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Waikato Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 2580, 24 January 1889, Page 2

We are glad to Istate that Miss Henry ia still improving. The Resident Magistrate's Court will sit to-day &t 11 o'clock. The pianos (£I,OOO worth) lately seized in Auckland by the Customs arc to bo sold by auction. The Southern press speak very favourably of Mr J. E. Denniston's elevation to tho vaaant judgeship. The usual monthly meeting of the Waikato County Council will bo hold to-morrow, at Kirikiriroa, at 2.30 p.m. A Mrs MacFarlane. from Huntly. was admitted into the Waikato District Hospital yesterday, We have been desired to acknowledge the receipt of £1 from an anonymous donor on behalf of tho Widow Abbot fund. It has been decided to discontinue musis teaching at the Auckland Co'iieee aift} Grammar School during school hours, The Defence Minister has upheld the disqualification of the Ohfistchnrch Scottish Rifles in the volley firing oompeti. tion. Yfe understand that Mr and Mrs Bullock-Webster, of Lake House, will return to fi.iUijilfi.Vf wly year from England. Mr W. McGregor Hay, of Hamilton, who was so dangerously ill last week, is now so far convalescent as to be able to drive about. During the late warm weather eel fishing iij the Itiver has been largely indulged in, and acjmo good catches have been mads. Since the summer has properly sot in, visitors from the Waikato are making their way to tho sea coast, Raglan being specially favoured. Mr Buchanan has withdrawn his offer of Ifi H ifi £Ji.e S f">' the stock-in-trade, and it will bo ttficrM jv~ sjjjo shortly by the Oillcial Assignee. The crops generally, between Hamilton and Ohaupo are looking well. Mr liibb's has a fine stretch of land under crop, hia wheat is looking very wall, and many of the o'a,ta are ready for the sickle,

At the present time reapers seem to swarm in the Waikato, and it speaks well for tho district to know that they all have plenty of work in hand. In our report of the election of trustees fsr the Volunteer and Public Hall, the name of Mr Gresham as one of tho trustees was inadvertently omitted. The time for receiving entries for the handicap events at the Waikato Anniversary Swimming Races has been extended until to-morrow evening, at 5 o'clock.

No. 1 bridge, on the HamiltonNgaruawahia road, which has been in a dangerous state for some time, is now undergoing repairs, at the hands of the Borough workmen. Mr R. Waite, the contractor for reforming l(j chains of tho Ohaupo road, at Mr llibb'B farm, for the Waipa County Council, is making good progress, and when finished, it will be a great improvement to this part of the road.

Mr McNicol started cutting yesterday a fine paddock of oats, at the corner of the road just past tho Mystery Creek. A very good judge considers that this crop and quality of it will hear favourable comparison even with Mr Teas' " boss crop." The Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Rockhampt.m, December3lst, reports : —Butter (separator) selling at Is 9d and Is 10J per lb. Hay, £10 per ton. Potatoes, £18 per ton, and the market bare —oats os Cd per bushel. Mr J- M- Greenwood, hairdresser, Hamilton, has removed into the shop next to Mr Qualtrough's, formerly occupied by Mr Hatrick. The saloon will be found lay its patrons to be more convenient than the old one, and a separate saloon is to be set apart for ladies. Yesterday afternoon we were

again blessed with a heavy downpour of rain, accompanied with thunder, vivid lightning and hail, very comfortably refreshing the air after the previous close weather. Oh 1 how tho frizzled Australians mustouvy us.

The Waipa Racing Club's privileges were sold by Mr McNicol at Ohaupo yesterday at the following prices :—Publiiican's both, £11, W. Bond ; race pro grammes, ,t'o, Scott Printing Company ; temperance booth, £2 15s, Mrs Vowless ; horse paddock, £1, J. Weal.

It is with great pleasure we are able to note that the train is again arriving up to time. Yesterday tho train was well up to time, and the mails in Hamilton were all sorted by five minutes two instead of half-past two as usual. Now that the holidays are over, and the extra strain relaxed, doubtless better time will be kept in future.

During the past week fully 200 head of cattle have been forwarded to Auckland by road. All those fanners who have had cattle driven, speak highly of the condition in which they are put on the market in Auckland, and as the cost is considerably cheaper thau the railway charge, we expect to see large numbers of cattle sent down by road during the season.

There is an unanimity of opinion expressed by the Press in New Zealand on the constitution of the Railway Board of Commissioners. They regard them as a dangerous experiment, opposed to tho will of Parliament, and that the selection of Mr McKerrow is a remarkable one a leap in the dark. No change of policy ill regard to the railway system is cxpected.

Mr Augustus Vincent, of Hamilton, left us yesterday a few very tine, specimens of the purple gage Plums are fetching a good price in Auckland if carefully packed and in good ruder. They do not stand the knocking about if allowed to get too ripe. If intended for distant markets tlie fruit should be quite lirm when packed.

There is an awkward lump at the turning out of the Narrows road on to the main Ohaupo road at the sign post, just about enough to capsize a buggy, cutting the corner too fine. Five minutes work with a spade would level it. Now that attention has been called to it, no doubt some one of the settlers living near will take an early opportunity of putting the danger past.

Owing to the state of the weather and paucity of attendance, the annual meeting of the parishioners of S. Peter's, Hamilton, was adjourned from last night to Wednesday next. A meeting of the vestry was held to consider the nature of the report to be presented to the annual meeting. After some animated discussion Messrs .Tolly, Logie, and Cowper were appointed a sub-committee to draw up a report.

