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Waikato Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2700, 31 October 1889, Page 2

The average of lambs, so far as the season lias gone, is reclcnnocl at 90 per coat, in the Oumaru district.

By the train from Matamata this morning three fat bullocks from the Matamata Estate will pass through on their way to the Christchurch Show. We would remind those interested in holding the annual sports on Sydney Square ot the meeting to be held this evening at the Royal Hotel, Hamilton East. Messrs Ooates and Metcalfe's flaxmill, at Hamilton, is now putting through seven tons of green flax per day. They are manufacturing a first-class and carefully prepared fibre, which should command top prices. The Rev. 0. H. Garland's lecture on " Character," having been postponed on account of inclement weather is to be delivered in the Wesleyan Church, Hamilton, on Monday evening next. Proceeds on behalf of Boy's Welcome. Miss Clara Hicks, of Pukekura, had a nasty experience on Monday. She was rushed by an infuriated bullock, but bein? a good horse-woman and well mounted, she out-distanced the beast and reached a haven of safety. We would remind our readers of the excellent programme provided for the Presbyterian concert at Cambridge this evening, Mrs Kilgour and her talented daughters arrived yesterday, having journeyed from the Thames via Te Aroha. Mr Burgess of Te Awamutu and a host, of local talent will assist to make up what will doubtless bo a musical treat. A terrible lot of rubbish is to be sent to the Dunedin Exhibition. There is to be an educational annexe, and the schools of the colony have been invited to send the children's copy-books to it. A big parcel has accordingly been made up by the Napier and Gisborne schools. Fancy, how interesting it will be to tho visitor to lonic over copy-books I—Napierl—Napier Telegraph. The North Otago Times says Numerous complaints have been made lately that the butter reaching the shops in Oanriaru is of so inferior a quality that tho dealers are unable to sell it at the price they pay for it. One grocer was selling butter at one shilling per Slbs, and now the price to be paid by tho grocers for butter will be from 3d to 7d per lb, according to quality. Mr Harwood had a lucky escape from a severe accident last evening, when returning from Hamilton East with his dray. Just before coming on to the bridge, one of thebuck straps broke,and Mr Harwood then stood out on the shaft, and attempted to reach it, but- overbalancing himself he fell, the wheel passing over his foot. As it happened the dray was empty, but had there been any weight in it, very likely his leg would have been broken, but 11s it was Mr Harwood escaped with a bad bruise and several scratches. Mr H. Windsor's racehorse, Wideawake, whilst contesting in tho Members' Hurdle Race at the Paknranga Hunt Club races at Auckland on Saturday last, met with a serious accident, which will probably deprive him from running again for some little time. It appears that Wideawake was running very strong, and after getting over the last hurdle but one, was suddenly seen to falter, which spoilt his chance of winning; however, ho managed to get past the winning post, and when examined was found to have his foot cut right in two, How he managed to get user the last hurdle with half a foot and secure second place is a mystery. Is the education system breaking down by its own weightlf not, what is the meaning of the complaint of overcrowding that comes from Napier, and is not unknown elsewhere? Indeed the cry everywhere is for more room. Suppose by some miracle of perversity the Catholic population were suddenly to take to the secular system, and insist upon sonding many thousands of children to further overcrowd the public schools. There is a standing invitation for us, but if we accepted there would be a terrible quandary. Tho moral of this over-crowding is that the Catholics are saving the State the necessity for adding vastly to the too great weight, of the school system.—Catholic Times.

A writer in the European Mail of August 23 says :--Why is not more done, I wonder, with New Zealand honey ? Tho other day 23 tubs of line honey were bought in at 42s per cwt. I have spoken to many people on the subject of honey, and find that the most astounding apathy and ignorance prevails on the subject of honey dietetically. If only means were taken to educate the public as to the wholesomeness and very great value of honey as a food staple, we might look for the development of a large trade in New Zealand varieties. It may not be generally known that, according to a Greek classic, the inhabitants of ancient Sardinia, lived on little else than honey, and wero famous for their longevity.

