24, 1886.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2191, 24 July 1886, Page 2

SATURDAY, JULY 24, 1886.

The highest use to which Imperial Federation can be put is in the maintenance of peace. A great deal of sentimental nonsense has been talked about federation, as if federation itself were an end and not a means. It would matter little to us, or to any other branch of the great English-speaking race, whether we were bound indissolubly to the Mother Country or not, so long as we were assured that there would be no more wars. So far as commerce is concerned, that might safely be left to take its natural course. But the fact is that wars and rumours of wars have by no means become things of the past, and one of the most pressing questions of the day is, How are we to make provision tor the protection of the Empire and the maintenance, of its unity, not as

a nation with flauu|ing flags and jingo tfbgs^sfct at'tfaityftneof freedom aim the arts of peace ) } t is a trite saying tbiat'the best way to. secure peace is to be prepared tpv war. England has greater Ekeed of her navy now than in the jskys of VNelsou, and yet her naval strength to-day is not nearly so great, relatively, as it was in the days of the Nilq and Trafalgar. Since the dawn of the present century therti hai . grown up around the Mother Country ' a dependant empire vastly larger than herself, both territorially and in point of population. The sons of Great Britain have founded $reate;r Britains in the two hemispheres, and have built up a commerce for themselves, compared with which that of England a hundred years ago was insignificant. Nor, in thus acquiring empire and wealth, have the children parted with their affection for the parent. They ar« bound to her by ties no less of selfinterest than of blood, and the same generous sentiments of toleration and fair-play pervade every isle and continent upon which the Union Jack woos the breezes. It is worth something to keep this glorious Empire intact, the more so because in , a business sense the doing so will give a payable result. We have but to reflect for a moment to realise the enormous injury which such powers as, say, France or Russia, could inflict upon the commerce of Great Britain and her dependencies in the event of war. The navy of England, strong as it is, and well found, is utterly in effective to defend the many highways that lead to and from her colonies. The first practical step, then, which ought to be taken in the direction of the federation of tfye Empire is to provide and maintain adequate means for the defence of its component parts, and the keeping open its lines of inter-communi-cation. This subject has already been taken up warmly at Home, and cannot too soon demand the close attention of colonial Statesmen. What its consideration may ultimately lead to, will depend upon circumstances, but it may be taken for granted that the necessity for having naval depots and training stations in the Pacific will be recog? nised. Whether the naval and military forces of the colonies are to be independent of Imperial control or not, it is quite clear that when an outbreak of hostilities takes place it will never do to depend on the protection of ships which may be many thousands of miles away.

The main result of the general elections in the Home Country is the return of the Conservatives to power, and the inauguration of a period of political rest. For the present the claim of Ireland for Home Rule, or for some extended measure of self-government, will be quietly put aside, but it cannot be ignored so long so the eighty odd Home Rulers continue to rejoice in the possession of strong lungs and eloquent tongues. It has been calculated that at the expense of a very small amount of exertion per individual, the Nationalist members of the House of Commons could monopolise the talk of that assembly. The prospect of a session surrendered to any one party is not pleasant, and we do not suppose Lord Salisbury regards the situation with equanimity.

The Falls of Clyde arrived at Auckland on Thursday, from London.

We have been asked to draw the attention of the Hamilton Road Board to one or two dangerous places on the Hamil-ton-Tuhikartimea Road.

The half-sovereign and four halfcrowns which were fonnd in the ruins of the late Mr C. A. Hazard's home at Rotorua, are fused together through being struck by lightning, the gold being transfused through the silver.

Should the promoters for the establishment of a butter factory at Frankton Junction succeed, it is understood that efforts will be made to secure the services of Mr Gemmell, late of Claudolands whose reputation on a butter maker stands so high in this district.

The Herald states that the OxfordLichfield section of the Thames Valley Railway, having now been run a month under the provisions of the contract, has now been formally taken over by the Government. The Resident Engineer has gone to Lichfield to see about the matter.

Lovers of thehunt will be pleased to learn that the Pakuranga hounds will arrive in Hamilton on Monday next. They will meet on the following morning at Gwynne's hotel, and hunt in Kirikinroa. On Thursday they will assemble at the old schoolhouse, Hautapu, at 11 a.m., and at Mr J. McNicol's, Cambridge, on Friday, at 1 p.m.

The extensive kahikatea bush between Hamilton and Whatawhata. belonging to Messrs. Fawkes and Foxhall will Boou be the scene of busy operations, as a saw mill company styled, the Waipa Timber Company have taken the business in hand. The machinery is already on the way from Auckland,. The site of the mill will be about four miles from Frankton station.

The Mayor of Auckland has received the following sums sent to him for the Rotorua Relief Fund:— From Mr J. Fisher, secretary of tha Pukekohe Mutual Improvement Society, £7 13s; from Mr John T. Griffin, Kaiwaka, £7 10s ; from Mr Chas. Davis, Maungaturoto, £4 2s 6d ; and from the Evening Star (various small sums

collected), £27 16s Gd. To the Editor.— Sir,— Yesterday at the meeting of the Waikato County Council, Or. John:son, of Ranglriri, accused me of dishonesty towards the council in paying a contractor more money than he had earned. At the same time he said that if I would express my regret for what had occurred, he would let the matter drop, verb sap.— T. G. Sakdes.

Mr Greville Smith met with a very painful accident on Thursday, which is likely to lay him up for some days. In company with Mr C. J. W. Barton he was driving in the neighbourhood of Cambridge, when in turning a sharp corner the buggy went near capMzincr, both occupants being thrown out. Mr Barton fortunately escaped without injury, but Mr Smith sustained a very severe shaking.

