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Waikato Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2290, 15 March 1887, Page 2

Typhoid fever still prevails in Victoria. The Banks in Waikato will be closed on Thursday next (S. Patrick's Day.) Mr James Harlter has been elected unopposed to fill the vacancy in the Hamilton Road Board. The subscription list of the Cambridge Band, now reaches the respectable sum of £20. ' The Imperial Government have given notice of their intention to introduce a bill dealing with the Irish land question. Muck needed repairs to the Raglan road are being carried out under the supertendence of Mr R. Loane. A fatal collision between the police and some rioters has occurred at Youghal, Ireland, and great excitement prevails in consequence. Owing to the insufficient support accorded the direct stsarners at Auckland, it is not improbable that that port will be cut out of the list of ports of call. At the V.A.T.O. meeting at Melbourne on Saturday the Caulfield Federal Stakes was won by The Boy, Bedouin second, and Escutcheon third. The anniversary of the Hamilton branch of the H.A.C.B. Society will be celebrated by a ball on the 17th inst. (S. Patrick's Day.) H.MS. Nelson left Wellington on Sunday for Sydney, where she will meet Rear-Admiral Fairfax, who relieves RearAdrniral Tryon of the command of the Australian squadron. Major Tuke, having left Kawhia with the remainder of the A. C. the charge of the district has devolved upon Inspector McGovern, who has taken up the quarters formerly occupied by Major Tuke. The compulsory clauses have further increased the attendance at the Cambridge school. Yesterday the number was 237. We learn Miss Morgan will from to-day be transferred from Tamahere school to Cambridge. Special Harvest Thanksgiving services wers held in the Trinity Presbyterian Church, Cambridge, on Sunday last, at which the attendance was large. There were not any decorations. Donors of special money prizes for the Waikato Horticultural Society's Show at Te Awamutu, on Thursday, are requested to forward the amounts to the Secretary of the show, Mr James Walton, bv to-morrow's mail, without fail. A child of Mr Palmer's, of Whatawhata. about four years old, was kicked on the head by a horse yesterday, and now lies in a very critical condition. Dr. Murch was summoned, and is now in attendance, but we have not heard how the patient is progressing. A great sell was experienced by the counsel and agents in the Native Land Court Cambridge, yesterday, when Judge O'Brien said they would not bo allowed to address the court. Reams of foolsaap have been needlessly wasted, and voice lozenges swallowed by the lb for nothing. Seme excellent yields of wheat are reported from the Tamahere district. Mr W. Muir Douglas, Brunt wood, has just threshed tho product of a large field, the result showing the yield to be a little over 41 bushels to the acre. The next quarterly communication of the Masonic Provincial Grand Lodge I.C. will be held at the Masonic Lodge, Hamilton, on Thursday evening next, at 8 p.m. Tho brethren of Lodge Beta are notilial by advertisement to be present, mid intinbor.-j of other lodges are cordially invited. The Auckland representatives in tiie late .'shooting contest at Christchurch were accorded an enthusiastic reception both at Onuhuuga and Auckland on their return on Saturday, Nearly half tho prize money given at the meeting was brought away by the Auckland i«cn, Gapjt. White, of the Gordon Rifles, winning the Ilifie Belt. The military sports at Onehunga on Saturday were very successful in every respect. The trotting match was won by a

Hamilton horso, Mr Harwood's Prince. In the hurdles, Whalebone was first, Larrikin second, and Sultan third. Whalebone also secured the steeplechase. The cup handicap was won by Sultan.

The annual race meeting at Kilnkihi takes place on S. Patrick's Day. It is somewhat unfortunate that the meeting should clash with the Horticultural Show at- To Awamutu, but nevertheless a good meeting may bo anticipated. The Kihikihi folk are noted for their sporting proclivities, and they arc almost certain to obtain a large share of public support.

Mr P. LeQuesne, of Hamilton, East, has kindly forwarded to this office a buttle of wine made by him a year ago. The wine, which was made from grapes, is sound and pleasant to the taste, though somewhat sweet, and shows what can be done in this direction in Hamiiton. It is Mi- LeQausnis's intention.to forward a fow bottles to the Horticultural show at To Awamutu, on Thursday, where we do not doubt it will bo highly commended by tho judges.

The want of a crane at the Cambridge railway station is very severely felt; almost every day heavy goods arrive which are only unloaded with difficulty. The other day Messrs Lewis and Simpson had a half-ton case consigned to them in a high-sided waggon, and on another occasion they received a 14cwt. roll of lead in a similar truck. It is needless to say that the unloading of these packages was attended with considerable trouble and expense.