I am pleased to note (writes " Anglo Australian" in tho European Mail), that tiie weekly organ of the London corn trade has an editorial setting forth the amount nf land in New Zealand available for cereals, and taking care to point out 20,000,000 acres, now covered with forests, may bo converted eventually into rich arable land. To tlioso who know and watch tho j course of the groat English grain trade there is special significance in this editorial, for it evinces how the thoughts of corn factors here are turning to tho Austral World for future assured supplies of wheat, and it I indicates very plainly how, before long, if only Austral . agriculturists are wise and careful of opportunities, the foundation may ! be laid of ais enormous and indefinitely expansive grain trade between Kngland and Australasia. The Te Aroha Silver and Goldmining Company at Waiorongoinai, are despatching about 200 tons of bullion to Swansea, England, for treatment. They offered to send this shipment to Auckland by rail, and the railway authorities, after taking time to consider the mattor, intimated their willingness to carry it at £1 10s per ton. The Company could not see the liberality of the terms, and contracted with one of the Waihou steamers to take the whole of the quartz for 15s per ton, landed iu Auckland. The railway has thus done a public injury, for it has lost a considerable sum of money j which it could have made by taking the shipment, and which required little care, and could be carried at low rates. As the tariff is so great a deterrent to settlement and the fanning interests, so is it no encouragement to the great mining industry, which is of such paramount importance to the colony. A vista has opened out in the frozen meat trade, which daily grows longer, brighter, and clearer. Wo have recently been solemnly warned not to draw too much upon the sources of supply. But the key to the situation is that nobody can tell what the sources of supply may not be equal to. In tho South Island the agriculture which will support millions of human beings is capable of a great deal more in the matter of stock. Iu the North take tiie following facts; —The Meat Export Company two years ago froze 1100 head of cattle, last year they froze 5000 ; during the next six mouths they have contracted to supply 0000, and the cattle supply is not in any way shaken. Tho plain conclusion is that the colony is only beginning to shf.w its richness as pasture land, and is merely iu the infancy of its development.— Tuapeka Times. The wool exports from these colonies, according to Dalgety and Co., for the quarter from Ist July to 30th September, totalled 144,205 bales, as against 113,029 for 18KS and 90,8-lti for 18S7. The increase from Victoria was 10,!)!)5 bales, and from South Australia 23,180. Tho increase in the shipments for the quarter is chiefly due to large quantities of Darling wools, both tho old and new clip. The September quarter was formerly a very poor one for wool shipments ; even as late as LSBO the bales so exported only totalled 70,000, but the opening of lines of railway into the far Ulterior accounts for the early receipt of wool. In this connection we may mention that the total sheep and lambs in the United Kingdom this year number 25,034,000, which is a small increase, but is still 300,000 short of the record of 1887. At a meeting of the Waikato Farmers Club a short time since, a discussion as to the best plan of destroying the Clidlin moth took place, of which wo gave a report in onr supplement. The merits of a blight specific, manufactured by Mr Charles Redwood of Riverlands, were freely discussed, and appeared to find favour with those present, from the very concise and comprehensive answers that Mr Redwood had given in reply to numerous questions that, had been propounded to him. Mr Thomas Wells of Cambridge has given tho specific a trial, and feels so satisfied with the result that he has secured the solo agency for Waikato, as will bo seen by an advertisement in another column, and he will doubtless do a good business in it during the ijvext month or two, as this is tho time to apply it for (the eradication of the codlio fflotdi.

There are many indications that Australasia and its commerce are becoming more and more a matter of careful consideration in the great centres of mercantile activity of what are known as the Old and New Worlds. The latest evidence that this is so, is the project now beginning to be seriously taken up in New York f"r the establishment of a line of direct steamers to this fifth quarter of the globe. One of the papers of that city writes conI cerning the proposal:—" It has been suggested that a line of steamers between New York and Australia could be made pay were it not for the fact that a return cargo would be difficult to obtain. Eacts do not bear out this supposition. Vessels are constantly plying between Australia and European ports, and no complaint is heard as to their losing money. But it has been suggested that a more certain means of making a line from New York profitable might be devised if a round trip from the States to the Cape of Good Hope and the colonies, to return via Chinese and Indian ports, could be arranged. . . . For a return cargo coil could be loaded at Newcastle or some other Australian port for the Asiatic market." " Atticus" in the Leader writes : —The national anthem of New South Wales should either be "We Won't go Home till Morning" or " Row, Brothers, Row," with the " Row" rhyming to now. For certainly in the Parliament of " Australia" the politicians seem to be as dissolute a lot of birds as our own owls: while as to their language if they ever publish a local dictionary in Sydney the lexicographer should define " liar" as " a term of endearment among members." There is probably no body in the southern hemisphere so much in need of awakening to the error of its ways as the New South Wales Assembly ; and it was therefore peculiarly appropriate that it should have been the first in which the Salvation Army succeeded in making a convert. When a member entered the House this week clad in Salvation costume, it is no wonder that a thrill ran through the bulloeky portion of the Assembly who pride themselves on calling a spade a spade, and that a strong protest should have been entered; If one man got converted, why not another ? And if the chief sinners took to religion, where would all the fun of the House be ? However, according to the latest- reports there is no prospect of conversion spreading, and the Conservative members need not therefore be unhappy. A runaway of a peculiar nature occurred in Cambridge on Tuesday. A light waggon, drawn by a pair of horses belonging to Mr Thos. Wells, hud been loaded in the yard at the back of the store, and was then moved round to the front in order to have a large cooking range put on board. Mr McDermott—Mr Wells' ironmonger—got into the waggon to assist iu getting the range safely packed, but when it was half in the horses took fright and moved, causing tho range to fall on to tha road, which further frightened them, and set them off at a gallop. Mr Charles Tuck, who was in the street, made an attempt to stop them, but his doing so caused them to swerve nu to the footpath, and down it they went at full gallop, going under the verandah of Houghton's old store, past the. Masonic Hotil, and several other shops and houses, but so cleverly did they manage it that the only damage did en route was the crushing of a down water nipe. We question if anyone could have driven down the footpath at a moderate pace and done less d image. Mr McDermott very pluckily stuck (o liis post, climbed over the load of goods, got hold of the reins, which hail been fastened to the break, and succeeded ill turning tho horses into Chapel-street, and then pulled them up. Had the horses gone down the steep hill at the bottom of Dukestreet, it is most probable they would have been killed anil the waggon knocked to atoms. As it was, there were several narrow escapes, but no one was injured, die only damago being a cracked cooking range ami a broken swingletree. The onlookers speak in high terms of the pluck displayed by Mr McDermott.