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Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2418, 10 January 1888, Page 2

Mr Mitchelson has left Auckland for Wellington. Caterpillars and locusts are doing great damago to the crops in Victoria. A boat was capsized in Lyttleton harbour on Saturday, and a man named Peter Anderson was drowned. The Hon Mr Abigail. Minister for Lauds iu New South Wales, i-< about paying holiday visit to New Zealand, The Chinese Question will be iirougiit beiom tin; Federal Council _of Australasia at Hobart. but concerted action of the colonics will be necessary. Tlie new Wesleyan Church at Ngaruawahia will be open for divine worship on Sunday next, for which ceremony special services have been arranged. On Tuesday next the adherents of tho WoKliiyai) body at Ngaruawahia purpose holding a soiree in connection with the opening of their new Church, Chief Judge Macdonald, and Judge Mair, with their staff, proceeded to Cambridge yesterday, to open the Native Land Court to hear the claims for payment of survey costs. The pupils of the abolished normal School in Chrisehurch have burnt the Minister for J')location in effigy to the strains of the Dead March ill Saul " and the tolling of a bell. The usual monthly meetijig ef the Hamilton Road Board, which should have been held on Saturday last, lapsed for want of a quorum, ni>d stands adjourned until Saturday next. A full dress parade of tlie Hamilton Light Infantry takes place this evening, Several matters of importance will be brought before the company, and a full attendance is requested.

