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Waikato Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 3015, 10 November 1891, Page 2

We hear that La Grippe has has agjin made its appearance in Hamilton. It hns been raging in tho South to a great extent lately ; but it is to be hoped that it will not be quite so severe on this occasion in Waikato as it was duriDg its last ravage through tho district.

The Archbishop of Canterbury favouix the suggestion that he should pay a visit to tho colonial churches.

Owing to yesterday being a close holiday, we are without our usual bwdget of telegraphic and cable news today.

The Hamilton Cricket Club will hold practices every afternoon this week in oriler to pick a team to play the Patorangi Club on S itmday.

During the past few days the weather lias been very changeable, thunderstorms, morn or le*n severe, being prevalent throughout tho district.

Baron Hirsch will convene, early in the new year, an international Jewish Congress to consider the best means of relieving thoir Russian compatriots.

In addition to the prizes published in our last issue Mr G. F. McCullagli's roan horse Tommy was awarded first prize for walking, and Mr R. Henwood's Maritana won the high jump with a jump of sft. lin., at the Auckland Show.

Messrs Rendell and Henry, storekeepers, of Raglan, have agreed to dissolvo partnership, Mr Henry retiring from the firm. A clearing sale of their large and valuable stock is now being held, liboral discounts being allowed on cash purchases in all departments.

There can he no doubt now as to tho nxUtonoe of a sea serpent, as a doad one has been seen by a Bishop, vide the following Tfie Bishop of Adelaido, while visiting Coffin's Bay, on the east side of Eyre Peninsula, discovered a dead sea serpent, sixty feet in length. It had a round body like a snake, and a tail like a whalo.

The immediate friends ot the Salvation Army will bo glad to hoar that Captain Cutler, who, it will ba remembered, was the first officer appointed to Hamilton about three and a-half years ago, and who was so universally respected by everyone who came in contact with him while in that position in the township, has been promoted to Ensign ; a position he is well capable of filling. Ensign Cutler is at present in charge of tho Labour Bureau in connection with the Army at Wellington.

Last summer we pointed out that the bot fly appeared to be increasing very fast, the deposited eggs being noticeable upon the legs, breasts, etc., of a large number of horses. The following extract from the Stock Inspector's annual report will show that the pest is attracting attention :—"Among horses the bot fly has been very prevalent, and the area affected by this fly is increasing. Its effects are not visibly injurious to well-cared-for animals, but in badly-fed and low-conditioned horses it is certainly serious, and renders any improvement in their condition almost impossible."

One of the prettiest horses we have seen for some time past is Balderdash, the trotting stallion, recently imported from the South by "Charlie" Lake. To usoan old saying, he is a big horse in little room. Wirh broad chest, powerful shoulders, level back, and any amount of good t!at bone, he looked, as he stood with the sun bringing out tho gleam of gold in his dark coat, good enough for auyfhing. Then just soo Balderdash stepping out! We believe this horse, and others of his stamp, will ba very popular in future. What we want are high-class saddle and carriage horses —animals with some substance as well as style. For this sort there is an unlimited demand, both for home use and for exportation.

The marked effect of the factory ■=ystem of dairying upon the value of milking cows is being repeatedly exhibited at our auction sales. At Ohanpo quite recently Mr Hunter had an unusually large number of springers yarded, and the prices realised must, to say the least, have been highly satisfactory to the vendors, anything like a good cow bringing from £4 10s to £5 10s each, and tho demand among the milk suppliers at the conclusion of the salo was apparently as unsatisfied as ever. The increase—slight as it is—in the price given for milk, combined with the improved prospects of the export butter aud cheese trade, are important factors. Unless dairymen lay themselves out to rear and keep their heifer calves for the dairy, instead of selling everything to the grazier as hitherto, it is not at all improbable that we shall see again, as in former years, good cows fetching as much as £10 a-piece.

