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Waikato Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 2924, 11 April 1891, Page 2

The hearing of the action Salisbury v. O'Brien has been postponed till August. The first mail of the monthly service '.letweon China and England has arrived in London. The Triple Alliance has been renewed for a term of five years, and remains as before purely defensive. Mr W. J. Hunter will hold a special sale of breeding ewes aud lambs, immediately before Mr .T. McNicol's cattle sale, oil Tuesday, April 21st, at Olmupo. His Lordship Bishop Cowie will visit Waikato shortly, and during his stay he will consecrate the Church and cemetery at Tamahere on Monday, iJOtli April, at 11 o'clock. A luncheon will be held after the ceremony. We would remind members of the Hamilton Fojtball Club of the annual meeting, to be held in Tiik Waikato Timks fiuildings this evening, at half-past 7 o'clock. It is hoped there will be a full uud punctual attendance. In order to allow country settlers tiieopportunity of witnessing the "Shaugliraun," the Hamilton Amateur Dramatic Club have decided to postpone its production till the Uilth and 30th inst, when there will be a good moon for all returning home. Articles for the sale of work, to be held in the l-'ublic Hall. Hamilton, on the 2oth May, are coming to hand in great variety, and should they continue to arrive as at present, the public may anticipate a splendid display of goods, useful and ornamental. J. H. Johnson was brought up at the Auckland R.M. Court, yesterday, charged with stealing a top coat, the property of Mr A. i!ach, of Cambridge. He pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to six months' hard labour. That was a much better plan than bringing him to Cambridge. A new use is reported to have been discovered for English hops—namely, for the curing of bacon. It is found that a sprinkling of hops in the brine when bacon and hams are put in pickle adds greatly to the flavour of both, and enables them to be kept an indefinite period. We understand the election of a School Committee for Cambridge will be strongly contested. In addition to the present committee—who are all nominated for re-election—we learn that Messrs Jus. Hally, I l '. J. Brooks and U. J. Neal have e\piossed their willingness to stand, and will be nominated.

The Hon. John Bryce roturned from his visit to thu llaglati district in Jlr Sutton's coach yestorday. Wo regret to learn that the rough weather experienced during the last few days has prevented him visiting many of the settlers in that district that he had intended culling upoti. He leaves by train this morning to catch the steamer for the South un Mouday. In Messrs Yates and Co.'s honour list for their inteicolonial root and vegetable competition, we are pleased to notice the iiauiH.i ot residents in Waikato. In the Cntio'd Market cabbage ukus wuuotice that Mr C. 11. Carter, of Hamilton, takes second place, and for (ribson's l)rumlißad cabbage Mrs A. Hoye, of Morriusville, takes a similar position. Dr. Canaris and company were sncted with good houses at the Oddfollrws' Hall, Hamilton, on Thursday and last night, the cabinet trick being p.irticnlaly mystifying, from the fact that well known residents wore brought under the professor's influence and behaved in a most remaikable manner, much to the amusement of the audience. This entertainment will long be remembered in Hamilton. A very effective show of ironmongery is made by Mr Jno. Parr, of Hamilton House, Hamilton, in his large window facing Victoria street, giving a fair sample of the large and varied stock to be found within. At the Hamilton House farmers will lind almost everything they require on the farm, as, in addition to his ironmongery business, Mr Parr keeps an extensive supply of groceries of the best descriptions. In anticipation of the coming shooting season, he has a large assortment of all sporting requisites, including guns, powder, shot, cartridges, filling machines, &c., and spirting men, before purchasing elsewhere, should give Mr Parr c:!.' 1 , where no doubt they will bo suited.

Mr Win. Wallace, of Pukerirau, met with a na.-ty accident at Cambridge on Thursday, lie was assisting to draft a number of horses, when one of them knocked hint down, and it and several olliers galloped over him. lie received ,i nasty cut about two inches long on the head, al-o several bruises. Or. Cushtiey stitched up tho wound, and after the patient had iested a while, he was able to proceed home.

