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Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2229, 21 October 1886, Page 2

THURSDAY, OCT. 21,1886.

The "horny-handed" of the colonies are- carrying the war into Africa with a vengeance... They have been growKng persistently for years past at the continuance of the immigration policy, but for the most part their protests have been directed to the colonial Governments. Impatient of their non-success, they are going further afield. Having failed to dam up the torrent which, according to their method of reasoning, threatens to engulf them, they are now concerting measures for diverting the stream at its source. They are not, apparently, going to allow the Clayden cult to have it all their own way much longer. At the Trades Union Congress, which closed its sittings at Paris on the 29th of August last, ' Mr John Norton, representing the Trade Councils of Victoria and New South Wales, made a speech (in French, by the way), which we cannot refrain from giving in its entirety, as it is reported in The Times. Mr Norton ' commenced by declaring that Australia was but a penal colony ; some of the worst characters laid the foundation of the present landed aristocracy, who now proved more oppressive than the landlords of Ireland, and, like them, spent their money abroad. The landowners prevented cultivation and only pursued sheep-farming. Thus the country had to depend upon importations, and traders speculated on the want arising from the absence of agriculture. The workmen consequently were opposed to free trade, but with this one expectation were in harmony of thought with their most advanced brothers of England and of France and Belgium. The merchants and the landowners commanded the Legislature. The country was so vast, and population so small and scattered that organisation was most difficult. Still, his presence in Paris proved that they had succeeded to some extent even in this respect. He energetically protested against emigration. Men who earned k'2 a week in London starved in Australia. In Sydney he had seen thousands sleeping in the parks, as they could not afford to get rooms. Yielding to a threatening demonstration, the Government started relief works and gave some of these sufferers 15s a week and also .distributed some 800 blankets. i>ut the officers protested that they must limit this generosity, for the blankets were wanted for men in prison. Many honest men had been driven to commit slight offences to secure shelter by incarceration. In spite of this emigration was encouraged. Nor was this all. The law against the Chinese had not put an end to the importation of the 33 r ellow man. The Chines learnt any trade and worked for the smallest remuneration. The Trades Council had recently discovered and denounced a shipload of 200 Chinamen, all supplied with false nationalization papers. The Europeans had been driven out of several trades by the Chinese, and he feared, acts of violence would &oou be perpetrated. With resppct to the New Hebrides, the workmen he represented had no objection to the French occupying the islands, but they were strongly opposed to the creation of a penal colony at the doors of Australia. Things may not be quite so bad in Australia as Mr Norton says they are, and we sincerely hope they are not, but there is no denying that there is a very substantial substratum of truth in his allegations. Laying aside the agrarian i question, the labouring classes have some ground for complaint. There is not the shadow of a doubt that thousands upon thousands of men (and women too) of the wrong class have been induced to come to these colonies. We do not believe that men adapted to the requirements of the -colony, willing and able to work, sober and steady, have fared hardly — many, it is well known, have risen in a few brief years to positions of comfort, if not of independence — but a large proportion of those who have sent hither are of no use in the world : in the expressive language of poor Artemus Ward, their forte is to do nothing. It is, of course, from this class that the ranks of the unemployed and the disaffected are filled. We do not wish it to be inferred that the organisations represented by Mr Norton, or the kindred institutions in other colonies, have no justification in fact for the attitude they have taken up ; on the contrary they have every right to blame succossi\e Governments for maintaining a mistaken immigration policy. What we are now suffering from is a very natural reaction. We shall get over it, that is quite certain, but not before we have imbibed some very nauseous medicines.

