The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or THURSDAY, MAY 7, 1891.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 2935, 7 May 1891, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or THURSDAY, MAY 7, 1891.

Tan interim reportJof tlin Commissioners appointed to investigate che affairlfof Public Trust Departm()s! Micates that the manner m which tho officials hava conducted tho business entrusted to them amounts to little short of a glaring scandal. This Department was established in 1872 by Act, and was granted power to doal with all property devised in trust by will for the benefit of inheritors; it also gave tho right to undertake the management of intestates cstatos, and to hold in trust and gtacuro tho proper application of the properties and monies of friendly arid other societies. Tho Department was authorised to collect fees for services rendered. Tho Bill met with considerable opposition in both Houses, on tho grounds, which arc now verilied, that it would bo impossible to secure Crovernmont olli3ials with capacity to doal satisfactorily with the multitudinous matters which would bo placed in their hands. Tip) supporters of tho Bib urged and urged truly that tho Department would be of very great convenience to the public, and that there would bo no difficulty in securing the services of competent men to carry out the scheme successfully. Tho result, as depicted by tho Commissioners, is moat deplorable. Tho books, wo learn, have been fotiud in such a mass of confusion that it is with the greatest difficulty that tho details of tho dealings with any given estate cau be traced. This statement would not bo credited for a moment by any man with a smattei'iug of bo >k' keeping were it not tho result of much hard work and anxious discussion by a body of commis-

siooor.9. Thoso who opposed the Bill on tho grounds we have stated above, had not iu their minds the possibility that men would be shuffled into the office incompetent to carry out tho mechanical work of clearly showing by tho books the debits and crodits of each trust. The Commissioners tell us that neither of tho responsible officers had a full and correct knowlodgo of the books, or the manner in which tlioy were kopt. This is one more proof that a series of attempts have been made to mako square men fit round holes. This does not apply only to tho officers of the Trust Department, but is equally applicable to those of the Audit Department, whose duty it was to insist that the accounts were properly kept, and that no misapplication of funds took place. If the Commissioners ore justified in their statement, there are some officers who should be immediately retrenched, and that not in the polite style so much in vogue just nowThe statement that advances of trust money have been made on I values far in excess of tho Property lax valuation is pregnant with reason for evil forebodings, that before the colony sees the end of the matter, the Attorney-General will be kept tolerably busy iu defending actions by those interested for the recovery of the losses they may have sutiered in consequence of incompetency existing, where peculiar ability to manage affairs was implicitly guaranteed by :ln; Government. That tho consolidated revenue is liable for dishonesty there can be no doubt, but to what extent the taxpayers can be held responsible for loss by the stupidity of their appointees i 3 less clear. I here appears to have been a par* tioularly free and easy manner of disposing of the goods and chattels of deceased persons, and it is equally manifest that the officers, or some of them, did not hesitate to avail themselves of the system to secure for themselves and their friends that which is so dear to most men, —a bargain. If one of these happened to be a Minister, he appears to have been very favourably handicapped in the race. As could only be expected from men incapable of keeping books, one of the number appears to hive had a very bad memory—so bad, indeed, that he took some valu-

able lace home and quite forgot to ! return it. The Commissioners hap- ! pened to ask for this. It is matter for surmise in how many instances the official memory proved faulty, and bow many others in the Department are similarly afflicted. Wc learn that other tn'Qes were conspicuous by their absence. It is stated that the law officers of the Crown have advised that acts tantamount to a breach of trust have been committed. The Government is stated to haw called upon the officers implicated to explain to the breaches of trust. Unless the explanations are much more satisfactory than appears probable, prosecutions should follow. Unfortunately it is not criminal to appoint incompetent men to public positions, or for the favoured ones to undertake i :... ,i.:..i. il, ... . rf > •'no'ipa' le of n 'it ill"' j fci '.. ■ .1 to