An estimate of the harvest for the province of Canterbury has been completed by the Canterbury Times, and gives the following as the approximate yield for 1887:—Wheat, 4,200,000 bushels; oats, 4,500,000 bushels ; barley, 330,000 bushels. The Government returns for North Canterbury just collected are. as follows :—-Wheat, 122,239 acres, yield 2,806,70(> bushels ; oats, 01,340 acres, yield 2,333,072 bushels ; barley, 755S acres, yield 103,210 bushels ; potatoes, 0315 acres, 37,950 tons.

The Harvest Thanksgiving service at S. Stephen's Church, Tamahere, was held on Sunday afternoon. The_ Church was beautifully decorated with grain, fruit, flowers, evergreens and ferns, and presented a very pretty appearance. The service was choral, the choir being assisted by that of S Peter's, Hamilton. Prayers were said by the Rev. R. O'C. Biggs, Incumbent of S. Peter's, who also celebrated Holy Communion, and preached an appropriate serinon. In the House of Commons on Friday night Mr Henniker Heaton asked a question in reference to the statement published a short time ago to the effect that Russia was massing troops near to the border ot Afghanistan. Sir J. Fergusson, Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs, said that according to the latest official information, the operation in question hud ceased, and the troops were being distributed over Russian territory. The Court of Appeal has quashed the conviction of Thomas Hall, for the murder of Oapt. Cain. The judges held the evidence of the poisoning of Mrs Hall was inaduiissable. Thus by a legal technicality, one of the most accomplished artists in uiurdei, and one of the most atrocious blackguards that ever trod the earth, beside whom such men as Caffrey and Penn are infants, has escaped the just punishment of his misdeeds. As, however, he is under a life sentence for the attempted murder of his wife. Hall will not go unpunished. Hγ E. L. Smith, proprietor of the Royal Hotel, Hamilton East, has requested us to state that he was induced to sign the petition against the abattoirs by misrepresentations. He was led to believe that the council purposed lending £1000 to the syndicate. Had he known that the abattoirs were to be erected by the council and be the property of the borough, he would certainly not have signed the document. He is heartily in favour of the council's scheme. Mr D. D. Hyde desires us to make a similar statement on his behalf, and numerous others have publicly expressed like sentiments.

The Huntly races take place on S. Patrick's Day, on Mr R. R. Ralph's farm, near the township. There are six events on the card, including the Huntly Handicap of £20. Should the weather prove fine, of which there is every indication, a capital day's sport should be afforded to the lovers of the turf. Judging from the list of stewards, nothing should be wanting to make-the meeting a success. The handicapping, however, doe's not appoar to give .satisfaction, especially as regards Earnest, who has an impost of 7«t. 121bsfor the Handicap, judging from previous performances. As matters stand at present, Ravenshoe is in it for the Handicap.

Addressing a meeting at Birmingham on Saturday night last, Mr Chamberlain declared that the points of discord between the Unionist Liberals and the followers of Mr Gladstone were so few, and of such secondary importance, that he was not aware of an reason why an agreement between the two parties had not been effected. Everything lay with Mr Gladstone, and the longer the delay in bringing about a settlement, the wider the separation would prove. Mr Chamberlain expressed a hope that the Government would introduce a Bill for the final settlement of the Irish land question at the same time that the Irish Crimes Bill was brought forward.

The Otago Daily Times says that a novel action at law, in connection with racing, is said to be likely to come before the resident magistrate within a few days. It appears that after the Consolation Race was run on Saturday last, a gentleman handed to the stewards a note stating that he had taken 25 tickets on Mirella for that race, and that as she had not won he demanded his money back. He also forbade the stewards to pay over his money to the backers of the winning horse. The stewards took no action in the matter, but sines they have received a lawyer's letter threatening that if they do not refund the £23 in question proceedings for the recovery of the same will be taken. This notification was minuted simply as "received," and it will be interesting to note how the affair will eventuate.

A Oamaru exchange says that the tenants on MrM'Lean's Waifcaki Plain property have no reason to complain of the manner in which they have been treated by their landlord. Owing to the unfavourable weather at the beginning of the season it was almost impossible for the_ tenants in many instances to get the seed in in time, and the consequences were that some of the crops were not very Rood. Some of the tenants were, however, more fortunate in respect to the time they got their crops in, and reaped fair returns ; but the calculations of a number were upset by; the hurricane which blew when the grain was in a ripe state, rendering it in some cases inadvisable to go to the expense of cutting it. Mr M'Lean, however, met the difficulty by coming very generously to the assistance of his tenants. To those who cut their crops previous to the wind the rent agreed upon was charged ; those who cut after the wind were charged a half rental; and those who did not cut at all were charged nothing. The act was a very generous one, and that is why we mention it.