Respecting the bootmakers' strike iri Auckland, and showing the elfecls of strikes ~|| trade, Mr 11. Salmon, bootmaker, I lamilton, had ordered KltJ pairs of hoots from one of the leading boot factories in that city. Fifty pairs wero half made when the strike commenced, and lyiug waiting for tho boot-finishers, who aro now loafing about oil strike. After waiting and telegraphing backwards and forward! several times, and seeing not the remotest chance of the strike being over, our local St. Crispin sent for tho half-made boots, and is now busy finishing them himsolf.

Two agricultural labourers were charged at Slough the other day with breach of an agreement by which they had bound themselves as carters to a local farmer. The term was for one year; the wages 7s per week for the first six months, and >is for the second. The men were to bo in the stable at \ a.m., and to "rack up their horses "at 8 p.m. They bound themselves to do " anything they were asked to do at any time," to support themselves in case of illness, to find their own whips, and to clean boots on Sunday. They were put to sleep in a loft—three in a bed ; they had no fire for their use, and insufficient bedclothes ; they left because they were not allowed vegetables to eat as promised at the time of hiring ; and they declared in Court that they would as soon live with the pigs or beasts of the Held as go back. Nevertheless, they had broken the law, and were fined fid a piece by a merciful liench.

Messrs Cassell, whilst confiding to the public (without Archdeacon Farrar's permission) that they paid that gentleman £2000 altogether for his 'Life of Christ,' omit to state what they themselves made out of tho work. Walter Besaut suggests the firm should furnish full returns of cost of piinting, publishing, etc., it they desiie tho public to judge whether they dealt generously with the Archdeacon or not. I need sjarcely say that Cassells have not jumped at this According to report they made over £10,000 out of Farrar's " Life of Christ,' and are still drawing a handsome income per annum from sales of that popular work. No doubt 'tis true that the. original scheme of tho 'Life' originated in the fertile brain of the late Mr Galpin. and not with Archdeacon F.irrar. Cassells were casting about for a " tame author " to carry out their ideas when Mr Galpin heard Mr Farrar (then an obscure curate) preach, and at once decided he was the man for their purpose. Tn the vestry after service Mr I lalpin made his offer to the young clergyman—viz., WOO for the copyright and tIOO for travelling expenses in the Holy liind. The terms were accepted, and some years later the MS \v:.s handed over. When tho success of the book became assured Cassells voluntarily made Canon Karrar presents from time to time which amounted in the aggregate to £l.joo. Considering thev had bought the book out and out for t'oOU this was not ungenerous, though, of course, a very small percentage oil their profits.

As several humble bees have recently made their appearance in Nelson, having presumably found their way from Christchurch, where they were turned out a few years ago, the following from the Press may interest some of our readers : — Hitherto we have heard very little about the humble bee, except iLs good qnalities in fertilising red clover ; but Sir G. M. Thomson, in the New Zealand Journal of Science —expresses a fear whether in timo they inay not prove a serious nuisance. It appears that here the humble bees have very few natural enemies. In England they have several. Kiold mice destroy their comb and nests, and it is estimated by authority that two-thirds of the bees are thus destroyed. Another remarkable fact; mentioned by Mr Thomson is that in many parts of tho colony the liuinUo bees do not hibernate at all. "Tho rate of increase of tho lminblo bee," adds the writer, "has bean so great in this colony that the question has arisen in my mind whether they will not prove us serious a nuisance, as far as honey is concerned, as tliu rabbit has proved to the farmer and squatter. This may seem an improbability to many persons who have never considered the matter, especially as humble bees do not visit many of the flowers which supply nectar to the hive bee. But the tact remains that in those districts where the former have been very abundant, the supply of honey has enormously diminished during the last two seasons, and many skilled beekeepers are beginning to attribute a considerable share of this falling off to the humble bees."