In the House of Representatives on Thursday leave of absence was granted to Mr Costar on account of illness. The Auckland Harbour Loan Bill, which was passed through committee without amend* ment was read a third time and passed. A long anni mated discussion on the I)og Registration Act Amendment Bill occupied the attention of the House during the remainder of the night, which eventuated in the billithw amendments being reported.

The Hamilton Domain Board will shortly call for tenders for a considerable supply of punri or totara posts, fencing wire, grass seeds, &c, in view of the proposed improvements. This will enable contracts to be called for labour only, and make it much easier for contractors in the place to undertake the work. There will also be a considerable reduction in cost,

through buying in large quantities and the saving in rail charges alone will be an ap» preciable item. fv

Mr Joseph Mayo, Drury, writing upon the {proposed amendment of , the Codlin Motjjfiifci^ays :~"I would like to o*ll the attention t>f those interested in thin Act, as wellro many farmers, to the quince hedges tftftt are growing in l many part* of this pro>|nce. I know ple&ty of places where the quince, at one penny per lb, is a considerable item of income to trie farmer, and I know that these are gathered off the hedges. Thus the fruit is a clear profit in a tense. How will our law-makers meet th» matter ? Jt would propose at per yard or-por mile, as it is an impossibility to" Hay where one tree leaves off and the other begins in a network of quince hedge."

A movement is on foot to establish a butter factory at Frankton, and with ' tbis object a meeting of those interested in the' matter is called for Thursday next, July 2flth, at Frankton. So far as the position is concerned, no more suitable Bite than the Frankton Junction could be seltfeteti,' available' as it is from all parts of the district by rail. # With the experiences of the'oheese factories in the district, it will oe well if the promoters realise at once Jibaktobe a success the operations of the factory must be earned out on a purely co-operative system— the shareholders must be the suppliers, and the suppliers must hold shares in proportion to the quantity j of milk sent to be treated.

! A few friends of Mr J. P. Pitz- ! Gerald met at the National Hotel on Thursj day evening, for the purpose of wishing him farewell on hia removal from Cambridge to tHe. branch of the Colonial Batik at New Plymouth, and of presenting him with a token of their esteem. Mr T. B. Lewis made the presentation of a purse of soVereirfh& accompanied' by some enloßiatio.rei^arks on Mr i itzgerald in his business 'capacity and as a fellow citizen, and Mr Fitzgerald appropriately responded. Thei follojWing gentlemen were present:— Messrs' T. 13. Lewis, C. Lewis, A. Clements, H. W. Westby, J. Thamson, W. Kincaid, Gerring/Gilletfc, Macara, W. K. Carter, A. G. Hughes, and R. W. Dyer. Mr Fitzgerald left yesterday for New Plymouth.

In the legislative Council . on Thursday, Dr. Mehzies presented a petition praying that the Contagious Diseases Act be expunged from the statute book. A debate ensued upon the introduction of stoats and weasels, which was adjourned till next day. A notice of motion was given that during the remainder of the session, the Council sit on Mondays. Hon. H. Chamberlain withdrew his motion relative to a protective tariff. A discussion took place relathe to the use of the Parliamentary Buildings on Saturday week next, for an entertainment in aid of the Rotorua Relief Fund was carried. The bill relative to the employment of females was virtually killed. A debate took place on the Civil Service Reform Bill which was adjourned, and the council rose.

Mr G. Yon der Heyde, m an article to the Zeitung of June last, says :— •* Seldom has a larger quantity of wattle bark been stripped than this year. The present value is £8 5s per ton. Considering how easy the culture of the wattle is, and how little labour it requires, it shows a most profitable result. Two hundred acres of the worst land in a certain district were worked by a party, who, leaving untouched all the trees not fully grown, gathered 40 tons of -bark. Reckoning all expenses incurred (at the highest) at £130, the nett profit was £200. Such profit from land that was neither fit for agriculture nor horticulture, is surely a very gratifying one, and farmers should therefore, more than ever before, devote themselves to the culture of this very useful tree." Wo commend the above to the consideration of our Waikato friends.

"A proposal has been recently mooted,' raws the Australian Times and Anglo-New" Zealander, "' to establish a special English settlement in the Raglan county of the province of Auckland, to be known as " The Victorian Temperance Settlement." It is thought that 30,000 acres could be purchased from the Government at £1 per acre, with the prospect of being able to obtain as much more, should an extension of area become desirable. The promoters aim at establishing a temperance settlement; indeed, they hope .that every settler will be a total abstainer. Practical farmers are the class it is specially desired to encourage, and it is pointed out that men of that class will bo eligible for special assistance. It is hoped # that at least 100 families can be despatched in October next to Auckland, to initiate the formation of the settlement." Probably the land could be purchased at a much less figure.

Captain Oolomb read a paper on the 31st May at the Royal United Service Institution on "Imperial Federation, Naval and Military,'' before the Prince of Wales anl a distinguished audience, the Duke of Cambridge presiding. He adduced statistics to show how much greater than that ofthe Mother Country had been the proportionate increase in the population and commerce of our Colonies and dependences since 1851, and what a far greater stake it has now than it had then in their security, should it be at war. The Empire's ability to secure its common commerce was a question of co-operation between its several parts, involving joint expenditure, with common naval and military reserves of force and of supplies. Some basis of joint action for this subject would probably, the lecturer believed, be settled, when the responsible Ministers of the United Kingdom and of the Colonies were brought together round one table to confer with the military and naval authorities at home as to what should be mutually done for the security of our common interests in war, a suggestion which was received with loud applause. The Duke of Cambridge thanked the lecturer, who, he said, had put the necessity of federation altogether in the case of war, while he himself would put it in the case of peace, believing as he did that, if the Mother Country and the Colonies were prepared to meet the emergency, it was probably the very last thing which we should have to meet.