POLICE COURT.—Saturday,

New Zealand Herald, Volume VII, Issue 1873, 17 January 1870, Page 6

POLICE COURT.—Saturday,

(Before T. Beekham, Esq., R.M.) DRUNKENNESS. James Woolley, Bernard Clarke, and Henry Savage were punished as drunkards.

DIGNIFIED AND OTHER CLERGY AND U. K. ALLIANCE. To the Editor of the Herald.

Sir,—Without presuming to blame any one, I may uso the liberty to say that it is a matter of surprise and regret to ninny that the English clergy as a body, especially the dignified and more influential among them, should have hold back from publicly showing any countenance to the Alliance movement in England during the past sixteen years of its oxistonce. Thoro has been, indeed, one remarkable oxeeption: — The Ven. Archdeacon Sondford, though oppressed with the loud of years, lias for long been the very life and soul of this Allianco, and, indeed, wo may say is so yet. He has gone bhrough an amount of labour, mental and physical, for this Alliance, in collecting and arranging oflicial statistics and otherwise, which might well put to shame younger and less zealous ministers of Christ. The growing infirmities of age alone kept him back from taking part with his usual energy in the proceedings of the hit c splendid gathering of the Alliance in Birmingham, on the occasion of its annual meeting, ami his absence \va< deeply regretted. It was mainly owing to his unwearied exertions this convocation drew up a report, showing that in no less than 1400 parishes, townships, and hamlets in England, the Permissive Bill was at the present moment actually in practical operation. In these several localities there wa3 not one drink shop to be found. The landlords and magistrates had, for their own interests and the interests of tho public, exercised that veto which the Alliance is now claiming as a right for the ratepayers throughout ihe entire country. The happiest effects were visible, and there was no discontented " minority ,, clamouring for their rights, and indignant nt that " coercion " in these IJ-00 pla-es. Archbishop Manning was tho most eminent ecclcsia-tic I think who came forward, after aomo little hesitation, to unite his influence with that of the nobler portion of the working mpn of England in the ranks of the United Kingdom Alliance, with a view to obtain the Permissive Bill. Though this Archbishop belongs Ji.ow to a different communion from the Venerable Archdeacon Sandford, yet he was long ft laborious and exemplary minister of tho Church of England ; he knows the wants and the feeling of the English poor well; he is their devoted friend ; in a word, he is an Englishman to tho backbone, and iu tho best sense of the word. The working men of England, their wives and children, so many of whom are now the impoverished and degraded victims of the grog-shop, owe a deep debt of gratitude to Archdeacon Sandford and Archbishop Manning for what they have done, and are still doing on behalf of the Alliance. They set an example to the English bench of bishops, and the last mail has brought us unmistakable proof tlrat their example has not been thrown away. Tho Archbishop of York appeared latoly at a congress of working men, and in effect openly advocated tho Alliance and the Permissive Bill—though neither of these two words were used by him in the course of his speech. He went further than that. He even reproached—though of course in a delicate oud mild manner—the clergy of the English Church, for the apathy and indifference they had shown to the Alliance movement" " There are great social questions," said his Grace, " which involve sin ; and I think the clergy have been rather drawing away, more especially of late, from these social questions, and shutting themselves up in a theological circle only, and it grieves me when I hear, ns I havo often heard, a question put to me like this— ' Why is it that our clergy stands aloof from a movement in favoii' , of temperance ?' " This remark was received with loud applaus: , . From the tenor of other parts of his Grace's speech, it is evident that by the expression, " A movement in favour of intemperance," he moans our Alliance. For though it bo a movement infavor of temperance, it is a movement which commits no one to teetotalism, and claims for the people a right which his Grace of York is clearly of opinion they ought to enjoy. Speaking of the invasion of liberty—so called by the Permissive Bill—he said, " You may call it an intemperance with justice and freedom, I call it a limitation of the power to set traps for the unwary, by which their souls are ensnared." Tho great annual meeting of the Allianco in Birmingham, in October last, was presided over by the Bishop designate of Exeter, who, for ability and scholarship, is one of the greatest ornaments I suppose of the Episcopal bench. Ho candidly stated that he could noV yet go the whole length of tho Alliance, but his Permissive Bill education was not yet begun scarcely ; he promised to study the subject and decide for himself. There can be little doubt of the end. The London Times, our great opponent, seeing these tilings, and seeing the troops of M.l'.'s now flocking "to tne Alliance platform,, is obviously like"a certain great character of antiquity, " troubled in his miud ;" and shows signs of veering round to us. Wo may ask, in the words of the Archbishop of York, why is it that the Auckland clergy, the dignified aiid more influential portion of them at least, keep aloof from a movement in favor of temperance, in other words, from the Alliance movement. I believe some of the Auckland clergy have come forward to lend their influence to the AUiauce in a quiet way, and sometimes openly too. In these the working men will recognise true friends. But others hold back ; there may be good and sufficient reasons for their doing so, only tho public do not know these reasons, and I think they have a right to know them. The some remark applies to many good and worthy moral and social reformers among the laity. They tell us they approvo of the nia'ii object of our Alliauce, and tender us their sympathy —too often a cold and barren sympathy,—and that is all the help we need look for from them. They say that they know as well as we can tell them that the curse of the province is drunkenness ; yet, they will not join in repeated Alliance conferences designed to agitate the best means of removing that curse, so fav as human laws can aid in doing so. — I am, &c,

_ ,r. Wood.

