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Waikato Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 3007, 22 October 1891, Page 2

The annual race meeting at Otorohanga will take place on Tueiday, Decembor 29th.

A preliminary advertisement regarding the Alexandra aunual races, to be held on Boxing Day, appears in this issue.

The extraordinary vacancy in the Raglan County Council has been caused by the resignation of Mr C. Sutton, who represented th« Karioi riding. Messrs Thomson, of Ruapuke, and Cogswell, of Waitetuna, are spoken of as likely candidates.

The iollcwinir is the final location of the Native Land Court Judges:— Mackay, Wellington and South Jghiud; Gudgeon, Otorohangu; Von Sturm r, Thames; Scannell, Rotorua ; Barton, Gibbourne ; O'Brieu, Hawke's Bay ; Ward, Wanganni.

The editor of the " jJlanawatu Standard " says—We have received a communication from Colonel Bailey, of the Salvation Army, asking us to join in a week of self-denial. As we have already spent some years at the game, it is hardly fair to treat us as a new chum.

We are pleased to hear that Dr. Waddington has sufficiently recovered to be able to start busiuess again. He is now in Cambridge where he intends residing in future, and his friends there are so rejoiced at having him amongst them again that thoy have made him a present of a purse of about £40. It was presented to him by Messrs Merrick J. Ynuug and Archdeacon Willis on behalf of the subscribers.

The Press says : —The following extract from a letter received by the mail from a wholesale house in the iron trade by a retail firm here speaks for itself. It e«ys —" Your order of the 21th February is not yet delivered, nor will the firm to whom it was given give any definite promise. We are in the same position with our Australian orders booked months before yours. The firm says—'We cannot deliver, because drink, idleness, and Trades Unions have complete mastery.' "

Poundkeaping 1 is a business in which the proprietor either lives on his losses, or has to do a good deal of balancing to maintain his footing. The accounts of the Pleasant Point pound, laid before the Level Road Board yesterday, showed the poundkeeper £11 odd out of pocket,—and he pays also so much a year for the privilege of losing money that way. On one item, 14 sheep, the receipts were £4 2s 2d, and the costs £5 2s OJ. Another item wa< a cow, receipts, from sale, 10s, expenses £2 "is (id.—Timaru Herald.

The Sydney Bulletin, in referring to federation, gives the following figures:— The cost of the New Zjaland Government to join the Federation would be i!ISO,000 per annum, and her yearly loss of revenue by tho adoption of the Victorian tariff £100,000 a year. For what? For the privilege of being in tho Commonwealth ; of being out voted and governed by countries 1200 iniles away, who can't govern themselves, and who drop a million a year in trying; and of being defended in time of war by a fleet of cockboats, with a more or less " dicky '' system.

An Auckland lady, Mrs L. Frost Rattravj well known as the lady editor of the New Zealand Graphic several of whoso stories have also appeared in the columns of this journal has carried off the second price in Cassell's Magazine short story competition, and has by last mail just received her price. Mrs Rattray's story was entitled " Such a Suitable Mutch," aud in accordance with the conditions of the competition, was -vithin .S,OOO words in length, Cassell's always have almost innumerable competitors for their well-fought for money prizes, and several hunlred competitors must have been pitted against the lady editor of the " Graphic." Her friends will all congratulate her oil her success.

The valuation of the Government Insurance office bv tile three Lindon actuaries 13 now completed. The cash profits amount tn KSW.OOO. The actuaries recnmmeuii t'200,000 to bo divided among the Doliey-holders, and state that notwithstanding that. this valuation baa been more severe til in last, the position of the Department is highly satisfactory. The £3!t,000 forms an additional reserve for future bonuses and contingency. The last valuation was made on the assumed rate of interest of par cent, only, which means an additional reserve of many thousand pounds. The divisible surplus of £200,000 will be immediately apportioned among tho policyholders, and is expected to secure reversionary additions to policies auiouutiug to uearly half-a-million.