Speaking with reference to Miss Parkes, tho only surviving sister of the Premier of New South Wales, who died at Falconbridge, in the 81st year of her age, tho Sydney Morning Herald states " Miss Parkes was in one respect a remarkable woman. Although in disposition kind to a fault, she possessed a vein of satirical humor, which frequently was made manifest in conversation. She was, more >ver, a living chronicle of the march and progress in English politics since the passing of the first Reform Bill in 1832. Always having taken an absorbing interest in the politics of tho English-speaking .vnrld, but par ticularly in tho political development of Great Britain during the past sixty years, and possessing an observant mind and a retentive, memory, she could, without hesitation and with absolute accuracy, give the names of all the leading statesmen of Great Britain and the important incidents in their inhninistration during the lo«g period mentioned. The brightness of her intellect remained unclouded until almost the last hours of her life, notwithstanding the pain and wearisomeness of general physical infirmity which obtained the mastery about two years ago."

Mr M'Donald, in his preface to " The Ancient Martial Music of Scotland, speaking of the great Highland bagpipe, says :—" In the halls of joy and in ncsnes of mourning it has prevailed ; it has animated her warriors in battle and welcomed them back after their trials to the homes of their love and the hills of their nativity. Its strains were first sounded on the ears of iufancy, and they are the last to be forgotten in the wanderings of age. Even Highlanders will allow that it is not the greatest of instruments, but when fai from their mountain homes what sounds, however melodious, could thrill round their hearts like one burst of their own wild native pipe? The feelings which other instruments awaken are general and undefined, because they talk alike to Frenchman, Italians, Germans, and Highlanders, for thoy are common to all; but the bagpipe is sacred to Scotland, and speaks a language which Scotchmen only feel. It talks to them of home and all the past, and brings before them on the burning shores of India and tho wild hills and oftfrequented streams of Caledonia, the friends that are thinking of them, and the sweethearts and wives that are weeping for them there. And need it be told here to how many fields of danger and victory its proud strains have led ! There is not a battle that is honorablo to Britain in which its war blast has not sounded. When every other instrument has been hushed by the confusion and carnage of tho scene, it has been borne into the thick of the battle, and far in advance its bleeding but devoted bearer sinking on the earth has sounded at once an encouragement to his countrymen and his own coronach."

We take the following extract from an article in the Kyabram Union (Victoria): —" We must either have an intelligent and fairly honest Government, or an incompetent and a time-serving and, possibly, a corrupt one. That is a matter that entirely depends upon the electers themselves. If they exercise their electoral privileges intelligently, and take a broad view of their responsibilities, they will seloct the men who, whilst looking after the interests of their respective constituencies, never forget that they are called upon to legislate for the community as a whole. There cannot be class legislation in any country, democratic or monarchial, without injuring that country in one or other of its interests. Yet this is a misfortune which, if Mr Munro and his followers have their way, will assuredly overtake Victoria. We have manhood suffrage here, and if every male above twenty-one were a useful member of society, manhood suffrage would be a very good thing. But Mr Munro argues that, let a mail be what he may, 'a man's a man for a' that.' The lawyer who works sixteen hours a day, the merchant wil l often works ten or twelve, the shopkeeper, the industrious mechanic, or the artisan, who save money and have their little property; tho farmer who has one continual struggle to maintain himself on his land, to say nothing about the enormous squatting intorests of the colony—these, for all political purposes, are to be reduced to a common level. And what is the standard that Mr Munro has set up ? The swigsman, the loafer, the sundowner ; the pickpocket who happens to bo ' out 1 at election time ; the besotted drunkard who, after spending all his money at the pnblic-honse, goes home and half murders his wife ; the larrikin of Collingwood Flat—these are the characters, the standard by which the Bill now before the House proposes to guage the qualifications of the men who are to decide who shall govern this country." I

The annual ball under the auspices of the Ifuntly Football will take place in Ralph's Hall, on Friday next, November 13th.

The annual election of Mayor for the Borough of Hamilton, will take place on Wednesday, November 25th. Nominations will bo received up to noon of Tuesday noxt.

Archdeacon Clarke proceeded to Raglan on Saturday last on n visit to the natives of that district, holding services with them yesterday. Tho archdeacon will return to-day.

A competition for the gold medal presented to the Hamilton Light, Infantry took place at tho range yesterday. The conditions were five shots at 200 yards and 100 yards, any position. The inedal was won by Private T. Pearson, with a score of 38—18 at 200 yards, and 20 at 400.