A TRIP TO THE WAIKATO.

To the Editor of tlic Hehalp. Sin, —Having just returned from a very pleasant trip up your much-talked-of Waiknto district, it gives me great pleasure to bo able to add my littlu note of admiration to the many that hare before appeared respecting that -nost fertile region. Surely it has been rightly termed the future "granary of the North," and the prospective railway only is wanting to produce tlio most splendid agricultural results. The growth of grass and clover, and particularly in the neighbourhood, of Cambridge, is truly astonishing, and the sleek appearance of the stock is a guarantee of the quality of the feed. As far as improvements in the reclaiming of waste lands arc concerned, things aro most marked, and in one or two instances I had the pleasure of seeing iroro than ono farm in the Cambridge district that would bear favourable comparison with any average grazing farm in the old country. The only thing that surprised mo was the extraordinary manner in which native matters are managed up there. I have seen black skins in many countries, but never before sow such liberty allowed them. The insolent manner of the rascals shows the absurdity of allowing such license ; and a glass of grog was more than once bestowed in my presence where a kick would have been far more appropriate. Depend upon it, sir, until the Maoris are brought down to their proper level, there can bo no safety for eettlcra.

Hotel accommodation in the Wnikato, and on the road from Auckland, is very " dusty." On the ciitii'9 route I only enmo across one house that at all approached what is generally conceived to be comfort;— Mr. Shirley's Hotel, at Rangrariri j about most of the others there was a general flavour of semi-intoxicated luggers and slovenliness.

Tho settlers of the Waikato seem to be most industrious and plodding, and their perseverance will certainly meet its reward, and that soon. There can be no doubt, that ifc would be greatly to their advantage to form a company and purchase a suitable steamer for f,!ie navigation of their river, and I am told that some such a scheme ia in contemplation. Lot not such a company, however, be deluded into buying any second-hand rubbish from tho other colonics, but let. them import from the Clyde, having had a suitable vessel constructed by a good Glasgow firm. ' T am informed thnt his Honor tho Superintendent contemplates pushing forward the mil way into the heart of tho province. Should such a work bo carried out during the reign of Mr. Q-illicP, his name will bo for ever honorably remembered in the annals of Auckland. I may be pardoned for repeating in conclusion, that tho Wuikato district, is the i very soul of your province, and th'it no [ expense should ho spared, and no maudlin philo-Maori scruples should be allowed to stand in the way of its perfect development. — I am, &c , j Anglo-Indian. « THE WAIKATO RAILWAY. To tho Editor of the Hjjraij). Sir, —Would you allow me space to suggest to the gentli-men interested in the railway meeting, to be held at Papakura on Monday next, that a 3 ft. £ua»e will meet all the requirements of th ' Waikato, and is perfectly safe at an or.Hiuiry v/orkirg speed of 25 miles per hour. These narrow gunge railways, with steep gradients ami <}iueU curves, have been adopted for many years upon the continent of Europe, with such success that, they are now meetiut,' with the attention they deserve in England. It would be much cheaper for us to dispose of the rolling stock already purchased, than to carry out such an expensive mistake, as the Auckland and Drury railway. It. ought ta have been much nearer toDrury than it ~is, for the money that has been expended upon it. But. time will not permit me to go into that question at present. —I am, &c, C'HAri. SaNDBKSON, Civil Engineer. Aucklanl, '"jth January, 1370.

DR. WOOD ON EDUCATION To the Editor of tho Hemzd.

Srß, —In assuming that tho religion or denomination of the soldiers is interfered with by the British Government, Dr. Wood is mistaken. The interpretation of what is meant by education on a sound moral and religious basis, is practically left to the in ividual schoolmaster ; and " the parents of children who arc not of tho same religious persutision as the schoolmaster, are to be at liberty to send their children to school at the hour for commencing general instruction, and not at the hour for opening school." Sch. Reg. 98. "When it is stated that all normal schoolmasters for the Army are appointed after open competition, and that formal religiou3 instruction is entirely in the hands of the chaplains of the different denominations, there cannot appear to be much tyraniuj'm compelling soldiers who are parents to have their children educated gratis. Has Dr. Wood observed the advantages which this compulsory instruction now gives to the children of soldiers, over those in a similar position in civilian life throughout Great Britain ? It is a fact, that children of thosn who are compelled to attend army normal schools often attain a respectable position in life more easily than the children of officers.

