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Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2464, 26 April 1888, Page 2

We have been given to understand that a new firm of bakers will shortly be established in Hamilton, whose intention it is to sell bread at 2jd per 21b. loaf for cash. The firm will be a strong one, and in a position, both as regards the supply of flour and command of customers, to maintain their position, which is one more consistent with the ruling prices of wheat and Hour, and certainly more acceptable to the feeling of the general community. We are more than pleased to think that so commendable and beneficial a change is about to take place in tho price of the stall of life, because it was this journal that first set goinf.' the I ite controversy on the subject by a determined onslaught on the miile.rs for the inadequate prices olfer.d to the farineia for their wheat. Ridicule was levelled nt us in the first instance, but the agitation spread to the Herald, and then to tho Star, creating a critical investigation on the relative prices of wheat, flour and broad, and tho profits gained by millers and bakers. It is not in the spirit of egotism we claim special credit, but, humble as our exertions are, wo devote them towards the common good, and "cast our bread upon the waters." In the present case we believe much good lias been done, and if the bakers, by fair and honourable trade, Belling for cash instead of inflicting their lossea through bad customers on their good customers, can break down the evil system of indiscriminate credit, a far greater blessing will be the result.

Several letters, which are crowded out, will appear in next is>ue. The local option poll takes place at Hamilton to-day, at tho Council Chainbers. The Emperor of Austria met the Queen at Innsbraclc, and the Austrian press pay Her Majesty groat respect. The proposed new procedure rules are said to have met with general approval from the members of the Assembly. The Pope is said to intend to prohibit Catholics from taking any part in the "Plan of Campaign " in Ireland. A Maori, named Te Rata Te Aha, was the successful tenderer for the office nf dog registrar to the Raglan County Council. According to military authorities in Russia, war will be declared against Austria in May. The unprecedented seventy of the winter has delayed hostilities, it is stated. A Southern factory has sold a quantity of cheese for OM per lb f.o.b. for shipment to London. A Brisbane firm have sold a quantity of New Zealand cheese at BJd per lb, and expect a rise in price. An effort is to be made to establish a branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute in the Waikato, and a meeting of teachers is convened for the purpose, to take, place in Hamilton on the sth prox. A requisition signed by members of the Hamilton Borough Council has been presented to the Mayor, requesting him to call a special meeting of the. Council for Monday night next, to take into consideration the immediate erection of the public buildings. There has been a rumour in Hamilton, for the last day or two, that Mr C. J. W. Barton intends to resign his office of Mayor. It was even asserted that he was to tender his resignation at tile last meeting of tlis Council on Tuesday night. The rumour, however, is not verified by facts. The three young men John^Doyle, Edward Howell, and Thomas Kennedy, arrived in charge of a constable from Napier, where they had been arrested on a charge of horse-stealing in the Waikato. They were sent up to Hamilton yesterday in charge of Constable Murray, who went down t« escort them. We have been informed that the Waitoa Gold Mining Company, of Christchurch, having failed to discover gold on Mr J. B. Smith's land, have sold their machinery to Messrs Price, of Thames, for £100, who have resold it to a Karangahako Company, for the same money. The plant will be removed to the latter place at once. An unusual and interesting feature in the recent election of school committees is the election of a lady, Mrs Marsha 11, on the Churchill Committee. We believe this is the first instance in New Zealand of a woman being placed in that position. Mr Brown, of the Public Works Department, Auckland, has been missing since last Saturday week, and notwithstanding every effort that has been made, no clue to his whereabouts has' been yet discovered. His family and friends are in a state of great anxiety. Mr Beetham, M.H R., for Masterton, with a party of friends, has made a tour of inspection of the central route for the North Island Trunk Railway, and is much disappointed with the miserable nature of the land travelled over, which ho states is quite unfit for settlement, or even for shoe]) runs. The late Cambridge School Committee passed the following resolution : — "That this committee enters its strong protest against tho action of the Education Board in closing the high school in face of the fact that the comiiiitt.ee had offered to guarantee that the cost should not exceed £20 per annum to the Board." The General Gordon Lodge, 1.0. U.T. hold a social gathering in the St. Andrew's school, at Cambridge, on Monday evening, which was well patronised. Tea was provided about 8 p.m., after which numerous songs and recitations were, given, and during intervals games were indulged in. A very enjoyable evening was spent, and the paity broke up at 11 p.m. The Autumn meeting of the South Auckland Racing Clnb will be held at Claudelands on Saturday, and promises to be a great success. A special train will run between Hamilton and Cambridge to enable the public between the two places to attend the races. A public half-holiday has been proclaimed by the Mayor for that day.