The Chilian insurgents are forming ii provisional (Tovernmont. A commercial treaty between Austria and Cermany lias b.een signed. Secretary Blaine .proposes to accept Lord Salisbury's proposal to closo the IJehring Sea to sealers for a Reason. K To-day being Ascension Day, ,'Hoiy Coimnunion will be held in S. Peter's 'Church, Hamilton, at 8 a.m., and evensong at 7.30 p.m. To-day (Ascension Day) Archdeacon Clarke is advertised,to-preach at S. Andrew's, Cambridge, in the morning, and the Kev. Dr. Hooper in tho evoning. The annual meeting of the Waihoit Jockey Club will be held at Waihou on the 25th. The programme, consisting of seven events appears in this issue, the amount of prir.e money being close on £50. Nomination* for tho principal events close on Saturday next at Waihou bofore fi p.m. At the meeting of the Waikato Ho.-pital Board yesterday, tho tender of Mr U. Elliott, of Hamilton, for £116 for the erection of a dining-room at the Hospital was accepted. According to tho specifications, the work has to be completed .within ten weeks. "We think it only due to Mr James Master to state that although he was the individual who gave the Maori interpretation of the notice on the Karapiro bridge at Cambridge, to which we referred in ono of our last issues, the mistake in the wording was due to the signwriter, who understood a little Maori, and, we suppose, tried toi mprove upon . It is quite time now that the members of the Hamilton Football Club were troing more earnestly to work, as the season is advancing. The .Secretary has received a challenge from the Parerangi Club, asking the Hamilton team to go to I'aterangi and play against the local club, but as it is Paterangi s turn to visit Hamilton, the challenge will not be accepted. Mr George Mayes, jun., of Hamilton met with a nasty accident on Tuesday. He working at a new house in course of erection for Mr Chivers, and was shifting a step ladder, when a two-inch chisel which w.is on one of the steps fell, and striking Mayes on the leftarm inflicted a very nasty gash, severing one of the sinews, just missing the artery. Dr Kenny stitched tip tho wound, but Mr Mayes will not be able to work for some time. There was great excitement at Cambridge on Tuesday when it was rumoured that the total abstainers intended nominating a number of prohibition candidates for the Licensing Committee ; hut it appears that the rumour was not correct, for at noon yesterday the following were the only nominal ions received :—Messrs J. Webber, (i. Ferguson, C. Roberts, J. Taylor, J. M. Hally, J. 3. Priestley, and C J. Ncal. Tho two last-named are independent candidates, the fivo first-men-tioned comprising tho moderate ticket. Says the "American Exporter : New Zealand—the magnificent island continent, us wo may call it—has always been a favourite theme of ours, not only for its great trade possibilites, but for its progrnsive inhabitants, whom wo long ago designated as the Yankeesof Australia, coming nearer to the American people, in business dash, national ambition, and general guaheaditivness We have noticed, also, that every American Consul who is appointed to the i mission seems imbued with the same spirit, I and writes with more enthusiasm than his j co-officials in other quarters of tho globe.

At the meeting of the Waikato Hospital Board yesterday Mr Primrose said that he had drawn up a rough statement of the expenditure for the year 180091, amounting to ,t'lslS 3* 3d, and which uiado tho daily cost of each patient amount to (js 2.', d. From thi3 sum, however, thero was to be deducted £210 3s ftd which reduced the cost per patient per diem to 5s L'jd, Thane figures compare very favouiably with thoso for tho year 1880-90 bearing on the same cost and which wore 7a 4d per patient per diem on the grosi expenditure, and tis 2d after deducting the amounts paid as hospital fees..

Raising fat lambs is a branch of farming which seems to otfer especial inducements to the small holder. ]]y judicious breeding and feeding a farmer can produce DO per cent, of lambs each season, which, in four months' time.should weigh at least 501b. A very simple calculation, taking the value of the meat at 2\d, and the skin and offal at 3-=, will show that very little is required from the fleece of the ewe to bring tho gross results from the pair up to 16s or 17s. A recent experiment in England showed that the daily increase in the weight of lambs of different breeds varied from 9.}nz to 13£oz. these were probably selected sheep, but if the average may be taken as ftoz it will offer an ample margin and suggest a safe, good trade for the struggling farmer.