I may further remark that in reading the Bible, it rests entirely with the individual teacher whether he use the Douay or King James's ; but it must not be read during general instruction. —I am, &e., A Country Teacher.

WHAT'S TO BE DONE WITH THK B ARRACKS ? To the Editor of the Hekaid.

Sir, —The result of our worthy Governor's quiet negotiation with the home authorities in procuring for this province the site of the Albert Barracks is a most welcome piece of intelligence. The spot is fair and beautiful, ami the question arises, to whnt purpose is it to be applied ? Your own remarks upon the subject were judicious and enlightened ; let it be a place of healthy enjoyment, to which the dwellers in the lower part of the town may resort and bretlie the fresli air of liea7en. Convert it into a park, to which the prefix of the Governor's name might be attached. Tfc would be a greitfc misfortune were it to fall into the hands of our provincial authorities, who are too apt to look (like all popular assemblies) to present gain—-the .£ s. d. view. I believe the extent is about thirty acres, but from this we must provide for the convenience of certain public bodies consequent upon our altered position with reference to the Imperial Government, and al=o for institutions which the growing wealth and importance of the place demand. Firstly. As the troops are now positively going (I wish they would loave us their band), we must provide an available military force— a portion always on duty—a small standing army, in fact, for which barracks must bo provided. These, with mess-rooms, paradeground, &c, would occupy one portion of, say, a quadrangle. To this must be added practieo room for the band, and also a pavilion for the band to perform in public. Secondly. There are institutions growing up which demand support from the public. I refer to the institute lately established, to which the Museum might be attached, and an Observatory added. A certain space to be allotted to their joint purpose, the remainder to be laid out in walks, and planted —not forgetting the cricket ground. I mention those as things of necessity to be provided for. There is a talk of putting the ground into the hands of some sharp, clever men of business, to " utilise," which I suppose means to cut up into building allotments, a nursery ground for fever and pestilence, to be expiated by pious donations for a fever hospital. The ground for such an appropriation seems to be to provide funds fi>r education and reformatory purposes. With regard to the former, I should think they are already well provided for ; for fcho other and more important one, just nothing has been done ; but that is no reason why the tuwn should be defaced and its atmosphere polluted. By all means let a reformatory and school of industry be established, where crime may be nipped in the bud, and habits ot industry be acquired and cultivated. Apportion a thousand acres of Government land, and now n perfect wilderness, in trust, for to carry out one of the above wise purposes. The Wniknto district presents a fair field, and with a properly qualified director, a sort of education might be. given, which—if wanting in the '•' 'olo^ies" —might make useful members of society nevertheless. The cleaning and drossiii'j; llux, with the usual farm employments, well carried out, would soon be :i self-paying concern, and rendered independent ot" the charitable donations of the already much burdened public.—l am, &c, Civis. <>- . Tltf LVTH! CUJ ,VO.sir>H\"r. To til: Kditor 0 , .' tli.j Herald. :-In,—l tliink I lint it i'l vury w»li Hi ih tiior ■ arc othur pt:;>i>h" in the woi-id th:tt think differ- ; cmily with whoever wroto yesUirduy'.s hurling n»tLjio in the Baibj Southern Ci-Oss, for such u nii'iiri iiuil unfair jiCieinpt. to prfij'i.iico thii minds of'hi? public I havo nevur been bsfoJv in u I'riiifih iVa an American 1 liiivoiilwav. , ! Sjeoa (lifiTi to undnrstand th/it a fnir unpoijmlicoil trUl, and if adoutt iiiisn* to giva 'liu prisoiu'-r th'> benefit of, w»3 British i.Misto.-n. If that-i> thr> case, the wii'.nr of Hie iriu>ln ill ud.'il to must hnvu bfjii under the ii fluonc.i "Li hot sun. I do iut know t-ither of ttio ; that wos run ovei ortho dsivor, ! aiw ih-i cabs tbftl uight, u.:id in uij

humble opinion the so-called racing was no thing moro than a " slinking trot," that not the slightest notice would hare been taken of i 1 had it been daylight.

But I do think that the man < Jash vai to blame for not riding outside. Driver's boxe-i Hi-o generally be placed where they cm sje best ani bave most power over tbeir h irsee, and (hero is no mistake about it but that bo should lwvo been in tint e"at. And I >im sure all {right-minded people will think that the ends of justice, and that, justice " British juetice," was fully met by tho fine imposed, insten! of hanging him a* th.- Cross to wiah. —I am, &o ,

CHAHI.E'iTOK, Gnthamatowii, Januiry 12'h, 1870.