Some of the farmers of the Eifel, the district time lies betweou the frontier of Belgium and the Rhine, adopt u novel plan for scaring the birds freiij the wheat. A number wf polos are set up m till) and a wire is conducted from <1110 to another just like tho telegraph posts that you see alongside tho railways. Vroin tho tup of each pole thorn hangs a bell, which is connected with this wire. Now in the valley a brook Hows along with n current strong enough to turn a small water-wheel, to which the wire is fastened. As the wheel goes round it jerks the wire,and so the bells in the different fields are set a-tiniiling. Tho bells thus rung so mysteriously frighten tho birds from the grain, and even excite the wonder of men and women until they discover the secret. The simple contrivance is found to serve its purpose well.

One of the largest and most valuable stocks of ironmoneery in Auckland is that of Messrs John Burns and Co., of Customs-street West (lata Wingata and Burns). The goods on sale bv this much respected firm aro not only the very best of their class, but are also of a very diversified description. They embrace useful and ornamental articles, and include agricultural implements, carriage ware, builders' requisites, blacksmiths' tools, and cutlery. On tha ground floor are the cutlery and general ironmongery for furnishing; these goods are very striking for thejr value, variety, beauty, and usefulness, 'J.'ho second, third, and fourth stories are packed from lloor to coiling with farming tools, carriage ironmongery, builders' and tradasjjjryi's appliances, and general linns in the trruis, The firm secure the hn-ifc and most modern gooda far every department of thoir tnwines?. All tho hoisting t.o and lowering fnm the various stories is do;je by a patent hydraulic lift. Messrs Burns and Co. are agents for AspinaU's enamel paints, iho Simplex cotton machine bolting, Messrs Walter A. Wood and Co. 's reapers and binders, mowers, etc., are oil sale, and duplicate' psj-ta are always on hand. We recommend tradesmen aud farmers when iu towu to call and inspect tho firm's goods, and promise them a courteous reception from iVfr .'j<)hn Burns, the head of the firm, and bis Mutants,

The Lyttelton Times goes into ecstasies over Mr Balance's Wiineaiini speech on account, of'' the fre-hness, clearness and linimp tired mental vigor which breathes through every line of it." Did oor contemporary (asks t,he I'ost) think the Premier's b.'iiin was softening ?

The members of th.s Hamilton Choral Society, at a nio.jtius? held last night, decided to go into practice for their usual Christmas carol concert. About thirty members attended, and the first practico will be held in the Public and Volunteer Hall on Wednesday next. Mr Da vies has kindly offered his services as conductor, and tins, with the addition of several not/ and efficient members, will make this season's concert more, than usually attractive.

Witty old Senator Vance, ot Xor'h Carolina, Governor of that state, during the rebellion, alsi. being a Protestant, is married to a lady of tho Catholic faith. An impertinent person once asked him how it was that he should have married a Catholic, to which ho smilingly replied that he wantel to try the Reverend Bach 3rd's three R.s (Ruin, Romanism and Rebellion). First lie tried with Rum, which tasted pietty well; then with Rebellion. This, however, did not suit him so well. At last ho thought of trying Romanism, of which he could not complain.

One of the best stories we have heard comes to us from a private school not ten thousand miles from Hastings. One of tho smart boys of the school had sucked an orange till there wasn't a scrap of anything inside but stringy pulp. It then dawned upon him that there was a chance for a bit ' fun.' Ho filled the skin with ink, and adjusted the bit he had previously cut out, and the orange looked as plump and innocent as possible. But an eagle eye was on the boy. " What are you doing with that orange?" came in cold but startling tones from the master. "Please, sir," the boy began, not noticing the twinkle iti the teacher's eye, "Get on that form, and eat that orange before the whole class ! " That boy's face was a study. He mounted the form as any culprit would who was soon afterwards to be beheaded. One long, look round about, then an awful pause; then one wrench with tho teeth, and down, in a shower, ran the ink all over his clothes .' It was no use trying to check the other boys. They fairly howled with delight at such a grand instaiico of a would-be biter bit.