The Protectionist artisan (says a contemporary) thinks that a high tariff will raise his wages and make employment sure. Let us grant for a moment that Protection would greatly increase local production and lead to a demand for labour. Will it necessarily follow that the agitator will be employed? Certainly not. He may be more hopelessly out of it than ever. He has no provision for protecting his labour. Fie wants to be protected against laborers in other countries, but how can he prevent them from coining here? That is the hole in the pocket of the Protectionists working man through which all his hopes fall. In these days of rapid communication the working man might as well try to pile up a heap of water in the midst of the sea as try to raise wages above the level of other countries. If there is a market in which any article will fetch an exceptionally high price it will soon be glutted from all parts of the world. Labour is subject to the same laws. Find a good market, and it is speedily glutted. Protection would be worked by manufacturers .so aa to provide the labour if required. The moment high duties render it impossible for the English manufacturer to sell in New Zealand he determines to retain his trade by building a mill in the Colony. He knows lots of tried men who are out of work, and lie arranges with them to go to New Zealand as part of his new venture. Moreover, just as landowners have been the ruling , power in the past and pushed on immigration schemes to benefit land, so when Protection in the shape of manufacturers came to rule they would demand immigration—first, to provide, cheap labor; and .second, to provide consumers for their goods. Labour would therefore find itself unprotected, and still engaged in a struggle for bread, which grew daily more severe.

A sensational story is told of the finding of an anonymous letter addressed to the Czar, calling upon him to fulfil his father's promise of bestowing a constitution on Russia, and warning him of unpleasant consequences in case of his noglect. He seems to have taken the advice in good part, as if the missive had had a supernatural origin, instead of being a vulgar trick of his enemies. The appeal seems to have struck him as one that he ought not to pass over lightly. The use of his father's name was calculated to awaken his better feelings as well as to stir within him whatever superstitious elements there may be in his nature. The story proceeds to relate that he has determined to honour his father's memory by carrying out the promised reform ; and to begin by summoning a Parliament to assemble at Moscow. Tho story seemed at first incredible, but a little reflection will suffice to show that it ought to be true. The stop would release the ompire from its difficulties. It is one of tho functions of a Parliament to devote supplies and to advise ways and means. There need bo no fear that a Parliament at Moscow would be otherwise than patriotic, or that it would interpose any difficulty to tho prosecution of a panslavic policy. Even if the Parliament were elective, the franchise might be safely manipulated. There is evidently more to be gained than lost by making the experiment, and therefore the realisation of a constitution may be looked for.

The Spectator in a recent issue sa y S ; —The best comment which we have had this week on the Campbell suit was that contained by implication in Canon Liddon's fine sermon at St. Paul's Cathedral last Sunday, on Christ's words, " I am among you as he that serveth." Service, he said, strenuous service for others is the best of all correctives for ill-regulated desire, and then he proceeded :—"The young man of noble family, brought up, it may be, in a religious atmosphere, had all the vigour of his character sapped by a love of pleasure, and the very air of the castle won for his stock by some illustrious ancestor Was vitiated by the literature, arc, and companionship which reHoct the softness of the life in which he vegetates, his great desire being how to kill time. Balls, theatres, and club gossip feed his enfeebled nature with congenial nutriment, and he cares nothing for the comfort and honour (.if his country, still less for religion, the highest interest of all. Like the half-vegetable and half-animal creatures which stick to the rocks on the seashore, and open their flabby mouths fo see what irriy be floated into them bv the waves, he despises any exertion. Just the same was the case at the other end of the social scale, when men, instead of spending honest and happy lives in the bosom of their families, lounged in the streets or public liousos, and were not less Sybarites at heart, though there was more to be said in their excuse. When such types of men were common, the ruin of a great country could not long be postponed, and the only security lay in the_trne life of service of its better citizens." Nothing can be more true ; and it was of the first importance to point out, as Canon Liddon has done, that the idle pleasure seekers are confined to no class, though the mischief they can do increases with their dignity in the social scale. "Loafers" are of "all classes, and are dangerous in all ; it is the fidelity of service which really purifies ; but even service itself, without its highest spirit, is a tonic and a safeguard against moral rottenness. _____________