Either the officials in the Premier's office are unable to construe the Hospitals Amendment Act, or the Act itself is a etill move curious

creation than we supposed. It is an old axiom that a coach and four can bo driven through any of th<? New Zealand statutes, and probably the Act in question is no exception to the general rule. From the following extract, taken from the Herald's report of Vonday's meeting of the- Auckland Hospital Board, it would seem that there is still a, glimmer of hope for Waikato i — ' Letter from Premier's Office, answeiing request from (4o\ernment to direct amount due to District Board by a number of local authoiitiea to be deducted according to section 2i) of the. Hospital Act. In case _of authorities which, by section 40 of the Act, ara now placed in the NVaikato district, the Premier stated he did not feel justified in deducting more than the proportionate sums due by them to date on wnich lastmentioned Aot came into" force 5 but it was open for the board to sue for the remainder of the amount. . » We have very little doubt that, provided the Act will hold water in a court of kw, the Auckland Board I can recover by civil process the amounts allege^ to be owing, by the various local bodies in Waikato. At the same time it is not a little strange that the Government should . hesitate to withhold sufficient of the subsidies to cover the whole amount of the indebtedness. To say the least, there is something very fishy about the whole affair, and the counties and boroughs in this dis--trict are fully warranted in adopting every means in their power to resist payment.

The cholera is reported" to be spreading in Hungary and Crotia. Mr James Gibbons' cooperage works at Onehunga were destroyed by tire on Tuesday morning. The loss is estimated at £1000. The Rev. J. Robertson, pastor of the Jieresford Congregational Church, Auckland, having accepted a call from a Sydney church, preached his farewell sermon on Sunday. On Monday night lie was entertained at a valedictory soiree. Hanlan, according to a Press Association cable message, lays claim to the sculling championship of the world on the strength of Beach's refusal to meet him in England, and offers to row anyone on tho Thames for £500 aside. . The Yen. Archdeacon Dudley, (S. Sepulchre's, Auckland), will take the services at S. Peter's, Hamilton, on Sunday, morning and evening, and the afternoon .service at Tamabere, in the absence of the Incumbent, who remains in Auckland until next week. Mr H. Logic, the respected postmaster at Hamilton, leaves to-day on a' well-earned month's holiday. The duties of his post have been very arduous of late, owing, as we know only too painfully, to the insufficient assistance supplied by the Department. During Mr Logic's absence his place will be filled by Mr Greatbatch, the relieving officer of the Department. Saturday return tickets to Auck land and Ellerslie Racecourse wUI be issued at any station to-morrow and Saturday, available for return up to and including the 25th, in order to givo those residing in country districts an opportunity of attending the Vakuranga Hunt Club Steeplechase, which takes place at Ellerslie on Saturday next. A dastardly outrage was committed at Hamilton late on Tuesday night or early yesterday morning upon a steer, the property of Mrs MacGarrigle. > Early in the morning the steer was discovered hamstrung. The loss of blood must have been great, as it could be traced for some considerable distance. It is to be sincetely hoped that the culprit will soon be brought to justice and receive that punishment he so richly deserves. The case Vincent and another vthe Imperial Insurance Company, which was to have been heaid at the Sup) erne" Court, has been amie.ihly settled. It will bj remenibeied that the house of the plaintiff, at Hamilton, was destroyed in May List year. The building was insured in the Imperial for JjliOO, but the company rented tlie claim on the ground that the hoiu»o wa& I unoccupied at the time of the occurrence, contraiy to the provisions of the policy. On Tuesday the company offered to settle the matter by paying £100, which was accepted by the other side. Mr Hay acted as counsel for Mrs Vincent. The Hamilton Cricket Club opened the season on Satuiday last. The attendance was good enough to enable a scratch match to be played. For the first day of the season, and the rough .state of the ground, the play was veiy fair. Messrs Forrest, S.ilmon and F. Murray batted well, and Me-.sV.s Andrew, Wright, S.ige and Kenp showed considerable proficiency in the fielding department, the two latter making excellent catches. There is a promising 1 >t of young players coming forward who need only proper coaching and encouragement to lai^e the level of cricket in the neighbourhood. At the Auckland Diocesan Synod on Monday a motion with several amendments, ha\ iwg for their object the limiting of the patron.ige of the Bishop in regard to the appointments of clergymen in the rural districts, occupied a considerable time. After a somewhat free discussion the amendments and the motion were lost. A i deputation from the New Zealand Alliance, headed by Sir W. Fox, waited on the ; Synod to solicit the countenance and aid of the Church. After the deputation had j withdrawn Archdeacon Willis gAve notice to move " That this Synod heartily sympathises with the aim and objects of the New Zealand Alliance and commends the Alii- j ance to the earnest support of the clergy i and laity of the diocese." „ .