The railway arrangements for Tuesday, 29th instant, are published in Auckland by posters and handbills. There will be an excursion train from town taking passengers to Te Awamutu at the usual cheap fares, namely 9s return tickets. Passengers for Hamilton by tho same train, will, however, be charged ordinary Saturday return fares, namely 10s. Te Awamutu is twenty miles further from Auckland than Hamilton.

Messrs Goldsbrough Mort and Co'B monthly wool report, dated Melbourne, 10th January, gives the following information of the exports to date, from Ist July last. Victoria has exported 232,478 bales, a decrease of 24,834, compared with the same period of the previous year. New South Wales exported, 325,3(59, increase 87,994. South Australia 100,204, decrease 27.405. Queensland, 64,444, increase, U,754. West Australia, 9.91(1, increase, 1,739. New Zealand, 70,8G5, decrease 17,379. Tho total shipments for all the colonies during the period wero 803,333 bales, showing an increase of 24,53 G.

A meeting of Scotchmen and others has been convened by circular for to-morrow evening, the anniversary of Burns' birthday, at LeQnestie's Hall, Hamilton, at which the advisability of forming a Burns Club or Caledonian Society for the Waikato district will be considered. The Caledonian Societies of the Southern portion of the other island (where Scotchmen most do congregate) are powerful institutions, and, whilst chiefly athletic clubs of a superior stamp, foster and promote the literary and musical tastes of their members in various ways. The Otpgo Society has endowed a chair in the Otago University, and during the winter evenings classes were at one time held (and may be now for aught we know) under its auspices for the benefit of youths and young men engaged during tho day, who wished to increase their general knowledge. Tho annual gatherings of the Societies on New Year's Day, at which several hundreds of pounds are distributed in prize money, are the chief events of the year, and are immensely popular with all classes and nationalities of the community. We should like to see the project heartily taken up, for we are sure the Society, if formod will not lack supporters, and the "gathering of the clans "on New Year's Day will no doubt be the leading athletic meeting of the year, as one of the chief characteristics of these gatherings is the promoting of the social virtues and a fraternal spirit amongst all present.

Some time ago we drew attention to the extraordinary amount oE blossom that was upon some young pear trees in Mr George Ilenson's garden at Cambridge; and at the time remarked that if one in a hundred of them set, the crop would be quite sufficient for the trees to carry. Most of the trees are a very early variety, and Mr Herjson has already gathered and sold tho fruit, but tho few that are left clearly demonstrate that considerably over the one in a hundred of the blossoms fructified, for the trees are laden with tho luscious fruit, and wo are told that those that have been plucked were equally well furnished. In going round orchards we frequently notice pear trees, twice the size, and evidently many years oldur than Itr Henson's, without a singlo pear upon them ; and upon asking the reason, are told that they are not old enough to bear; but after viewing the trees above referrd to, ive think there must be more in the management than p.spple are aware of. We know of one garden that pontains pear trees, not only bought frqrjj tiei) s PFf bjjt also planted by him, about the same tjmo that ))is own were set, and they have not as yet iiad a single bloom upon them. In the one case the trees were pruned, and the ground round them cultivated, and in the other they have been neglected, and consequently any" vftid of fruit. Many persons seem to thir.k thpy haviaoqly to plant the trees, and trust to ptovidanca to do the vest; bnt if they want a return for their expenditure they must cultivate tho ground. Mr Henson's peach trees have done exceptionally well, tho Karly Rivers and Newington— the latter a very handsomo variety—have iel!l.;d enormous crops, which, however, are now nearly ovpv. He lias also snmo of the handsomest Phlox lA-urrir.-»cia(!ii thai wo have ever seen, the colours ranging from snow white to the darkest crimson, and are well worth a visit from lovers of annual?,

Messrs Goldsborough, Mort and Co., in their last monthly report, thus refer to the break-up of the drought :—We are pleased to note a general break-up of the drought which has been more or less severely felt over the whole of Australia. The new year was ushered in with copious rains, reaching to the driest and most remote districts. Tanks and dams have everywhere her.ll replenished, the stock are, rapidly improving in condition, and all cause for anxiety for the rest of the summer has been completely removed.

That there will be a howl at Mr Maxwell's appointment from one end of the country to another goes without saying, but this, as the New Zealand Times assures the world, will not discompose Mr Maxwell one iota. Mr Maxwell is so immeasurably superior to New Z-alatulers that he likes being disliked by New Zealanders. It is this superb calmuess, mingled with a lofty, icy, disdainful pity that enables Mr Maxwell to stick tri New Zealand and her railways and the emoluments attached thereto with ten million leech power tenacity. He. muddles our railways, takes our money, and pities us—and we pity ourselves. Discompose Mr Maxwell ! Not much ! Maxwell will never be discomposed until he is decomposed—probably not then. — Wairarapa Standard.

On the second evening of the races (says the Wairarapa Star) an enterprising spei ler called at this ollice, and was gratuitously supplied with some brown paper wrappers. A few minutes later he had borrowed a basket from the nearest baker's shop, and was trotting round with curiously screwed up paper parcels, inside of which large gifts were said to be located. The parcels were formed of a roll of strong brown paper, covered over with tissue paper neatly twisted and pushed in at the ends. The artist had a small packet of silver ingeniously attached to the wristband of his sleeve, and as he offered the parcels for sale (at one shilling each) he rattled the money to convince the buyers of the value within. It is needless to say that his customers —and he found a lot of victimsfound themselves —like the parcels—sold. The biker was also "sold," for the speeler has taken wing—basket and all.