The Poverty ißay Herald says

—"Surely, it would not be seriously argued that a party that won a general election should have the right to immediately swamp sho Upper House with its partisans. .During the three years' tenure of oiHca of the Atkinson Ministry seven nominations were made. The Ballauce Ministry should be content with a.similar exercise of power. However, if the Government carry out their professed intentions we may expect to hear any day of a dozen names or so being submitted to His Excellency. Ministers say that there is no use bringing in Liberal legislation so long as the Conservative element is overwhelmingly strong ill the Council. In other words, the members of the Upper Mouse wilt not agree to measures, the tendency of which would be to injure the industries of the country and to restrict individual liborty. A sot of tyrannical and reckless demagogues have usurped the name of Liberal, and most of the demagogues owe their political existence to the influence of the Trades Unions, the members of which as a body are led by the nose by a parcel of unscrupulous leaders, many of whom never did an honost day's work in their lives, and don't intend to as long as it can be shirked. These frothy labour agitators are now mentioned as the material from which to select Legislative Councillors. There can be no valid objection to labour being represented in the nominated House, but, unfortunately, there is a Government in powor which is more likely to recommend professional agitators than genuine working men."

The Government professes to be working " in tho direction of a land tax pure and simple." So they are ; and the only precautions they are taking are directed towards persuading the unionists of that, while concealing it from farmers. Land is in future, if the Government stay in office, to bear the whole burdens of the country ; the Federated Seamen say so, and it must be done. But it is necessary not to let the fanners know it at first, or until the Bill is ■afely on the Statute Book. If the truth were told at once, there might be a revolt among the small settlers ; so as long as there are largo estates unconfiscated the truth must be concealed from the country that in the future, when those large estates ire broken up the small settlers will have to pay the whole taxation of the country. Meantime the best efforts of the Government are being directed to lightening tho share of taxation hitherto borne by bauks and loan companies. These institutions, to which the farmers (in one sense) owes so much, and to which the colony (in the other sense) owes so little, are to be presented with enormous sums of public money which the fanners will bo presently Called upon to subscribe ; just as they subscribe now a percentage upon every purchase they make at a store, in order that the wages of city unionists may be mado up to n higher figure than would otherwise bo the case. Presently, in addition to what is taken out of their pockets by Protection and the new system of taxation, and the annual present to the banks and loan companies, and to all they lose by being "bossed" about their tenure by the wharf labourers, they will have the pleasure of dubsoribiug the interest upon country loans raised by the new arrivals at the village settlements through the operation of a single vote. is a very fine thing for the farming interest to be under a Government which cowers perpetually under the uplifted lash of trade unions in the town, who hate the settlers for defeating the universal boycott, and hate the farm labourers because they have not surrendered their independence to a sleek and well-paid "secretary." —Mount Ida Chronicle.

A London correspondent, who contributes to three or four papers in this colony, says—" It is very trying to me to find that, after constant reiteration of the fact that only high-class stuff should bo shipped, to discover m a London factor's warehouse a parcel of newly-arrived butter, the only legitimate location for which would be the hog tub or the grease box of a locomotive. Such was my experience on September 4th, when calling on Mr Henry Uray. of the firin of Messrs Coey and Co. He exhibited for my special benefit a number of tubs of butter which had arrived in the s.s. Matatua as ordinary cargo. Thostuff was a disgrace to Akaroa. In the first place it had been badly manufactured, in the second it had been kept on your side far too long (the exporter fancied, no doubt he might make more money by holding it over for a week or two), anil to crown all, the stuff had been sent a.t ordinary cargo, and subjected to every variation of temperature obtained 'hvixt New Zealand and London. A Whitechapel dealer whose special mission m life seems to be to rid factors of all questionable stuff in the shape of butter and cheese which thny cannot dispose of in the ordinary courso, has just been examining some half dozen kegs, and had come to the the conclusion that this particular lot was' too rough 'even for him." The geography of the colonies is not studied very much at Home, and people are very ignorant as a rule as to the whereabouts of places. The, fact, therefore, of the sample sent from Akaroa being called New Zealand butter is enough to depreciate in value evon the very best that is sent from the colony. Branding of produce is perhaps one way of getting over the difficulty, but it takes many years before a brand gets known in the London market ; when it is known, theowuer of the produce which has achieved a name of being a maker of a. superior article can always get the current prico going. Still, there should bo a law to prevent " cart grease " being sent home as " prime butter," and if there was an Agricultural Bureau established this might be carried into effect.