Although people talk glibly about 1,000,000 bushels of wheat, but very few of thein (says "Iron") realise what a vast amount that represents. If 1,000,000 bushels were loaded on American freiphtcars, 500 bushels to a car, it would fill a train ovor fifteen miles long ; if transported by waggon, 44 bushels per waggon, it would make a line of teams, 142 miles long. If made into broad, reckoning a bushel to 001b of flour, it would give each man, woman, and child in the United States a 21b loaf of bread. With the above in mind, the reader can better appreciate the following brief statement There are used annually in the United States about 13,000,000 bushels of wheat in various manufactures, such as starch, food preparations, sizing for cloth and paper ; 50,000,000 bushels are required for seeding ; and 285,000,000 for food consumption, which leaves 50,000,000 bushels for export.

One of the most cosy, comfortable, and well-appointed dining-rooms iu Queen-street, Auckland, is that opened recently next door to Messrs Cochrane and Hons' auction mart. This is now in the occupation of and run by Mr Thomas McEwin. Mr McEwin has been long and favourably known as a capital '•mine host," although he was never an innkeeper; but in his capacfty as a resturateur he has won, deservedly, the good opinion of the public. Hh new premises are most conveniently situated, being next door to the Union 13ank. They are roomy, tasteful, and cleanly and appropriately furnished. Upstairs there is au elegant and spacious tidies' dining-room. Suitable lavatories and every requisite convenience are also on this flat. Thero is a social room for the accommodation of friends of the proprietor and habitue* of tho restaurant. There is a private entrance to the ladies' diuing-room from Queen-street, and a most lady-like and obliging waitress is in attendance. We wish Mr McEwin the success he deserves.

An English sheep farmer, writing to the "Agricultural Gazette,"Rives the following remedy for foot rot, which, he Bays, enables one to easily conquer the complaint if the instructions are properly carried out : Let the aheep walk slowly through a trough, say, lift long, loin, wide, and Gin. deep, between hurdles, if no place hotter for the time, in a clean place, and put therein dissolved blue-stone, lib. to about 20qt. of water, and keep up such supply. A little straw iu it will keep the liquid from splashing. Continue this every other dny until well. Well pare out all old sorus previous to the.r passing to the trough, and anoint the feet with ointment made in the following way : Break a small quantity of bluestone to the size of a horse bean, put it in a fire pan over the fire, or on an iron plate, until it becomes white. Make it into a tine powder. Mix it with three or four times the quantity of soft fat, such as bacon or goose fat. Let the shepherd always carry it in a small tin box. It is a " cure all" for every sore place on the sheep. Hold the animal on its back for a few second when applied to the feet. A correspondent writes:—lt is not unusual to hear peoplo express surprise that such a quantity of Rood apples nro convoyed to tho cider mill, but I think with my oxporieuce of the way fruit is dealt with by some of the Auckland commission agents this is not to be wondered at. Not long since I sent nine capes of American Golden Russets to an Auckland agent who claims that he can do so much better for his clients than they can expect from Hales at auction. Kvoryono who knows anything of this variety is aware that tho American G'oldon Russet is a fairly Rood keepor. For the nine cases I received tho magnificent sum of 10s fid —from this must be deducted eight-pence each for cases, this leaves Is (id or (id per case for the fruit. I would rather have had the pleasure of making them a present to my friends than of allowing some other body this privelege, In the letter accompanying tho account Kales tlu agent says, 'after sorting miu case about half its weight was lost through bad ones, I therefore sold as th«y were at a half-penny. As this virj.' v •» ">t v«t mtured, that state-iii-mi f '■' 0 .'■ 'if falsM ; and I dont I thii k r re io *>' the gentleman^ r> --i ' v s f-r'i r •:"nu'nneiltH.