Mr Henry Percival, L C P., headmaster of tlie Church of England Grammar School atParnoll, is about to pay Hamilton a visit, and will be seen at Jlrs Gwynne's Hotel on Saturday and Monday next, the 1-tth and lUth instant. Mr Parnell, who has been very ill and is described as looking thin and careworn, has be:;n interviewed with reference to the "plan of campaign." He was guarded in his opinions, and criticised the action of the Government in Ireland as teeble, and by their bungling, teaching the Irish to successfully defy the law. Miss Georgia Smithson, the celebrated coined inline and female Maccaba, who was pi evented by sickness from making her Waikato tour as formerly announced, will give one of her charming entertainments at the Public Hall, Hamilton, tomorrow night, and should have a full house. The following is a statement of tlie receipts and expenses of the Promenade Concert in aid of tho Hamilton Band fund on December 23: —Cash received, £9 10s. Expenses : Printing, £2 2s ; hire of timber for stage, 10s ; candles, lights, &c., 5s lOd ; four torches, 10s ; four sticks for torches, 4s ; two quarts oil, 2s ; Refreshments, ss— £3 18s 2d, which lcavos £5 Us 2d profit. By yesterday's issue we were very pleased to note, that following out an old established custom amongst the printing fraternity (technically called a "Waysegoose,") the proprietors of The New Zealand Hkrai.d, on Saturday last, afforded their employees a day's outing, and amongst them was an old apprentice from this office, Mr K. Salmon. An inhabitant of Cambridge informs us that a few days past be saw a wasp. Our informant is not a new chum, but still he states that he can well recollect tho English wasp, and feels pretty certain it was one. We think he must have been mistaken. Should he, however, be correct, the owners of apiaries will have another and very powerful enemy to fight. Captain Cotton has given cotice to move in the House ot Commons early next session, that, considering tho importance of tho agricultural interests of thiß country, the House is of opinion thatan Agricultural Department of the State should be formed, to ba presided over by a Minister of not less position than that at present assigned to the President ot the Board of Trade. The whole of the employes in the Forestry Department have received notice that their services will be dispensed with at the end of the month. It is estimated that £10,000 per annum will be saved by abolishing this department. Steps are being taken to effect reductions throughout the service, from salaries of £200 and upwards. No officer is to receive more than £800 a year. v The approach to the front entrance to Dr. Kenny's residence on the Ohaupo road, has been very much improved by tho Works Committee of the Borough Council, by rounding off and levelling the road. In addition to this Dr. Kenny has had a handsome flight of concrete stops made to his front gate, which is the work of Mr Steadman, of this town, and has been done in a most workmanlike manner. - The secret of inducing a tram collector to stop his vehicle without carrying the traveller some hundred yards beyond his destination has been confided to an American contemporary by an ingeniouslyminded lady. " I beckon the conductor very confidentially, and say, ' Would you be kind enough to ask your man to stop his horses at such and such a spot,' and he is so delighted to have it appear that he controls the driver, that he will do it for me every time." Mr John McNicol held his first horse sale at Cambridge on Saturday, and scored a decided success. The sale was hold in Mr W. K. Carter's well-known bazaar, and it being the first occassion on which Mr McNicol has wielded the hammer on his own account, a free lunch was provided, with the usual stimulating accompaniment of various fluids. A large number of horses was offered, most of which were sold, the prices realised being exceptionally good. We heartily wish Mr McNicol every success in his new undertaking, and trust it will prove satisfactory to both himself and his customers. Quite a commotion was caused in Hamilton West about eight o'clock yesterday moruing, when Mr Tebbs' horse, with his" milk cart, came galloping down Vic-toria-street towards No. 1. After it reached tho railway crossing it increased its pace, but fortunately kept the middle of tlie road. Numbers of people tried to stop it, but the animal only rushed at them, so it was allowed to take its own course. After galloping about a mile in this way it was brought to a standstill near No. 1 bridge, without much damage being clone, and with the loss of not much of the milk. On Saturday last a meeting called by advertisement for tho purpose of getting up swimming matches in the Hamilton East b iths, was held at the Royal Hotel, on Saturday evening. In the absence of the Mayor Mr Graham was voted to tho chair ; the engineer forwarded an apology expressing his entire sympathy with the movement, but owing to his having to be away from Hamilton, regretted he could not be present. About 30 wero prosent and about £12 was promised. It was proposed and seconded that the engineer be requested to assist. A committee was then formed, and the meeting adjourned till Wednesday evening at 8 o'clock. agricultural correspondent ofrlie Indtipendanco Balge, reviewing the effoits made in England to combat the agricultural crisis, says " If agricultural depression prevails in England as extensively, and perhaps even more extensivoly, than elsewhere, it must be confessed that English agriculturists combat it valiantly. They display in this supreme struggle—for the question is to prevail or perish—an energy and a spirit of resource and initiative which fill me with admiration. And all their efforts, however expensive, are made at their own risk and peril, without any turning in despair to the more or less full pockets of the State." An immsnse drainage work undertaken by the Russian Government contemplates the recovery of the vast region known as the Pink Marshes, in the northwest of Russia, near the borders of Gallicia, and which hitherto has prevented communication, not only between the Russian districts on either side, but also between Russia and Anstro-Germany. Up to the present time about 4,000,000 acres have been reclaimed by means of the construction of several thousand miles of ditches and of canals so broad as to be navigable for barges of several hundred tons burden ; and the task of the present year comprises the drainage of 350,000 acres. The adaptability of the Auckland climate for the cultivation of the grape has often been extolled. With this also the prospects of successfully establishing in the northern genial latitude the important industry of wine-making has also occupied tho attention of many writers. It is a fact, however, that this industry is steadily gaining a footing in Auckland, and is likely to grow to important dimensions. For some years Mr Wendel, a native of Germany, has manufactured excellent wines from 'ocally-grown grapes, of which he is a large purchaser. His wines, which have so small a percentage of alcohol as to be non-intoxi-cants, are favourably known in the colony and are to bo procured all over the Auckland districts. We can highly recommend them for family use as a pure and healthy beverage and capital tonic. Professor Kirk, of the Forestry Department, has received information that pear trees in an orchard in the Waikato district are effected witn a disease, which will, in all probabiliy, destroy every one of them. The disease makes its appearance long before the fruit reaches maturity. Black fungus appears on each pear, and shrinks it up in a few days. The blight in question is very prevalent in tho Eastern States of America, where it is particularly destructive. Professor Kirk thinks the blight, which has never appeared in New Zealand before, may have been introduced from America. Some of the effected pears have been forwarded to Professor Kirk by tho owner of the orchard, and ho thinks lie will be able to suggest a remedy, A young Aucklander, who recently went to San Francisco to try his luck, writes as follows by the mail regarding railway matters in California " I am inclined to think Auckland people make out that business is really worso than it is, and then lose heart. If they had a few American railroad men amongst them, to sat the Waikato Railway in decent working order, it would make a wonderful difference to Auckland. I'be .Government should never have had the Railways, but let private companies ran them, take tho responsibility, and relieve the taxation. One company here In California lias just ordered eighty new engines, Freight is piled up everywhere on the railroads, and they are unable, to fcoep pace with the tracjo.

The people this winter visiting California is something enormous."—Herald. The assembled natives at Maungakawa, finding the time for which they have to wait the arrival ol their Thames brethren hang heavily upon their hands, copied the example of the Europeans, and inaugurated a race meeting, which took place on Sunday last. The programme was as follows: —Maiden, Cup, Hurdle, Steeplechase and Pony races. The riders could not sport Bilk jacket*, but in lien they had coloured silk handkerchiefs fastened round them that answered the purpose, and gave them a somewhat jockoyish appearance. A number of Cambridge residents attended the meeting, and were much interested in the proceedings. The riding was on the whole very good. There was, however, one man who performed some astonishing feats, as at times he was yards from the pig skin, but somehow always managed to regain his seat, and was usually well up at the finish. This evening there is to be a grand haka. which will doubtless be attended by a number of Europeans, as, we understand, it is to be on a very largo scale.