Mrß- Ruge, of Duke-street, Cambridge, is at the present time exhibiting a stag's head in his shop window, that does him credit as a taxidermist. The buck from which it was taken was very light in colour, being in fact almost white. Wo did not ask " whence it came", but should not be surprised if some enraged farmer had taken summary vengeance upon it for depredations committed, It appears the Government have received applications for the Chief Commissionership of Railways, from candidates who are backed up by testimonials of a high order, and who are qualified by previous experience for the important position to bo filled. These communications were forwarded in a manner apart iroin the number of applications that were Ben'; through the Agent-General. The first meeting of the Huntly Football Club this season was held on the 23rd inst. There was a large attendance of members. The balance-sheet for last season showed a debit of eight shillings, but as the first subscription for members this season is raised to ss, this will soon be met. It was decided that the colours be the same as last year, viz., maroon. Mr J. B. Wliyte was again elected President, and Mr Collins vice-president. Mr Bradley, who has been a resident in Hamilton for a number of years as local agent for tho Waikato Coal and Steam Navigation Company, leaves, with his family, for Auckland, where he will reside in future. Mr Bradley has been a useful member of the community, who will feel his loss very much. There is, however, no longer any business to occupy his time here, and he finds that the interests of his family require him to make a move. We wish them all every success. The following petition is to be presented to Parliament at the ensuing session : —" The petition of the undersigned deferred payment and perpetual leasehold ■settlers in the Wallace (Otago) district humbly sheweth—That your petitioners, through the very serious depression in (he values of agricultural produce and stock during the last few years, find it quite impossible for them to pay the exceedingly high prices and rents at which they took up their land. They therefore pray that your honourable House will direct that their sections shall bo re-valued and new licenses and leases bo issued to the present settlers at such value as may be fixed, giving them credit for tho moneys already paid by them. And your petitioners," &c. According to Sir Henry Haiford the new ride proposed for the British army has three advantages in particular over the Martini-Henry. The cartridge is more easily extracted, when grains of sand or any obstacle get in the brooch action. The cartridge of the new rifle is lighter, a soldier being able to carry 115 instead of 70, as now—a circumstance materially affecting the number of reserve ammunition waggons required in the field. Thirdly, there is much le. :s recoil in the new l ifie. But in one important respect there is no improvement ; the new rifle, like the old one, weighs from 91hs to Ojllj-s. It has been decided, says Sir Henry llalford, in thecAi-e of the repeating rifles, that the magazine be detachable from the rifle, so that for long distance firing the single action may bo brought into play. The second of the course of literary evenings was held in S. Andrew's School-room, Cambridge, on Tuesday evening, when Dr. Hooper gave a short lecture on " Christiainity and Islam." The lecturer pointed out many errors in Canon Taylor's paper on " Mahotmnedanism," and very clearly demonstrated that the Canon could have known very little of the subject, or had been misinformed. As ive fhipk the lecture would bo interesting to our readers, we hope to give a short resume of it in our next weeks Supplement. During an interval the following vocal selections were effectively given :—" Under the Shadow of S. Paul's,"Miss Davics ; "The Chorister," Mr Knight; "The Angol's Dream," Mrs li. Reynolds, and the well-known quartette "Cast thy Burden," from Mendellshon's Elijah, by Miss Davics, Mrs Dickenson, and Messrs (iarland and Knight. The attendance was good, tho room Isping full, and the lecture was greatly appreciated. Letters received in Otago from New Zoalanders in Melbourne convey the intelligence that so far as the building trade is concerned it is most difficult to obtain work for more than n day or tvn nt»

time, as tho custom is to engage " improvers," journeymen being employed but sparingly. A young man, who is said to be a hard-working tradesman, writing to a resident at Gore, states that he has not been successful in getting work, although he had twice tho offer of 35s a week. Wages, he states, are very low, but. living is as cheap as in New Zealand. He concludes as follows :—" In the house I am stopping in there are fifteen carpenters and some bricklayers and stonemasons, and the most of them are from Invercargill. They all say they will go back to Otago very soon, for it is such a nuisance to be always looking for a job. If they get a job for a fortnight they consider themselves very lucky. There are hundreds of New Zealand people here, and I have met lots of Dunedin people." The following extract is from the pastoral letter of the Bishops of Australasia, assembled in plenary council during the month of November, 1885: —"Intoxicating drink, even if taken only in the same quantity, haß a worse effect on the Irish Catholic than on any of his follow colonists. Accustomed to the restraint of religion and morality, and unaccustomed to pay much heed to tho thoughts of self-interest, he, being once even temporarily seduced from the influence of the former, is but little ruled by the latter. Hence his recklessness under drink ; hence, also, his readily getting into petty quarrels, which a more self-caring disposition would avoid ; hence, finally, perhaps to some little extent, the largo figure which occasionally represents, in the police statistics, the Catholics arrested for ' minor crimes against the person.' Hostile or shallow-minded writers in the Australian press have tried to impute the excess of those figures beyond what the proportion of population would warrant to our holy religion. Where the statistics are correct, tho cause of the excess is as we have stated."