If the lines of Mr Ballanco's life had fallen in other places, it is impossible to guess what ho might have achievod. If he had been a chemist he would most certainly have blown himself into atoms. Nothing could have provontcd him from experimenting with explosives. Had he been an electrician ho might haro oclipsed Edison in the results of his researches. As a navigator he would have found the North Pole, or perished nn an iceberg. The fact is that dabbling in matters about which little or nothing is known has a fascination for him that he cannot resist. His only weakness is that he is easily led to experiment with experiments. "General " Booth has half of an experiment on hand, and he has come to the colonies to work it off. His achemo only involves the half of an experiment. That portion ot his proposal for tho ,-elief of the English ratepayers from the cost of maintaining so many paupers and criminals is no experiment at all. It is a bold move to sweep social sewago across the sea and dump it down on a colony. The experimental half of the echeme merely relates to the results as regards both the sewage and the unfortunate country in which it may bo deposited. As there is nothing certain about this part of Osneral Booth's scheme, it presents itself tn Mr Ballance as ail experiment that should be tried in New Zealand. The General held a meeting on Saturday at Christchurch, at tho close of which Mr Ballanco took the opportunity of thanking Mr Booth on behalf, we presume, of English ratepayers. Mr Ballance acknowledged, however, that the proposal concerning social sewage was an experiment, but being an experiment, he thought the Government and the country should try it. He added that, " if it failed, no great harm ooutd come!" What does the future of the scheme imply? Nothing more nor less than the letting loose amongst us of some thousands of criminals, paupers and vagabonds, whom we should have to support in our gaols and refuges. This is the "no great harm " which offers no objectionable prospect to Mr Ballance,—Napier Telegraph. Speaking of the action of the Government in proclaiming " Labour Day " a public holiday theNelsnn Evening Mail says :—" The Government has proclaimed to-day as a public holiday, in honour of ' Labour Day,' whatever that may mean. The effect of this is that the public servants who do office work have a holiday and those who are employed on the railways, and who may be supposed to belong to tho class whoso merits are being celebrated to-day, will have to do extra work. It is not ea?y to see why there shnsld bo an attompt specially to glorify ono particular sort of work. There are few men of acquired wealth and leisure in New Zetland. Most of us have to oarn our living in some way or another, and the term ' working man ' is an exceedingly misleading one. It is told of the late Mr Russell Lowell that lie once said to a meeting of printers, 'You know you printers would not get on well without us writing follows.' In the same way the men who labour with their hands would not get on well without the people who set tho work. The fashionable glorification of manual labour is no doubt the result of newly acquired power. If it is so much more praiseworthy to exercise the muscles than the miud, we ought to hold draught horses in even higher esteem than wo do working men. The ambitious labourer works with his hands for the sake of attaining a position m which ha will work with his head. The reward of hard work, steadiness, and intelligence is to be made a director of other men's labour. The best navvy becomes a ganger, and it is absurd to suppose that the younger and less successful men are on the whole superior to those who have raised themselves above their fellows. The Centurion who was able to say ' go' and 'do that' with the certainty of being obeyed had in his younger days to do the duty of a private soldier and he probably was nofc inferior to the men over whom he had been raised, Men generally are struggling to raise themselves ; all are aiming at the same end and the notion in tho present day is that the men who have faded or who have not vet succeeded are to bo much more commended than those who have attained it. Tho old-fashioned practice was to carrv the winner of tho race shoulder high round the ground, but novv tho losers tnako a desperate attempt to carry themselves shoulder high. However the losers are more numerous than the winners and iu the.se days majorities reign. Nearly the whole of us have to work and tho only opening for the bulk »f mankind is manual labour. Probably few people would chose fatiguing work as their meant ot livelihood if they had any option in the raattor. but it is always meritorious to labour, as Falstnff would say, at one's vocation, at least with a •tipulation as to honesty which Falstaff did not make, and tho reward to a successful labouring man, now, is that hard labour ceases to be his vocation. To-day the school is enjoying a holiday in honour of the boys who have not taken prizes."